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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.