Canada trucker protest - live: Blockade clears one lane on Ambassador Bridge after pressure from Biden

US President Joe Biden has urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to use federal powers to end the blockade of truckers protesting Covid-19 restrictions as the demonstration is reportedly resulting in $1bn losses each day it drags on.

Mr Biden’s call to action comes as the protests have spread beyond the capital in Ottawa to border crossings into the US, including the Emerson Port of Entry in Manitoba and the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit.

Some hope for a resolution emerged on Friday morning as protesters opened one lane on the bridge, allowing northbound traffic to proceed into Canada.

The demonstrations have taken a harsh toll on supply chains, with car manufacturers including Toyota and Ford already announcing issues. The mayor of Windsor says protesters will be physically removed if necessary, and has been joined by auto parts manufacturers in seeking an injunction to clear the bridge.

Meanwhile, Mr Trudeau has demanded the protesters go home, and the interim opposition leader Candice Bergen joined his call for an end to the stand off on Thursday morning.

Key Points

• Auto groups join city of Windsor legal action to end bridge blockade

• Protesters block only remaining access to Ambassador Bridge

• Super Bowl could be disrupted by US convoy, report says

• Car production ceases amid supply problems

• Canada asks US Republicans to stay out of domestic affairs

Hopes for resolution as traffic resumes on Ambassador Bridge

16:07 , Megan Sheets

The opening of one lane of traffic on Ambassador Bridge came just hours before an Ontario court is slated to take up a request for an injunction to permanently end the blockade.

The injunction was put forward by auto-industry leaders and backed by the City of Windsor on the north side of the bridge that leads into Detroit.

Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz, who will rule on the injunction, issued directives to the city on Thursday to ensure it was seen by protest organisers.

The Independent’s Megan Sheets reports:

Canada truckers agree to open one lane of Ambassador Bridge after four-day blockade

CNN analyst walks back call for ‘vigilante’ crackdown

15:40 , Megan Sheets

A CNN analyst and former official in the Obama administration has walked back her calls for harsh action against the Canada trucker blockade after being accused of promoting vigilantism.

Juliette Kayyem, who served as assistant secretary of homeland security for intergovernmental affairs under President Barack Obama, condemned the demonstrations in a string of tweets on Thursday as the Ambassador Bridge remained at a standstill for a fourth day.

“The convoy protest, applauded by right wing media as a "freedom protest," is an economic and security issue now,” she wrote.

“The Ambassador Bridge link constitutes 28% of annual trade movement between US and Canada. Slash the tires, empty gas tanks, arrest the drivers, and move the trucks.”

Ms Kayyem’s remarks sparked outcry from Twitter users accusing her of advocating for violence and against freedom of speech.

She responded to the uproar in a tweet hours later, suggesting that her prior comments had been misinterpreted.

The Independent’s Megan Sheets reports:

CNN analyst walks back call for ‘vigilante’ crackdown on Canada trucker blockade

Protesters open lane on Ambassador Bridge

15:20 , Megan Sheets

The Ambassador Bridge connecting Ontario to Detroit is finally seeing some movement after a four-day standstill, according to reports.

CBC News journalist Chris Ensing reported from the scene that the protesters had opened up one lane of the bridge to traffic on Friday morning.

Ambassador Bridge owner sees three ways out

15:00 , Megan Sheets

The owner of the blocked Ambassador Bridge crossing told reporters there were three ways he believed the protests could be brought to an end on Thursday.

Matt Moroun, chairman of the Detroit International Bridge Company, said the impact on cross-border trade and local communities had been “devastating” and the convoy’s protest “cannot continue any longer”.

Three ways Mr Mouroun said he could see the protest ending included:

• End the protest by repealing the vaccination mandate for truck drivers.

• Remove the vehicles blocking the Ambassador Bridge so commerce and trade can resume.

• Do nothing and hope this ends on its own: an option that will mostly prolong the blockade, further crippling our economy and putting more jobs at risk.

That analysis came as the White House and the US homeland security secretary on Thursday called on Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau to use federal resources to end the “freedom convoy” protests, although what that would entail was unclear.

Blockade causing estimated $1bn daily losses

14:40 , Megan Sheets

Truckers blocking ports of entry between Canada and the US are reportedly causing $1bn in losses each day the demonstrations drag on.

Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, offered that harrowing estimate in an interview with Newsweek.

“It’s over a billion dollars a day [in goods and services] that goes across the Canadian border,” he said. “If you have a disruption like that, it doesn’t take long to get into tens of billions or hundreds of billions of dollars.”

The auto industry is bearing the brunt of the economic damage from the blockade, prompting car companies to request an injunction to clear the Ambassador Bridge.

