Similar events were planned for Vernon and Cranbrook, and hundreds of people also gathered in Kelownas Stuart Park. The activists have sought for several years to organize protest convoys. inmates test positive for COVID-19, Turpin siblings tortured by parents were then abused by foster family: lawsuit, Hoover Dam explosion: A look at whats happened so far, Airline workers face insults, physical threats amid travel delays: Worst Ive ever seen, Micrometeoroid causes uncorrectable damage to James Webb Space Telescope, Kamloops B.C. After allegedly striking the four people with his Jeep Patriot, the suspect fled at high speeds and passing through red lights, police said.
We want (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau to step down from office we want our freedoms back.. He emphasized that he didnt have the resources or mandate to deal with the situation. She said she had felt forced to get vaccinated because of her workplace, and she was not happy about it. In anticipation of Ontario lifting its ban on in-person dining at the end of January, Joe Thottungal brought in an extra large order of meat and produce for the reopening of Thali, his Indian restaurant in downtown Ottawa, and called his staff back to work. But others have joined the cause. produced its first Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, two auto assembly and two engine plants in Ontario. In one video he says things will end when the laws end, but also that it won't end when the mandates are lifted because they could be brought back. He has also faced abusive comments online for expressing his thoughts about the protest. Thousands of people in cars, trucks, caravans and other vehicles have crossed New Zealand and Australia this week to protest pandemic restrictions.
Dwayne Winseck, a professor of communication and media studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, said his wife had been harassed by protesters while walking their poodle in the neighborhood. Last weekend, a D.J. A convoy in New Zealand departed for Wellington, the nations capital, on Sunday morning. The route and timing of the demonstration, meant to protest pandemic restrictions in the United States, was set to be announced on Tuesday evening, said Brian Brase, a trucker who is organizing the American effort.
About 8,000 trucks cross the Ambassador Bridge linking the two cities on a typical day, many of them hauling auto parts from suppliers on one side to vehicle plants on the other. All I can say is, go on and bleed.. The other is the size of the trucks giant cabs, in some cases with their trailers still attached, parked on city streets. Its going to sink my business.. A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest against mandates related to Covid-19 vaccines and restrictions in downtown Toronto on February 5, 2022. Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, denounced the bridge blockade on Tuesday, noting that it is used by many health care workers. Ms. Martin, who arrived in Ottawa from her farm near Niagara Falls, about seven hours away, said she was hardly on the fringes of Canadian society. We are in the business of towing vehicles.. I was forced to change my route to the U.S. this week. I can feel it in my body..
He has been moved to his official country residence, along with his family, to help assure his safety. More than 400 hulked trucks remain parked in the middle of streets around downtown Ottawa, including right across from the countrys Parliament buildings, Mr. Bell said. and Ford, with big operations in Canada, says protests have not hampered them. I was left hanging upside down by my seatbelt in the cab of my semi for five hours before I was extricated from the vehicle. Due to overwhelming support from both commercial and domestic vehicles attending the trucker convoy, we are expecting a large turnout for this one, reads the event page.
SUBSCRIBE TO DAILY HIVE'S NEWSLETTER FOR THE LATEST NEWS, Buzz Connected Media Inc. #400 1008 Homer Street, Vancouver, B.C. Anti-vaccine mandate protesters demonstrate on Highway 15 near the Pacific Highway Border Crossing on the US-Canada border with Washington State in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada on February 12, 2022. Earlier he railed against the protesters for desecrating war memorials, criticized them for flying racist flags, spreading disinformation and even stealing from the homeless.
At an emergency meeting on Monday, Ottawa City Council members hoped the emergency measure would arm the city with more power to do what neighbors pleas and politicians indignation had not move the more than 400 illegally parked vehicles and trucks. Its the only expressway route to a bridge into the United States that connects Sarnia and Port Huron, Mich. Feb. 10: Automakers run some plants at reduced capacity and cancel shifts as blockades create delays in the movement of parts and components across the border. Thats the real pandemic, Ms. Vandelaar said.
During the crisis, Mr. Trudeau has kept a relatively low profile. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. A camper scared off a bear - then the grizzly came back and killed her, North Van patient dies after two days stuck in waiting room of overcrowded, understaffed hospital, B.C.
