Protesters will be taking to the streets of downtown Barrie on Friday beginning at 5 p.m. as they call for action on climate change.
The demonstration is slated to be held at Meridian Place and will happen in concert with more than 400 similar protests around the world, with 18 of them in Ontario.
Fridays for Future, a worldwide event inspired by Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg in 2015, will be supported by several local environmental groups.
Demonstrators are calling on world leaders to eliminate fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent global warming.
Local organizer Patricia Smith told BarrieToday: “I’m a nobody, a 71-year-old grandmother of six who has been waiting for political action on climate change for years, while simultaneously watching the fossil fuel lobby sow more and more disinformation. My husband, John, is 72 and has watched the same climate disaster unfolding."
Smith says the local group that organized the Barrie event was started by a group of concerned citizens who met through various climate initiatives.
“This fight is so important because if we don’t halt climate change by stopping the burning of fossil fuels, science says that large parts of the Earth will be uninhabitable in the not-too-distant future," she said. "The extreme weather events globally, (and) forest fires of this summer, are just the start.
“Canada has the knowledge and resources to tackle this problem,” Smith added. “We just lack the political will, but the fact that there are 18 rallies in Ontario organized by people like me and my husband, with no financial support, shows that public opinion is turning.”
Local educator and community advocate Pekka Reinio is slated to be one of the speakers at Friday's event.
“As we know, the world needs a quick transition to a low-carbon, green economy," he said. “The Barrie climate rally is one part of the global fight to end fossil fuels and I'm very glad for the opportunity to share the 'fast, fair, forever' message along with other concerned citizens across the planet at the same time that the UN Climate Action Summit kicks off in New York starting Sept. 17."
Reinio says local events like these help send a message.
“The impact of these types of events are critical in bringing about change, both socially and politically," he said. "As (American cultural anthropologist) Margaret Mead said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has.'"
