Loggers’ Targeting Of Environmentalists Criticized Canadian Committee Decries Identifying Places Of Residence, Other Infringements

Forest workers are going too far by singling out individual environmentalists and identifying the street on which they live, a director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee said Thursday.

Paul George said the latest tactic by the pro-logging Sunshine Coast Forest Coalition is enough to make him fear for his safety - and he blamed Premier Glen Clark.

He accused Clark, who has referred to Greenpeace as the “enemies of B.C.,” of turning up the rhetoric on environmentalists to dangerous levels.

“The premier has set off a huge hate-mongering trip and he’s condoning it and that’s wrong and it could end up with someone getting hurt,” said George.

In a fax sent out by the Sunshine Coast Forest Coalition to generate support for the fight against environmentalists, coalition administrator Cheryl Baron identified George’s residence in Gibsons.

“Let’s send a message to him and his kind that we will not tolerate any further assault on our employment,” the fax read.

But George said in an interview Thursday the coalition made a serious mistake - mistaking his residence for that of another environmentalist.

Meantime, the mayor of Port Hardy is urging the community’s merchants to refuse to sell products and services to Greenpeace members engaged in blockades.

“We’re returning fire with fire,” said Russ Hellberg, who believes Greenpeace’s recent tactics are putting local loggers out of work.