“Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.”
– Sir David Attenborough
Thousands of people from all over Vancouver Island and the Mainland braved the cold to show their support for protecting and preserving British Columbia’s old growth forests at last week’s Rally. at this week’s Old Growth Forest Rally. Douglas and Government Streets in Victoria were closed down for more than 45 minutes as people filled the length of the street from City Hall to the Parliament Buildings.
Numerous leaders from various First Nations attended from across the province, as well as youth, elders, families, medical professionals, non-profit organizations and other concerned members of the public, including famous Canadian/American singer/songwriter/activist Neil Young and 86-year-old world renowned scientist, author and activist, David Suzuki.
Thank you to everyone who said hello to us and filled out a postcard to Premiere Eby to share their concerns.
If you haven’t done so already, please write to:
The Office of the Premier, PO BOX 9041 STN Prov. Govt., Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
Minister of Forests, Bruce Ralston, 10574 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 2X3
Photos by Frances Litman and Dan Kells
This is a wonderful recap of a successful day.
Thank you for your work on it. I’d like to see this widely distributed.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful pics. I hadn’t seen a lot of the banners and it was so inspiring to see all the wonderful creativity!
It was a travesity of journalism when the Times Colonist misrepresented the event as a musical event (Neil Young appeareance) and ignored the importance and significance of this event – asking Premier Eby to protect the remaining old growth forests in B.C. with real actions. In a functioning democracy, the media should act as a fourth arm of government, calling for accountability for its actions, and not acting as a shill for government or corporate interests. Why was this peaceful, engaging, and hard work of over 200 groups so totally ignored?
I totally agree that journalists are essential in keeping governments to account, as they are the amplified voice of citizens. I wish I could have been there (I now live in Ottawa) and count on my friends to “carry the banner” for me as I am with you all in Spirit.
I hope the next rally to preserve the Old Growth Forest will not only include Indigenous representatives but foresters like Susanne Simard “In Search of the Mother Tree” to provide an update on what is being done to provide context as to the preservation of Old Growth forests throughout BC.
Thank you the organizers and participants….the day was almost as magnificent as the big old trees. The tremendous energy of the day is sure to bend the curve in our positive direction. We all loved Neil Young and what a great way to close to the sounds of a traditional wooden flute and drummer….thanks to the man and women who brought such a peaceful sound.