Here’s what you made possible in 2025
Stories
Here’s what you made possible in 2025
December 17, 2025
2025 was another impactful year for Sierra Club BC, thanks to the support of our amazing members and partners like you. Even amid big challenges, from trade wars and pipeline proposals, we still made positive strides for forests, biodiversity and the climate.
We want to take a moment to celebrate the milestones you’ve helped achieve this year and share what’s next. We are so grateful for your support!

Photo by Mary Paquet.
You helped protect old-growth forests & biodiversity
It’s been five years since B.C. committed to work alongside First Nations to transform our forestry sector and make biodiversity a priority. This included a path to safeguarding 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old growth left in the province. But with tariff threats to softwood lumber and political uncertainty, there’s been a big stall on transitioning to sustainable second-growth forestry and protecting the last old-growth forests. That’s why we worked harder than ever to combat industry misinformation and hold the B.C. government accountable to their promises.
To accomplish this, we:
- Released two hard-hitting old-growth reports that made major waves. In April, we helped release ‘The Economic Value of Old Growth Forests in B.C.’ which found that protecting at-risk old-growth forests in just two large Timber Supply Areas (TSAs) could deliver $10.9 billion CAD in economic benefits over the next century compared to business-as-usual logging. And in November, we released ‘Closer to the Brink’, which filled in huge gaps in public knowledge as to how much old growth is left, what has been clearcut and what is protected in B.C. These reports gave decision-makers clear evidence that (1) B.C. is not on track to meet their commitment of transitioning forestry to a more sustainable model that incorporates ecological values and (2) that protecting what remains of old growth is not only the right choice for the environment, but also for long-term economic sustainability.
- Got the latest forest research and maps into the hands of decision-makers. Our campaigners hand-delivered and emailed copies of our two forest reports to Ministers and MLAs across the province, including those most accountable for progressing the province’s forest commitments: Premier Eby, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, and Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill. We also ran geo-targeted ads for B.C. government officials about the importance of protecting old-growth with a link to the ‘Closer to the Brink’ report. These ads were seen over 50,000 times!
- Called out the B.C. government for their continuous delay in enacting a law to protect biodiversity and ecosystems across the provinces. In 2024, the province was supposed to roll out the final Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health framework that would include a path to a biodiversity law co-developed with Indigenous Nations. But instead there’s been barely a peep about the status of this framework. We couldn’t let this important commitment fade away, so we worked to remind the provincial government that voters care about this issue. We joined with 88 groups from diverse sectors in an open letter to the B.C. government calling for transparency. Our staff helped get a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health law resolution passed at the recent BC NDP convention. This win sends a strong message to Premier Eby that the promise to protect biodiversity is a major priority for the BC NDP base.
- Made headlines for forests, with over 350 media hits mentioning Sierra Club BC this year. Some notable forest coverage includes CBC, Global News, The Narwhal, and Chek News.
- Hosted massive webinars all about old growth and biodiversity with over 2,000 registrants joining the conversation! Featuring phenomenal panels that spotlighted diverse perspectives including Indigenous leaders, scientists and the award-winning author Robert Macfarlane! You can catch up on this year’s webinars here.
- We made environmental content more accessible through our social media ads and viral videos. Our ads reached over 440,000 people and our videos about forests and biodiversity were watched over 376,000 times!
- Supported members across diverse sectors, from faith groups to tourism operators to farmers, in speaking up for forests and biodiversity. After all, if we’re to make the widescale changes needed to protect the last old-growth forests and endangered species, we need more than just environmentalists speaking up. Through our organizing programs like Mother Tree Locals Leader Program, we supported these local leaders to mobilize their networks, including by writing letters and setting up meetings with their MLAs.
- Continued our legal case to protect migratory birds and their habitats on a federal level. Our team met with Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin and discussed our successful Migratory Birds Act lawsuit, making her aware of the court-mandated timeline for Environment Canada to protect the critical habitat of 25 vulnerable bird species. Our lawyers have been busy this year with the legal follow-up on the case, and we won’t rest until the habitat of marbled murrelets and other endangered birds has the protections it needs. For the murrelets, this would mean finally requiring protection for the coastal old-growth trees where they build their nests.

