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For Bridge to a Cool Planet, Ten Thousand Cross Cambie Street Bridge; Biggest Demonstration in Vancouver Since 2003 Peace March

Thousands of supporters gathered on the Cambie Street Bridge to rally for Climate Change at the wildly successful Bridge to a Cool Planet event this past Saturday.

Photo Credits: Adam Fishmann and Anastasia Gaisenok.

Thousands of supporters gathered on the Cambie Street Bridge to rally for Climate Change at the wildly successful Bridge to a Cool Planet event this past Saturday. Oxfam Canada represetative, Scott Andrews, was there to tell the VO all about it.

So it all came together here in Vancouver for Climate Action. The one issue that has environmentalists, social justice advocates and progressives of all colors rallying around. It was hard to determine exactly how many people were there, but some counts put the number between 8,000 and 10,000. The biggest event in Vancouver since the peace march in 2003; not too shabby!

In the words of Sean Devlin, the mastermind behind the Climate Action Network, "we are at a tipping point for both the environment and activism." I firmly believe that people ultimately recognize this as a time where action is necessary.

Yogi Berra told us "The Future Ain't What it Used to Be." The future is not some distant paradigm that justifies our pacifism. We are bearing witness to effects of climate change every day. Christina Ora from the Solomon Islands knows this all to well as her people are steadily being displaced by rising water levels. She told her story to the inspired crowd of 10,000 Vancouverites on Saturday.

What really excites me about this weekend and the organization leading up to it is that connections are being made and activism both locally and globally is gaining momentum. The next world power can be a group of connected dedicated activists coming together and demanding change... and we are seeing this unfold. If Stephen Harper didn't get the message that Canadians want bold action on Climate Change this weekend then there is nothing that could get this message to him.

Huge thanks to the Western Wilderness Committee, Oxfam Canada, the City of Vancouver and the thousands of engaged citizens who made their voices heard this weekend. For those of you just hearing the news, I encourage you to connect with a local NGO (Oxfam's group is a great start) and add to this expanding snowball of change. These are exciting times.

To find out more, check out Oxfam Canada or Bridge to a Cool Planet.


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