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Letter to the Editor: Sometimes protests have the opposite of the intended effect

'Don’t commit economic terrorism by not letting me go to work'
protest cardboard sign
After getting stuck when a recent protest shut down Vancouver's downtown core, a Whistler local criticizes rallies that block motorists' ability to get to work.

We live in the best country on the planet. I will attest to this having lived abroad for 10 years in countries rich and poor.

We live in a society that enjoys some freedoms, including the right to protest. On Saturday, Jan. 29, protesters shut down the core of Downtown Vancouver as I was coming back from a farmers’ market making deliveries to the North Shore and eventually going home to Whistler. When protesters shut down the means for me getting to work, their cause is now lost on me. We have a democratic system in place in Canada. Don’t like it? Vote. Still don’t like it? Litigate.

Just don’t commit economic terrorism by not letting me go to work.

Patrick Smyth // Whistler