6 people arrested after climate protesters block Ottawa street

A group of protesters blocked Laurier Avenue in front of Ottawa City Hall during the morning commute, as part of its call for the federal government to combat climate change and set up a National Firefighting Agency.

Approximately a dozen people sat in the crosswalk on Laurier Avenue, just east of Elgin Street, just before 8 a.m. Wednesday to block traffic.

The group held a sign, "On2Ottawa – Climate justice now."

"I want to create a liveable future for my family; I want to create a liveable future for my friends; I want to create a liveable future for Canada," one protester said while sitting on Laurier Avenue.

"We need a national firefighting agency, 50,000 strong.

"I'm here because I don't want to see Ottawa burn to the ground. Remember when your kids couldn't go outside."

A CTV Morning Live camera caught one driver getting out of their vehicle and dragging one of the protesters out of the way so they could drive through.

Ottawa police arrested the protesters blocking the street, and the road reopened to traffic at 8:15 a.m. Police tell CTV News Ottawa that six people have been arrested for mischief.

"As this investigation continues, criminal charges may be laid," police said.

The group On2Ottawa said shortly after the protest that six of its members were arrested during the protest. 

On2Ottawa says it has planned protests in Ottawa, demanding the federal government create a National Firefighting Agency to train and employ 50,000 firefighters by 2024 to handle the "first impacts of the climate crisis."

The group had promised in a media release earlier this week that its members planned to engage in civil disobedience to bring attention to their demands.

On Monday, the group held a sit-in on the Plaza Bridge over the Rideau Canal, blocking traffic on Wellington Street. Police told CTV News Ottawa two people were charged with mischief.

"I see all of my peers and my friends and family and we’re suffering and we’re looking at these devastating fires… and I don’t see any action," Zoe, a 22-year-old student from Vancouver Island, said in a media release from On2Ottawa.

On2Ottawa describes itself as a nonviolent civil disobedience campaign focused on the creation of a National Firefighting Agency.