Delays expected along major highways in B.C. Monday

Travellers along major highways in B.C., could run into delays on Monday, due to convoys protesting the April 1 carbon tax increase.

Protesters are slated to leave Langley, Kelowna, Merritt, and Kamloops and converge in Hope around 9 a.m.

Highway maintenance contractor Emil Anderson Group says there is potential for traffic disruptions along Highway 1, Highway 3, and Highway 5 corridors near Hope.

The contractor says it’s not clear exactly where the traffic issues may occur, or how serious they’ll be.

It adds that it’ll work with the RCMP to minimize impacts on the travelling public.

Protests are also expected in Sparwood.

In Alberta, demonstrators are also expected to protest in Cochrane, northwest of Calgary, as well as Lloydminster and Cypress County, near the Saskatchewan border.

In B.C., the carbon tax increase will amount to about an extra three cents a litre to fill up.

To offset some of the impact of the increase in costs, taxpayers in B.C. will also see an increase in their Climate Action Tax Credit when it comes to tax time.

Why are people protesting?

These delays are in relation to a national anti-carbon tax protest organized by a group called the Nationwide Protest Against Carbon Tax.

The organizers have built a website that is the central platform “in the fight against the Carbon Tax, where Canadians unite for equitable policy change.”

The group says its goal is to immediately remove the carbon tax “without replacement by any other form of taxation.”

“We stand against the Carbon Tax due to its harsh impact on everyday Canadians, urging you to join the protest for fair and effective climate solutions,” the website states.

The organization says it will organize interprovincial border strikes, while maintaining at least one center lane open for traffic, peacefully until its goals are achieved.

Pricing carbon pollution is one of the most “effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions” that cause the climate crisis, the federal government says. It adds that carbon pricing creates a financial incentive for people and big businesses to “pollute less.”

-With files from Cole Schisler and Renee Bernard