Local Greenpeace activist honoured

Six months after his release from a Russian jail — a Port Colborne Greenpeace activist is honoured with the Niagara region’s highest environmental award. Paul Ruzycki recently received a lifetime achievement award for his controversial work protesting offshore drilling and pollution. He is now preparing for his next assignment.

When Russian security agents boarded Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise last September, Paul Ruzycki was expecting the routine slap on the wrist he’s received many times as an activist: “It was kind of like, here we go again. But none of us expected the iron-fisted response of the Russian authorities. We all thought we’d go ashore, get processed and get released.”

Instead, he and his crew were charged with piracy.

Some members had attempted to scale a Russian oil rig during their protest.

They were jailed for two months without a trial. Ruzycki recalls his time in lockdown as “grim” but looking back, he believes it was meaningful: “In hindsight, I think the two months behind bars was worth it because we got so much attention drawn to the campaign. And I think around the world now, people have an idea what’s going on in the arctic, and really, where the arctic is.”

His devotion to the cause earned Ruzycki a lifetime achievement honour from the Niagara Region’s environmental awards.

Despite giving 26 years — more than half his life — to greenpeace, he was shocked by the recognition: “Some people don’t really agree with what greenpeace does. But I’m really happy to get the award and to publicize what Greenpeace is doing.”

After being released from jail on amnesty, you’d expect Ruzycki would want more than six months of down time.

But the Arctic Sunrise may soon be ready to sail again. and he may be prepared to relive the ordeal for the sake of the arctic: “It’s not something i want to do again, but we have strong convictions for this campaign.”