A vital US-Canadian border crossing reopens after trucker blockade of Ambassador Bridge is cleared


The reopening of the bridge allows “the free flow of commerce between the Canada and US economies once again,” the Detroit International Bridge Company said in a statement Sunday night. “This action follows a state of emergency declared in Ontario and an injunction granted by an Ontario judge which took effect Friday,” the company said.

The protest at the bridge stemmed from truckers opposing Canada’s new mandate requiring them to either be fully vaccinated when crossing the Canadian-US border or face a two-week quarantine.

Windsor police also seized five vehicles from protesters Sunday, Mizuno said, and seven vehicles were towed Saturday. Police expect to have a heightened presence in the area to maintain order, the chief said.

“Let me be crystal clear: it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeted Sunday. “Fines for noncompliance will be severe, with a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year imprisonment.”
Police started detaining protesters after a judge ordered them to leave the Ambassador Bridge by 7 p.m. Friday. Some protesters moved away on their own as police approached Saturday morning.
The truckers’ “Freedom Convoy,” which moved into the Canadian capital of Ottawa late last month, has expanded to other locations and drawn supporters resisting other Covid-19 prevention measures, including mask mandates, lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings.

Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with about 4 in every 5 Canadians fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And nearly 90% of the country’s truckers are fully vaccinated and eligible to cross the border, according to the Canadian government.

The mayor of Windsor said Sunday the economic fallout from the blockade was ending.

“Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador bridge came to an end,” Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a written statement Sunday.

Protesters will leave residential areas of Ottawa, mayor says

Some progress in the Ottawa protest was announced Sunday when Mayor Jim Watson said he reached an agreement with organizers to exit residential areas of downtown and restrict their demonstrations to streets directly in front of Canada’s national parliament.

Truckers and their supporters have been gathering in Ottawa since January 29, with demonstrations concentrated around government buildings but also spilling into residential areas.

The city’s downtown area has been gridlocked. Businesses have had to shut down and the noise of honking trucks permeated the air until a judge ordered the noise to stop last week.

Residents reported instances of rock throwing, property damage and harassment carried out by the protesters and police said they had opened dozens of investigations.

Watson recognized the agreement was not a long-term solution but told city councilors in a statement provided to CNN “it represents a positive first step.”

In a letter provided to CNN from the mayor’s office, Tamara Lich, one of the “Freedom Convoy” organizers, wrote while some residents have supported and encouraged them, she realized others have been disturbed.

“We will be working hard over the next 24 hours to get buy in from the truckers,” Lich wrote in the letter addressed to Watson. “We hope to start repositioning our trucks on Monday,” Lich wrote.

Trucks with Canadian flags drive by anti-vaccine mandate and anti-government protesters Saturday in Surrey, British Columbia, near the border with Washington state.

Other border crossings blocked

In addition to the Ambassador Bridge, protesters have used semitrailers — and sometimes farm equipment and other vehicles — to block border crossings between Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota, as well as at the Coutts access point between Alberta and Montana.

Opinion: Canadian trucker protests are the latest example of Covid-19 absurdity

And about 50 vehicles have blocked access to the Canadian-US border at Emerson since Thursday, the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Saturday.

In British Columbia, four people have been arrested near the Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey, the RCMP said Sunday.

On Saturday, “a few vehicles” broke through a police barricade there, according to RCMP.

“While no injuries were reported as a result of the incident, this had the potential for harm to pedestrians and first responders. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated and is being investigated,” RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn said in a statement.





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