Edmonton Journal

B.C.’s Clark denounces the ‘Yoga Haters’

- Tiffan y Crawford

VANCOUVER — Some of the critics opposed to the closure of a major Vancouver bridge for Internatio­nal Yoga Day are “haters” of the practice, B.C. Premier Christy Clark says.

The premier announced last week that the Burrard Street Bridge would close for several hours on June 21 for the internatio­nal event.

Clark has posted a photo on Twitter of her standing outside a Taoist Tai Chi office accompanie­d by text that says: “Hey, Yoga Haters — bet you can’t wait for internatio­nal Tai Chi day.”

Clark is questionin­g whether her critics would be complainin­g if the bridge were shut down for a ballhockey tournament or marathon.

“There are thousands of people, many of them women, who find peace in their day by doing yoga, and I think it’s a little puzzling to see so many people criticizin­g something that people do, that thousands of British Columbians do every day to find a little bit of peace in their lives,” she said.

“I think that’s something in a province, where we care about good health and well-being, that we should be celebratin­g.”

But First Nations groups are planning to crash the yoga party.

The Om The Bridge event coincides with National Aboriginal Day, and groups unhappy with that are asking people to protest the event.

Several pages have been set up on social media calling for a peaceful disruption of the mass yoga class with signs, singing and drumming.

“Be an ally on National Aboriginal Day. Hold space for Indigenous people, who continue to be systemical­ly ignored, by crashing (Premier) Christy Clark’s yoga party,” one organizer wrote on Facebook.

Responding to questions about her tweet in Victoria, Clark said it was a joke.

“That was a bit of self deprecatin­g humour,” she said. “We are celebratin­g National Aboriginal Day, absolutely we are. We’re also celebratin­g Father’s Day in my household and we’re also celebratin­g the United Nations day that was designated for Internatio­nal Yoga Day,” she said. “Yoga is a huge part of people’s lives here.”

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