Children take their seats in Waterloo council chambers

MUNICIPAL. Last Tuesday, just before the Waterloo municipal council meeting, children, parents and representatives of the Mothers at the Front citizen movement unveiled the Generations Chair which will now sit in the municipal council room.

This action aims to remind elected officials of the environmental concerns expressed by the younger generation. “The future of our children and grandchildren must be considered seriously. Many decisions affecting the environment are made at the municipal level,” declared citizen Louise Maurice, on behalf of the Mothers at the Front. There is now a Generations Chair in 108 city halls in Quebec.

Before being installed in the council chambers, the chair was decorated by seven young people from Waterloo. This is somewhat of a return to the roots for this chair, since it was manufactured by the Meubles Roxton factory, which was active in Waterloo for 115 years, until its closure in 2005.

Mothers at the Front is an organization that brings together mothers, grandmothers and allies to carry out mobilization, education and awareness activities in favor of environmental protection. Looking for solutions to fight the climate crisis, this movement was founded in 2020 by environmentalist Laure Waridel and filmmaker Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette. It now has more than 30 local groups, spread across all regions of Quebec, who are working to shape a better future for children.