Today, two supporters of Last Generation Canada painted the front entrance of the Montreal casino with washable pink paint. The action is part of a 3-week action phase that will include disruption at the upcoming F1 race, the announcement of which has already cost organizers $150,000. Last week, three Last Generation Canada supporters were arrested in two separate actions – one for blocking Rue St.-Denis and the other, for painting the Bank of Montreal Museum with washable pink paint. At the BMO Museum action, 12 people on site for support were searched and temporarily detained by Montreal police. 

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, as well as fossil fuel executives and bank CEOs, who are profiting from the climate crisis. 

Starting at around 9:15 am ET, two Last Generation Canada supporters covered the front of the Montreal casino on Ile Notre-Dame with washable pink paint and were arrested by casino security.

When asked what compelled them to take action, Cyrus, age 27, said this:

"I was raised by a very climate conscious person. With every passing year, I’ve seen more of climate change's forecasted impacts once theoretical to my childhood self become realized. It's going to get worse, and the fucking country is already on fire. Time and time again, the short-term self serving interests of the wealthy and powerful seem to take priority over any attempt to confront what is genuinely an existential threat to the entire species. I can’t in good conscience do nothing."

Eva Chanda also took action.

Today’s action comes as devastating wildfires are devouring land at a pace not seen in any other year, except 2023, Canada’s worst wildfire season on record. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced and Australian firefighters have been called in for support. 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 yet 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 the ultra-rich and subsidizing fossil fuels. 

It’s clear – billionaires, bank CEOs and fossil fuel companies are waging war on humanity. The climate crisis is decimating people’s lives across the world and in Canada. Meanwhile, in Montreal, the ultra-rich are gathering to party, gamble and have fun. Governments and Big Oil, plus the banks that prop them up, 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 and the government must stop gambling with our lives. 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.