B.C. extends deferral of old growth logging in Vancouver Island's Fairy Creek watershed, again

CBC

29-01-2025

The British Columbia government has once again extended an order deferring old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek watershed on Vancouver Island.
The deferral was initially made in 2021 at the request of local First Nations and against the backdrop of ongoing protests and arrests, which have been cited as among the largest in Canadian history.
It has already been extended in the past, with the most recent deferral set to expire on Feb. 1., 2025, at the request of the Pacheedaht First Nation, whose territories encompass the entire watershed.
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the B.C. NDP government is continuing talks with the Pacheedaht in order to "build a strong, robust and sustainable forest sector for the next 100 years."
The deferral protects just under 12 square kilometres of timber on Crown land within the watershed.
When it announced the initial deferral in 2021, the province said the postponement to old-growth logging would allow Pacheedaht titleholders time to build resource-stewardship plans for their lands.
Almost 1,200 opponents of old-growth logging were arrested at Fairy Creek after an injunction preventing interference with harvesting operations was issued and then extended in 2021, prompting then-B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau to call the protest the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.
The B.C. Prosecution Service has since withdrawn contempt charges against several of those accused of violating the injunction and is expected to drop more charges after a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled RCMP made arrests without properly informing demonstrators of the injunction's details.
The protection of Fairy Creek was part of the most recent co-operation agreement signed by the B.C. NDP and B.C. Green Party in December, following last year's provincial election.