Protesters snarl traffic on North Shore near BC Ferries terminal

Commuter chaos is underway again on Tuesday morning, as a result of a protest along Highway 1 in West Vancouver.

The group of demonstrators was in the westbound lanes just before the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, with lane closures affecting traffic in both directions.

As of 8:50 a.m., the three protesters had been cleared by West Vancouver Police and arrested but delays continued in the area.

Protesters are back this morning. This time in West Vancouver on the upper levels at Westport. WB blocked, and one lane is blocked EB. Police on scene.Big delays both ways. @CityNewsTraffic pic.twitter.com/IWj23rjpN8

— Danger On Air (@DangerOnAir) June 14, 2022

Tuesday’s protest came after major disruptions conducted by the same group on Monday morning, which led to the arrests of 14 people in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.

Traffic along the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, the Massey Tunnel, as well a major route on Vancouver Island were all affected and led to gridlock for thousands of motorists to start the week.

One driver says she was stuck in a “parking lot” of traffic for more than an hour, as many others took to social media to express their anger over the illegal actions of the group.

Read more: Farnworth mirrors commuters’ frustrations after Save Old Growth blockades around B.C.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has repeatedly condemned the protests and on Tuesday said they are “aggravating, annoying, and frustrating people who are trying to go about their daily business.”

He says the protesters are accomplishing nothing, adding the individuals “need to realize they aren’t helping their cause in any shape or form, all they are doing is making people very angry.”

“They’ve got rocks in their head,” he said.

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Farnworth also says that while Save Old Growth is calling for the end to old growth logging in B.C., the protests come on the heels of several initiatives by the B.C. government already doing so, including deferring old growth logging for two years on 1.7 million hectares of forests.

8:08 – #WestVan – There's protesters along the Upper Levels #BCHwy1 Westbound just before the #HorseshoeBay @BCFerries terminal. There's lane closures affecting traffic both ways #1130Traffic @JACK969van @kissradiohits @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/L7iSkKxcwx

— Ryan Lidemark ???? ????️ (@RyanLmark) June 14, 2022

Seven First Nations have opposed the deferral, and more than 60 other First Nations have not announced their support for the move.

Already, a third of B.C.’s old growth forests are protected. In 2020, the province says 0.3 per cent of the total old growth in the province was harvested.

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