More than 100 seniors blocked the street in front of the B.C. legislature on Thursday as they prepared to be arrested in solidarity with younger counterparts currently in old-growth forests.
After a land acknowledgement, demonstrators used police tape to close off Belleville Street at Government and Menzies streets. As the elderly citizens gathered to listen to speakers, some laid on the ground and were circled by white chalk, to symbolize the fallen old-growth giants.
The seniors said, after the recent old-growth deferral announcements, the province is misleading people about the current state of logging in Vancouver Island forests.
含羞草研究社淭hey含羞草研究社檙e not stopping any of the road building or old-growth logging in connected, intact forests just outside the basin of the Fairy Creek watershed,含羞草研究社� Jackie Larkin, 76, said to the crowd. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 like they say 含羞草研究社榳e含羞草研究社檒l protect your heart but we含羞草研究社檙e going to cut off the rest of the body.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
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含羞草研究社淭his struggle is nowhere near over,含羞草研究社� Larkin continued. 含羞草研究社淛ohn Horgan has broken his election promise to implement his 含羞草研究社� his not ours 含羞草研究社� old-growth report in its totality.含羞草研究社�
The older folks called on Horgan含羞草研究社檚 government to defer logging in 1.3 hectares of non-protected old growth forests that was identified by scientists last month.
Susan Gage, a week shy of 75, said her generation took the environment for granted, to the detriment of what will be left behind for her grandchildren.
含羞草研究社淭his happened on my watch, it含羞草研究社檚 my age group that含羞草研究社檚 largely responsible for this, the way we含羞草研究社檝e carelessly destroyed so much of the Earth,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淭he least I can do is strive and struggle to conserve what is left for our grandchildren. I want to make sure they can go Fairy Creek and marvel at those huge, ancient trees.含羞草研究社�
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Gage said governments don含羞草研究社檛 like to change and only will if the public keeps the pressure on them.
The protesters want the B.C. government to also provide funding to Indigenous communities that would allow them to pursue other economic opportunities outside of logging.
含羞草研究社淲e want to respect (the Nations含羞草研究社�) sovereignty, their rights to the land and their rights their livelihood,含羞草研究社� said Steve Gray.
He said seniors are passionate about the forests, but aren含羞草研究社檛 able to be alongside protesters embedded in the Island含羞草研究社檚 blockades. As a father and grandfather, he含羞草研究社檚 concerned about the future.
含羞草研究社淲e look at the climate crisis and what含羞草研究社檚 going on and we really feel it含羞草研究社檚 our responsibility to be involved, not to leave it to (youth) to do the heavy lifting, considering it含羞草研究社檚 our generation that has delivered this world to them,含羞草研究社� Gray said.
Belleville Street reopened around 2 p.m. after demonstrators had dispersed.
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UPDATE | After moving to the Empress Hotel lawn, the protest group has dispersed. in the area is now back to normal.
含羞草研究社� Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada)
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