Protesters’ camp at a Marine Harvest fish farm off the northeastern tip of Vancouver Island. File photo.
The fish farm company Marine Harvest says the B.C. Supreme Court has ordered two Indigenous protesters to leave the company’s houses and dock on Swanson Island by Saturday night.
The fish farm is located just off Vancouver Island’s northeastern tip.
Marine Harvest says the injunction order specifically requires Ernest Alfred and Karissa Glendale, who have occupied the site for months, to remove their belongings from the property by 6 p.m. Saturday.
The order will stand pending a hearing June 25 on a broader injunction order by the company.
Alfred and Glendale have also been ordered to stay off Marine Harvest’s other farms and related sites in the area.
Protesters filed court documents saying they have a right and responsibility to observe fish farms, which they say are operated in their traditional territories.
Many from the ‘Namgis First Nation have voiced opposition to open-net fish farms because of the impacts on wild salmon and other marine life in the Broughton Archipelago.
In December, Marine Harvest was granted an injunction against activists occupying its Midsummer Island salmon farm, as a judge said in making the decision that occupiers had harassed employees and tampered with equipment.
Marine Harvest Director of Community Relations & Public Affairs Jeremy Dunn said, “everyone has the right to peaceful protest, but not when it interferes with legitimate activities or crosses the line into aggressive, bullying behaviour.”
Dunn adds meaningful dialogue with First Nations in the area remains a top priority for the company.
Andy Neal
