Wiebo Ludwig was a charismatic, larger-than-life character who caught the imagination of many people during his fight against environmental damage caused by the oil and gas industry.
The actions of the late eco-activist, who died Monday at age 70, also polarized Albertans. While Ludwig raised important questions about the effects of harvesting our oil and gas resources, he committed criminal acts in the service of his beliefs, something no democratic society should accept.
First, the positive. Ludwig believed oil and gas pollution was causing deformations and miscarriages among livestock and women and he was unrelenting in his attempts to draw attention to it. In a province that is dependent on the energy industry for its great prosperity, Ludwig was one of the fiercely independent voices asking for assurance that individual Albertans were not paying for that prosperity with their health.
However he went too far. In 2000, he was convicted of blowing up a Suncor well site and vandalizing a Norcen well site. He served 19 months in prison.
Ludwig's legacy is also darkened by a tragic shooting on the Ludwig family farm, Trickle Creek, in 1999. When 16-year-old Karman Willis and some joyriding friends drove onto the Ludwig property, someone fired a gun and a teenager died.
Nobody was ever charged with a crime in relation to the death of Willis or the wounding of a teenaged boy. Ludwig showed no remorse for the shooting, telling Maclean's magazine, "If anyone pulled the trigger, it was the oil industry that started this controversy and the government which refused to delve into it before it got out of hand."
The frightening consequences of vigilante actions are now on display south of the border. The law in several states allows people to shoot first and ask questions later if they feel threatened. The result in Florida has been the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin at the hands of a neighbourhood watch captain, George Zimmerman. He has not been charged to date because Florida has a "stand your ground" law that allows citizens to use deadly force if they feel threatened.
Alberta is a democracy operating under the rule of law. People unhappy with government decisions or environmental threats caused by industry have plenty of effective ways to make their voices heard. One need only cite the landholders who banded together to protest the proposed huge transmission line between Edmonton and Calgary. Unlike Ludwig, they understood the power of collective democratic action.
Public hearings on the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline also show the power of organized protests. Though the pipeline might end up being approved, it will be a different project because of the concerns and efforts of environmentalists and First Nations peoples.
When Ludwig was sentenced to prison in 2000, he was called a rigid-thinking zealo by the presiding judge. Ignoring that part of Ludwig's life and legacy would surely do a disservice to the public record and the Willis family.
