climate strike toronto

People are angry that someone promoted the Toronto climate strike with an idling truck

It's been a day full of climate change discussions in Toronto.

Between the announcement that John Tory plans to declare a climate emergency and the fact that the Global Climate Strike is fast approaching, the issue appears to be on everyone's mind. 

But one advertisement promoting the strike has some people raising their eyebrows. 

A photo of a black idling truck sitting in Yonge and Dundas Square was posted to reddit this morning, with the title "Advertising the Strike for Climate Change...using an idling truck."

The truck has a screen on the side of it with photos of climate change protesters, and it says "Striking for a safe climate. September 20-27, 2019."

And while the message is admirable, many are pointing out the irony of the medium. 

"And its an older, non-dpf truck. Oh man the freaking irony," someone wrote online. 

"Task failed successfully," someone else wrote. 

The individual who posted the photo said he tried to take a video of the truck to prove it was idling, but Yonge and Dundas was too loud to hear it. 

"I took the photo (and another including the license plate) to send to the organizers and let them know. I'm not posting so that people take up pitchforks with me - just for anyone who is interested in the irony of the situation," he wrote on reddit.

Someone else pointed out that the truck was most likely not being driven or even commissioned by climate activists. 

Allie Rougeot, Fridays for Future Toronto coordinator and one of the organizers of the strike, said they did not in fact hire or commission anyone to use the truck. 

"It does happen that firms who want to show their support decide to advertise for us in their own way," she said. "We are not made aware of these, never ask for them, and never give anything back in return."

The Global Climate Strike in Toronto will take place on September 27 at Queen's Park, and it'll coincide with the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York next week.

Lead photo by

u/FredvsFred


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