Penticton resident works to keep climate change on council’s minds

Today’s low turnout at the weekly Friday noon hour Climate Action demonstration in front of Penticton’s City Hall failed to discourage Lori Goldman.

Goldman is member of the board on First Things First Okanagan, the group that spearheaded Penticton’s version of the Fridays for Future climate strike action in front of City Hall since Sept. 27.

The first event resulted in between 300 and 400 participants gathering, along with numerous school kids.

Since then members of the group and other interested participants have been gathering weekly at noon (in considerably lesser amounts) on Fridays in front of City Hall to make their feelings known about the need to react to climate change.

“We don’t get many kids. Most who are actively participating are over 60,” Goldman says, the lone advocate attending the sidewalk today, Dec. 27.

Goldman was unfazed by the lack of attendance today.

“We get varying numbers usually around 10 or so, but I understand, given the time of year, why there might not be many of us about today,” she says, well dressed for the cold breeze whistling down Main Street this afternoon.

“This is my own personal thing, it’s something I can do. It’s really important to me. Climate change creates a lot of anxiety for me,” she says.

“Scientifically, these events are increasing, it doesn’t make much sense to deny it,” she says.

Goldman feels the group’s weekly presence is having an effect. She says Mayor John Vassilaki and Coun. Julius Bloomfield have talked to them, and a recent request to have the city declare a climate emergency was acceptable for the most part to council, “as long as it didn’t affect the economy,” Goldman says.

“Some good things are happening. Council has passed the request on to the sustainability committee, and there are some ideas in the works to make the city’s public buildings more sustainable,” she says.

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