POLICE CLEAR WINDSOR PROTEST
ARRESTS MADE, TRUCKS TOWED AT BORDER BRIDGE — BUT LITTLE SIGN OF RESOLUTION IN OTTAWA
Police officers from local, provincial and federal agencies moved in unison to clear a protest blocking Canada’s busiest land border crossing Sunday morning, adding to public frustration over the passive response to the initial convoy protest that continues to lay siege outside Parliament in Ottawa.
In this tale of two cities, as police in Windsor, Ont., removed a blockade, arrested protesters, and towed away trucks, civilian residents of Ottawa moved into the street on their own to block truckers and supporters of the occupation that enters its third week with little sign of a resolution.
In Windsor, a large push by police on Sunday appeared to shift protesters from the road leading to the Ambassador Bridge that connects Canada to Detroit, which has been closed for nearly a week.
Around 8 a.m., the driver of a red pickup truck flying a large Canadian flag, one of the vehicles still stationary on the road, was removed from his cab by police and arrested.
“We’re here for our freedom and this is what we get,” the driver said while being handcuffed, according to video from the scene captured by Seán O’shea for Global News
Next, the driver of a white pickup truck, this one flying two upside down Canadian flags, was ordered out of his vehicle and arrested.
Returning the look and feel of police order, journalists were pushed away from the scene with threats of arrest.
It is uncertain when the border might reopen, however. Police were continuing to engage with protesters in the surrounding area with some shouting “Shame on you” at officers.
Windsor Police Chief Pamela Mizuno said officers had made between 25 and 30 arrests over the course of the weekend, seized five vehicles Sunday and towed seven vehicles Saturday. No injuries were reported.
Windsor police, however, would not answer questions from National Post about what was the lead agency in the clearance operation and who made the call for the stepped-up response.
“We had resources available at the municipal, provincial and federal level. This has been a collaborative effort by all involved agencies,” Const. Talya Natyshak said in response to those questions.
Federal Minister Bill Blair called it an Ontario Provincial Police-led action while the OPP said Windsor police were at the helm.
But if they can’t decide who initiated action in Windsor, an argument in Ottawa is a different one: Not whodunnit, but why nobody has.
With portions of its downtown still paralyzed by a robust cohort of well-entrenched protesters on Super Bowl Sunday, in the nation’s capital, finger pointing was the exhausting sport.
Two weeks of policing the occupation — protesting against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, vaccine mandates, COVID-19 health measures and calling for a change in government — has left little sign of enforcement or deterrence. Protesters hosted a dance party Saturday night, with a DJ, sound system, performance stage with jumbo screen, and a hot tub in front of Parliament Hill.
Ottawa resident Sean Burgess said a counter-protest on Sunday showed usually staid residents were fed up.
“When you see people in a neighbourhood like Old Ottawa South, who would rather complain and litigate, so to speak, rather than take direct action on the streets, standing in front of trucks saying to the cops, ‘fine, arrest me,’ then you know that something has gone really too far,” Burgess said.
Blair, Canada’s minister of emergency preparedness, seemed to blame the municipal police in Ottawa for inaction and said the federal government was considering invoking the Emergencies Act, which has never been used, to help clear the occupation
THE EMERGENCIES ACT HAS BEEN UNDER VERY FULSOME CONSIDERATION.
that has spawned related protests at border points and in other cities.
“The Emergencies Act has been under very fulsome consideration right from the first day,” Blair said on CTV’S The West Block, adding provinces need to exhaust their options first.
As the Ottawa protest occupation entered its third week, the Ottawa Police Service announced the establishment of an Integrated Command Centre in conjunction with the OPP and the RCMP.
Ottawa police said they were struggling to deal with the 4,000-plus protesters.
Meanwhile, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said Sunday the city had struck a deal with protesters to move away from residential areas and restrict activity to around Parliament Hill.
The U.S. government said it is looking for Canada to get its border crossings in order.
The White House issued a statement Sunday from Homeland Security advisor Liz Sherwood-randall.
“Canadian authorities are taking proactive steps to ensure no further unlawful disruption of the flow of people and goods occurs,” the statement said, in part.
“Canadian authorities intend to reopen the Ambassador Bridge today after completing necessary safety checks. We stand ready to support our Canadian partners wherever useful in order to ensure the restoration of the normal free flow of commerce.”