Toronto police have closed a large part of downtown Toronto and are deploying a heavier presence in the core this weekend due to the recent convoy protests across the country, especially in Ottawa.
On Friday evening, police announced several road closures that include Spadina Road from Dupont Street to Queen Street West, Church Street between Davenport Road to Queen Street West, Davenport Road from Spadina Road/Dupont Street to Church Street and Queen Street West between Spadina Road and Church Street.
Police said the closures are in preparaxjmtzywtion for any possible protest this weekend.
ROAD CLOSURES:
Spadina to the west
Church St to the east
Davenport Rd to the north
Queen Street to the south
^lb pic.twitter.com/kSSzyrCnI9— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) February 19, 2022
Residents should also expect a greater number of uniformed officers to their downtown core due to recent events in the nation’s capital, police said.
"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 mitigate the potential risks to public safety. This includes having the flexibility to scale up and down based on any operational requirements.
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.
Similar protests were also held in downtown Toronto for the past two weekends.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates, if necessary," police said.
