Seniors Arrested, Charged With Trespassing During Climate Protest on Parliament Hill

Several seniors were arrested on Parliament Hill and charged with trespassing as they called for stronger government action to address climate change this week.

On Wednesday, six seniors were charged with trespassing after peacefully blocking a main entrance to Parliament Hill for three hours, Michael Polanyi, co-founder of Seniors’ Climate Witness told The Energy Mix.

“Police warned us that we could face criminal charges if we did not move,” Polanyi said in an emailed statement. “We stayed—and ultimately they issued tickets rather than criminal charges. Seventeen seniors have now been arrested over two days of nonviolent action.”

On Tuesday, members of a self-described “climate caravan” tried to deliver hundreds of photos and stories about the effects of wildfires and flooding to MPs’ desks in the House of Commons, the Canadian Press reported. Several of them were arrested that day as well.

Caravan members wearing bright yellow shirts with anti-pipeline slogans sang in protest outside Parliament’s West Block, where the House is temporarily located during renovations. They were denied entry to the building.

A Parliamentary Protective Service officer asked the protesters to move away from the doors. They refused.

Protective Service officers and the Ottawa police then arrested 11 members, the service told the Canadian Press, escorted them away from West Block and charged them with trespassing.

“They remained co-operative throughout and no injuries were reported,” the Protective Service said in an email.

The activists are urging Ottawa to invest in renewable energy sources rather than fossil-fuel infrastructure like pipelines—before it’s too late.

“I have solar panels on my roof. I’ve got an electric car. I ride my bike. We’ve all got to do this,” protester Eric Schiller said Tuesday shortly before being arrested.

“We can do something, but it’s got to be massive change. And the government—some government in the world—has got to take hold of this and say, ‘Hey guys, we can’t go as usual.’ 

“We’ve got to take the bull by the horns and say, this has got to change.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2026.