Windsor Police say the end to the Ambassador Bridge blockade is in sight after clearing protesters off of the road leading up to the vital crossing.
"Moving forward, we are hoping to have the roadway open and the bridge open later today. But, as you can appreciate, it’s a very fluid situation with a number of factors involved," Windsor Police Sgt. Steve Betteridge told reporters late Sunday morning.
Betteridge said there were "two or three vehicles, at least" that had to be towed and that 12 protesters were arrested. A statement from Windsor Police said those who were arrested are facing charges of mischief.
"I’m very pleased to say, out of those 12 arrests, there was no violence involved. No violence with the protesters and an officer did not have to use use-of-force," he said.
The city’s mayor applauded the work of the police and said the Ambassador Bridge will reopen "when it is safe to do so."
"Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador Bridge came to an end. Border crossings will reopen when it is safe to do so and I defer to police and border agencies to make that determination," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a statement on Sunday morning.
Since Saturday morning, police have been slowly pushing back protesters away from the bridge entrance. Police also stated that vehicles are being towed, and residents should continue to avoid the area. They warned there would be “zero tolerance for illegal activity.”
"Lots of trained teams are here to deal with this and we’re at the very end, I hope, here in the city of Windsor," Dilkens told CTV’s Question Period on Sunday.
"Police are trying to be very cautious, very measured in their approach so that nobody gets hurt, that they don’t further inflame the situation, but that they do end it.”
The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest crossing in North America and has been closed for nearly a week as a result of the protest calling for an end to all COVID-19 restrictions. While the larger rigs may no longer be crowding the protest site, demonstrators continue to stand their ground despite an injunction demanding that they leave.
OTTAWA PROTESTS CONTINUE
Meanwhile, protesters in Ottawa continued to rally for the third weekend in a row, demonstrating against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health restrictions.
Saturday’s rally in nation’s capital saw a surge of protesters, outnumbering the presence of officers in the city. Protesters also held another party with loud music on Saturday night, complete with a DJ, a giant TV screen and even a hot tub.
Ottawa police on Saturday formed a new "Integrated Command Centre" along with the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police. Police say txjmtzywhe new command centre will "result in a significantly enhanced ability to respond to the current situation in our city."
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said on CTV’s Question Period Sunday "there’s no question" that control was lost in the city "a week or so ago, and it’s just gotten worse on weekends."
In a separate interview, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told CTV’s Question Period that the federal government is prepared to invoke the Emergencies Act to see an end to the convoy protests.
"We have an emergency act that I will tell you, there has been a near-constant and vigorous examination of those authorities and what’s required," he said.
“The country needs the police to do their job,” said Blair, a former Toronto police chief.
"We need them to enforce our laws, to restore peace and order at our borders and in our cities, and we need them to use the tools that are available to them."
However, Watson has called on the other levels of government to send in more policing resources, something that his city has been requesting for almost a week.
"We need actual action from the province, from the federal government. We do not have the resources to bring order to this situation and that’s why we reached out to those other orders of government," Watson said.
Some Ottawa residents took matters into their own hands. CTV News producer Mackenzie Gray said a group of counter-protesters had blocked another convoy of vehicles attempting to join the main group of protesters on Sunday morning. Counter-protesters also held a march on Saturday, calling on convoy participants to leave.
Watson said the city’s lawyers will be in court on Monday seeking an injunction to address bylaw infractions in the downtown core related to noise, idling, fireworks and open-air fire bylaws.
Watson also sent a letter to convoy organizer Tamara Lich requesting that protesters leave residential areas before noon on Monday. He also indicated that he would be willing to meet with the organizers.
According to the mayor’s office, organizers of the convoy have agreed to the request through “backchannel negotiations,” with Lich saying there’s plan to "consolidate our protest efforts around Parliament Hill."
"We will be working hard over the next 24 hours to get buy in from the truckers. We hope to start repositioning our trucks on Monday," she wrote.
Watson says that should the convoy members live up to their commitments, the agreement would provide “our most impacted residents with a much-needed break from the noise and exhaust fumes, as well as improve the sense of safety and security of our residents.”
So Tamara Lich has been talking with Jim Watson, and says she is will talk with other truckers to ask them to move closer to the Hill to make it easier on folks who live here.
Problem is, the area around the Hill is pretty much already full #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/0RMWaaXmFz
— Mackenzie Gray (@Gray_Mackenzie) February 13, 2022
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
Police walk the line to remove all truckers and supporters after a court injunction gave police the power to enforce the law after protesters blocked the access leading from the Ambassador Bridge, linking Detroit and Windsor, as truckers and their supporters continue to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, in Windsor, Ont., Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Police line up in preparation to enforce an injunction against a demonstration which has blocked traffic across the Ambassador Bridge by protesters against COVID-19 restrictions, in Windsor, Ont. on Feb. 12, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)
