A handful of Squamish residents gathered on Monday to pay tribute to those who were lost in climate-related natural disasters this year.
On the evening of Dec. 13, seven people, including two local elected officials and a newborn, were among those in attendance.
This gathering was one among a number across the province that were organized by the Wilderness Committee.
The event in Squamish was organized by environmentalist group My Sea to Sky.
Tracey Saxby, the head of the group, said the vigil was more important than ever, considering the historic climate disasters that have occurred in B.C. this year.
She noted that the village of Lytton was wiped off the map as a result of wildfires, while hundreds of people died in the record-breaking heatwave this summer.
More people — including some near Lillooet — died in the landslides caused by the atmospheric rivers that unleashed torrential rain and floods across the province.
Evacuation alerts were also issued in the Sea to Sky as a result of the floods.
“We really need to get all levels of government working cohesively in a non-partisan way to confront the climate emergency and commit to real climate action,” she said.
Saxby added that her organization has had more than 350 organizations sign a petition calling on the B.C. government to confront the climate emergency.
While cradling her newborn, Coun. Jenna Stoner said at the gathering that it was more important than ever to have hope for the future and the next generation, as there is no other choice but to keep striving for solutions to the climate crisis.
“I have always been hopeful on this topic, but even more so now, because I don't think I have a choice,” Stoner said.
Coun. Chris Pettingill said while it can be scary to see the effects of climate change in the news, it’s critical to keep fighting for ways to address the problem.
