WCWC wins significant moral victory
Court strikes down Interfor's Injunction
On June 7, 2000 Interfor (International Forest Products) became the first logging company in BC history to have its injunction against logging protesters struck down by the B.C. Supreme Court.
In August 1999, Interfor obtained a court injunction against conservationists trying to block logging of the Upper Elaho Valley. During the 11 months it was in force, twelve people were charged with contempt of court for defying it. Four people have already been convicted. In March WCWC went to court to strike down this injunction, which prevented not only civil disobedient protestors but also law-abiding citizens from entering the publicly-owned forests of the Upper Elaho Valley. Sierra Legal Defense Fund lawyer Angela McCue argued the case for WCWC.
After nearly three weeks of courtroom evidence and argu- ments, Justice Vickers of the BC Supreme Court agreed with WCWC. In his judgment he wrote, "I have reluctantly concluded that the plaintiffs [Interfor] ... are not before the court with clean hands. The injunction must be set aside in order to reserve the integrity of the court's process."
Justice Vickers, referring to the actions of Interfor employees and management in the beatings of environmentalists in the Elaho Valley on September 15, 1999 and the subsequent lying to the police and courts by Interfor employees, said "The court must denounce vigilante actions, misrepresentations and lies in the strongest possible way."
WEDGE TO THE LEDGE CONSERVATION TREK
On June 19, 2000 WCWC Director Joe Foy declared "Since Premier Dosanjh refuses to visit the Stoltmann Wilderness and set up a process to resolve the land use conflict there, we are going to bring him proof of the ongoing destruction of this proposed park's ancient temperate forest." Thus began WCWC's eleven day "Wedge to the Ledge" Trek.
Volunteers carry waste wood--the undercut wedges left behind in the clearcut when the thousand year old trees were cut this year in the Stoltmann Wilderness.
Volunteers then push them to legislature lawn for a rally on June 30th. Premier Dosanjh sent his Forest Minister to speak. He says the government will do nothing to protect this ancient forest. The decision has already been made to log it!
They load them into two wheelbarrows and push them down the 64-mile road to Squamish.
Here the wheelbarrows and wedges are loaded into a cargo canoe and paddled to Vancouver.
