The Jacques Cartier Bridge is closed to traffic in both directions Tuesday morning due to protesters who have climbed the structure.
According to the Antigone Collective, which is made up of “experienced activist climbers,” two activists climbed the structure of the bridge connecting Montreal to the South Shore around 5 a.m.
On Facebook, the group points out that a similar stunt took place in 2019 to denounce the federal government’s “inaction” in the fight against climate change.
It argues that, in the five years since, the climate emergency has worsened and that the federal government “has taken no meaningful action” to reverse this trend.
Also on Facebook, when a user criticized the Collective for “disturbing ordinary workers who have no power,” the group responded: “All other means have been tried. It is urgent that the message be heard.” Oil is killing us and climate change is already disrupting the lives of thousands of people.”
Around 6:45 a.m., the climbers unfurled a red banner that read: “Oil is killing us.” The message is written in French and English.
The group Last Generation Canada is also taking part in Tuesday’s stunt. It is demanding that the federal government join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, “to stop the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030 and to support and finance other countries to make a rapid, equitable and just transition.”
Entrave majeure à prévoir
PONT JACQUES-CARTIER fermé
Durée indéterminéeÉviter le secteur
*Prévoir un itinéraire alternatif
— Service de police de l’agglomération de Longueuil (@PoliceSPAL) October 22, 2024
The two groups are also calling on Ottawa to create a national emergency management agency to respond to climate disasters, such as wildfires and floods, and are calling for the closure of Enbridge’s 9B pipeline, which carries oil from Western Canada to Quebec.
Initially, one lane of traffic was maintained towards Montreal, but the situation quickly forced authorities to completely close access to the bridge in both directions as a safety measure.
“We invite the population to avoid the area, find a different transportation alternative for this morning, and for the next few hours and for an indefinite period,” said Officer François Boucher, who is spokesperson for the Longueuil Agglomeration Police Department.
On October 8, 2019, three Extinction Rebellion activists also climbed the structure of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, which forced the closure of traffic lanes for more than an hour. The three protesters were then arrested.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews