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
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
The UN food agency estimated that unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have left more than 300 people dead and thousands of houses destroyed, most of them in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.