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A large turnout is expected. Many Metro Vancouver students have the day off thanks to a provincewide pro-development day.

When is the rally and when will Thunberg speak?

Organizers of the first post-election youth climate strike have provided a preliminary schedule of events, but didn’t disclose when, or if, Thunberg is among the list of planned speakers.

The rally kicks off at 11 a.m. on the main steps of the art gallery at 750 Hornby St. After a few speeches, at 11:30 a.m., the group will march through Downtown Vancouver, returning to the VAG at 1 p.m. for more speeches from Sustainabiliteens’ organizers and local Indigenous activists.

The order of speakers hasn’t been announced either, which means the best way to ensure you don’t miss Thunberg, should she speak, is to attend the whole thing.

The activists plan to call on the new Trudeau minority government to work together for a “Green New Deal that legislates science-aligned emission reduction targets, prioritizes Indigenous rights and creates good jobs for all.”

Who is Thunberg?

You don’t know? Where have you been?

If it feels like there’s been a climate protest every week in this city: A) there has, at least for the last four, and B) this is at least partly Thunberg’s doing. She’s certainly not the only one making noise about the seriousness of the global climate crisis, but, over the past year, she has galvanized the movement like no one else.

Thunberg’s rise to fame has been swift. The 16-year-old, born in Stockholm, began her school climate strikes in late 2018, a few months after winning a climate-change essay competition held by a Swedish newspaper. By December, more than 20,000 students had joined her movement; school strikes in recent months have been attended by millions.