4 arrested during Extinction Rebellion 'die-in' at downtown Vancouver intersection
Four people were arrested at a "die-in" that blocked a downtown Vancouver intersection Saturday afternoon.
Vancouver police estimated that about 50 people took part in the Extinction Rebellion march to the intersection of Georgia and Burrard streets, where 13 people lay on the ground, blocking traffic.
Two men and two women were arrested for mischief, taken to jail and released pending a future court date, police said in a news release.
The protest was the first of 14 consecutive days of planned civil disobedience ahead of the COP26 climate change meetings in Scotland.
Extinction Rebellion Vancouver member Lauren Emberson told CTV News Vancouver the theme of the two weeks of protests is that Canada's government needs to stop subsidising the fossil fuel industry and do more to reduce the country's carbon emissions.
"This government, our government, is paying the fossil fuel industry $40 million a day in subsidies, and we say that that is not right," Emberson said. "We say that this industry is part of what's heading us towards climate catastrophe."
"We want them to end the subsidies now," she added. "That's the minimum that they can do."
The $40 million figure appears to be based on a report from the advocacy group Environmental Defence, which concluded that the federal government provided at least $18 billion to oil and gas companies in 2020.
Many of the subsidies listed in the report are intended to help with emissions reduction, environmental cleanup and other "green" initiatives, though others have no discernable climate-change-related purpose.
On Sunday, Extinction Rebellion plans to march down Commercial Drive and block traffic at the intersection of Commercial and Broadway.
Emberson said the disruptive protests are part of the tradition of nonviolent civil disobedience activists have employed for generations. From her perspective, less disruptive protests and activism have been unsuccessful.
"We're sorry for the disruption," Emberson said to those frustrated by the protests. "But this is the only way to change the system."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.