On February 28th, For Our Kids Vancouver joined teachers calling for their union, BC Teachers Federation (BCTF), to divest from fossil fuels and weapons. Parents, teachers, doctors, students, artists and climate activists all joined together to declare their love for kids outside of the BC Teachers’ Federation’s offices.
A group of active teachers in BC are mobilizing other concerned teachers and parents to push the BC teachers’ federation to divest their pension from fossil fuels. One of these teachers, Jillian Maguire, explained their motivations, “We spend our careers caring for children, and to wake up every day and think that all that care we’re having for our children in the classrooms is being destroyed with our pensions, and we have no choice in it.” Learn more about these admirable teachers at BCTF Divest Now.
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Poster designed by a For Our Kids mom |
Through this action, parents have learned that their kids’ teachers’ pensions are invested $1.25 billion in fossil fuels, including the TMX and Coastal Gas Link pipelines. This does not consider weapons investments, or the dozen or so other public pensions in BC managed together by the same crown corporation, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI). BCI is managing over $230 billion in pension assets.
In 2022 and 2023, BC Teachers’ Federation union representatives voted to divest the teachers’ pension plan from investments in oil and gas. To date, BCI has taken no steps to divest.
For Our Kids Vancouver helped to organize the rally as part of the climate-coalition building efforts being done in the Lower Mainland through the “Van Climate Strike Coalition”, which successfully organized the global climate strike rally in September 2023, bringing 5000 people together to call for the end of fossil fuels, fast, fair and forever.
If you are interested in helping support BC teachers to divest their pensions from fossil fuels and weapons, consider some actions here:
- Talk to your children's teachers about the 2022 and 2023 divestment votes. Are they pushing their union to follow through?
- Look up your local union representative HERE. Call or email them. Tell them that you support divestment from fossil fuels and weapons, and ask them when a plan will be released.
- Sign the open letter in support. Learn more HERE.
