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LATEST NEWS:
Next Meeting: To Be Announced
Everyone is welcome to join our next meeting. Our meetings happen semi-regularly, but not on a fixed schedule. There are so many opportunities to get involved and with new members joining us every day, we hope all of you will come to our next organizing meeting on Zoom. Please email to let us know if you would like to join the next one: [email protected].The Van Climate Strike Coalition - Who We Are
April 19: Climate Strike
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Stop the fracking and LNG industry
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Protect old growth forests
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Get gas out of our homes and buildings
A request to meet has been made to meet with Premier during the legislature's break of April 15 and leading up to the rally on April 19.
Everyone is invited to participate in the climate strike on April 19 from 3 to 5 pm at Premier Eby's office on West Broadway. Join us!
The Van Climate Strike Coalition is made up of grassroots groups and individuals who have come together in the Lower Mainland for the sole purpose of organizing climate strike actions with the support of environmental non-governmental organizations. However, make no mistake, we are a volunteer-run group of committed parents, grandparents, teachers, educators, lawyers, doctors, students, young people and climate activists coming together for climate justice.
CHECK OUT OUR PAST ACTIONS:
Feb 28 Rally: Declare Your Love for Fossil Fuel Divestment
British Columbia Teachers pension board continues to invest millions in oil and gas. At the 2022 and 2023 BCTF AGMs, teachers overwhelmingly voted to have their pension plan divested from fossil fuels. To date, no action has been taken to divest its over $37.8 billion pension fund from these companies and teachers are increasingly concerned about the risks of the climate crisis for students.
The Teachers Pension Plan is one of 11 pooled public funds overseen by British Columbia Investments Corporation (BCI). Recently, teachers have become aware that BCI also has substantial investments in weapons manufacturers used against children.
Come out and support teachers calling for divestment from fossil fuels and weapons at their union offices: BC Teachers’ Federation Offices, 550, West 6th Avenue, Vancouver. Programming will include speakers and music.
For more information, please check out the Facebook event and we hope to see you on February 28!
Vancouver-Point Grey Multi-generational Climate Action Team Applications Open
We are very excited to announce the launch of the Vancouver-Point Grey Multi-generational Climate Action Team!
Climate-concerned parents from For Our Kids Vancouver in the Vancouver Point Grey riding have engaged with MLA David Eby as their representative Member of Legislative the Assembly (MLA) to jointly establish a Multi-generational Climate Action Team.
Applications are open until November 10, 2023! If you are a climate-concerned caretaker in the Vancouver Point Grey riding - consider applying! For more information or to apply, click here.
Global Strike Friday - September 15, 2023
Thank you to all of you who kick startedkick-startedyear by joining us at the Global Climate Strike on September 15, 2023. We have received such great feedback on the event and we are inspired by the young people who came out to keep moving on an end to fos l fuels. If you missed the coverage, check it out here, here, and here.
Event announcement:
On September 15, join young people, students, parents, teachers and community members at the Global Climate Strike on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) lands / Vancouver.
In joining us, you will join millions of people around the world who will take to the streets to demand a rapid, just, and equitable end to fossil fuels as world leaders gather at the UN in New York.
Please contact us if you or your group is interested in supporting the organizing efforts. We need all hands on deck to support young people's fight for climate justice. Any contribution is valuable and needed. Do not hesitate to reach out: [email protected]
Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan
We are advocating to maintain and accelerate efforts on the City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP). After approving an ambitious, feasible and science-based Climate Emergency Action Plan in October 2020, successive decisions from Council on tthe he CEAP’s implementation have raised concerns among the community about whether the City of Vancouver will deliver on its climate commitments and greenhouse gas reduction targets. So, we are monitoring the City’s decisions and showing our support for bold climate action.
Recently, these have included:
- Showing support via letters for the Additional and Accelerated Climate Measures recommendations that Council passed unanimously in June. These actions aim to close the gap between our trajectory and the climate targets - including important steps to align land-use planning with climate needs and to electrify our transportation and our heating (which are the top GHG emitters in our city).
- Showing support via letters for the removal of methane gas (a.k.a. natural gas) from new buildings in cooking and decorative fireplaces. The approved motion to have staff report back on how to update the Vancouver Building Bylaw to align with the top step of the BC Zero Carbon Step Code. We will be watching for updates to see if this update achieves the goal of removing all fossil fuel emissions from new builds. The easiest way to avoid emissions is to not burn new fossil fuels in the first place!
Declaring our love for a Healthy Climate - Rally on February 10
On February 10, 2023, we held a climate rally in support of a strong Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) in advance of the City Council receiving the first update of their four-year term on the state of the CEAP. Over 200 parents, youth, grandparents, kids, professionals and other community members met in front of City Hall to advocate for strong and urgent implementation of the CEAP. There was beautiful music from local choirs, climate valentines written by kiddos and adults alike, and lots of community support.
We co-organized the rally with six other organizations including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Climate Convergence Metro Vancouver, Force of Nature, Fridays for Our Future Vancouver, Babies for Climate Action - Vancouver, and Shake up the Establishment.
Passing of our climate hero, Jana Rayne MacDonald
It is with a heavy heart and disbelief now to share the news of the sudden passing of our friend Jana.
Jana gave so much of herself to For Our Kids and our local group. She was proudly a For Our Kids grandparent and fearlessly spoke to anyone she could about the dire need to act on behalf of our kids. She herself was motivated by her two daughters and grandchildren. She was so excited to be a voice for them in Alberta. We hope in time we can honour Jana's memory with action. In the meantime, please reach out if you need anything.
