The crowds around Parliament Hill have thinned, but protesters have vowed to stay the course as the trucker protest enters its fourth day in Ottawa.
Parliament resumed Monday with the backdrop of incessant truck honking, protester speeches, barbecues, drones flying and streets still in gridlock from transport trucks and personal vehicles parked throughout the downtown core. Some protesters were filmed bringing in fuel and supplies to those who are hunkered down in their vehicles.
Schools remain closed in the downtown area, with children reverting back to online learning, and some vaccine clinics have also shut their doors due to the protest.
Some residents in Ottawa have reported being challenged on wearing masks by protesters and being assaulted while walking in their neighbourhoods. Many businesses in the downtown core will remain closed in light of the protest.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said on CTV’s Your Morning Tuesday that the trucker protest is “something that we’ve never seen before.”
“Police are doing what they can to make the situation the best they can, a lot of people are frustrated and just want the trucks towed away,” he said. “The bottom line is the last thing you want to do is, when you see a fire, is pour gasoline.”
Watson said that residents are nevertheless fed up and that he is calling on the trucker convoy organizers to tell protesters to go home.
“The reality is, they’ve had their attention, they’ve had their 15 minutes in the spotlight,” he said. “Let us have our city back.”
When asked about criticism aimed at the Ottawa police force for their gentle, more “hands off” approach to this protest compared to others that have taken place, Watson said the police were making sure there isn’t a “flare up” of violence.
“They have to de-escalate the situation before moving in,” he said, adding that the police and the city have a “number of plans”xjmtzyw for the protest.
In a news conference on Monday afternoon, Ottawa Police Service Chief Peter Sloly said that the demonstration resulted in no reported injuries, deaths or riots.
Sloly said that police in Ottawa are in negotiations with the organizers to bring the protest to an end and that “all options are on the table” to end the demonstration, including using force.
The Ottawa Paramedic Service confirmed to CTV News Monday that a rock was thrown at one of their trucks Sunday and that a racial slur was yelled targeting the paramedic in that vehicle.
There were at least two other incidents of projectiles thrown at paramedic vehicles, and the service had issues responding to calls in the downtown core where protesters were either slowing them down or intimidating paramedics, mostly on Saturday, a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the police will now be responding “at all times” with the paramedics for safety.
In an update on Monday, deputy police chief Steve Bell said there are currently 12 open investigations regarding incidents with emergency personnel in Ottawa.
Monday brought fiery remarks from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said at a press conference he would not meet with any of the truckers and said, in the past few days, “Canadians were shocked and frankly, disgusted by the behaviour displayed by some people protesting in our nation’s capital.”
“I want to be very clear, we are not intimidated by those who hurl insults and abuse at small business workers, and steal food from the homeless,” Trudeau said. “We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. We won’t cave to those who engage in vandalism or dishonour the memory of our veterans.”
READ MORE: ‘We are not intimidated,’ PM says as MPs return to the Hill despite protest
Plans for the protest on Monday as per one of the organizing websites said there would be speeches and featured a call out for around 1,000 people to go shopping maskless in the downtown area. The Rideau Centre, close by Parliament, remained closed despite Ontario lifting some restrictions that allowed for 50 per cent capacity in restaurants.
It is unclear what the schedule is for the protest Tuesday.
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
A truck is parked on Albert Street as a rally against COVID-19 restrictions, which began as a cross-country convoy protesting a federal vaccine mandate for truckers, continues throughout downtown Ottawa, on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang)
