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CUSP holds protest against RBC financing of fossil fuels

Citizens United for a Sustainable Planet held a protest in front of the Royal Bank of Canada branch located on Memorial Ave on October 29

THUNDER BAY - Citizens United for a Sustainable Planet held a protest in front of the Royal Bank of Canada branch on Memorial Avenue on Friday.

"We've got a code red climate emergency and everybody knows about that by now, we've had heat waves in Western Canada, huge rain drops in different parts of the world, so the fact that we're in a climate emergency is really clear," said Paul Berger, Meetings Chair of CUSP.

"And the International Energy Agency has said to get through the climate emergency, to tackle climate change, we have to stop exploring for new fossil fuels, and building new massive fossil fuel infrastructure projects." 

The demonstration of roughly 30 people was part of over 30 actions held at RBC branches across canada and was held to urge RBC to cease financing of fossil fuel and fossil fuel infrastructure companies, especially those that would operate on Indigenous lands without free, prior and informed consent.

Since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015, RBC has provided $208 billion in finance to fossil fuel and fossil fuel infrastructure companies.

"They're killing my grandchildren," said protestor Jacqueline Boileau.

"I'm gonna be out of this before the full effects of climate change hit, I'm almost 60 years old, but my grandchildren with have to live with the consequences of our poor decisions. As a society and as individuals, we need our governments to make changes so that there is a future for our grandchildren and even our children, people in their 30s are going to be profoundly affected."

#RBCIsKillingMe was featured on many of the signs at the demonstration and is a slogan by the Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders at the Gidim’ten Checkpoint.

As part of the protest CUSP demanded that RBC stop financing the LNG Coastal Gas Link Pipeline across Wet’suwet’en land.



Justin Hardy

About the Author: Justin Hardy

Justin Hardy is a reporter born and raised in the Northwest.
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