Police in Ottawa and other parts of the country, impacted by ongoing protests and blockades, are warning participants of increased law enforcement efforts as the country heads into its second straight week of Freedom Convoy demonstrations. The Ottawa Police Service issued a notice to protesters on Wednesday, saying it may arrest those blocking streets in the downtown core and seize vehicles.
Demonstrators have flooded the city’s downtown for nearly two weeks to protest vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions. In the border town of Coutts, Alta., where truck drivers and others have set up a blockade in support of the Ottawa convoy, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was met with anger and chants of “Hell no, we won’t go” as officers attempted to persuade protesters to move elsewhere. Two blockades are in place — an original one immediately north of the border crossing and another near Milk River about 15 kilometers north of Coutts. Police are asking protesters at the second protest site to move to an area off the highway north of Milk River, citing safety concerns. Officers have started issuing tickets.
“Really it’s going to be up to them,” RCMP Supt. Roberta McKale told reporters. “Up until this point it’s been us asking them and this afternoon we don’t have an option, we’re going to have to use our enforcement options to have that happen.”
Another blockade on the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., which connects Canada to the U.S. through Detroit, began on Monday.
The continued blockade on the bridge, the busiest international border crossing in North America, has prompted the City of Windsor and local police service to request provincial and federal assistance.
“We are striving to resolve this issue safely and peacefully,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said, while adding, “make no mistake, our community will not tolerate this level of disruption for long.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said he spoke to Dilkens, as well as Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, and called for the “ongoing illegal occupation and blockade” to stop. “The Ambassador Bridge is one of the most vital trade corridors in our country,” he said. “The damage this is causing to our economy, to people’s jobs and their livelihoods is totally unacceptable. We cannot let this continue.” Source: ctvnews.ca
Thursday, April 16, 2026
