The mayor of Windsor, Ont., has announced that the Ambassador Bridge will reopen "when it is safe to do so" after police stepped up enforcement against protesters this weekend.
"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.
Windsor Police say they have been continuing their enforcement actions at the scene of the ongoing blockade on Sunday morning, “with arrests being made.”
In a tweet, police also stated that vehicles are being towed, and residents should continue to avoid the area. They said there will be “zero tolerance for illegal activity.”
Police were at the protest site on Sunday in groups that appeared to outnumber the amount of protesters that remained at the blockade. After coming face to face with protesters on Saturday, Windsor Police arrested a 27-year-old man, alleging he committed a criminal offence in relation to the demonstration, but did not say what charges he may face.
Since Saturday morning, police have been slowly pushing back protesters away from the bridge entrance. By Sunday morning, the protesters were pushed back to Tecumseh Road, about a kilometre away from the initial blockade site, although the bridge remains closed.
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 CONTINUES
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 Commend Centre" along with the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police. Police say the new command centre will "result in a significantly enhanced ability to respond to the current situation in our city.&quoxjmtzywt;
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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)
