VICTORIA, BC — In the morning commute, you couldn’t miss them. Two protesters went to great heights on Thursday to protect tall trees, but it was the lengths to which first responders had to go that had View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst fuming. “This is what we would call an epic waste of our time,” he said. …Westshore RCMP responded first, followed by View Royal Fire. “I’ve got a ladder truck here that’s supposed to be protecting people from fire, but we’re cutting protesters down from a tree in a CRD park,” said the fire chief. …Deploying the View Royal ladder truck meant blocking off two of the northbound lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway, which slowed traffic nearly to the McKenzie interchange. …For Hurst, it’s not just a matter of resources, but consideration. …The protesters left the area on foot, but not before a lengthy discussion with Hurst.

Additional coverage in  CTV News, by Brendan Strain: Old-growth forest activists suspend 18-metre banner near Highway 1

Victoria Times Colonist, by Jeff Ball: Police end tree-sit protest near Trans-Canada Highway; banner removed