'Targeting the wrong people': Frustration as activist group deflates tires on dozens of Vancouver Island SUVs

A woman who is nearly nine months pregnant was one of dozens of people who saw the tires of their SUVs deflated by an activist group on Vancouver Island over the weekend.

A woman who is nearly nine months pregnant was one of dozens of people who saw the tires of their SUVs deflated by an activist group on Vancouver Island over the weekend.

Robert Kennedy, the woman's father, says while combatting the climate crisis is a worthy goal, the tactic is taking aim at the wrong people and could put people like his daughter in danger.

"The more I thought about it, the more angry I got about it because that put her in a very bad position," he told CTV News. 

While his daughter was able to get a compressor and pump the air back into her tires, Kennedy says he's relieved that she didn’t need to use her car to get to the hospital or a medical appointment when she discovered it was not driveable.

"She's certainly not going to entertain what these folks are trying to achieve and get rid of her SUV," he said.

"I fully agree that we have to do something about our contribution to climate change. We should be doing it quicker than what we are, but this is not the way to get the message across. They're targeting the wrong people … They're not doing their cause any good whatsoever."

Kennedy also worries that people who don’t immediately notice their tires are deflated will start driving before realizing the risk.