Climate change rally sees protestors march through downtown core

It's getting hot, and some Kamloops residents want government to do more about it.

On Thursday morning, protesters took to the streets with signs and chants, marching first to the office of Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod on Seymour Street, and then downtown along Victoria Street — all in the hopes of catching the attention of decision-makers and sparking change.

According to organizers, the rally was planned as a response to wildfires, extreme heat and other climate issues across Canada and around the globe that have been seen in recent months.

Claire Garson, a participant and speaker at the rally, said she has an obligation as a young person to speak up for the environment.

“We [youth] are going to be the ones who inherit this planet. We need to say something,” Garson said.

“We need to say what we want others to do.”

According to Garson, her generation has little hope for the future,

“A lot of the youth genuinely believe that we have gone too far, we haven't done enough up to this point thats why there is very, very little hope,” she said.

Garson hope that this rally will help influence politicians to make a commitment to climate change.

“We need to have something actually happened, we need to take action, we need the politicians to listen,” she said.

Garson was one of few youths taking part in Thursday's event, but she said she has made it her mission to get more young people involved.

“I'm going to try really, really hard to get my friends here next time, we're going to try and get the other young people that I know to show up and get people that they know to show up because we have to do something,” Garson said.

“We can't just do nothing. We can't wait.”