Strategic Planning Session - February 2023
We held a strategic planning session in February. The facilitated session included members who were able to attend in person or virtually. Through this planning process, we identified that we are a mighty and non-partisan group of parents and community members who are building communities for the future and creating those conditions for those in power to make the right choices on climate. Our plans for the next year are to grow our organizing group and increase membership to broaden our reach and influence.
The results of the first survey of FOK Vancouver members were also reviewed. Some findings were:
- Members were motivated to join by a desire to connect with other parents, connect with a local grassroots group, and to have a voice specifically as a parent
- Time and feeling overwhelmed are the top barriers to participation
- For some, their involvement with FOK Vancouver was their first ever climate action
We are now working on moving this work forward. Contact us if you are interested in participating.
Parent voices unite for climate
Check out this op-ed published Nov. 1 in the National Observer, featuring Jana MacDonald from the FOK Vancouver team!
Climate Leadership and Local Elections
Local governments have a big part to play in reducing GHG emissions and preparing for the existing impacts, and we need to know our Council is committed to taking real action to address the existential threat of global warming. Check out the election survey we sent to all candidates in the last municipal election, and the responses we received.
Submission to Federal Government's Oil and Gas Emissions Reduction Consultation
As parents and grandparents, we strongly urge the government to heed the calls of the scientific and international communities to commence the immediate wind down of the fossil fuel industry and commence a Just Transition for all workers, with a focus on clean, renewable energy, biodiversity, and food security, alongside social justice, equality, Indigenous rights and poverty alleviation. It is possible to make this transition and imperative that it begin immediately.
Read the full text of our co-submission with For Our Kids Sunshine Coast.
CAPE BC’s Healthy Climate Solutions Fair
Thanks to all of you who visited us at the Fair! We are so grateful to have connected with so many climate-concerned parents and their kids! We learned so much from you!
And we know that by engaging in discussions on climate, we are already having an impact. We learned that research reveals that just talking about climate breaks down personal barriers to taking action. While many people are individually suffering from climate despair, sharing concerns with friends, family and neighbors has shown to increase acting on the crisis.
Our discussions at the fair were focused on our streets - public space currently designed to prioritize cars. Urban planning is a key driver not only of local, but global consumption rates and key to consumption reduction. As cars enable us to consume more, government and businesses also increase their consumption. So we know that changing the way we design our cities can have direct and significant impacts on emissions.
Federal 2022 Pre-budget Consultation Submission- For Our Kids Vancouver and For Our Kids Sunshine Coast have jointly submitted a brief to the federal governments 2022 pre-budget consultations and have made a series of recommendations that will hold our government to their promise of building a clean and healthy future for our kids.
TALK: Why Real Climate Action Means Defunding the Police - Mother of three, BIPOC activist, journalist, and a social justice warrior, Molly Murphy joined us on February 10th to discuss her frontline experience with RCMP violence on unceded Indigenous lands in Pacheedaht, Dididaht and Wet’suwet’en territories. She shared her research into the secretive arm of BC's RCMP called "Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG)" with the mandate to protect government and corporate interests in resource extraction and energy projects through violent enforcement of court injunctions and criminalization of land defenders.
BC Natural Gas Royalties Review joint submission from For Our Kids Vancouver, For Our Kids Sunshine Coast and Parents 4 Climate Victoria. Through an independent assessment of the province's royalty scheme, we learned billions have gone to fossil fuel companies with little return to the province. Basically - BC's royalty scheme is a huge subsidy. Now, Minister of Energy Bruce Ralston is proposing to replace this system with one that seeks to spur economic development in natural gas, obtain a fair return and ignore climate.
Let's Talk Climate - A discussion on climate with with Vancouver Quadra Candidates Hon. Joyce Murray (Liberal) and Dr. Devyani Singh (Green) in the lead up to the 2021 Federal Election on Sunday September 5th at 11am.
Climate Emergency Action Plan - We raised our voices in support of the City of Vancouver's progressive Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP) and it was approved by Council in November.
BC Election Candidate Meetings on Climate - Meeting with candidates during an election is one way we are raising our climate concerns with all parties in this election.
BC Election Candidates Survey - Find out where your local candidates stand on climate issues.
Climate Strike 2020- Showing support for our youth by amplifying their demands in a public display.
Thank You Card from The Future
In September we created a Thank You card written from the future, from 2050, thanking Members of Parliament for taking bold action on climate change in 2020 with a Green & Just Recovery Plan. With simple infographics, the card outlines the necessary pathways to building a safe and healthy climate for our kids.
Standing Committee on Finance Brief
In August we submitted a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance's 2021 pre-budget consultations which was informed by recommendations gathered at the For Our Kids Green & Just Recovery Town Halls held in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Surrey. The town halls were attended by both the federal and provincial Ministers of Environment and Climate Change- Jonathan Wilkinson MP and George Heyman MLA.
Green & Just Recovery Town Hall
At our Green & Just Recovery Town Hall we discussed ways to reimagine our communities and our economy in an effort to combat climate change as we recovery from the pandemic. Our discussion included all levels of government with Tsleil-Waututh Chief Leah George-Wilson, BC Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman, federal Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan, and Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle, moderated by Andrea Reimer and Sustainabiliteens.
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