Overnight security plus a place to sleep a win-win for van dweller Raffi the dog pops his fluffy head out the RV window, eager for pets. Judy Dreger shouts a greeting from the kitchen in the back of her van, a 76 Dodge Chinook Sportsman with moss-green siding, where she lives with Raffi and Dexter, […]
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Fairy Creek update: RCMP play waiting game with determined protesters
South Island old growth logging protesters not blinking at criminal charges The blockades on logging roads in the Fairy Creek Watershed are about to mark one year (Aug. 9) of working to prevent licence-holder Teal Cedar from logging old-growth trees. Arrests have topped 500, and the standoff north of Port Renfrew on southern Vancouver Island […]
Fairy Creek logging protesters may face criminal charges
B.C. Prosecution Service to review each case, will lay charges where evidence is sufficient The B.C. Prosecution Service might press criminal charges against some of the more than 400 people arrested at the Fairy Creek Watershed. Various blockades have been in place since August 2020, as protesters try to stop Teal Cedar Products from logging […]
Pacheedaht Elder politely refuses First Nation’s request to leave Fairy Creek
Bill Jones says protesters will minimize activity, but stay until until logging ceases A Pacheedaht First Nation elder has responded to a call made Monday by the elected Pacheedaht chief requesting all protesters to leave the Fairy Creek area, citing a risk of wildfires. Bill Jones politely said the protesters would only reduce their presence […]
Elder group heading to Victoria court to protest RCMP exclusion zones at Fairy Creek
A group of determined seniors who call themselves Elders for Ancient Trees are bringing court action to stop the RCMP from blocking access in the Fairy Creek Watershed. They argue the RCMP’s exclusion zones, which police have been using to tightly control access to the area, are a violation of Justice Frits Verhoeven’s injunction order. […]
RCMP arrest all but one at Waterfall blockade, protesters take it back next day
Crowds of supporters and a car of elders breached the police line The people working to stop old-growth logging on southern Vancouver Island are using inventive tactics, determination and sheer numbers to prevent the RCMP from removing them from the various blockades in the forests west of Lake Cowichan and north of Port Renfrew. On […]
Seniors overwhelm RCMP barrier past Fairy Creek
About 100 elderly hikers swarmed the RCMP exclusion zone, no arrests were made A gang of seniors marched on logging roads in Fairy Creek on May 25 and said they completely overwhelmed the few RCMP officers who were there holding an exclusion zone. Saul Arbess, 82, said when the officers saw more than 100 seniors […]
Indigenous law being steadily rebuilt in Canada, says UVIC professor
‘We don’t have to argue that Indigenous people have law anymore’ Three years after welcoming the first students to the Indigenous law degree at the University of Victoria, Val Napoleon says Indigenous law is being purposefully rebuilt and gradually recognized in Canada. “We don’t have to argue that Indigenous people have law anymore,” she said. […]
Wild bees need messy gardens to survive
The year-long nesting period makes habitat a primary concern for wild bees Gardeners might be itching to clean up dead leaves and stalks from the winter, but they could be holding wild bees who haven’t emerged yet. “A big impact is to keep your garden messy. We always have this urge to tidy up but […]
Improvements at Highland Manor slow, stuck in red tape
Occupants wondering when things will get better The new owners of Highland Manor are making some progress toward improving safety and living conditions as promised. But improvements are sometimes undone within hours, leaving tenants wondering if things will indeed get better. Greg Vance, who bought the building with business partner Mario Morrison in February, said […]