Group proposes class-action lawsuit against B.C. old-growth logging blockaders

A group opposed to environmental blockades of roads and bridges in British Columbia says it may launch a class-action lawsuit against old-growth logging protesters who have vowed to ramp up disruptions of "critical infrastructure" next week.

Organizers of the Clear the Road campaign say they are considering suing the protesters for damages incurred by drivers during Save Old Growth protests.

"Are you a tradesperson who lost work? Were you unable to tend to your store? Did merchandise being delivered spoil or fail to reach its destination, causing your business a loss?" said organizer Tamara Meggitt, a pro-forestry industry campaigner on Vancouver Island, in a news release Friday.

"If any of these things apply, we would like to hear from you," she said.

The Clear The Road campaign was initiated by the Victoria-based resource development group Resource Works.

The campaign says it would base its lawsuit on the precedent of Ottawa residents who filed a suit to freeze the assets of Freedom Convoy protesters during their occupation of the city earlier this year.

"Save Old Growth is purely a nuisance campaign," said Meggitt. "It isn't environmentalism to block roads and force hundreds of drivers to burn extra fuel idling in an artificial traffic jam. That's hypocrisy, and has a real impact on people's lives."

Resource Works said in a statement that indiscriminate blockades "hurt the innocent, and risk creating a backlash against progress in responsible forest practices."

Clear The Road campaigners launched a petition last month that calls on police and municipalities to clear old-growth logging protesters from roadways as quickly as possible.