An activist blocking northbound lanes of the Pat Bay Highway near the Swartz Bay ferry terminal early Monday was sent to hospital after a confrontation with a driver, say protesters who were rallying against logging of old-growth forests.
Organizer Sophia Papp says a “frustrated” driver snapped a support beam to a platform holding a protester. “It was 12 feet high, so that person fell on his head and was taken to Victoria General Hospital,” she said.
The driver left the scene, but his licence plate was recorded and there is video of the event, said Papp.
Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the B.C. RCMP, confirmed in a statement that a protester fell to the pavement after a ladder collapsed and had to be transported to hospital.
“While we understand the commuters’ frustration, the RCMP does not condone illegal actions taken to bypass blockades,” he said, calling such blockades “simply dangerous for protesters and for others.”
The incident remains under investigation and police are asking with anyone with information to contact the Sidney/North Saanich RCMP at 250-656-3931.
Those responsible for the blockades were arrested, the RCMP said. Police said there were 12 to 15 protesters on the highway.
Police were working to remove two protesters who were chained to a vehicle and another chained to a barrel of concrete. Witnesses say saws were being used to cut away the chains and remove the protesters.
The Sidney/North Saanich RCMP, Island District RCMP, Central Saanich Police Service and specialized RCMP units such as the obstacle removal team and Community-Industry Response Group were involved in the effort.
The highway was clear by noon, according to DriveBC.
Save Old Growth blocked northbound traffic on the highway near McDonald Park Road starting at 5:45 a.m. in their ongoing effort to push for legislation to immediately end all old-growth logging in the province.
“I’m deeply saddened and extremely upset,” said Papp. “I understand the frustration of people stuck in traffic, but compared to climate change destruction, it’s paltry.”
Papp pointed to the more than 600 people who died in B.C. in last summer’s heat dome and the animals killed as a result of last year’s flooding, the result of climate change.
She said road disruptions will continue until the provincial government promises or passes legislation to protect old-growth forests across B.C.
“I don’t want to be here,” she said from the blockade. “I want the protection of our old-growth forests and I will leave here.”
In April, Forests Minister Katrine Conroy said the British Columbia government has worked with First Nations to defer logging across more than a million hectares of old-growth forests at risk of permanent loss.
Logging of a further 619,000 hectares of old growth has been deferred at the request of First Nations to protect wildlife habitat, at-risk species, salmon populations and cultural practices, Conroy said.
The minister said over 80 per cent of old-growth forests identified as at risk of irreversible loss are not currently threatened by logging, either because they were deferred, they were already set aside, or they’re not economically viable to harvest.
