Residents proudly displayed their signs to spread their message during the local climate change protest.
Climate strikes took place across the world on Friday, Sept. 27. Locals gathered out front of the Getridofit Lakeland store in Bonnyville to join the thousands of others protesting a lack of action being done for the betterment of the planet.
After hearing about the movement, organizer of the local protest and CAO of Getridofit, Stephan Tremblay, wanted to give youth in the area a voice.
“I know the negativity that goes around will affect our youth, it will bully them not to talk, and I wanted to create a space where they could come and speak freely,” he said.
A majority of the protesters were youth who want to see a change, and express their frustrations on the lack of action being taken to address the matter. The Sept. 27 protests came after Sept. 20 demonstrations prompted the United Nations Climate Action Summit to discuss new ways to curb carbon emissions.
After hearing about the global climate strikes, Bonnyville resident Stephanie Swackhammer knew she had to attend to show her support. She looked into different locations, and was pleasantly surprised to learn about the local event.
“We were thinking about going to Edmonton, but this way we didn’t have to trek that far. Plus, we’d really like the rest of Canada to know that oil country cares about the environment too,” she said.
Swackhammer attended with her husband and son, 11-year-old Trafford Noonan.
“My son loves the earth so much, especially animals. He’s a huge animal lover, and he wants the animals to be around,” she said.
While the colder weather may have deterred others, Noonan didn’t let that stop him from holding his sign and encouraging those driving by to honk their horns in support of the cause.
“I want the earth to live so more generations can still be here,” he expressed.
The global events were inspired by the work of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and her Fridays for Future strikes, where she would protest outside of the Swedish Parliament demanding change.
Thunberg condemned the world leaders during the United Nations Climate Action Summit for failing to take strong measures to combat climate change.
After seeing that nothing was being hosted in Cold Lake, 17-year-old Karina Schneider made the drive to Bonnyville.
“I’ve never gone on strike before, so it was actually pretty cool. I’m a nervous person, so I was a little nervous to be out there but I was happy to be there.”
While organizing the event, Tremblay received negative feedback from people who assumed the protest was targeting the oil and gas industry.
“I think there’s got to be a balance, but there’s only one planet. We’ve got to work together, and I think there are many solutions, but all we hear is the negative responses from one line of people that don’t want to hear the other side of things,” he detailed. “I think we all know, deep down inside, that something is going on with our planet.”
Schneider said, “They’re worried about their jobs, and I think that a lot of them might not know how it’s going to affect them in the future and how it’s going to affect their kids in the future.”
Everyone agreed raising awareness about protecting the environment was the most important aspect of the day.
Tremblay plans to keep the strike happening every Friday, and hopes more local youth will join in to add their voices to the cause.
“Maybe there should be something every Friday because it isn’t just about today. This is possibly every Friday across the planet until meaningful actions are (taken), until our leaders come up with plans. But, it’s not only about the leaders, it’s about each individual to come up with their own plans.”
