Protesters were once again arrested after blocking Grandview Highway in Vancouver Wednesday.
Four protesters were arrested by Burnaby RCMP.
The group is with Save Old Growth, which is demanding an end to old-growth logging through legislative change.
The group says it will not be deterred from escalating action, even though drivers and commuters are becoming frustrated by the disruption.
Last week, members of the group were dragged off by angry drivers after blocking the morning commute on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.
“This is our future now. People have been writing letters for 30 years, we’ve been signing petitions for 30 years and we’ve had enough. We’ve only got 2.7 per cent of the productive old-growth forests left and they need to be protected, end of discussion,” Julia Torgerson, a spokesperson for the group, said in a release.
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This is the group’s 12th direct action on Vancouver highways in April. So far, 86 people have been arrested as part of these actions in B.C., according to the group.
In addition to the protests, two members of the group are on hunger strikes and demanding a public meeting with the minister of forests, Katrine Conroy. However, the minister has so far refused to meet with members of the group.
Howard Breen, 68, is on day 27 of his hunger strike and was admitted to the hospital recently after not ingesting any fluids for 50 hours.
Brent Eichler ended his strike on day 33 due to the risk of permanent damage as he was beginning to feel difficulty in walking, the group said.
Now another member, Vic Brice, has started a hunger strike and is on day four.
“I am shocked and dismayed that a citizen’s simple request for ‘a meeting’ can be refused,” Brice said in a release. “Our government has become so out of touch that they will only interact with themselves and industry lobbyists. We need our government to get back to acting in the best interests of the people, not just insiders.”
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