Today, supporters of Last Generation Canada are blocking Rue Saint-Denis in both directions, just south of Avenue du Mont-Royal in Montreal. The action marks the beginning of a three week action phase across the city. The group is demanding the Canadian government create a Climate Disaster Protection Agency to help people whose homes, communities, lives and livelihoods have been destroyed by extreme weather, including wildfires, worsened by the burning of fossil fuels. The group wants the government to pay for the agency by levying punitive taxes against the ultra-rich and Big Oil, who are overwhelmingly responsible for the climate crisis.

Starting at around 8 am ET, twenty supporters of Last Generation Canada entered the pedestrian walkway on Rue Saint-Denis, south of Avenue du Mont-Royal, and are currently blocking access in both directions. One supporter, Michael Polyani, has sat down in the road, with another, Gillian Graham, has glued her hand to the road. As of 8:13 am, they are both still on site.

When asked what compelled them to take action, Michael Polyani, age 61, said:

“After more than 35 years working full-time in the non-profit sector, I retired this spring so I can dedicate myself to preventing climate breakdown. For three decades, I’ve done what I was told would help: signed petitions, met with MPs, marched in rallies, written op-eds, organized forums. I’ve followed every legal and democratic channel I could. And yet emissions keep rising. More ecosystems are being pushed to collapse. Mass extinction accelerates. Planetary heating continues. So now, I feel compelled to follow my conscience and withdraw my consent from the destruction of our planet. I believe our last great hope to prevent climate breakdown lies in building an international nonviolent climate justice movement grounded in love and compassion for the Earth and future generations.”

Gillian Graham, age 25, also said:

“I woke up this morning sick to my stomach. Thousands of people across Canada are trapped by wildfires, having to flee their homes and fear for the future of their community. And even in this moment of crisis, our government fails to protect them, providing the bare minimum, at best, and does nothing to address the root causes of this crisis. I cannot bear to sit here watching entire communities lose their homes and not do anything about it – that’s why I am taking action. We can’t afford to sit around and wait for the next tragedy to happen. I should be planning my future, not getting charged by the police for trying to save it.”

Today’s action comes as devastating and deadly wildfires burn across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Thousands of people have had to flee their homes, with First Nation communities enduring particularly harrowing conditions. In Manitoba, two people have already died this season, while in Alberta, wildfire threats have even led to the evacuation of oil sands workers. This deadly start to another catastrophic wildfire season is a sobering reminder that the worst is yet to come. Science shows the situation will only get worse, particularly if our government keeps supporting billionaires and subsidizing fossil fuels. 

It’s clear – billionaires and fossil fuel companies are waging war on humanity. The climate crisis is decimating people’s lives across the world and in Canada. Governments and fossil fuel companies have known about the devastating and deadly consequences of burning fossil fuels for decades. Despite this, Canada has continued to bankroll the industry. Canadians remain unprotected in the face of climate disaster. The social contract is broken – it’s time for Canadians to disrupt business as usual to ensure our protection and make the rich pay for what they’ve done.