North Vancouver/Unceded Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Territories - Today, Aryanna Chartrand, Chairperson of the Alliance of BC Students, issued this statement on the flooding and extreme weather events happening around the province:

“The Alliance of BC Students is devastated to hear about the destruction of homes and the evacuation of people across the province. From Abbotsford to Merritt, these extreme weather events are impacting students, their families, their educational institutions, and their communities.

The Alliance of BC Students is keeping the members of the University of the Fraser Valley Student Union Society (UFVSUS) in our thoughts right now. We are also thinking of all students living in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Merritt, and affected students across the province.

From atmospheric rivers to heat domes to bomb cyclones and wildfires, students in BC are living through a climate emergency. A month’s rainfall in two days is not normal. Whole towns burning to the ground is not normal. Highways connecting communities being washed away by landslides is not normal. The climate crisis is killing people and communities, and as these weather events become more intense, so will our advocacy for solutions to prevent the worst of climate change.”