Climate activists hold sit-in at busy Vancouver intersection to protest old-growth logging
Climate activist group Extinction Rebellion held a sit-in at a busy Vancouver intersection on Saturday afternoon in protest of old-growth logging on Vancouver Island.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered on the front steps of Vancouver City Hall before marching down the street and sitting in the middle of the intersection of Cambie Street and West Broadway.
The group is calling on the B.C. government to permanently stop all logging in the Fairy Creek watershed, an area of old-growth forest in southwestern Vancouver Island.
The province has agreed to defer old growth logging on 2,000 hectares of Indigenous territory for two years, after a request from three Vancouver Island First Nations – the Huu-ay-aht, Ditidaht, and Pacheedaht.
However, some want it stopped permanently, which is why the protests continue.
“I think, if they were wise, they would take a look at their policies and figure out what the people of this province really want,” says Brent Eichler, a member of Extinction Rebellion.
In the middle of the intersection, protestors talked amongst themselves, sang, and gave speeches. One of the speakers was Evie Mandel, who recently returned from a four-day trip to Fairy Creek.
“They’re still logging there,” Mandel says. “They’re still building roads. The deferral only covers a small portion of the old growth forest there. There are many, many ancient trees and habitat to protect.”
Activists are still on scene in the Fairy Creek forest, despite the pause on logging. Mandel, 65, was arrested while protesting there, but feels bold action needs to be taken if the old-growth trees are to be saved.
“We have practically no ancient forest left,” she says. “John Horgan says we’ll have a new old growth policy in 2023, but at the rate they’re logging there, these forests will already be gone in only two years.”
Mandel says her biggest concern is for the ecosystem. She says old growth trees on Vancouver Island aren’t just spectacular to look at, but play a critical role in the local environment that cannot be replicated.
“It’s the exact opposite of sustainable,” she says. “It is irreplaceable. We do not have the power as human beings to create an old-growth forest like that.”
The sit-in lasted roughly three hours before the Vancouver Police Department asked protestors to clear the area. The intersection reopened to traffic without incident. The VPD says the demonstration was peaceful and no arrests were made.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.