Halton Hills Residents 'Draw the Line' at Local Climate Rally
Event in Georgetown among national movement calling for urgent climate action
This article originally appeared on HaltonHillsToday.ca
GEORGETOWN, ON — A coalition of local environmental groups brought a National Day of Climate Action, ‘Draw the Line,’ to Georgetown last weekend.
With similar events taking place in other Canadian cities like Toronto and Ottawa, the Georgetown rally brought people together to protest fossil fuel projects and call for urgent climate action.
The event was co-organized by Halton Hills Climate Action (HHCA), Seniors for Climate, and Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet (GASP), part of a nationwide initiative led by 350.org.
The day began with an Eco Fair at St. George’s Anglican Church featuring various local groups in attendance, followed by a panel of speakers.
“This is a historic coming together of five interconnected movements: climate justice, migrant justice, Indigenous justice, labour rights, and anti-war and peace activists demanding the Canadian government prioritize our communities over billionaires,” said Jeannine d’Entremont, an organizer with HHCA.
Many of the concerns targeted recent policies by the Liberal government, with newly-elected Liberal MP Kristina Tesser Derksen on hand to address the crowd and speak to the government’s policies.
“We understand there are concerns about legislation that has been proposed, even though we are still making big polluters pay,” she said. “We want to ensure that it’s no longer free to pollute anywhere in Canada, and we’re phasing out the use of coal by 2030 and investing in renewable energy, clean fuels and electrification from coast to coast to coast.”
Councillor Jane Fogal reminded everyone of the fight to protect the Greenbelt before speaking of current natural gas and nuclear energy plans, saying, “the only way to fix this is people power.”
“We’ve got a democracy. We’re lucky to have it. We can see what’s going on in the United States, where people are afraid to speak about their government, but we can, and we should.”
Fogal also highlighted the role of youth in shaping environmental policy, expressing a desire for more young people to get involved in local politics.
“We knew we had a split council, and what really turned the page or turned the tide was when our youth showed up and spoke,” she said, emphasizing the influence of the younger generation.
Matthew Tyhurst, a local student recognized by Fogal for his activism, echoed this sentiment. A GDHS graduate and now a political science and legal studies student at the University of Waterloo, he shared a powerful message with the crowd.
“I think that youth are not the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders of today.”
He added that young people “should have the ability to get involved now.”
In an interview, Tyhurst noted that a lack of guidance on how to engage is a significant barrier for youth.
“Within our education system, yes, we have our civics and career class, but that’s only a small portion, and they aren’t really educated on how to get involved in politics or just even activism and being civically engaged,” he explained.
The speakers concluded with Danny Beaton of the Mohawk clan, speaking and performing a song on his flute.
Attendees then ‘walked the line’ as part of a group line dance to the tune of Johnny Cash’s ‘I Walk the Line’ before lining up on Guelph Street, banners in hand, to ensure their messages were heard and seen by all those passing by.