More rallies protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictions are underway today in Ottawa and several other major cities in Canada.
A second weekend of protests by the so-called "freedom convoy" is taking place in the country’s capital, with as many as 300 to 400 trucks expected to try and enter the downtown core, according to police estimates, along with up to 2,000 people on foot and another 1,000 counter-protesters.
Protests in Toronto, Quebec City, Fredericton, Winnipeg, Regina and Victoria have started, are underway or expected near their respective provincial legislatures. A protest at the Canada-U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta. also remains ongoing.
Thousands of people descended on Ottawa last weekend in trucks and other vehicles for the freedom convoy, with mass gatherings staged on Parliament Hill that have continued at a relatively smaller scale since then.
While started in part over opposition to the federal government’s vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, requiring Canadians drivers returning to Canada to quarantine if unvaccinated, the protests have come to embody a general frustration over COVID-19 public health measures, with protesters and organizers calling for all pandemic restrictions to be lifted. The United States has a similar mandate for cross-border truckers, as well.
The protests, while generally peaceful but noisy, have frustrated many downtown residents with some, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, having described the convoy’s continued actions as an occupation.
There also have been reports of disruptive conduct, threats and harassment, including incidents involving the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Terry Fox monument, local paramedics and homeless shelter staff.
At least two arrests have been made for mischief to property and another related to firearms. Photos also have circulated of Confederate flags and Nazi symbols appearing at the initial protest last weekend.
In Ottawa, the event is being billed as a family-friendly event, with the crowd growing progressively larger throughout the morning and more children in attendance. People have been seen carrying Canadian flags, as well as some U.S. flags and others showing support for former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Some protesters have stockpiled canisters of propane and fuel in the city’s Confederation Park and built a wooden structure for a possible community kitchen.
Speaking on CTV News Channel on Saturday, Ottawa Coun. Catherine McKenney said her constituents have never felt that the protests have been peaceful, describing it also as an occupation and national crisis.
Another 150 officers are being sent into affected neighbourhoods as part of the Ottawa Police Service’s response to the continued protests.
But McKenney says the federal government needs to assume responsibility over the parliamentary precinct so local police can turn their attention to residential neighbourhoods.
"We really need the federal government to step in here to do something," she said.
In Toronto, dozens of tractors and pickups arrived in the city’s downtown core on Friday afternoon.
Police have closed off a stretch of Toronto’s University Avenue in order to protect the city’s hospital row, located near Queen’s Park where the protests are set to take place.
A group of health-care workers also plans to hold a counter-protest at the same time as Toronto’s convoy demonstration.
The head of the Ontario Trucking Association issued a statement on Saturday saying the trade organization "strongly disapproves" of any protests on roads, highways and hospitals.
Association president Stephen Laskowski added that the vast majority of demonstrators at the provincial legislature appear to have no connection to the industry and harbour grievances that go "beyond the cross-border vaccine requirements."
He called on demonstrators to protest peacefully and then return home.
A large convoy with dozens of big rigs arrived in Quebec City on Saturday morning, with police allowing the vehicles to enter and park in a designated area.
Local police said 40 tickets were handed out Friday, including six for violating municipal bylaws and 34 for highway safety code infractions, with no major incidents. The protests are occurring at the same time as the Quebec Winter Carnival.
The latest round of protests comes a day after the online platform GoFundMe announced on Friday it had removed the freedom convoy’s fundraiser for allegedly violating the company’s terms of service.
The freedom convoy raised more than $10 million through GoFundMe, making it the second largest on the platform in Canada behind the fundraiser started after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018, which raised more than $15 million.
GoFundMe initially released $1 million in funds after confirming the money would only be used for participants who travelled to Ottawa.
In a statement on Friday, the company wrotxjmtzywe that while it supports peaceful protests, and believes that was the intention of the convoy fundraiser when it started, it now has evidence from law enforcement that the "previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity."
In a follow-up statement on Saturday, GoFundMe said after initially deciding to send all remaining funds to "credible and established charities" chosen by the organizers, donors would instead receive automatic refunds within seven to 10 business days and without having to submit a request. The company said it made the decision due to "donor feedback."
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called it a "fraud" for GoFundMe to "commandeer" the $10 million in donations sent to support the freedom convoy, adding he will work with the state’s attorney general to investigate the website’s "deceptive practices."
Funds are instead being raised through the U.S.-based GiveSendGo, which describes itself as a "Free Christian Crowdfunding" website.
A proposed $9.8-million class-action lawsuit seeking damages for the convoy’s noise and continued "nuisance" also has been filed.
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
Two demonstrators ride horses past parked trucks and Parliament Hill during a protest against COVID-19 restrictions, in Ottawa, Feb. 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A protester carries empty jerry cans for fuel as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions continues into its second week, in Ottawa, on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Demonstrators encourage a convoy of trucks as they drive by protesting measures taken by authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19, near the provincial legislature in Quebec City, Feb. 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Queen’s Park is seen in the background as a health-care worker crosses University Avenue, where major hospitals provide health care for people in Toronto, Feb. 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
