Ottawa Police Service Chief Peter Sloly says the trucker convoy protest has been “intolerable” and “unprecedented,” and that officers have been “pushed to the limit” and “injured” in the course of their duties.
Appearing at a news conference on Wednesday, Sloly spoke directly to demonstrators, calling them “unlawful” and warning them that there are consequences to their actions – and that charges will be pursued against people “no matter where they’re from,” adding that there were people from across the country in Ottawa.
Sloly said that there was a significant faction involved in the trucker convoy from the U.S., and that there were plans for more to come.
“All plans are on the table” to end the protest in Ottawa. Sloly said, from negotiated to enforced removal.
Sloly said he has been in contact with RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki about the blockade in Coutts, Alta., which he said was “exponentially” more dangerous and that he was hearing about more blockades planned elsewhere in the country.
Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson estimated that the protest crowds ranged from 8,000 to 15,000, with thousands of trucks at the protest on Saturday, but had significantly dropped off over time. Ferguson said the service has deployed hundreds of officers and is now in a state of “stabilization,” and that police have moved to “more strictly” enforce bylaws outside of the direct downtown core.
Deputy Chief Steve Bell said the remaining demonstrators were “highly volatile,” signalling a shift away from the “demonstration-based activities” of the weekend to more of an occupying force.
“We’re seeing several protesters that intend to attend this weekend on foot,” he continued, adding that he anticipated the demonstrations would continue through the weekend and that every police action has to be weighed against potential violence.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, thanking the police, reiterated that it “is time for the protesters to go home,” and that the police will be “implementing its de-mobilizing plan to reduce the protesters footprint and further contain disruptions.”
Watson said there have been no deaths and no major injuries during the protest thus far, a feat he attributed to Sloly.
Ottawa Police Service Board Chair Diane Deans said “it has been a very long six days in the nation’s capital,” and called the behaviour of the protesters “unacceptable.”
Deans said she has heard reports ranging from harassment, threats, public urination and defecation to property damage. Deans said she is arranging to get more police resources into the city.
Deans said there has been discussion about the mayor or the prime minister calling GoFundMe directly to ask them to stop releasing money to the trucker convoy, and brought up potential legal action against the fundraising platform, but did not say if those decisions had been made.
“I want to say I am sorry for the living hell you are enduring,” Deans said.
However, parts of Ottawa’s downtown core still remain inaccesible to the public as a scaled-down, core group of protesters continue to occupy the areas surrounding Parliament Hill.
Some members of the convoy arrived in downtown Ottawa on Friday, ahead of a big rally on the Hill Saturday, with several big rigs, personal vehicles and protesters remaining since.
Several businesses remain closed due to the protest on Wednesday, including the Rideau Centre. The Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of History, which were supposed to reopen their doors Wednesday, announced they would remain closed until Feb. 9 due to ongoing disruptions.
Ottawa Police announced Wednesday that they had charged a 48-year-old man from Quebec with “uttering threats” and “counseling to commit an indictable offence not committed,” in relation to threats made on social media while he was in Ottawa. The newest announcement makes three people charged in relation to the convoy thus far.
Court documents available Wednesday provided further details about one of the two people arrested and charged in Ottawa in connection with the convoy protest over the weekend.
On Jan. 30, 37-year-old Andre Lacasse was arrested and charged with “carry a weapon to a public meeting.” Lacasse was allegedly carrying a collapsible baton and non-folding six-inch knife, according to the documents.
Police previously revealed that 29-year-old Matthew Dorken of Ottawa was arrested and charged with “mischief under $5,000” on Tuesday for alleged actions on Jan. 29. He was not arrested at the time “in order to avoid a larger confrontation,” police said.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday inside Parliament’s West Block, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Marco Mendicino said the government wants to “emphasize is the concern that we have for local residents whose daily lives have been significantly disrupted as a result of the convoy and the demonstrators.”
“For those who say that this is simply been festive and peaceful, I think the local residents here have experienced, you know, quite a significant amount of disruption on that,” he continued. “The demonstrators have been able to get their message across but now it’s time for the city to move on…for those who say ‘we need to listen,’ we have been listening for a long tixjmtzywme to Canadians throughout the pandemic about how we can get on with it, [sic] and that does mean from our point of view, ensuring that people get vaccinated.”
When questioned by reporters about residents who have reported being harassed about wearing masks or who “feel abandoned” by the city and by the police, Mendicino said he empathized, and that it was “unacceptable” for anybody to say “don’t wear a mask” when public health guidelines say the opposite.
Medinico said the city and Ottawa Police are in contact the federal government and the Commissioner of the RCMP “every day” about additional resources, but did not elaborate on if or how, those resources could be rolled out.
Ottawa businessman and co-owner of Happy Goat Coffee Henry Assad said on CTV’s Your Morning Wednesday that they closed some of their locations downtown Ottawa for the safety of their employees.
