788 arrested in B.C. since logging protest began

LAKE COWICHAN, B.C. - The Mounties have made another eight arrests as they enforce a B.C. Supreme Court injunction against blockades set up to prevent old-growth logging on southern Vancouver Island.

In a news release, the RCMP say protesters tried to dig trenches along the Granite Mainline Forest Service Road and parked vehicles to prevent officers from leaving but the shallow pits were refilled and automobiles were towed.

They say several other people who did not want to be arrested drove away while two others locked themselves to the ground and efforts to remove them were expected to continue Tuesday.

Police say 788 people have been arrested since they began enforcing the injunction in May.

In June, the B.C. government approved the request of three Vancouver Island First Nations and deferred logging of about 2,000 hectares of old-growth forest in the Fairy Creek and central Walbran areas for two years, but the protests are continuing.

The Rainforest Flying Squad says little of the best old-growth forest remains in B.C. and the deferrals fall short of protecting what's left.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2021.