Three anti-logging protesters were arrested after a demonstration shut down traffic on a Highway 1 off-ramp in Burnaby Monday morning.
A group of about a dozen people, including one who reportedly climbed onto the hood of a vehicle that had been forcibly stopped, blocked the westbound Willingdon Avenue off-ramp at around 7:45 a.m., according to a Burnaby RCMP news release.
“The closure quickly created a significant traffic backup on Highway 1 during the morning commute,” stated the release.
Burnaby RCMP said police gave the protesters a chance to leave the area on their own, but three people, two women and one man, refused and were arrested.
The demonstration was cleared by about 8:05 a.m. and traffic flow returned to normal shortly after, according to police.
The Burnaby demonstration was one of three protests staged in Burnaby, Nanaimo and Victoria by Save Old Growth, a group calling for the end of all old growth logging.
The group has promised to block Highway 1 off-ramps every week.
“The frequency and scale of actions will escalate until all old growth logging is stopped,” stated a news release from the group. “The government has an option to fulfill its election promises that have over 80% support, or send nonviolent people on the motorways to jail. Save Old Growth is determined to keep escalating each week that goes by without government response.”
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com
