Tag Archives: Canada

The Ottawa Citizen reports: The city wants to invoke a clause in the revised Ontario Police Services Act that would allow it to bill protesters for the extra cost of policing. The tally would be enormous: an estimated $800,000 a day (times 12 and counting), plus possibly the cost of hundreds of extra outside personnel (as many as 1,800) now …

CTV News reports: Enforcement will begin Wednesday afternoon to reopen traffic to the Canada-U.S. border at Coutts which is being blocked by an ongoing protest, according to RCMP. The blockade has been ongoing for more than a week, in solidarity with the trucker protests in Ottawa and other parts of the country. “Really it’s going to be up to them,” …

The Detroit Free Press reports: An Ambassador Bridge protest by Canadian truckers critical of pandemic vaccine mandates was headed into a third day, shutting down traffic on one international gateway and backing it up on another. Both Detroit and Windsor have significant auto operations and the standstill is a huge concern for businesses that already have been suffering from global …

Reuters reports: Protesters gathered in southern France on Wednesday for what they say will be a “freedom convoy” that will converge on Paris and Brussels to demand an end to COVID-19 restrictions, inspired by protesters who have blocked a Canadian border crossing. About 200 protesters assembled in a parking lot in Nice, on France’s Mediterranean coast, with many displaying Canadian …

The CBC reports: Daniel Miousse was shocked to see a photo of one of his company vehicles among the truck convoy protesters in downtown Ottawa, which was recently posted online. Miousse, who owns an industrial fence company near Montreal, said he had no idea the pickup truck or his employee were in the nation’s capital. “One of our employees took …

Reuters reports: Canadians say they are concerned political strife in the United States will undermine security and economic growth at home, according to a new poll, as an anti-vaccine mandate protest praised by former U.S. President Donald Trump gripped the capital and affected the border. The Ottawa protest, now in its 13th day, has been marred by the appearance of …

The Guardian reports: The so-called “freedom convoy” – which departed for Ottawa on 23 January – was the brainchild of James Bauder, an admitted conspiracy theorist who has endorsed the QAnon movement and called Covid-19 “the biggest political scam in history”. Bauder’s group, Canada Unity, contends that vaccine mandates and passports are illegal under Canada’s constitution, the Nuremberg Code and …

The CBC reports: Residents described being bombarded by relentless honking, fireworks, being choked by diesel fumes, seeing hate symbols openly displayed, subjected to racial, homophobic and transphobic slurs, attacked for wearing masks, and feeling let down by all levels of government and police since the first vehicles set up Jan. 28. “I am a Jewish woman. On top of the …

The Detroit Free Press reports: An ongoing protest in Canada over COVID-19 vaccine mandates spilled over into Detroit Monday evening via the Ambassador Bridge. The protesters blocked traffic on the largest international suspension bridge and prevented motorists from passing, with signs calling for an end to the mandates. The bridge to Canada in Detroit has been closed, according to the …

The CBC reports: An Ottawa judge has granted an interim injunction seeking to silence the honking horns that have plagued residents of downtown Ottawa for the past 11 days. “Tooting a horn is not an expression of any great thought I’m aware of,” said Justice Hugh McLean during a court hearing in Ottawa Monday. The temporary injunction order is effective …

The Toronto Sun reports: Ontario should seize the trucks of protesters who refuse to end the ongoing “occupation” of Ottawa, Liberal Leader Stephen Del Duca says. Attorney General Doug Downey should make it clear that Crown prosecutors will seek forfeiture of any assets used in the commission of a serious offence, he said. Del Duca said the “anti-vax mob” is …

Politico reports: While the Canadian standoff against Covid-19 restrictions paralyzes Ottawa, it’s becoming viral online as a rallying cry for leading U.S. Republican politicians, far-right influencers and white supremacist groups who have transposed the criticism of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to an international audience for their own political gain. Politicians from former President Donald Trump to Rep. Marjorie …

ABC News reports: Canada’s capital declared a state of emergency on Sunday because of trucker-led protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic-related restrictions. The move by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson “reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels …

Vancouver Is Awesome reports: Supporters of an anti-vaccine mandate convoy scheduled to drive into Vancouver this weekend have been asked to serve members of the media a document aimed at silencing reporting on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. That document is provided by Action4Canada, a far-right-wing website that endorses several conspiracy theories and peddles misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. The seven-page …

The Huffington Post reports: A group of fed-up Canadians has filed a $9.8 million class action lawsuit against a mob of anti-vaccine truckers who have packed downtown Ottawa for a week, blasting the ear-piercing air horns of their vehicles day and night. The use of air horns — for up to 16 hours in a 24-hour period — is a …

Reuters reports: Canadian cities, including the financial hub Toronto, faced disruptions on Saturday as protests against vaccine mandates spread from the capital of Ottawa, raising fears of clashes with counter protesters. The so-called “Freedom Convoy” began as a movement against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures and Prime Minister …

The CBC reports: The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe says it will stop payments to the organizers of Freedom Convoy 2022 because the protest violates its rules on violence and harassment . The company announced its decision in a blog post Friday evening, just two days after it froze disbursements of the fund. “GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was …

The Daily Beast reports: Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner on Thursday teed up a segment on the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” by seemingly criticizing the notion that such anti-vaccine activists are “fringe,” instead claiming their beliefs have gone “mainstream.” Moments later, the program rolled footage of such demonstrators waving flags and signs boosting the crazed far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, which centers …

The CBC reports: RCMP say a second blockade on a highway leading to the main United States border crossing in Alberta has choked off traffic. “Protesters have stopped traffic from going southbound on Highway 4,” RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters said Thursday. “There’s a crowd there. We are advising the public to avoid the area again.” The new blockade is about …

First, a reminder about this guy: A group of Ontario doctors accused of dispensing vaccine exemptions like candy to the anti-vax crowd are fighting for their “right” not to co-operate with an investigation by their regulatory body. But one of the lawyers usually by their side was conspicuously absent in Superior Court Friday. Constitutional lawyer Rocco Galati, who represents Dr. …