A local environmental group is calling on members of the community to join them at a climate strike at city hall tomorrow afternoon.
Extinction Rebellion plans to have a march from city hall into the heart of downtown. After the march, there will be a flash mob as well as a candle-light “die in” just outside city hall.
According to the group, 450 Canadian municipalities have declared a climate emergency and they want the City of Kelowna to do the same, which Mayor Colin Basran has so far refused to do.
READ MORE: Kelowna climate change strike temporarily shuts down Water Street
READ MORE: Students skip school, join climate strikes across B.C.
In January, Basran said his council would not follow Vancouver’s lead and several other larger international cities that have passed motions declaring a climate emergency.
At the time, he said climate change remains a priority for the city, pointing the city’s climate action plan as well as a review of the city’s official community plan to look at how growth will be managed in the future to address flooding and wildfires.
READ MORE: Kelowna’s mayor rules out climate emergency declaration
Tomorrow’s strike will be one of many across the globe. In September, a similar march temporarily shut down a portion of Water Street, as activists laid down on the ground as part of their messaging.
The strike also follows a protest earlier this month, when environmental and animal rights activists chained themselves in front of Interior Savings Credit Union to protest the bank’s sponsorship of RibFest Kelowna.
Extinction Rebellion is calling on the city to “begin tackling the (climate) crisis with the urgency and determination it demands.”
The strike is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
READ MORE: RCMP cut free activists chained to Kelowna bank, placed under arrest
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