A Plan B protester has filed a complaint with the RCMP that a tree harvester operator endangered several people at the work site.

RCMP investigating protester’s claim several people at work site endangered

A Plan B protester has filed a complaint with police alleging a tree harvester operator endangered several people who crossed a fence and entered the construction zone to block the machine, says a spokesman for the RCMP.

RCMP Sgt. Andrew Blackadar said the RCMP received a complaint Tuesday and it is under investigation.

“We’ve been preaching since day one, it’s the safety of the work site that’s our big concern,” he said.

Blackadar said the RCMP will have to look at the situation to determine if it was a case of the driver operating the equipment in a dangerous manner or if he was using it in a normal manner when people put themselves in harm’s way on purpose.

Work continued at the construction site Thursday with harvesters clearing trees near the former Encounter Creek property on one end and near the Bonshaw bridge at the other.

Protesters still camped out near a stand of hemlock trees where an excavator started work

We’ve been preaching since day one, it’s the safety of the work site that’s our big concern. RCMP Sgt. Andrew Blackadar

on two sediment traps.

That work led protesters to send out a call for reinforcements through social media, as they had earlier in the day when one of them said they were tipped off that work was proceeding into the area near the camp.

But as happened earlier in the week when the protesters thought the harvesters were on their way, it was a false alarm.

Blackadar said since the protest started there were also one or two complaints from drivers about the protesters on the highway who were wearing safety vests and carrying signs with the word “stop” on them.

Many of the protesters’ signs called for a stop to Plan B.

Blackadar said there weren’t complaints the protesters were stopping or obstructing traffic, but rather there was confusion because of the signs and people in vests.

“Nothing too major and we’ve actually talked to some of the people there and asked them to be mindful of the fact that they could be causing some confusion there for motorists,” he said.

As for the contractor’s plans for moving forward with the construction, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Department said the contractor was assessing the situation as needed before determining where to proceed next.

She also said the contractor will be cutting six of the hemlocks out of the stand of trees and not all of them.

Since the work started, opposition forestry critic Hal Perry has called for Forestry Minister George Webster to place the forest in the construction’s path under legislative protection.

Perry said the project area is an undeveloped, ecologically unique habitat with old- growth forest.