St. Stephen High School students protesting climate change on Milltown Boulevard in St. Stephen.
It was a rainy afternoon in downtown St. Stephen as students took to the streets in the name of environmental protection.
Around thirty students left the St. Stephen High School campus at lunchtime on Friday, May 24th, as part of the Fridays For Future movement.
Grade 12 student, Courtney Taylor says their group was inspired by Greta Thunberg, the fifteen year old activist from Sweden, who began the global initiative in support of more action against climate change.
“We go on strike for climate change. Our hopes is that the government will start to listen to us, and the scientists, and understand that this is a real thing and its happening, and we only have eleven years left before we can’t change what’s going on.”
Taylor says she is a member of the “Green Group” at SSHS, and even though they won’t be able to continue the protest with the end of the school year looming, she says they plan on protesting again in the fall, as well as other events and initiatives to promote green living.
Taylor also spoke in support of the “price on pollution” or Carbon Tax, as long as the money is being used for green initiatives.
“We do understand that that is what its for, and it’s doing something, but unfortunately we need more than that. It’s a good start, but we need to keep going with it, especially in this upcoming election.”
Grade 12 student Mallory Davis tells us they are trying to get the word out to vote before the next federal election in October, because, as Davis puts it, it’s one of the most powerful things you can do.
“Since we’re in Grade 12, we will have the ability to vote at the next election, so we need to try to convince as many people as we can that this [climate change] is not a lie, and it’s very real. It’s the older generations that started this and I think the youth need to finish it.”
Another Grade 12 student, and fellow member of the Green Group, Sara Urdang, says today’s youth need to be heard.
“The Canada of today is our Canada of tomorrow. We will be the one’s it is passed down to and this is something we really want to see changed with improvements, so we can live in a healthy Canada and a healthy world.”
Urdang says this will be the first year their voices will be heard in an election, and says she hopes everyone will work together to have an impact.
There was a similar protest held in front of Saint John City Hall on Friday.
