Old-growth logging protest group 'de-escalating,' says traffic disruptions are over
Weeks after warning that its tactics would escalate, a protest group behind many traffic-blocking stunts says instead that it's planning to slow down.
Demonstrators behind the blockades Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island said Wednesday it will be "de-escalating" its actions.
Save Old Growth, a group against the logging of B.C.'s old-growth forests, said in a news release that it is changing its tactics, moving away from the highway protests.
"Major traffic disruptions will end today," organizers said, suggesting an end to protests blocking popular commuter routes.
During one of those protests, a van was driven on to the Lions Gate Bridge and parked across multiple lanes. It appeared to witnesses that someone then threw the keys over the bridge.
The group said Wednesday that it will keep working, but instead, it will turn to public outreach and events.
"Other strategies will be used that won't stop traffic," the group said. "We continue to request the government take urgent steps to permanently protect B.C.'s remaining old growth forests."
Earlier this month, the group admitted it knew the blockades were unpopular. Some even got heated, with drivers getting out of their vehicles to voice their frustrations.
"They might not like our tactics, but they want to save old growth," protester Sam Nguyen said.
He said at the time that protesters – many of whom have been arrested, some of whom after supergluing their hands to the road – don't want to be out on the roads, blocking commuters, but that they felt the actions were needed.
"We've tried petitions, we've tried to talk to MLAs, it's been 30 years, nothing's happened," Nguyen said.
The province's public safety minister praised police for the swiftness of arrests during these protests, and said he thought most people actually don't feel how Nguyen thinks they do.
"The public does not support what they're doing and if they think it does...they've got rocks in their head," Mike Farnworth said on June 14, after a blockade on Highway 1 near Horseshoe Bay.
At that time, the group was threatening escalation after taking a six-week hiatus.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Woman, 18, killed by co-worker's vehicle on Highway 1 in Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw police say an 18-year-old woman who was at work has died from injuries she sustained in a collision with a vehicle being driven by her co-worker last Thursday.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
MPs to vote on NDP motion calling on Canada to recognize Palestinian statehood
Members of Parliament will vote Monday on a motion from the federal New Democrats, calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine,' among a range of other calls to action in regards to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.