Listen Live
HomeNewsOld Growth Logging Protests Halt Traffic in Nanaimo

Old Growth Logging Protests Halt Traffic in Nanaimo

Two people were arrested today in Nanaimo at an Old Growth Logging protest that blocked traffic on major roadways. The protest was one of four across B-C this morning, also in Victoria, Vancouver, and Revelstoke.

The protests were organized by Extinction Rebellion, whose Nanaimo chapter of about a dozen people blocked held banners across Nicol Street coming into the downtown. The demonstration took place at 11 in the morning and RCMP diverted traffic around the site for about an hour before clearing out the scene.

“We are tired of waiting on the Provincial Government – who are just talking and logging. They made an election promise that they would stop cutting the old-growth,” says protester Victor Brice. “They have talked and talked and it is still going on and it’s unacceptable.”

Brice says that they’re hoping for a moratorium on old-growth logging, and they’d like the province to follow through with a campaign promise.

- Advertisement -

“The Provincial Government has to say, ‘we are putting a moratorium on old-growth logging until we can figure out a solution to this problem and try and re-grow some of these forests’ – which are incredible carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs and there’s just not enough of them left.”

The plan from protestors is to repeat the demonstration every Monday until next steps are taken by the government. Brice says now is the time to make a stand.

“We are going to show up. We are going to block the traffic. And we are going to make a statement,” said Brice before the demonstration. ”There is so little old-growth left now that we don’t have any more time to talk about it. We just have to act and we have to act now.”

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -
- Advertisement -