The “Freedom Convoy” protests began in late January over Canada’s new vaccine mandate for truckers entering the country from the United States. Other Canadians fed up with Covid-19 rules have joined to oppose mask mandates, gathering restrictions and other measures enacted to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In Ottawa, demonstrators concentrated around government buildings have spilled out into residential areas, blocking streets and forcing businesses to close temporarily.
Other border crossings also have been blocked by semitrailers and even farm equipment. They include links between Manitoba and North Dakota, Alberta and Montana, and British Columbia and Washington state.
Here’s what happened at major protest sites over the weekend:
Ambassador Bridge
Demonstrators were ordered to clear the area by 7 p.m. Friday. Windsor police warned vehicles could be seized and forfeited in the case of conviction, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned of stiff fines and prison sentences.
“Let me be crystal clear: It is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure,” Ford tweeted Sunday.
“Fines for noncompliance will be severe, with a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year imprisonment.”
Only a few dozen vehicles were at the foot of the bridge at sunrise Saturday, according to a CNN crew there. More left as police arrived to clear the area.
As many as 30 protesters were arrested for criminal mischief in Windsor near the bridge over the weekend, Windsor Police Chief Pamela Mizuno told reporters Sunday afternoon. Police seized five protester vehicles Sunday, and seven were towed Saturday, the chief said.
“Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador Bridge came to an end,” Mayor Dilkens said in a statement Sunday. “Border crossings will reopen when it is safe to do so and I defer to police and border agencies to make that determination.”
Ottawa
“Your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the rights of the million people in Ottawa who live peacefully, free of harassment and chaos in their own homes,” he said. “So let me be as clear as I can: There will be consequences for these actions, and they will be severe,” Ford said.
On Sunday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said protest organizers agreed to leave residential areas in the city’s downtown and restrict the demonstration to streets directly in front of Canada’s national parliament.
“It represents a positive first step,” although it isn’t a long-term solution, Watson said in a statement to city councilors.
In a letter to the mayor, Tamara Lich, president of the protest organization Freedom Convoy 2022, said the organizers would be “working hard over the next 24 hours to get buy in from the truckers. We hope to start repositioning our trucks on Monday.”
Other border sites
On Saturday, “a few vehicles” broke through a police barricade there, according to RCMP.
“While no injuries were reported as a result of the incident, this had the potential for harm to pedestrians and first responders. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated and is being investigated,” RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn said in a statement.
“Several officers were cut off from their colleagues by what Mounties described as a hostile mob,” CTV reported. “Hundreds of protesters celebrated on foot near the border crossing, with traffic at a standstill through a massive area of south Surrey.”
CNN’s Miguel Marquez, Paula Newton, Kim Berryman and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.