Vancouver-area tunnel, bridge blocked by eco-protesters

A Vancouver-area tunnel was blocked by protestors on Monday, as environmental protestors held up traffic at the north entrance of the George Massey Tunnel.

Members of the Save Old Growth group caused heavy delays and congestion at the tunnel, while also blocking off traffic at the Second Narrows Bridge at around 7:30 am. Police reportedly removed protestors, and by 9 am, both the tunnel and the bridge were clear.

According to CTV News, Save Old Growth took a "six-week break" to train protestors.

"This time around we are trying to make sure that it’s a permanent occupation on the freeway, which is quite unprecedented," said Save Old Growth spokesperson Zain Haq.

"If we do get removed on the first day, the plan is to come back the next day and the next day with greater numbers until there is a critical mass that can’t easily be removed."

The group says they are dedicated to fighting the logging of old-growth forests in British Columbia.

A counter-protest group called Clear the Road has accused Save Old Growth of holding commuters hostage, and say that they will launch a class-action lawsuit against the group.

"I’m very concerned that their actions are just going to escalate and escalate to the point that it is even more dangerous for commuters and for RCMP,” said Clear the Road organizer Tamara Meggit.

"Anybody who has been affected by these (protests), anybody who has lost shifts at work or anything like that, let us know your story. We are looking to document and a class action lawsuit will be in discussions with law firms."