N.S. judge grants injunction against protests on CN Rail line

A Nova Scotia judge has granted an injunction to keep protesters off the main CN Rail line through the province.

Lawyers for the company went before a justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Monday morning to request the injunction, after a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the line on Friday morning.

Evidence presented by CN at the hearing said about 10 people set up the blockade at Mile 6.7 in the Bedford Subdivision, just west of Halifax.

The blockade went up at 8:30 a.m. and came down 97 minutes later. According to CN's lawyers, the 97 minutes corresponded with the number of days that the conflict between Israel and Hamas had lasted by that point.

The protesters were trying to disrupt business for the Israeli-owned Zim shipping company, which sends containers through the port of Halifax, the lawyers said in court.

Hearing at end of January

CN was unable to provide the court with names of any of the protesters, so the injunction lists "John Doe," "Jane Doe"  and "persons unknown."

Justice Denise Boudreau described the injunction as "anticipatory" because there are currently no protests going on. She also described protesting on the main rail line as "supremely dangerous activity."

CN has sought injunctions elsewhere in the country to deal with similar protests.

The Nova Scotia injunction will run until a hearing is held at the end of January, at which point it could be amended, extended or lifted.

The next court date will also give anyone who opposes the injunction an opportunity to have their say.