Its time for us to fight this war the enemy has declared, the person wrote, underneath a post that suggested that the truckers convoy in the United States could disrupt everything from postal routes to the supply chain that delivers food to supermarkets. We want the mandates to be dropped. On Telegram, one California-based group began discussing how to stock food and other supplies for truckers participating. Jan. 22: Truck convoy groups departed from British Columbia along the Trans-Canada Highway, a highway system connecting the coasts, en route to Ottawa. Many came towing signs that called on the province to deal with large potholes, black ice and snow on the provinces Interior highways. But many businesses have been shuttered during the protests, losing tens of millions of dollars. In the last few days, the protest, which began as a demonstration against requirements that truck drivers crossing the U.S.-Canada border be vaccinated, has spread to other parts of Canada. Surrey RCMP originally set up a vehicle blockade at Eighth Avenue to keep protesters away from the border.
Truck blockade at U.S.-Canada border could undermine supply chains for the auto industry. They tell me, You get what you deserve, said Mr. May.
The Freedom Convoy was initially started by truckers protesting a recent mandate requiring drivers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated or face testing and quarantine requirements. Now, the protests are threatening the supply chain of an industry with deep links between Canada and the United States. The protests including a Convoy to Canberra, the Australian capital are an echo of the so-called Freedom Convoy that has swarmed Ottawa, the Canadian capital. Police officials across the border in Ohio also made an arrest after Canadian and American police worked together to trace fake threats designed to deceive and distract our emergency resources, Mr. Bell said.
And there is another change: The Conservative Party, whose leaders have long isolated populist figures, has had a difficult year. He was subsequently arrested after a brief struggle with law enforcement, police said. The people that are suffering are small-business owners, the employees and the residents. I dont understand how they cant see that.. China is trying to contain a spike in coronavirus cases in the capital Beijing after hundreds of people tested positive for the virus in recent weeks, causing local authorities to initiate mass testing, mandate proof of a negative PCR test within 48 hours to enter many public spaces, to close schools and retail stores, ban gatherings and inside dining in all restaurants, and to lockdown many neighbourhoods in an effort to maintain the country's zero COVID strategy. The protests have raised fears that the auto industry, a major employer across the Midwest and Ontario, could grind to a halt if the free flow of parts and vehicles across the border is halted or disrupted. Mr. Thottungal is enforcing provincial proof-of-vaccination rules for his diners, something the protesters refuse to provide. Mr. Gagne said he thought sending his staff into the citys so-called red zone to remove trucks was like throwing them into a lions mouth. While it can take just minutes to impound a car, heavy trucks can take an hour because of their air brakes and heavy-duty transmissions offering much more time for a crowd of angry onlookers to assemble, he said. Some 400 people were arrested and detained without charges. Daily Hive reached out to the VPD about these reports, but they couldnt verify if they were true, only suggesting that many protests happen on a weekly basis.
Feb. 5-6: The police estimated that 5,000 people protested in Ottawa and that 1,000 vehicles clogged the streets. But effective Jan. 15, the federal government expanded the requirement to truck drivers returning from the United States. Read more about cookies here. Ottawa police said they have responded to more than 400 calls for service related to the demonstrations since they began last week.
Ms. Martin said she wanted her two young children, age 4 and 14 months, to be able to play soccer and visit their 99-year-old great-grandmother, who is living in a nursing home. Uniformed soldiers raided homes, hunting for terrorists. Jan. 29: A separate standoff emerged in Western Canada between truckers and the police at the U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alberta. While the protests were started by truckers, those who have joined them and donated money include many who said they are vaccinated and have so far complied with public health measures.
I dont think we should give up our Canadian way of life.. There had been a reign of terror of hundreds of bombs and robberies in Montreal. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images), 'Broken system': Expert reacts to airlines pushing to end international traveler testing, Watch Shanghai residents race to get out after months of lockdown, Pfizer CEO pledges vaccines to low-income countries at zero profit, BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 12: People line up outside a supermarket to buy food after a rumour of an impending COVID-19 lockdown that was denied by officials was posted to social media on May 12, 2022 in Beijing, China. Thats not who Canada Canadians are. The people of Ottawa dont deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods. While most protesters were peaceful, some had to be arrested for violent behavior and unlawful conduct.. The truck convoy protests in Ottawa and several provincial capitals are highlighting the unusual role of Canadas far right and populist right in political and cultural life. I understand the police force does not want to directly intervene for fear of violence, Ottawa resident Jack Krentz told CNN this week, but it feels like weve been left alone a little bit.. To date, all the towing companies contracted by the city have refused to tow the giant vehicles, Steve Kanellakos, Ottawa city manager, told reporters Monday afternoon. Still, it is impossible to say whether support for the protests will translate into a longer-term embrace of the movement behind them, or will fizzle as happened during prior surges of populist sentiment in Canada. There was an error, please provide a valid email address.
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In Toronto, Canadas largest city, thousands took to the streets Saturday. Quebec City similarly reported thousands of protesters and hundreds of trucks clogging streets while residents and visitors tried to enjoy a winter carnival. The Canadian border agency reported wait times at the tunnel of less than 15 minutes in each direction.