Photo by Mya Van Woudenberg.
You helped protect the north coast
This year, the north coast made headlines as Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith pushed hard to resurrect a northern pipeline and demolish the north coast tanker ban, which First Nations and British Columbians worked for decades to achieve. The tanker ban protects the ecologically and culturally important Great Bear Sea, and the thriving tourism and fishery industries in this area, from oil spills. Now, Coastal First Nations and the B.C. government have renewed their commitment to uphold it.
Protecting our coast isn’t just about saying no to pipelines and maintaining the tanker ban. It’s about saying yes to a different future. A future with clean, renewable energy that creates jobs and economic opportunities without putting our beautiful coastline at risk of devastating oil spills.
That’s why we stepped up to join Coastal First Nations and others in defending the hard-won tanker ban legislation of 2019. With your support, we:
- Ran ads targeting legislative members on Parliament Hill to ensure they get the message loud and clear: B.C. supports the tanker ban. These ads were viewed over 100,000 times!
- Got more eyes on the issue through media coverage, including publishing an op-ed and attention-getting ads in the Ottawa Citizen and Vancouver Sun.
- Activated thousands of people to send letters to Liberal MPs
- Got two municipalities to go on record calling for the tanker ban to remain in place thanks to strong advocacy from our Move The Dial at City Council Program.
- Went viral: Our social media videos about why the tanker ban needs to stay in place have gotten over 200,000 views.
- Hosted a webinar that busted the business case of a North Coast oil pipeline. Over 900 people registered! The webinar featured a fantastic panel sharing information and inspiration from First Nations leadership, economists and climate scientists.
- Raised this issue so high that BC NDP members voted to keep the oil tanker ban in place at their recent convention, and Premier Eby reiterated his support in his speech to party members. B.C. voters want the tanker ban to stay.

Photo by Los Muertos Crew.
You helped stabilize the climate
The changing climate is hurting the people and places we love. Right here, right now. Each year brings along new extreme weather events and record-breaking temperatures, made worse by fossil fuel pollution.
The science is clear: to limit the extreme harms from climate pollution, we must phase out fossil fuels, protect nature and move to 100% clean energy. Yet, this year saw a huge push to go in the opposite direction by expanding fracked gas and oil infrastructure.
Sierra Club BC is fighting hard against this backsliding and is working to help B.C. transition to a sustainable clean energy economy that supports workers and the environment. With your help, we:
- Provided feedback to improve CleanBC, B.C.’s plan to reduce climate-changing emissions.
- Brought climate news back to the front page. This year we had 352 media mentions of Sierra Club BC. Some notable coverage includes our Campaigns Director Shelley Luce on CBC’s BC Today show to debate the proposed northern pipeline, our organizer David Quigg in the Globe & Mail in opposition to the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, and Senior Policy and Science Advisor Jens Wieting interviewed by CBC about this year’s CleanBC review.
- Helped make climate issues more accessible through engaging social media videos. Our climate explainer videos were viewed over 200,000 times!
- Collaborated with new allies from outside our traditional environmental movement to create change, including health care providers and faith groups. We supported these local leaders getting media coverage on climate issues, writing to the B.C. government and meeting with their MLAs.
- Got the Union of BC Municipalities to endorse a climate resolution that would help communities mitigate climate disasters like heatwaves and floods by maintaining green space and tree canopy.
- We trained 65 local leaders on how to move the dial at their city councils on climate issues. To make action easier, we developed a comprehensive toolkit for city councils that outlines 13 practical ways municipalities can become more climate ready. Our Move the Dial program engaged 22 municipalities to take climate action in 2025!
- Co-hosted a water ceremony with Tsleil-Waututh Sacred Trust Initiative to renew our commitment to care for the Inlet and support the struggle against the dangers of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. Over 200 people joined the event!

Photo by Mya Van Woudenberg.
You helped re-connect kids with nature
Youth are the decision-makers of tomorrow. Education, especially for children and teenagers, is vital to ensuring future generations are grounded in the ways we can steward thriving ecosystems and a stable climate. That’s why for decades we’ve run free environmental education workshops in schools across the province.
With your help, we:
- Delivered 322 outdoor education workshops which connected more than 7,000 students with environmental learning experiences.
- Inspired over 6,000 participants with our ‘Learn to Draw’ nature-based art lessons, featuring fascinating deep ocean ecosystems, sandpipers, rattlesnakes and Canada lynx. Among them were 200 teachers watching with their classes — reaching an estimated 4,000 additional students! We also organized an in-person walk-and-draw about forests in Vancouver that brought people together to learn about and experience the ecosystems around them.
- Hosted five Professional Development workshops, reaching 165 teachers and teacher candidates with fresh tools and ideas for bringing nature into the classroom.
- Published 9 new educational resources for kids and teachers. Check them out here!
What’s next for 2026?
You helped us accomplish this and so much more despite a myriad of challenges; from U.S. President Trump’s tariffs to a push from all levels of government to fast-track resource extraction projects to affordability issues, a rise in climate impacts, and more recently, unrelenting pressure from Alberta to expand oil exports through a new pipeline to B.C.’s north coast. Through it all, you have continued to protect the people and places we love. Thank you!
To address these challenges head on, we’re gearing up for another year of working alongside passionate communities to nurture thriving ecosystems and a stable climate. From mobilizing change-makers across diverse sectors to running huge public awareness campaigns, 2026 will be our biggest year yet. And given these tumultuous times, nature needs our help more than ever.
We are so grateful you’re on this journey with us. None of this would have been possible without our amazing network of local leaders, activists, partners, and Sierra Club BC members.
If you’d like to support the Sierra Club BC community in building a brighter future, please consider making a donation. Even a small gift can make a big difference. If you make a tax-deductible donation by midnight on December 31, 2025, your gift will be doubled.
Looking forward to seeing all we’ll accomplish together in the new year!
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