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Old-growth activists plan highway blockades across B.C. starting Monday

Trans-Canada highway expected Monday to be 'disrupted' by old-growth logging activists
Old growth forest
Unprotected old-growth forest in the Central Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island. (T.J. Watt/Pique)

A group of activists wanting to end old-growth logging in British Columbia say they will be 'disrupting' the Trans-Canada highway starting Monday.

The group, called 'Save Old Growth' says the blockades will take place in a number of different spots across the Trans-Canada Highway including Highway 1 off-ramps in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo and in the Interior near Revelstoke, reports CTV News.

In a press release on Sunday, the group said it plans on blocking routes a number of times throughout the week.

"The frequency and scale of actions will escalate until all old-growth logging is stopped," the release said.

"Ordinary Canadians will keep sitting down on the motorways to force the government to act and immediately end all old growth logging in B.C.” said Brent Eichler, an organizer for the campaign.

Vancouver Island's Fairy Creek Watershed has been the site of dozens of protests over the last two years.

Activists say the area is the South Island's last unprotected old-growth forest.

RCMP have arrested over 1,000 people in watershed since the B.C. Supreme Court issued an injunction making it illegal for protesters to get in the way of logging operations.

“We don’t want to be doing this, but Forestry minister Conroy, Premier Horgan and the NDP government have failed to keep their promise to stop active old growth logging, and therefore, further guarantee ecological collapse. This scale of disruption is our last resort.” said Olivia Howe, another organizer for the group.

-With files from CTV Vancouver Island