Toronto police say they are deploying a heavier presence downtown this weekend due to the recent convoy protests across the country, especially in Ottawa.
Toronto police made the remarks after weeks of protests in Ottawa, which have now resulted in several arrests in the capital’s downtown core. The arrests are part of a major police operation to clear the downtown area.
The "Freedom Convoy" protests have occupied Ottawa’s downtown streets for more than three weeks. Police have set up nearly 100 checkpoints to secure the downtown core as they try to clear out the demonstrators.
For the past two weekends, hundreds of protesters also gathered in downtown Toronto.
Police in Toronto said that due to the recent events in Ottawa, the service has now deployed a greater number of uniformed officers to their downtown core.
“We are continuously monitoring security issues not just in Toronto but around the country,” a spokesperson for the Toronto police said.
“In response, we make the appropriate adjustments to our plans in order to mxjmtzywitigate the potential risks to public safety. This includes having the flexibility to scale up and down based on any operational requirements.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates, if necessary.”