One of the reasons theyre descending on Ottawa is theyre having trouble taking over parties and winning elections. Standing in front of several trucks near Ottawas Parliament Hill on Monday, Emily Martin was wearing a black winter hat adorned with the words fringe minority in white. We are not bad people for having questions, said one. The force has asked for 1,800 more police officers, which would more than double its current size. We encountered an issue signing you up. Daily Hive has also reached out to the BC RCMP, but they have not yet responded.
Were asking for freedom, thats all, said one couple who joined the protest in Ottawa this week. Some Ottawa residents ask: What about ours. Sarah Chown, the managing partner of the Metropolitain Brasserie, which was forced to close its doors after becoming surrounded by protesting truckers in Ottawa. Another group had violated Facebooks rules by sharing content tied to the banned QAnon conspiracy movement. Some accused lawmakers of being pedophiles, or said they would soon be arrested for treason. Jan. 15: Vaccination mandates in Canada have been in effect since Oct. 30 for ship crews, railways and airline workers. Supporters arrive at Parliament Hill for the Freedom Truck Convoy to protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions in Ottawa, Canada, on January 29, 2022. One of the leaders of the Ottawa truck convoy protests is headed to the Lower Mainland this weekend and encouraging others to join him. Ive just found myself with kind of a constant, high level of anxiety, she said. Can anybody in the government tell us when this downtown will be normal? There were few examples of public vandalism, though a convoy of demonstrators held up traffic at Canberra Airport to delay travelers. Australia and New Zealand, which have some of the worlds highest vaccination rates, prohibit unvaccinated people from going to cafes, bars and restaurants, and from visiting museums or other attractions. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content.
The Ottawa demonstrations have also become a rallying cry for powerful far-right and anti-vaccine groups around the world. It is time for his son, Justin, to do the same with the protesters in Ottawa., Justin Trudeau needs his own just watch me moment, added an opinion piece in the National Observer, an online publication. legislature. Some participants have said they are angry with the end of a vaccine exemption for cross-border truckers, while others have called for the removal of all COVID-19 measures and even the removal of the government. Residents got an undisturbed night of sleep on Monday after a judge issued a 10-day injunction that day, barring the honking and authorizing the police to arrest or remove those knowingly violating the order. Zully Alvarado, a hair stylist who volunteers at a homeless shelter, walked through protest grounds with a mask under her chin a symbol of defiance against the protesters, she said, since she does not normally wear a mask outside. A welcome email is on its way. In an email statement, B.C. In New Zealand, many Maori tribes have encouraged their members to get vaccinated or organized vaccination drives for them. Mr. May, a local tow trucker, responded to a plea on Facebook from one of the convoys organizers to help remove a crudely built plywood cookhouse that had been erected by protesters in a downtown park. Officials in Detroit are redirecting traffic bound for Canada to a border crossing about two hours away in Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario. Cpl.
The police have said most of the investigations underway are for charges related to mischief, theft, hate crimes and property damage. It also adds a note to not block emergency areas at hospitals. In those cases, we have followed up with the contractor to ensure they are fulfilling their required maintenance duties, he said. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File), 'Colossal miscalculation': How a North Korea parade likely led to explosive outbreak, wastewater surveillance covid 19 cdc future orig mg_00001324.png, How China's workers are faring during a tumultuous supply chain crisis, CNN reporter leaves Shanghai after 50-day lockdown, Residents line up for nucleic acid tests during lockdown, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Shanghai, China, May 9, 2022. Victoria protester Nick Milonas said he felt it was unfair to make people choose between their job and vaccination. His three-word response to a violent uprising became among the most famous ever uttered in the history of Canadian law enforcement: Just watch me.. The company said in November that the plant had reopened and produced its first Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. While smaller than the protests that have buffeted the core of Ottawa, Canadas capital, the new protest targets the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit.
We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. A Manitoba man was arrested after allegedly driving a vehicle into a crowded protest and striking four people in Winnipeg on Friday night, according to a statement from the Winnipeg Police Department. Some trucker convoy organizers have history of white nationalism, racism. She said lockdowns and other restrictions were creating a mental health crisis and high rates of depression in Canada. Protesters say theyre protesting for liberty. Please read our Commenting Policy first. Closer to Parliament, reopening the Metropolitain Brasserie has been impossible for Sarah Chown, the restaurants managing partner. Several Conservative lawmakers have since visited the protests in endorsement. and Ford have extensive operations in Canada. He sent thousands of troops to Montreal and abrogated some civil liberties. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. One, from South Dakota, told me he was stuck at the crossing because of his manifest a company declaration of information which detailed to border officials a plan to take the Pacific Highway. One week later, a reciprocal policy went into effect in the United States for Canadian truckers crossing its border. It was a reference to a statement Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used to play down the scope and scale of the protests. For Valentines Day, he has six reservations, down from about 90 bookings.
