Talk about a soiled surprise.
Shovels in hand, old-growth activists are behind an unusual odour wafting from BC Premier John Horgan’s constituency office Wednesday morning.
Members of Save Old Growth deposited a pile of fresh manure on the steps of his Langford office at 9 a.m., saying they’re “tired of the Horgan NDP government inaction to protect old-growth forests.”
The dumping comes following a BC government campaign promise to implement all 14 recommendations of the old-growth strategic review panel.
“The premier himself promised a ‘paradigm shift’ for the forestry industry in BC, an overdue and necessary step in protecting old-growth,” said activist Alexi Hu.
“Instead, we’re continuing the same outdated, crappy policies and practices we’ve had for decades,” according to Hu.
Save Old Growth calls for legislation to immediately end all old-growth logging in the province, noting that “inaction amounts to negligence when addressing climate chaos.”
“After years of petitions, marches, and letter-writing campaigns to protect old-growth forests, it’s clear that everyday BC citizens must hold the government accountable; we have a moral responsibility to uphold the government’s own promises,” the group said.
Last month in Greater Victoria, tensions were high along the Trans-Canada Highway after Save Old Growth protesters set up a road blockade at the Malahat, leaving traffic backed up for hours.
The incident led to two arrests, as a pair of protesters faced charges including intimidation and mischief.
When speaking with reporters, Horgan addressed their actions, saying their objective isn’t to save old growth—it’s to make people angry.
“That’s not how you affect change in a civil society,” added Horgan.
In April, the province of BC said it was working with First Nations to defer logging of old-growth and develop a new approach to sustainable forest management.
“Deferrals have been implemented on nearly 1.7 million hectares of old-growth, including approximately 1.05 million hectares of BC’s forests most at risk of irreversible loss,” the government said.
West Shore RCMP said they would be releasing an official statement on the manure incident at some point today.
