VICTORIA – Logging company Teal Jones obtained a new injunction against protesters in the Walbran Valley in a BC Supreme Court hearing yesterday. The injunction came into effect at midnight last night and will expire on March 31st, rather than in September as the company had requested.

The injunction now includes 50-metre “bubble zones,” which limit public access in areas around logging activity, equipment and work crews. The Wilderness Committee feels that this is meant to discourage members of the public from witnessing the logging of these ancient forests, taking photographs and engaging in other lawful activities.

“Teal Jones knows that it’s on the wrong side of public opinion by cutting down thousand-year-old trees,” said Torrance Coste, Vancouver Island Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee. “This injunction might scare people away from going to the Walbran Valley to see the ancient forest, and it could chill public discussion about the logging and civil disobedience that has been occurring in the area.”

The Wilderness Committee – represented in court by Ecojustice – didn’t attempt to have the injunction rejected but sought to limit its length and scope.

The Wilderness Committee only participates in lawful activities, which aren’t prohibited under the injunction. The organization plans to increase its work to protect the Walbran.

“We’ll continue to monitor the Valley, take photographs and bring people in to see this world-class ecosystem up close,” Coste explained. “Teal Jones’ own lawyers told the court there is nothing wrong with citizens being in the Walbran in accordance with the injunction, so we encourage people to get up there, conduct themselves lawfully and witness what’s happening.”