Anti-vaccine activists have formed dozens of Telegram chat groups in each state, with many dedicated to specific counties. I find it so disrespectful., Leah McInnes-Eustace, 54, a communications consultant in the nonprofit sector who lives about two miles from the Parliament building, said the unruly protests had exacerbated her existing mental health issues. As Ottawa remained paralyzed by nearly two weeks of protests against pandemic measures, the demonstrations continued to reverberate beyond Canada, with a new road blockade temporarily cutting off the countrys busiest border crossing and copycat convoys spreading to New Zealand and Australia, with plans for a third in the United States. Its dangerous for truckers to keep putting chains on tires in areas with piles of snow. We have a full day in Parliament today, she told Radio New Zealand on Tuesday, adding, Thats what well be focused on today..
Several hundred vehicles traveled through the city en route to the demonstration, Vancouver Police said. Another Canadian protest convoy closed a highway leading to that bridge on Sunday and slowed border traffic. Truckers have been protesting the mandatory vaccination of truck drivers crossing the U.S.-Canada border.
But he has also been adamant that he wont call in the army. You did have far-right populism historically, it was there but it was isolated, said Jeffrey Kopstein, a Canadian political scientist at the University of California, Irvine. 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. As truckers and opponents of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions rallied in Ottawa Saturday, similar convoys and protests took place on Vancouver Island, in the B.C. It was October 1970 when Pierre Elliott Trudeau Justin Trudeaus father took this stand.
There was an error, please provide a valid email address. The police have come under fire from Ottawa residents, many of whom feel terrorized in their own homes, and are angry that protesters were allowed to settle in, blocking streets, sounding their earsplitting horns in the middle of the night, and in some cases, intimidating residents for wearing masks. Due to overwhelming support from both commercial and domestic vehicles attending the trucker convoy, we are expecting a large turnout for this one, reads the event page. Several of the truckers attempted to keep time with the beats using their air horns. Plans for a convoy-style protest in the U.S. gain supporters online. Rather, she is a mother, who was channeling the anger of many Canadians across the country, fed up and exhausted by pandemic restrictions that have wreaked havoc with their lives. The chains also depend on spikes which damage our tires and the highway roads.. Trucks and supporters travel down Bloor Street during a demonstration in support of a trucker convoy in Ottawa on Saturday, February 5, 2022. Those movements have not made nearly as many inroads to the mainstream in Canada as their American and European counterparts have. G.M.
Drumming, dance music and flags filled the air at the corner of the streets. Multiple social media posts for an unrelated, though similar, event on March 19 led by anti-mask and anti-vaxprotester Chris Sky are also being shared online.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. There are dozens of protests taking place this week for a variety of causes, as there are every week. has a large assembly plant in Oshawa, near Toronto, that it recently retooled. The group had kidnapped a Quebec cabinet minister, Pierre Laporte, who was subsequently assassinated.
The man had a knife in a sheath tied to his belt, and two eggs in his jacket pocket, police said. Still, a slight majority of Canadians want to end some pandemic restrictions, polls find, which may be why one in three express support for the protest. With the protests in their second week, the feeling on the streets outside Parliament on Monday was festive, as frigid temperatures eased a bit to somewhere just below freezing. Every single one refused, he told a news conference on Monday afternoon. Several of us in vehicles were sent over a 30-foot cliff, the 54-year-old said. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Wrote another member of the group: Brace yourselves, lets make this big enough so every American feels it.. The majority of New Zealanders have done everything they can to keep one another safe. On Tuesday morning the Canada Border Services Agency listed the bridge as temporarily closed. But Windsor Police said on Twitter that traffic was again moving to the United States through a secondary entrance to the bridge. A British trade commissioner had also been kidnapped. Rodica Stricescu, 64, a caregiver in a nursing home, came to Ottawa with her daughter from Windsor, Ontario, about an eight-hour drive away. But the unbearable noise and out-of-control crowd quickly shut even that down. The bridge company and the Michigan Department of Transportation have advised commercial traffic headed for Canada to divert to the smaller Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, 60 miles north of Detroit, which remains open to traffic in both directions.
Police Chief Peter Sloly said he agreed with Deans words, saying they summarized what he and his force had been trying to deal with for more than a week. The citys manager, Steve Kanellakos, said his office had asked all the heavy-duty towing companies contracted by the city to start moving protesters trucks that have been parked illegally for more than a week now, snarling traffic and blocking off whole sections of the city. Protester Chris Rasmussen said he came to the rally to support freedom of choice.
