A concern about road safety prompted the Sunshine Coast RCMP to dispatch one of its officers to Davis Bay Pier on Friday.
Students and supporters were participating in a climate strike, the third since March that was held at the Davis Bay Pier. The officer arrived as the protests wound down. No violation tickets were issued.
“The complaint was that the bus almost hit somebody,” said RCMP Const. Karen Whitby, who said a transit official made the call.
The May 24 rally was considerably smaller than the previous two, but it did attract at least two politicians. Sunshine Coast Regional District director for Roberts Creek, Andreas Tize, and Gibsons Coun. David Croal attended to show their support for the youth-led initiative.
“They’ve got a message that for too long, adults have turned a blind eye to,” said Croal.
Organizer Eilis MacKenzie acknowledged the smaller showing, but underlined the need for policy change and said she plans to continue her efforts to bring attention to the issue.
“A lot of people, even some of our local politicians are saying well, what are the youth doing, what’s coming out of the protests, and the truth about that is we’re not supposed to do a whole lot. We’re looking to our politicians to take serious action,” said Mackenzie, adding that individual action is also important.
Mackenzie and other student activists have organized a meeting with local politicians to discuss climate action, set for early June.
Hundreds of thousands of students participated in protests in 1,400 cities worldwide on May 24, according to The Guardian.
