Judge grants temporary injunction at Fairy Creek, citing economic harm to logging company
CBC
A B.C. Court of Appeal judge has granted a temporary injunction at a logging site on southern Vancouver Island, where protesters, police and loggers have been at odds for more than a year.
Madam Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein cited the potential economic harm to Teal Jones if there were no injunction in place as the reason for her decision Friday afternoon.
Lawyers for Teal Jones appeared in court Friday to argue for an interim injunction against old-growth logging blockades on southern Vancouver Island, while the company appeals a Supreme Court decision last week that put an end to its original injunction.
In September, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Douglas Thompson denied an application to extend an injunction against old-growth logging blockades at Fairy Creek, which had been in place since April, saying the actions of RCMP officers put the court's reputation at risk and infringed on civil liberties.
Teal Jones appealed that decision within days, but its lawyers said Friday the company needs an interim injunction in place while the appeal goes through the courts to avoid "irreparable harm."
Lawyer Dean Dalke said the company needs urgent access to the area so workers can winterize roads to prevent washouts, harvest $1.27 million worth of felled timber before it deteriorates in the bush, and harvest additional timber to keep its mills running and avoid job losses before it's "too late."
Dalke said blockades have "proliferated" since the RCMP left the area at the end of September.