‘War in the Woods, round two:’ Amid civil unrest, activists gear up for bigger battle over Trans Mountain

Recent protests and blockades are only the beginning of the civil disobedience that lies ahead as Ottawa pushes ahead with the controversial Trans Mountain expansion project, claims an activist group.

“I really do see this as a taste of things to come,” said Alexandra Woodsworth, campaign organizer at the British Columbia-based Dogwood Initiative.

Woodsworth likened the coming fight to “the War in the Woods, round two,” alluding to a 1993 anti-logging protest on Vancouver Island that led to nearly 1,000 arrests.

Recent protests against the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline, currently under construction in B.C., have snarled several critical rail lines in Ontario, prompting CN Rail to threaten closure of parts of its network. Protesters have blockaded the B.C. legislature and temporarily barred Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland from entering the city hall building in Halifax.