National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Pressure on B.C. Premier John Horgan is climbing as national and global celebrities begin to throw their weight behind public campaigns to save the province’s ancient forests.

But Forest Minister Katrine Conroy is adamant star power won’t play a role in shaping B.C.’s old-growth policy.

More than a hundred luminaries from across the political and cultural spectrum signed an open letter to Horgan on Friday calling on him to save at-risk big-tree ecosystems, which make up only 2.7 per cent of unprotected forest in the province, said Nicole Rycroft, executive director of Canopy.