The Quadra Island chapter of Sierra Club spearheaded a rally in front of MLA Michele Babchuk’s office in Campbell River on Thursday. At least half of the 40 protesters present were Quadra and Cortes Island locals protesting against old-growth logging.

Sierra Club BC, in a coordinated effort the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), Wilderness Committee, and Stand.earth, organized 16 other rallies across BC on Thursday.

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), Sierra Club BC, Wilderness Committee and Stand.earth bring attention to the continual logging in British Columbia of old-growth ecosystems, despite mounting efforts to end it, both by government and civilian entities.

September marks the third anniversary of the Old-Growth Forest Strategic Review, a document the government announced as the beginning of "embarking on a new, holistic approach to protecting old-growth forests."

It has also been three years since the Fairy Creek protests began, located just a couple hours north of the MLA’s office. According to Queen's University Quarterly, the RCMP made over 1,200 arrests during protests and blockades at Fairy Creek, making it the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, according to the Queen's Quarterly.

Levi Vershuur grew up on Cortes Island and attended the Fairy Creek Protests. He was present at the demonstration Friday as well and spoke with CKTZ.

“Once it's gone, it took hundreds and hundreds of years to grow. We'll never see anything like it again in our lifetimes, or even our great-grandkids lifetimes. This is like our one chance,” Vershuur commented.

Currently living on Quadra Island, Aaryn Pereault-Laird also attended the rally.

“There's been inaction for many decades and a lack of regulation…that's true all across Canada …now we're really seeing the effects of the climate change that people have been predicting for many years," she said.

“We have so much land in Canada, and there's so much that can be done here because of the large borders,” she added.

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, the BC Legislative Assembly will begin its last session of the year. Protesters say this is an opportunity for local representatives like MLA Michele Babchuk to “to set up and take notice and inform the caucuses this is a really important issue - it's got to be acted on now.” CKTZ reached out to Michele Babchuk's office, but they did not respond before airtime or publishing of this story.

To hear more from those present at the rally on Thursday, listen to the CKTZ News Update below: