Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons has stated that the protected area around Northeast Bay on Texada Island is being extended to cover waters of the bay itself, a decision advocated for by the local community.
“Northeast Bay is a very special place to people here,” stated Simons in a media release. “By protecting the bay itself, we can be sure that this area will stay whole, so that future generations can experience it the same way that we can today. We owe a lot to the years of local advocacy from residents and qathet Regional District for pushing to make this happen.”
Protection of Northeast Bay was driven by residents of Texada Island, who value the area as a beautiful, natural, recreation resource, stated Sandy McCormick, the island’s director on the qathet Regional District (qRD) Board for Electoral Area D.
“The bay itself is a designated site for camping and paddling on the BC Marine Trails Network,” added McCormick. “Texada residents appreciate the support of the qRD and the provincial government in protecting this important and popular site.”
The release states that protection of the waters creates a continuous reserve area with lands around the bay that were protected by a decision from BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in 2019. The area will operate as a public reserve under BC’s Land Act, which protects the area for nature conservation purposes.
