Logging protesters' tactics questioned after manure dumped at B.C. premier's office
Things got a bit messy at the B.C. premier’s constituency office on Wednesday morning, when old growth logging protesters delivered a rather unsightly gift.
Activists from the group Save Old Growth dumped five bags of fresh manure outside the front entrance of John Horgan’s community office in Langford.
“There was a girl standing in the parking lot and I said, ‘What are you guys doing!?’” said Misha Gervais, who works at a hair salon two doors down from Horgan’s office. Gervais said she was appalled to see manure being dumped on the sidewalk.
“We have people who come here in wheelchairs constantly. This is a hazard. We work here and this is absolutely disgusting and uncalled for,” she said.
It’s not the first time fresh fertilizer has been used in protest. In 2001, manure was dumped on the front lawn of George Puil, a former Vancouver councillor and chair of TransLink.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that they go too far,” said Paul Quirk, a UBC political science professor and Phil Lind chair in U.S. politics and representation.
While protests are usually held to raise awareness and generate sympathy, Quirk says protesters who take extreme measures are not always looking for public support.
“It might just be for the hundreds or few thousands who are participating in these protests. If they like doing it, the protest leaders get benefits from doing it,” he said.
Quirk added demonstrations that interfere with the public, such as recent blockades on the Trans-Canada Highway on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver, or the 2020 anti-pipeline protest outside of John Horgan’s house, are not protected by law. They continue, he said, because of a lack of political will.
“(Politicians) are aware of there being a lot of sympathy for the protests. They’d be offending big parts of their constituency by removing them.”
Without strong penalties for protesters who infringe on the public, the disruptions will continue.
“June 13, (road) blockades will start up again,” said Sophia Papp, an organizer with Save Old Growth. “We’re asking (protesters) to take two weeks off work as it’s going to be full-time occupations and blockades."
Save Old Growth says the provincial government has failed to implement the recommendations from an old growth strategic review panel, and feels the current deferrals on logging old growth trees do not go far enough.
“Those deferrals are not permanent, and they’re not deferring areas that they would have logged otherwise,” said Papp. “It looks good and they have a lot of talk, but their tangible actions clearly speak otherwise.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.