After a long six-day blockade and protest the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ottawa, Canada is reopening. This comes after the Canadian police cleared the blockade from protesters calling themselves the “Freedom Convoy.”
Police did not start moving the protesters until a judge had ordered the protesters to leave the bridge at 7 p.m. Friday. Windsor Police Chief Pamela Mizuno said Sunday that 30 protesters were arrested and charged with criminal mischief. “I was hoping it wasn’t going to end like this, I was hoping the police would allow us to continue to peacefully protest,” “Freedom Convoy” protester Tyler Kok said.
The “Freedom Convoy” had been set up along the Ambassador Bridge blocking the flow in and out of Canada which crippled the trade route between the United States and Canada. The 100 car and truck convoys were set up to protest the vaccination mandate that is required for truckers who have to travel between the United States and Canada. The cars and trucks were loaded with slogans targeting Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, as well as Canadian flags. There was also anti-vaccine signage being carried by the protesters.
“Let me be crystal clear: it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeted Sunday. “Fines for non-compliance will be severe, with a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year imprisonment.”
“Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador bridge came to an end,” Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a written statement Sunday. The Ambassador bridge is used by the auto industry to move parts from Windsor, Canada and Detroit, Mich. More than $323 million dollars in goods are moved across the Ambassador Bridge daily and for the six days, none of the goods were moved between the two nations.
The “Freedom Convoy” has expanded past just being for truckers who need to be vaccinated. Now, it has expanded to being against mask mandates and other COVID-19 measures, with more protests showing up in other cities in Canada. They have started to move into the city of Ottawa to further protest at the capitol. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson reached an agreement with the protesters to move from the residential areas of the city and restrict the protest to in front of the parliament building.
Other blockades have appeared at other border crossings between Canada and the United States but none have had the impact on the Canadian economy as the Ambassador Bridge. These include the crossing between Alberta and Montana. The border crossing between Emerson and North Dakota also had a blockade.
Canada has currently a 90 percent vaccination rate and citizens must show proof of vaccination to access bars, gyms and restaurants. Truckers in Canada also have a 90 percent vaccination rate allowing them to freely move between the border of the United States and Canada. The United States has a 64 percent vaccination rate among its citizens and does not have a proof of vaccination mandate across the country.
