Victoria Unites for Old Growth Forests

Over two thousand protesters marched across Victoria to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, demanding blanket protection for old growth forests.

The protest had been long in coming. It had been planned for months by a large coalition of environmental organisations, at its core the Wilderness Committee, the Sierra Club, Elders for Ancient Trees, and stand.earth. In total, over 210 groups had signed the United for Old Growth declaration, as varied as the BC General Employees Union, the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, the First Metropolitan United Church, Greater Victoria Acting Together, and the Workers Solidarity Network. Considering that many signatories aren’t primarily environmental groups, having them agree on a common cause and gathering all of these in one location is definitely a remarkable feat.

Furthermore, months had been spent in preparation, including promotion with flash mobs across town performed by Elders for Ancient Trees.

So how was it? In one short sentence: it was Woodstock. It was a colourful festival of banners and costumes that must have taken several hundred hours to put together. Spirits were high, the chanting loud. Imagine over two thousands marching down from Centennial Square to the Legislature, massively jaywalking down Douglas Street while bystanders cheered and at least 15 police officers seethed.

And then there were the guest speakers, including Chief Hobart, Chief Knox, Elder Bill Jones, and even world-renown David Suzuki. Plus multiple performances, including that of surprise guests Neil Young and Daryl Hannah. Did I say it was Woodstock? If you weren’t there, you were the only one, because everyone else in town was watching.

The message, as expected, consisted largely in demands for stronger old growth protections. The speakers were unimpressed by David Eby’s recent announcement, which in contrast promised little more than deferrals and delivered no more than symbolic gestures. They emphasised the codependency between the land and humans, and elaborated on why every one of us should care.

Remember I said many signatory groups weren’t primarily about the environment? Well, the point was made that colonialism ravaging the land ended up causing the various social crises we’re experiencing today, including homelessness and addiction, prevalent among aboriginal groups rooted off the land by the inexorable advance of progress, or rather profits. Suddenly environmentalists have found a theme teachers, nurses, socialists, churches, grandmothers, and worker advocates could agree on, for everyone’s sake: we need forests and wildlife.

Hear that, David Eby? Now take back your draft and craft sensible old growth protections as opposed to illusory ones—so clamoured thousands of protesters today. And I was one of them.