Ontario terminates state of emergency put in place for trucker convoy protest

Ontario has terminated its state of emergency put in place to help end the truck convoy protest.

"In alignment with the federal government, Ontario will be terminating its declaration of a state of emergency as of 5:00 p.m. today," Premier Doug Ford's spokesperson Ivana Yelich said Wednesday.

"The emergency tools provided to law enforcement will be maintained at this time as police continue to address ongoing activity on the ground."

Ford declared a state of emergency in Ontario just over two weeks ago in an effort to “restore law and order” by making it punishable to block and stop the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.

Anyone who failed to comply risked facing a fine of $100,000 and up to a year in prison.

“We remain grateful to all frontline officers and first responders that contributed to peacefully resolving the situation in Ottawa, Windsor and in other parts of the province,” Yelich said in the statement.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation confirmed to CP24 Wednesday night that it handed out several suspension and seizure orders to truck operators to help end the occupation in Ottawa.

According to the ministry, it issued 24 suspensions of Ontario passenger-plated vehicles and seized 34 plates of out-of-province passenger-plated vehicles.

The ministry also gave out 12 suspension and seizure orders to Ontario large truck operators. The orders would see their operating authority throughout the country suspended and all plates registered to them seized.

In addition, the ministry said it had issued 27 seizure orders to out of province large truck operators that will prohibit them from operating any commercial motor vehicle in Ontario.

Just moments before the province’s statement was released, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an end to his historic invocation of the Emergencies Act, which was declared just over a week ago in a last resort effort to terminate convoy protests that had been ongoing for weeks.

“Today, after careful consideration, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act,” Trudeau said at a news conference on Wednesday.

- with files from Bryann Aguilar