Katherine Wasiak

BY THE AGE OF 24, Simon Jackson had been named a TIME Magazine “Hero for the Planet,” selected as one of the top 25 “Up and Comers” by Maclean’s and received a $50,000 scholarship for community service from TD Canada Trust. He is the founder and has been the Executive Director of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition for more than 11 years, working to protect the habitat of North America’s rarest bear – the white Kermode, or spirit bear – of British Columbia.

simon jackson is an example of how anyone, especially youth, can make a difference in the world.

In 2001, at the age of 18, Simon’s youth coalition, now six million strong, helped create a historic land use agreement with logging companies, First Nations, all levels of government and environmental groups; forming the framework for sustainability on the B.C. coast. The agreement helped protect half and defer development in the other half of the spirit bears’ last intact habitat. It resulted in the largest land protection measure in the history of North America. His work was the inspiration for CTV’s award-winning movie Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story, which aired across Canada, internationally at film festivals and on the Disney Channel.

For the full story pick up the current issue of Lethbridge living Magazine