Have Your Say:
Kudos to Students’ Climate march

Congratulations to all the students and schools who took part in the “Call to Climate Action” march

June 3, 2025

Congratulations to all the students and schools who took part in the “Call to Climate Action” march on May 9th. Despite the heavy rain, over 2,000 people took to the streets of Westmount!

It is impressive that so many schools collaborated for such a worthy mission: St. George’s, The Priory, Miss Edgar’s and Miss Cramp’s, Saint-Léon-de-Westmount, The Study, Roslyn, Villa Maria and Trafalgar.

As an affluent community, we generally emit 3.5 times more CO₂ per capita than less fortunate Quebecers, according to a 2025 Institut de la Statistique du Québec study. This is primarily due to higher consumption and air travel: the richest 20% emit six times more CO2 from plane emissions than the poorest 20%. As Westmounters, we therefore have a much greater responsibility to inform ourselves and change our habits.

One great way to learn about climate change and the actions that can be taken to prevent and adapt to it is to participate in a ‘Fresque’. These are enjoyable group activities involving cards and cover various environmental issues, such as climate change and biodiversity. The City of Westmount organized one for Earth Day this year and will be offering more in the future. You can also participate in them in several places in Montreal, and many schools and businesses are offering them too.

As Laura Officer, the St. George’s teacher who started the march two years ago, mentioned, it is important to take action to minimize climate anxiety. Clearly, our young people are showing us the way!

Élisabeth Patterson
Kitchener Ave.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.

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