{"id":118699,"date":"2022-09-26T12:24:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T16:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=118699"},"modified":"2022-09-29T10:24:48","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T14:24:48","slug":"students-show-up-to-call-out-mt-a-for-lack-of-action-on-divestment-i-want-my-school-to-do-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/students-show-up-to-call-out-mt-a-for-lack-of-action-on-divestment-i-want-my-school-to-do-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Students show up to call out Mt A for lack of action on divestment: \u2018I want my school to do better\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

About 60 Mount A students and others marched to the University\u2019s administrative building on Friday September 23 to demand the school divest its endowments from fossil fuel companies, and to take a leadership role to address the climate crisis.<\/p>\n

CHMA stopped by to listen in on the protest:<\/p>\n\n

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Organizer Kate DesRoches told the crowd that Divest MTA has been asking the university to de-fossilize its endowment fund since 2013. \u201cIt would have been quite radical for Mount A to have divested when we first started asking them,\u201d said DesRoches, \u201cbut now it\u2019s not even close to that anymore.\u201d DesRoches cited a number of schools such as Harvard, UBC and Lakehead University, which have gone through with divestment. \u201cThis is not even an opportunity to be a climate leader,\u201d said DesRoches. \u201cNow this is an opportunity for a meager attempt to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Students held signs calling out the university\u2019s connection to the fossil fuel industry via its endowment investments. Photo: Erica Butler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Student Chloe Robichaud took the opportunity to speak to her fellow protesters: \u201cI\u2019m over here going to university and actively investing in my future. Yet I\u2019m attending an institution that\u2019s actively investing in the end of my future,\u201d said Robichaud. \u201cNothing\u2019s more embarrassing than going to a school that claims to be a school of leaders, yet we can\u2019t even lead in environmental policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Students gathered for a climate march on Friday, September 23, 2022, a Fridays for Future Global Climate Strike. Photo: Erica Butler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

According to Divest MTA, this past spring the university\u2019s board of regents promised to study options for divestment from fossil fuels. Members of the student collective have yet to meet with university officials this fall for an update.<\/p>\n

Read more about Divest MTA:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

‘There’s still so much that we’re not doing’: Divest MTA leads climate protest Friday<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n