Bowen Island will join the Global Climate Strike Friday, Sept. 27.
“In solidarity with the Global Climate Strike and Greta Thunberg's #FridaysforFuture, we are gathering on Bowen Island to encourage the Canadian government to increase its climate policies to meet the Paris Agreement targets and keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius,” writes Mary Kastle, organizer of the island iteration of the global protest.
The Bowen protest will begin at the ferry dock at 10:30 a.m. This makes it possible for islanders to send off in style those heading to the larger Vancouver march that begins at 1 p.m. at Vancouver City Hall.
As students are at the forefront of the climate strike movement, one common question is if youth should be allowed to skip school to protest. The Vancouver School Board unanimously voted to excuse students who want to protest while the West Vancouver School Board (which too governs Bowen Island Community School) has said that parents can sign their children out of school to strike but it is not officially sanctioning skipping school.
In an email to parents BICS principal Scott Slater said that, “As a school system we cannot avoid, and shouldn’t, influencing the values of the children in our care. We transmit these values in what is taught and not taught, and how.
“This is an awesome responsibility but we will continue to keep our focus on informing and empowering students with the skills to understand complex issues and make decisions rather than teaching or telling them what to think.
“The decision to join a climate strike…is up to families, and the school supports children regardless of their choices.”
Island Pacific School is taking all of its students to the Vancouver march (read the IPS grade nine class letter to Bowen Islanders here).
According to the Bowen Island Express Bus Facebook page, Bowen Transportation Society (BTS) is offering a free ride to the march (fare applies for return) to 52 people off the 10:50 a.m. ferry. Priority will be given to BTS members (especially those commuting to downtown) but spots will open up after members have boarded. There will be no seat reservations. If the bus is full the 257 and 250 leave from Horseshoe Bay.
In solidarity with the strike, several Bowen businesses are closing their doors. These include: the Snug Café and Artisan Eats, the Bowen Island Flower Shop, the Branch on Bowen, the Bowen Barber, Moss Hair Studio, Fabulous Finds, the Well on Bowen, Squirrel, Doc Morgan's (until noon), Phoenix (also until noon), Cocoa West and Catching Stars. Tell Your Friends Cafe will be serving free lemonade to strikers, won't be serving in disposable cups and will close early. Branch on Bowen owners Britt and Tim Yu are not only closing their Bowen eatery but also three other restaurants on the Mainland for the strike.
"Make a stand with us. For our planet, our homes, our children and our lives," says the Snug's Facebook post. The café will offer free coffee and day-old pastries to strikers Friday morning (but people need to bring their own mugs).
The Bowen Island Flower Shop Facebook post says they'll be planting trees.
Do you know of other businesses closing for the strike? Other events happening? Let us know!
