Trucker protest passes through GTA as crowds line route of 'Freedom Convoy'
Hundreds of people lined highway overpasses on Thursday with some even spilling onto an on ramp as a trucker convoy protesting vaccine mandates at the border made its way through the Greater Toronto Area.
The group of truckers began a cross-country trip in British Columbia over the weekend en route to Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
There are at least two groups – one which is headed straight for the nation’s capital via northern Ontario and another that began in southwestern Ontario and transited through the GTA.
In advance of the rolling protest arriving in the region, police had warned drivers to expect “significant delays” and traffic was in fact brought to a standstill at various points on Thursday.
Provincial police also had to close the on ramp from Keele Street to westbound Highway 401 for several hours after demonstrators spilled onto the roadway.
ORGANIZERS INSIST PROTEST MEANT TO BE PEACEFUL
The protest, dubbed “the Freedom Convoy,” 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 indicated that it is 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.
Organizers have insisted that the protest is peaceful, however there have been reports of journalists being harassed by individuals who have gathered along the route.
On Thursday CP24’s Steve Ryan said that several people kicked the tires on his vehicle while he was reporting from the gathering point at Vaughan Mills.
A Canadian Press photographer also reported being shoved and spat on by convoy supporters as he tried to cover the protest.
Meanwhile, the OPP had to issue 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.
“When you see and talk to the people that are in this convoy we are family,” organizer Harold Jonker told CP24 on Thursday when asked about concerns that there could be violence or property damage when demonstrators arrive at Parliament Hill this weekend.
“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.”
OTTAWA POLICE EXPRESS CONCERNS
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that there is a "small fringe minority of people” associated with the protest who hold “unacceptable views" when it comes to public health restrictions. He has said that those individuals "do not represent the views of Canadians."
But the demonstrators who spoke with CP24 said that they believe Canadians are behind them.
At the same time police in Ottawa have said they are aware of “inappropriate and threatening language on social media” related to the event and in a series of messages posted to Twitter warned of “consequences for persons engaging in criminal conduct, violence and/or activities promoting hate.”
“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,” Jonker told CP24, adding that he has already been in touch with Ottawa police regarding keeping this weekend's protest safe.
According to a Maru Public Opinion survey of more than 1,500 Canadians released earlier on Thursday fewer than one-in-three respondents (28 per cent) believe that unvaccinated truckers should be able to cross the U.S.-Canada land border freely without restrictions. The remaining two-thirds of respondents said that there should either be no exemption for unvaccinated truckers (36 per cent) or they should be required to produce a negative COVID-19 test result.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.