Ontario Provincial Police are warning motorists about the potential for significant delays as a trucker convoy protesting vaccine mandates, among other things, makes its way through the Greater Toronto Area today.
The group of truckers began a cross-country trip in British Columbia over the weekend and are headed to Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
There are at least two groups – one which is headed straight for the nation’s capital and another that is reportedly travelling from Windsor.
On Thursday morning police closed the on-ramp from Keele Street to westbound Highway 401 amid concerns about the safety of several hundred people that had gathered on an embankment and a highway overpass to show support for the truckers. There was also a large crowd of demonstrators observed at a planned meeting point in Vaughan Mills, many of whom were holding signage that was critical of lockdowns and other public health measures.
The protest was initially organized in response to a new rule prohibiting unvaccinated truckers from crossing the border without quarantining.
But numerous individuals participating in the demonstration have since expressed that it is also about various other policies that they say infringe on their freedoms.
There have also been concerns about some groups with extremist beliefs attaching themselves to the protest, though organizers have insisted that their planned demonstration will remain peaceful.
“When you see and talk to the people that are in this convoy we are family,” organizer Harold Jonker told CP24 xjmtzywon Thursday as he travelled along Highway 401 near Port Hope. “I have my wife with me, my brother has kids with him, my brother-in-law has his kids with him. There’s husbands and wives, there’s all kinds of different nationalities and I have yet to see any violence. It is not going to happen.”
WHERE IS THE TRUCKER CONVOY NOW?
At this point it remains unclear which routes will be impacted by the rolling demonstration but the OPP said in a tweet that delays are possible on the QEW, Highway 400, Highway 427, Highway 403, and Highway 401 over the next few days.
The OPP also issued an alert just before 11 a.m. to draw attention to the fact that emergency responders were experiencing difficulty navigating the “congested traffic” on some routes.
“We are going to be monitoring the situation and we are working with the organizers and communicating with them to try to understand what their intentions are,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CP24 on Wednesday night. “It is their obligation and responsibility to maintain lawful activities and we will be ensuring that as well and doing what we can to be present as needed. “
Organizers of the so-called “freedom convoy” have said that the protest will follow all local laws.
However, Ottawa Police said in a series of messages posted on Twitter on Thursday that they have become aware of “inappropriate and threatening language on social media” related to the event.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also suggested that there are "small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa who are holding unacceptable views" when it comes to public health restrictions. He has said that those individuals "do not represent the views of Canadians."
Speaking with CP24, Jonker said that he has already been in touch with police in the nation’s capital and has committed to working alongside them to keep the demonstration safe.
“When you look at the protests (against vaccine mandates) that have happened over the last year there’s never been a violent protest. Why all of a sudden do we think we’re going to have one today? We’re not,” he said.
GO transit has previously warned riders that some of its bus routes may experience delays today due to the convoy. They are urging passengers to “check for train alternatives” when possible and give themselves extra time.
