Students start Day 2 of hunger strike in protest of McMaster University's gas-powered generators

Five McMaster University students are on a hunger strike to show their opposition to the university's decision to install four natural gas-powered generators on Cootes Drive.

The students, who began their hunger strike on Monday, are calling for McMaster to stop the natural gas-powered generators, and for the university to divest from the fossil fuel industry.

They vow they will continue until their demands are met and by Tuesday morning said they were feeling a bit of nausea and light-headedness but were keeping their spirits up.

"We've basically exhausted the kind of non-violent, non-intervention area approaches we can take without getting in the way of traffic," said Navin Garg, one of the students with the McMaster Divestment Project who are striking.

"A hunger strike is pretty much the strongest thing we can do." 

The five are abstaining from eating food or leaving their spot at the McMaster University Student Centre atrium, except for showering, changing clothes and drinking water.

According to Garg, there were six students when the strike began Monday, but one had to bow out due to a pre-existing health condition.

Representatives from Environment Hamilton, Hamilton 350 and the Ontario Clean Air Alliance spoke in support of the group at a rally Monday, which had about 50 people in attendance.

According to McMaster, the generators, which are still under construction, are expected to run for 100 hours a year, producing around 700 tonnes of carbon annually.

"In essence, this displaces 700 tonnes of CO2e from the province as the province would be operating natural gas generators during peak periods," a 2021 McMaster report said.  

But the McMaster Divestment Project points out that in the 13 years before the project pays itself off, it will produce at least 8,900 tonnes of carbon.

'We wish the students hadn't chosen this path': McMaster

McMaster public relations manager Wade Hemsworth previously told CBC Hamilton the generators will reduce demand on Ontario's electricity grid at peak times and help the school save money in the long run.

In an email on Monday, he told CBC Hamilton that university leaders, including the president, met with students several times last week to urge them to reconsider a protest that puts their lives at risk.

"We wish the students hadn't chosen this path but, now that they have, we want to ensure they are as safe as possible," Hemsworth said.

"McMaster's health and wellness staff is providing access to physical and mental health services, and regular checks will be done by our Emergency First Response Team to ensure the students' well-being throughout the strike."

McMaster said last week that fossil fuel companies made up 2.7 per cent of McMaster's investment portfolio, down from 4.5 per cent in 2018. 

It also said it has committed to a net-zero carbon campus. The installation of two new electric boilers will reduce carbon emissions on campus by 23 per cent, he added.

Protesters prepared for months

According to one of the hunger strikers, Maria Paula Puerto, the strike has been in the works for over two months. She said the group planned the strike as a last resort and consulted nutritionists and doctors to better prepare their bodies.

"Right now, we're trying to preserve as much energy as we can," she said. "We really hope McMaster listens to us and we reach a sitting point where we can actually talk to each other before 48 hours."

Mac Divest spokesperson Cordelia McConnell told CBC Hamilton the "protest is incredibly important."

"I could not even tell you what a labour of love this protest has been, love for our planet, for a brighter world and love for a better future.

"We've done action upon action and been told countlessly 'We hear you, we hear you' and it's become evident to us that they're not listening."