Hundreds of schoolchildren take part in a climate protest in Hong Kong, Friday, March 15, 2019. Students in more than 80 countries and territories worldwide plan to skip class Friday in protest over their governments’ failure to act against global warming. The coordinated ‘school strike’ was inspired by 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Students in Canada are expected to participate in climate events beginning this Friday, and some school boards are moving to allow — even encourage — them to miss class for the cause.
The University of British Columbia, the Toronto District School Board and Montreal’s Dawson College are among the institutions taking measures to support students who plan to walk out of class as part of a global call to action.
The rallies — dubbed Global Climate Strike — are timed to coincide with the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York next week.
ALSO READ: School students to strike with walkout starting at the legislature
The movement is partly inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has staged weekly demonstrations over the past year under the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, calling on world leaders to step up efforts against climate change.
The website fridaysforfuture.org lists more than 100 climate strikes planned in Canada, including events in all 10 provinces and two territories.
Thunberg announced on Facebook last week she will be in Montreal for the march next Friday, Sept. 27.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2019.
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