"Temagami Blockers Fined for Mischief"

SUDBURY, Ont. (CP) - Three people who tried to block the construction of a logging road in the disputed Temagami region were convicted of mischief Thursday.

Each must pay a fine of $600 or serve 21 days in jail. A fourth defendant was acquitted.

Another four protesters also pleaded not guilty Thursday. They appear in court again on Feb. 12.

Nick Beeson, a 25-year-old Toronto native who attends the University of Guelph, said he isn't certain whether he'll pay the fine or serve the sentence.

"I don't know what you do in prison, but if you can read, I wouldn't mind, because I don't nearly have that kind of money."

Also found guilty were William Barrett, 27, of Guelph, Ont., and Nelson Bilyk, 27 of Toronto.

Eileen Castleman, 43, of Hamilton, was cleared of the mischief charge.

The protest, in which 30 people locked themselves to road construction machinery and stood on the road, was an attempt to stop the extension of the Red Squirrel logging road. Environmentalists oppose logging in the region about 100 kilometres north of North Bay, which they say is home to a rare stand of old-growth pines.