In a ceremony held on May 3rd in the Toronto United Mennonite Church in Toronto’s east end, in presence of friends and fellow activists, Lyn Adamson received the Pax Christi Award in recognition of her lifetime commitment to promoting peace wherever she finds herself.  Raised in the Society of Friends (Quaker) tradition, in over 50 years of peace advocacy Lyn has been a part of peace actions around the world – in the Middle East, in the US, in Canada.

In Toronto, where she now makes her home,  Lyn is active in leading workshops on non-violent protest methods for activists, often held in Friends House in downtown Toronto.

Lyn has held the position of National Co-Chair of Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, Canada’s oldest feminist peace group, since 2009.  In 2012, Lyn co-founded ClimateFast as a means of continuing the work of the Toronto Climate Campaign. As co-chair of ClimateFast, for four years she co-led ‘Hungry for Climate Justice’,  a multi-day fast on Parliament Hill calling on the government to put a price on carbon, stop subsidizing fossil fuels, and promote renewable energy. They were responding to the crisis posed by the threat of the Harper majority government leaving the Kyoto accord. By the end of the fourth summer in 2015, the movement had gained signatures of 130 Members of Parliament and 17 Senators, and the Liberal platform of 2015 included commitments to ClimateFast’s pledge requests.

Today, Lyn continues her work for climate and the earth with passion and energy. She has a lead role in several groups, including ClimateFast, and the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign, that are focused on pushing the Ontario Government to  ”.. develop a new climate plan that triples wind and solar power, scales battery storage across the province, allows for the development of Great Lakes wind power, rapidly phases out reliance on fossil gas, and upholds our obligations to ensure free, prior and informed consent over any projects happening on Indigenous lands.”

Recently appointed to the City of Toronto’s Climate Advisory Group, Lyn is working to support city staff to develop ambitious climate action programs that will set a precedent for cities across Canada and North America. Often a spokesperson on local and national  media, Lyn’s energy, focus, and commitment to climate action are truly a gift to this city and to the climate movement as a whole.

Toronto350 is incredibly honoured to have Lyn as a member of our group. Congratulations Lyn!