For cowards, freedom is always extremist, said another. It has to stop. Protests in Canada inspire copycat convoys in Australia and New Zealand. Heavy trucks and private vehicles shut down the Ambassador Bridge, Canadas busiest link to the United States, located between Detroit and Ontario. Flavio Volpe, the president of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, a Canadian trade group, said that about $300 million dollars in goods cross the bridge daily with about $100 million of that related to the auto industry. The Canadian Trucking Alliance condemned the convoy, saying many of the Ottawa demonstrators have no connection to the trucking industry., Read more: A second group, dedicated to the efforts in the United States, has gained 50,000 members in the last week. Read more about cookies here.
Were all looking at the problem we have, he said, adding that the city was reviewing its contracts with an eye to what actions we can take to deal with this unprecedented situation.. Since then, Mr. May has been deluged with hateful calls and death threats from as far as Ohio, Arizona and the western province of Alberta, he said.
In a news release, Munn said that behaviour is not being tolerated while no injuries were reported as a result of the incident, this had the potential for harm to pedestrians and first responders.. Traffic over the bridge was closed Monday night by a protest of truckers that has clogged the streets of Ottawa for the past week. We will use everything within our means that currently exists and explore anything else that needs to be added to our toolbox to hold people engaged in this accountable, said Mr. Bell. He couldnt reroute through the Lynden-Aldergrove border as I managed to because my company has a dispatcher working 24-hours who can virtually update and change my manifest, Jason said. Mr. Trudeau, who has long fashioned himself as a champion of human rights, is likely mindful of the lessons of the October Crisis. Interior and downtown Vancouver. An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the former prime minister of Canada. Get the Vancouver Sun, National Post and 14 other news sites for only $2/week. However, it cost me more money in gas and time away from family..
It was chaos..
Allowing these illegal closures to continue will also have serious economic and reputational consequences for the years ahead, it said. Some, including in the United States, want to replicate the protests.
During an Ottawa Police Services Board meeting Saturday, City Council members and officials discussed the disruption to the lives of local residents and reports of harassment and intimidation.
It has to stop. This pandemic has sucked for all Canadians, he added. demonstrations since they began last week. You can only add up to 5 vehicles to your picks. Some demonstrators in both countries claimed to be demanding greater rights for Indigenous groups. The oath of office that I and my officers swore was never intended to deal with a city under siege, a threat to our democracy, a nationwide insurrection driven by madness, Sloly warned during the meeting adding that, We do not have sufficient resources to adequately and effectively address this situation while adequately, effectively providing policing in this city., Canada's trucker protesters aren't who Americans might think. One is the sheer size of it.. The only people they were letting through is truckers, said Jason, who has worked transporting the U.S. produce into Canada for six years.
Ive seen a lot of government overreach, said William Swinimer, 29, a trucker from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who said he was attending a protest for the first time. And, an Ipsos poll conducted for Global News this month found 67 per cent of respondents backed tougher restrictions on unvaccinated Canadians. The father was in the hospital for nine weeks with no feeling in his left hand and his right leg. The lasting injuries to his hip and back have left him out of work for years. The liquor and wine bottles behind its sweeping zinc-topped bar have been taken down and locked away, out of fears of break-ins. A group of people danced to music blaring from the flatbed of a huge truck. Metropolitain, which has 220 seats and 55 employees, has yet to reopen. There are a lot of bleeding hearts around who just dont like to see people with helmets and guns, he said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defiantly called for an end to protests in Canadas capital, where truckers and anti-vaccine groups have paralyzed the city center. In reality, she added, this was an extremist movement that got mainstream attention.. Protests also disrupted traffic, prompting buses to be rerouted.
Power, Ford unveils 2023 F-150 Raptor R with 700 horsepower, How to check a used car for an odometer rollback, the COVID-19 mandate protest taking part in other areas of the country, tap here to see other videos from our team. When the government mandates your decisions about your health, theyve crossed a line, Rasmussen said. People protesting COVID vaccine mandates and other restrictions near the Pacific Border crossing on Sunday, Feb. 13. The elder Mr. Trudeau, for his part, was unrepentant after sending soldiers to Ottawa to protect officials. Handmade signs decorated the iron fences encircling the Parliament grounds. The automaker is planning to build electric delivery vans at another plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, roughly halfway between Detroit and Toronto. All of the mandates should be lifted, all the travel mandates, all the mandates in Canada theres a vulnerable population that are affected by this, thats where they should have been focusing., Read more: