Immediate Release: September 20, 2007
Misuse of Civil Injunction Process Continues
West Vancouver, BC — The Eagleridge Bluffs Coalition (formerly the Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs) has today launched a letter campaign targetting the BC Justice Review Task Force and Attorney General Wally Oppal, calling for an end to the use of civil injunctions as a first remedy against environmental protestors in BC. This action comes in support of protesters in Northwestern BC who are attempting to protect the Sacred headwaters area from potentially significant environmental damage as a result of Royal Dutch Shell’s planned coalbed methane extraction project. A civil injunction application is currently before the courts.
“Our judiciary must begin to recognise why environmental protests continue to take place across BC, irrespective of the harsh sentences that have been handed down by BC judge's for contempt of court under civil injunctions since Clayoquot Sound (1993)”, said Coalition spokesperson Trish Panz. “Without adequate environmental laws in place to protect BC’s unique wilderness areas, and without meaningful consultation between government and local communities, those intent on preserving BC’s great natural treasures have few options if they are committed to protecting those areas from irreparable harm. Harsh sentencing, where protesters cannot defend their actions in court, is doing little to change that”.
It is the duty of the government, not the courts, to find an acceptable balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability. The courts role should be in upholding statutory law and only reaching for exceptional measures like civil injunctions when all other efforts have failed, or when public safety is truly at risk. Involvement by the courts in choosing a winner and a loser in these conflicts damages our province’s remaining wilderness areas and allows government to shirk its responsibility to the people they serve. The Coalitions letter ( http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca/initiatives/injunction.php ) is an attempt to drill that message home.
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About the Eagleridge Bluffs Coalition
Coalition members will continue to be a voice of conscience for our provincial and federal governments until such time as effective environmental protection laws are passed in BC and Canada. The group will continue educating citizens and lobbying Government to follow 'smart growth' strategies for development while relying on environmentally sustainable practices that do not endanger the remaining unique, irreplaceable natural environments British Columbia is so famous for.
For more information visit: www.eagleridgebluffs.ca
Press Contact Sue Rowan 604-921-9922