It was a picturesque fall day for the Scotsburn Fall Fair on October 3, 2026. Bright blue sky, brilliant leaves, sun on your face. There was live music, weaving demonstrations and tables full of local baked goods. Volunteers with the Community Food Forest gave out samples of handmade lip balm and sold jars of cranberry and sea buckthorn jam, both made with products harvested onsite. Others toured the community hall in process of construction - with ecological methods and community participation - after the previous hall was destroyed during Post Tropical Storm Fiona four years ago. Teens sold art and gifted rosemary, and kids ran up - and slid down - the play equipment. There were hugs and smiles and real conversations between neighbours.
Tayleur Sutherland’s table featured ball caps - with “Save the Locals” featured on the front. In addition to the hats, Tayleur’s local screen printing business makes t-shirts featuring “NO GAS PLANTS” - which he proudly wore and had on hand. Nova Scotia’s Independent Energy Systems Operator is promoting methane powered electricity generating “Peaker Plants” for nearby Marshdale and Salts Springs, and neighbours - organized in LEAP and broadly supported by the community - have rallied to stop it. The t-shirts start a conversation and make a strong statement at the same time.
When I take a closer look, I see sheets with “Climate Action Pledge” on the top, scattered on the table. Tayleur, a For Our Kids Pictou Organizer, invites me to look through a stack of ideas and pick one. They are all meaningful and important.
I settle on: ”I will ensure my money does not support carbon-polluting industries through my banking and investments.” It feels a bit heavy, but important, and doable. Like a challenge I feel ready to take on. As I write it down, it feels important to commit with pen on paper, there’s a sense of accountability and then Tayleur snaps a picture. This pledge is real. In total, seventeen people pledged to take different actions for the climate that day at the Scotsburn Fall Fair.
Two weeks later, I’m wondering how the other pledgers are fairing. Tonight, the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is holding a public meeting in Halifax. According to Shift Action, as of March 31, 2026, CPPIB held shares valued at over $24 billion in publicly-traded fossil fuel companies. The CPPIB went so far as to call the climate litigation launched by young Canadians in 2025 “an action against the retirement security of 22 million Canadians.” These young Canadians aren’t seeking money – they’re asking the court to clarify CPPIB’s fiduciary duty to manage climate risks, which is in the interest of all Canadians, especially our youth. Investing billions of dollars in a sector that we know is making an unsafe, unlivable future is irresponsible. I can’t be there in person, but I know this is an opportunity to do right by my promise in Scotsburn. I have written and submitted my question and will continue the work to ensure I am not investing in devastation, but my daughter's future.
Text by Jackie McVicar, Atlantic Canada Organizer with For Our Kids. Photos by Jackie McVicar and Tayleur Sutherland.
