Some members of the community took to the streets in protest on Saturday in Bonnyville. Protesters in bright yellow safety vests were parked in front of the provincial building on December 15th as part of the “Yellow vest movement”. Some on hand say the action was to raise awareness for issues like the oil patch, wage equality, the carbon tax and the handling of immigration in the country.
Other places around the province had similar protests with some seeing violence. In Edmonton, around 200 protesters marched onto the legislature grounds. Two arrests were made after the group and their counterprotesters came to blows.
The movement and their safety vest-attire are inspired by a growing protest in France which saw a proposed gas tax hike and carbon tax put on hold.