Ottawa, Ontario, August 24th, 2023 - Unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory. On Friday, August 25th, starting at 5:30pm from Confederation Park,  On2Ottawa will be leading a march that is open to the public.

Following  a week of 2 roadblocks with 9 arrests, supporters of On2Ottawa will  conduct a public march through the capital and encourage others, including police, to join

This peaceful march follows a week with 2 roadblocks and 9 arrests to demand  that the government take appropriate and timely action on the wildfire  crisis. The solution, says On2Ottawa, is the creation of a national  firefighting agency that trains and employs 50,000 professional firefighters.

“We invite the police to join the march in support of their fellow first  responders and citizens. If they are unable to join, then we ask that  they at least facilitate it,” says Laura Sullivan, an On2Ottawa volunteer spokesperson.

In conversation with On2Ottawa liaisons, the Ottawa Police have said that  anyone who attempts to march on a road without police permission can be  subject to arrest and charges may be laid. On2Ottawa supporters believe  that police are obligated to uphold charter rights and facilitate peaceful marches.

“It  is our fundamental charter right to peacefully march in our capital  city. This city belongs to the people of Canada, not to bureaucrats  alone, and the charter is meant to benefit all people, not just people  that police choose to support,” says Xavier Bergeron, a volunteer  spokesperson for On2Ottawa.

This  threat of arrest occurs during the worst fire season on record and the  hottest July in the world to date, with over 55,000 people currently  evacuated from their homes in Canada. Lawmakers and fire fighting  professionals  continue to call for meaningful federal action to address  the wildfire crisis.