US-Canada border crossing reopens after protests
Blockading key bridge forced automakers to halt production
Amajor US-Canada border crossing reopened late Sunday almost a week after it was forced shut by truck driver-led protests against coronavirus restrictions, prompting police to quell the demonstration with a series of arrests.
The blockading of the Ambassador Bridge, which handles an estimated 25 per cent of trade between the two countries, had disrupted business in the world’s largest economy and forced automakers in both the United States and Canada to halt or scale back production.
30 protesters arrested
“The Ambassador Bridge is now fully open, once again allowing the free flow of commerce between the Canadian and US economies,” the Detroit International Bridge Company said in a statement.
In a tweet, Canadian Border Services confirmed the reopening but said “non-essential travel is not advised.”
Police had begun clearing the bridge to the US city of Detroit on Saturday, successfully removing trucks from one major intersection. But some demonstrators remained, extending the protracted standoff and preventing traffic from flowing.
Zero tolerance
By Sunday, police said between 25 and 30 protesters had been arrested.
“There will be zero tolerance for illegal activity,” police in Windsor, Ontario tweeted.
Warning of “serious consequences” for the US economy, Washington had applied pressure on the Canadian government, asking it last week to use “federal powers” to end the blockade. As police moved to clear the protest over the weekend, US officials praised the “decisive” action.
Speaking before the bridge resumed operations, White House national security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall said US and Canadian officials recognised “the imperative of taking swift, strong action and deterring future blockades.”