Ottawa, Ontario, August 28th, 2023 - unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory.

At 7:45am this morning, supporters of On2Ottawa blocked vehicle access from the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge as an act of nonviolent  civil-disobedience. This was done in order to demand the creation of a  National Firefighting Agency that employs and trains 50,000 professional firefighters.

“I want to look at my children and assure them that the Canadian  government cares about their future and is doing its best to quell the  out-of-control wildfires; but, when the government isn’t making moves  towards no-brainer measures such as the creation of a National  Firefighting Agency, I can’t say this in good-faith,” says Xavier Bergeron.

Protests continue as banks direct over 250% towards oil and gas, insurance  companies consider hiking premium costs, with the federal government  stalling in providing adequate support for the safety of Canadians by  establishing a coordinated firefighting force on a national level.

“I am doing this because I don’t see any action by our Prime Minister, and  I am demanding that the Prime Minister takes appropriate action to do  what needs to be done to save our communities and protect our  firefighters,” said Zoey, a 22 year old student from Vancouver Island,  who was arrested for the 2nd time today for demanding the creation of a  National Firefighting Agency.

On2Ottawa says that if the Prime Minister claims to be a world leader in tackling  climate change, he needs to start by taking care of our firefighters and communities.

Further disruption in the capital is expected to continue for another two weeks.