“Perspectives,” by Gerry Warner

Op-Ed Commentary

Call them British Columbia’s heroes! Because that’s what they are.

For months the ragtag group of protesters at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island have endured the power of the state to stop them from doing what they and the rest of us are perfectly entitled to do in a democracy – engage in civil disobedience of an action by the state with which they passionately believe is wrong, namely the logging of our rapidly disappearing old growth timber.

Justice Douglas Thompson also deserves to be labeled a hero because he saw past the politics of the situation as well as the bullying and the naked exploitation of an environmental treasure to what was really at stake which is protection of a priceless ecosystem that belongs to every British Columbian, aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike, and belongs to them in law. He also chastised the RCMP for its heavy-handed enforcement of a legal injunction obtained by logging company Teal Jones to stop the protest.

“The methods of enforcement of the court’s order have led to serious and substantial infringement of civil liberties,” the Justice said.

The legal aspect of this intractable dispute is something many British Columbians don’t understand. With a few exceptions, our magnificent forests, the envy of the world, are owned by the Crown and not the logging companies. In other words, they belong to you and me and the aboriginal people who have lived in them for thousands of years.

Again, as said above with a few exceptions, actual ownership of title belongs to us, the people of B.C., and not to logging companies like Teal Jones or any of the others. All they have is a tenure (contract) with the government to cut a specified amount of timber. But legal ownership, or title to the land, is vested in the public. That’s you and me. Not Teal Jones.

The only right Teal Jones has is to cut some of the last remaining Old Growth in the province and as owners of that timber the public has a right to say “no” and convince government to cancel the contract. But Premier Horgan refuses to do this as he caters to the whims of industry. That’s what this protest is all about.

And who can say, after viewing millions of hectares of clear cut and slash burnt forests in this province, that our precious forests are being managed in the best interests of the public?

No honest British Columbian can say that because for more than a century forestry in B.C. has been a process of industrial extraction where the forest is mined for profit rather than farmed for the benefit of all. And by “all,” I mean what the forests give to all of us; clean air, clean water habitat for wildlife and a sylvan landscape that supports all living things as well as millions of carbon sequestering trees provided by ancient forests slowing down climate change.

Given what the forests give to us don’t you think it’s about time we gave something back?

And what to give back isn’t rocket science. It’s as simple as implementing a forest management system that manages our woods for the benefit of everyone and not just for the fibre being mined for industrial profit. Yes, logging should occur. But the amount we log should be balanced against the benefits forests provide for everyone and not just for companies wanting to make a quick profit on the stock exchange. Premier Horgan could accomplish this by approving the recommendations in the government’s Old Growth Strategy Report and agreeing to negotiate an agreement with the Fairy Creek protesters. But so far, he remains intransigent.

It’s our magnificent temperate rainforests that have made B.C. one of the best places in the world to live. Don’t sacrifice them for mere filthy lucre like we’ve been doing for the past 100 years. That’s what the brave kids and adults at Fairy Creek are fighting for. They are heroes and they manifestly deserve our support.

Lead image from the Fairy Creek Blockade Facebook page.

–  Gerry Warner is a retired journalist, who believes preservation of our Old Growth forests is essential for the soul of B.C.

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