Help with Legal Fees Needed for Forest Defenders

On December 11th, Forest Defenders safeguarding mainland moose habitat in Digby County were served an injunction. This injunction bars the Extinction Rebellion Association and John and Jane Doe from blocking any logging roads anywhere WestFor has been licensed to harvest on crown land. It bars anyone however vaguely associated with the blockades from encouraging anyone who might encourage anyone to blockade these roads, or indeed 'Any and all roads, trails and/or access points whatsoever to the Rocky Point Lake Sites, Napier Lake Sites and/or the Authorized Sites." Since WestFor, a consortium of 13 mills, has been authorized by the province to manage the harvesting of all forests on crown land in South West Nova Scotia, this injunction represents an extraordinary assault on the rights of Nova Scotians. You would think forestry companies, not Nova Scotia taxpayers, had bought these lands from Bowater Mersey. WestFor will seek to extend this interim injunction on January 26th and 27th at the Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.

On December 15th, RCMP arrested nine people who refused to remove the blockades protecting mainland moose habitat from government authorized clearcutting. These nine were charged with criminal contempt of court and will be tried in Digby Provincial Court on March 15th. Meanwhile, on May 29th, 2020, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled that "the Minister (of Lands and Forestry) has exhibited a chronic and systemic failure to implement action under the ESA (Endangered Species Act)". Why is it that citizens will be tried for contempt of court and not the Minister?

This wildly overreaching injunction must be challenged in court in January. In March all nine defendants will be before a judge in a trial that will shine a light on this province's shameful failure to protect endangered species and the forests they need. There will be legal fees that need to be covered as they work their way through the judicial system. 

We are asking for, and will be grateful to you for, your financial assistance so that they may have the necessary legal support moving forward.

We are delighted that we have already passed our goal of raising $5000 because it looks as if our legal costs will be higher than estimated. Ecojustice and Jamie Simpson are suggesting we add a criminal lawyer to the team since the arrestees were charged with criminal, rather than civil, contempt of court. Rest assured that any money left over after legal costs are covered will still be donated to Ecojustice so they can help other groups as they are helping us.