Two people arrested and charged as climate protesters again stop traffic in Ottawa

Ottawa police say two people are facing charges after a climate protest blocked traffic Monday morning on the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge between Ontario and Quebec.

The charges include mischief, causing a disturbance, and endangering the lives or safety of public security, Ottawa police told CTV News Ottawa in an email.

Protesters with the group On2Ottawa have been holding periodic sit-ins on streets and bridges in the capital this month to draw attention to their demands for a national firefighting service.

Members of the group previously stopped traffic outside the Chateau Laurier and on Laurier Avenue near Ottawa City Hall. The same group is affiliated with the protester who crashed the Juno Awards topless, and who splashed paint on the Prime Minister's Office earlier this year.

The group says it will continue to engage in civil disobedience to draw attention to its demands. It comes as Canada faces an unprecedented wildfire season that has seen smoky skies in many parts of the country, including Ottawa, the evacuation of Yellowknife, N.W.T., and the destruction of homes, businesses, and more than 15 million hectares of land, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

According to the Canadian National Fire Database, forest fires burn an average of 2.1 million hectares per year.

The idea of a national firefighting service is not new. Experts this summer have made similar calls, saying it could help overwhelmed provincial firefighting forces and reduce the need for foreign aid. On2Ottawa supporters say they want the federal government to move legislation to create a national firefighting service of 50,000 members.

To date, Ottawa police say 11 people are facing 34 criminal charges in connection with these protests.

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