“When the convoy started rolling into Ottawa and setting up shop in the city centre…groups of the demonstrators were harassing employees and telling them to take their masks off…talking to employees in an intimidating manner. The police showed up a few times, so we thought it would be a good idea to close down for now,” Assad said. “The staff have made it clear they don’t feel comfortable going to work.”
Assad said he felt there was a “double standard” with the trucker convoy, referring to how the police and city staff have been dealing with them compared to other protests. “I think the police need to do more, I’ve never seen Ottawa Police acting in such a manner for other demonstrations.”
As for the protesters themselves, Assad said their attempts to help small businesses with their protest to end mandates, “are really hurting [them].”
There is a police information briefing expected Wednesday afternoon to provide an update on the demonstration, but residents are becoming increasingly frustrated as protesters have been bringing in fuel and supplies to those who are hunkered down in their vehicles, allowing them to stay put.
There have been calls for Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and the Ottawa Police Service to do more to remove the convoy, after officials on Tuesday estimated the crowd to include approximately 50 people on Parliament Hill and another 200 nearby.
Some residents in Ottawa have reported being challenged on wearing masks by protesters and being assaulted while walking in their neighbourhoods.
- Recap: Day four of trucker convoy protest
According to a statement issued by the convoy’s organizers Wednesday, they plan to remain in Ottawa “for as long as it takes for governments across Canada to end all mandates associated with COVID-19.”
Despite police estimates, spokesperson for the convoy Tamara Lich said in the statement that convoy organizers estimate the number of participants in the Ottawa protest to be in the tens of thousands, though it is unclear if they are counting those who took part in the convoy’s trip across the country or those who rallied over the weekend.
"Our message to the citizens of Ottawa is one of empathy. We understand your frustration and genuinely wish there was another way for us to get our message across, but the responsibility for your inconvenience lies squarely on the shoulders of politicians who have prefer [sic] to vilify and call us names rather than engage in respectful, serious dialogue," said senior convoy leader Chris Barber, in the release. "The fastest way to get us out of the nation’s Capital, is to call your elected representatives and end all C-19 mandates, as the U.K. did two weeks ago and as both Sweden and Switzerland did today."
The U.K. lifted many COVID-19 restrictions in mid-January, and while Switzerland announced Wednesday plans to relax several coronavirus measures, with two paths forward towards dropping all restrictions by the end of February, it has not dropped them all.
Sweden, which has had less COVID-19 restrictions than many countries, still uses a COVID-19 vaccine pass for travelling, attending indoor events and public gatherings.
The statement also decried “rhetoric” from politicians, in particular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who they accuse of characterizing the protesters “as racists, and even terrorists.”
"We are determined to be respectful the law [sic], be peaceful in conduct, and to retain our dignity, despite the school-yard mudslinging and bullying of some politicians and members of the press. Nobody should underestimate our resolve or our resilience,” the statement reads.
Some counter-protesters have begun to show up to the more congregated areas of the protest, one with a sign Tuesday night that read “we will not be held hostage in our own city.”
Others are making a more simple stand against the trucks in their neighbourhood, standing in the roadway and refusing to let them pass.
- Read more: Some residents in downtown Ottawa standing up to the trucker convoy
Ottawa Police denied allegations of officers bringing supplies to protesters on Saturday made in a video posted on social media.
“Police are not providing food, fuel or any other supplies to demonstrators,” the police said in a tweet. “There is a video circulating that shows officers bringing in boxes of food and supplies to other officers working at the demonstration.”
Protesters will have to deal with the winter storm coming their way, with Environment Canada estimating that parts of Ontario, including Ottawa, could see freezing rain Wednesday morning in addition to snowfall, depending how low the temperature drops. Up to 20 centimetres of snow is expected in the capital.
The snow also presents an issue for the city, as many trucks are blocking routes and residential areas that will need snow removal services.
POLICE INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY
Ottawa police announced Tuesday night that two people were arrested and charged in connection with incidents that took place at the demonstration over the weekend.
A 29-year-old Ottawa man, Matthew Dorken, was arrested and charged for allegedly causing mischief “under $5,000” to property on Saturday.
On Sunday, a 37-year-old Ottawa man was charged with carrying a weapon to a public meeting. No further details were given on what the weapon was.
On Wednesday, court documents revealed that Andre Lacasse was arrested and charged with “carrying a weapon to a public meeting” and allegedly had a collapsible baton and non-folding six-inch knife.
Ottawa police said that they have several investigations underway, eight complaints to their dedicated hotline about the convoy, three of which will be investigated by the service’s Hate and Bias Crime Unit, and that they are making progress on the "desecration of the War Monument."
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This counter-protester is back today. Others try to block him out and obstruct attempts to video record him. pic.twitter.com/kiCo3actQM
— Glen McGregor (@glen_mcgregor) February 2, 2022
RELATED IMAGESview larger image
A man walks past signs fixed to the fence surrounding Parliament where the truckers protest continues to block streets in Ottawa’s downtown core on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
