Working to protect urban forests in Montreal

For Our Kids teams act as an incubator for great ideas and give parents a platform to join local coalitions and initiatives for climate justice. Here's how For Our Kids Montreal was involved in local urban forest protection and using their voices to sway public opinion.

Photo Credit: Guilhem Vellut

Dr. Kelly Martin from For Our Kids Montreal joined a local coalition to advocate for protecting Montreal's mountain, a key "lung" of the city. Urban forests filter air pollution and act as natural air conditioners as we face deadly heat waves. She published an op-ed in the La Presse to garner more attention for the campaign to protect Montreal's mountain and increase urban forest cover in Montreal. An excerpt in English:

"As scientists and health professionals, it is our duty to sound the alarm. We are concerned about the effects of the climate crisis on the health of our children, the population and the many living species to which we are connected and on which we depend."

This piece along with other coalition efforts led to the recent announcement of the City of Montreal to close off Camillien-Houde Way to cars (the road that winds up Montreal's iconic Mount Royal), reserving its use for pedestrians and cyclists. More on the announcement from the CBC here.

When pro-car letters to the editor started appearing in the Montreal Gazette, coalition partners published this op-ed and three mothers from For Our Kids Montreal stepped in, publishing their own letters to the editor.