Downtown Square: Staff Members and School Strike

downtown square: I joined about 300 students and a handful of staff members on the University of Canterbury campus this morning, to walk towards the downtown square next to the devastated cathedral which after much debate, is to be rebuilt . Three hundred students I thought -- not bad -- relative to enrollment, that's like 600 at Simon Fraser University, according to Rabble. We walked en masse through suburban back roads and the peaceful Hagley Park, rivalling Stanley Park in size if not wilderness. So notwithstanding the city's resilience and long-term recovery from these tragedies, I wasn't sure what to expect for today's school strike for the climate. Energetic young people set a surprisingly vigorous pace for such a large group, and we supportive seniors brought up the rear. One group of students from suburban Lincoln University had started walking at 6 a.m. to cover the 22 kilometres on foot. When we arrived at the square, the throng was already gathered, and its size was a welcome surprise -- about 6,000. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.