The recent climate change rally in Fredericton was hosted by the Council of Canadians, a grassroots organization which focuses on local action towards major goals.
Their main areas of focus are on climate change action, sustainable trade, clean water for Indigenous peoples, and stronger public healthcare.
Their local presence adds intimacy to the fight for action on climate change. Rather than only focusing on large projects at the Federal level, the Council advocates for community changes that can improve the environments of individual communities.
The Fredericton Chapter is incredibly active in the local community with climate change being a main focus, with their recent rally seeing major local political figures, David Coon and Kate Rogers, in attendance to speak to a crowd of over 300.
The Green Party’s recent success in Fredericton bodes well for the Council to generate significant political and grassroots support.
Margo Sheppard, a leader in the Fredericton chapter, says COVID has made much of their organizing a challenge.
“We tend to be quite spontaneous. Our attempts to organize elaborate workshops have been limited or quashed by COVID,” said Sheppard.
Besides climate change, the organization spends time educating the public in matters of importance, especially during election season.
“We try to get fact sheets out on issues of importance to New Brunswick and Fredericton,” Sheppard explained.
Sheppard hopes that COVID will allow for more flexibility in their work, but recent developments have kept much of their organizing in the digital realm.
Members of the community are welcome to explore the organization and get involved in future projects. The Facebook group is publicly available here.
For interested individuals, their next meeting will take place on October 13 which will discuss the rally on climate change along with plans to oppose Small Modular Reactor technology in Canada.