B.C. old-growth logging protesters rally outside MLA offices

Protesters rallied outside nearly 20 MLA constituency offices across B.C. to speak out against old-growth logging and put pressure on lawmakers ahead of the fall legislature sitting.

Activists say none of the recommendations from the 2020 Old Growth Strategic Review have been fulfilled yet, despite commitments by the BC NDP.

For his part, Premier David Eby maintains his government is taking the issue at hand seriously.

“We put in place protections for more old-growth forest than any government in the history of British Columbia. The vast majority of our big trees across the province are protected from logging right now,” he said when asked about the matter Thursday.

“Anywhere that there is logging taking place in old-growth areas, it is because the local First Nation wants that work to continue for their own economic development, and they are saying where and how that takes place. We respect the right of First Nations to be able to make those decisions, and where they have said, ‘No, we want this protected,’ we’re protecting it.”

Eby’s office in Vancouver was among those to be crowded by protesters.

He says the forestry industry is “incredibly important” for B.C., adding, “one of our solutions to climate change is to use more wood products in our province.”

“We have more mass timber buildings in British Columbia than the rest of North America combined, and because we’re building up that industry and we’re seeing increasing interest about using wood instead of steel or concrete — which are more carbon-intensive — it’s very good news for British Columbians to do that,” he explained.

“I certainly understand the urgency that people feel about this issue. I think we all love the big, old trees that make this province. We want them there for our kids and our children’s children, and we also respect the rights of the First Nations to be able to make decisions around their own economic futures and their lands as well. It’s a balance. We’re not going to satisfy everybody. But timber will continue to be a key part of our provincial economy.”

Related articles: 

• B.C. extends deferral of old-growth logging in Vancouver Island’s Fairy Creek

• B.C. old-growth forest protesters to stop blocking roads, group says

• B.C. making changes in forestry

The premier said in February of this year that old-growth logging was at the lowest level on record at the time. He added the province was deferring the logging of 2.1 million hectares of forests.

The Wilderness Committee says despite promises from the government to “work with First Nations on long-term solutions and pause harvest in the most at-risk old-growth forests,” forests that have been identified as “candidates for deferral continue to be targeted by logging companies.”

“Premier Eby needs to use the fall session of the Legislature to change course, and end this track record of talk-and-log and broken promises on old growth,” said Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee.

According to the Ancient Forest Alliance, while over a million hectares of forest are under temporary deferral, millions more are not protected.