B.C. climate activist banned from possessing glue as part of court sentence
A climate activist who glued himself to the door of a Royal Bank of Canada branch in April has been banned from possessing adhesive outside his home as part of his conditional discharge for the crime.
A Nanaimo provincial court decision issued in early August and posted online more recently imposes the unusual condition on Victor Lawrence Brice, a member of the protest group Save Old Growth.
Brice pleaded guilty to two charges, one related to the RBC branch protest and the other stemming from a protest on a provincial highway on Jan. 27, according to judge William Jackson's reasons.
"The protest at the highway is not particularly unusual," Jackson said in his decision.
"It was a peaceful protest blocking the traffic. I am not sure if the protestors gluing themselves to the door at the bank is unique or not. It is certainly something I have not heard of, but it would certainly be an effective way of protest or at least causing disruption at the bank."
The Crown asked for a suspended sentence and 12 months of probation for the offences, arguing that the element of vandalism involved in the gluing incident – as well as the presence of two similar offences – warranted a harsher punishment.
The defence asked for a conditional discharge, though with the same basic terms as those proposed by the Crown.
Jackson opted for a conditional discharge, noting that the court had received eight letters of reference speaking to Brice's "highly productive and model citizenship" prior to his arrests.
"The basis for Mr. Brice's actions were a very obviously sincere concern for the immediate and long-term effects of climate change and frustration with the lack of political movement despite his attempts to motivate politicians," Jackson said.
The judge sentenced Brice to 12 months of probation with several other conditions in addition to the ban on possessing glue.
Brice must also "keep the peace and be of good behaviour," complete 40 hours of community service and report regularly to his probation officer. He is prohibited from impeding traffic on any public roadway and must not visit the RBC branch at 110 – 2000 Island Highway North in Nanaimo.
"You must not possess any glue, Super Glue, adhesive, fixative, or resin outside your residence, except: with the prior written permission of your probation officer, or such glue, adhesive, fixative or resin which normally would be used by or with children," Jackson said, describing the final term of the probation.
"You must carry the permission if you have one from the probation office with you, which may be in electronic format, when you possess any of these items outside your residence."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.