1.7M hectares of old-growth deferred, protesters block Highway 1 in West Van

Apr 12, 2022 – Charlie Carey/North Shore News

Around 8 a.m. on Friday morning (April 8), Save Old Growth protesters blocked the highway eastbound between Taylor Way and 15th Street.

The old-growth advocacy group have been blocking traffic on a rolling basis this week, with protests on Monday and Wednesday mornings snarling traffic along both the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing and the Lions Gate Bridge.

Both actions resulted in multiple arrests by police.

North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma said she completely understands the passion that people bring to the table regarding old-growth protection, and she’d heard from countless people across the North Shore and British Columbia about the practice.

“For a long time, British Columbian governments have failed to protect the unique biodiversity that exists in our province,” Ma said. “And it’s a big part of the reason why our government is working on implementing this new vision for B.C. forests, where our oldest and rarest forests are better protected, where Indigenous peoples are full partners in sustainable forest management, and where communities and workers are benefiting from secure and sustainable jobs for generations to come.”

Ma’s comments come off the back of a recently announced provincial old-growth logging deferral plan which has secured 1.7 million hectares of old-growth forest from logging.

Read the full article at nsnews.com.