Biden calls for Trudeau to use federal powers

14:20 , Megan Sheets

President Joe Biden on Thursday urged the Canadian government to use its federal powers to end the trucker blockade as it continued to put a strain on supply chains.

The White House said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke with their Canadian counterparts and urged them to help resolve the standoff.

Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Royal Canadian Mounted Police reinforcements are being sent to Windsor, Ottawa and Coutts, Alberta where another border blockade is happening.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met virtually with leaders of Canada’s opposition late Thursday and said he spoke with Windsor’s mayor. Trudeau’s office said there is a willingness to “respond with whatever it takes” to end the blockades.

The Associated Press reports:

Biden urges Trudeau to use federal powers to end Canada trucker bridge blockade

14:00 , Gino Spocchia

Prime minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement on Thursday that he had several meetings that “were focused on the illegal blockades and occupations happening across the country.”

“They’re harming the communities they’re taking place in – and they’re hurting jobs, businesses, and our country’s economy,” the Liberal Party leader tweeted.

Mr Trudeau said he also spoke with “leaders of the opposition parties on the current situation and the latest developments and “stressed how important it is for all Members of Parliament, from every party, to denounce these illegal acts – and to call for an end to these blockades.”

It comes amid calls from some Canadian politicians, as well as the White House, for the Trudeau government to end the two week-long occupation of downtown Ottawa and a days-long blockade of two border crossings that are vital for commuters and economic activity.

Ottawa councillor condemns government, police

13:40 , Gino Spocchia

Ottawa councillor Catherine McKenney has criticised local and federal government on Thursday for being “silent” and allegedly failing to act on the “freedom convoy” that has been in the city for more than two weeks.

Ms McKenney, of the Liberal Party, wrote that she received messages including one “from a young man on Bank St who watched as a small mob of thugs surrounded an elderly man wearing a mask on Bank St”, and claimed police did not step in. This has not been confirmed however.

“It is this magnitude of individual threats every single day in Centretown (I live a km away and my neighborhood is relatively safe) that is terrorising people who are caught in the middle of it where they live & work. There is no one keeping them safe right now,” she added.

The councillor’s comments came as Ottawa Police said they were focused on “patrolling and addressing unlawful and threatening conduct” from protesters, who have been the focus of more than 413 hate crime reports.

Protesters forced to wear raincoats in Wellington

13:20 , Gino Spocchia

So called “freedom convoy” protesters in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, have been forced to wear raincoats after the country’s parliament building turned its water sprinkles on.

The protesters, who are inspired by the Canadian demonstrations of the past two weeks, have occupied streets around the New Zealand parliament building for several days now.

On Friday the group faced water sprinklers being turned on overnight to stop the protest, although as Stuff News reported, some have tried to stop the spraying by placing traffic cones over the sprinklers.

“No one who is here is here legally, and if they’re getting wet from below as well as above, they’re likely to be a little bit less comfortable and more likely to go home,” said the speaker of the New Zealand House, Trevor Mallard.

He added: “Some people have suggested we add the vaccine in the water, but I don’t think it works that way.”

When could the ‘freedom convoy’ end?

13:00 , Gino Spocchia

The “freedom convoy” of disgruntled truck drivers who crossed Canada to denounce tightening Covid rules have now been blocking central Ottawa for two weeks – and their protest looks no closer to reaching its end.

The truckers originally set out on 23 January to express their anger at the loss of vaccine exemption status for cross-border drivers, and the protest has since become a broader, all-purpose expression of anti-government dissent.

So with messages of concern – and support – from the White House and arrests carried out, how long could “freedom convoy” go on for? Joe Sommerlad writes...

When will Canada’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest end?

‘Freedom convoy’ banned by Paris, Brussels

12:40 , Gino Spocchia

Paris and Brussels have banned a “freedom convoy” of motorists protesting against Covid restrictions from entering the respective capitals.

Hundreds of protesters set out from southern France on Wednesday and plan to converge on Paris and then Brussels to demand an end to coronavirus rules, inspired by truckers in Canada who have gridlocked the capital Ottawa, as Sudip Kar-Gupta writes.

Paris and Brussels ban ‘freedom convoy’ protests against Covid rules

Paris prepares for copycat convoy

12:10 , Gino Spocchia

Police in the French capital have moved to prepare the city for the arrival of a copycat “freedom convoy” on Friday, which set out in recent days from the south of the country.

Authorities say the convoy has been inspired by the Candian protests against Covid mandates, and has already announced a ban on any blockade of streets in Paris.

Here’s an image of “anti-barricade” tractors that Parisian police will use to stop any protest from occupying streets. Other measures and resources have also been activated ahead of the convoys anticipated arrival.

What else is Ottawa’s police department doing?

11:45 , Gino Spocchia

The police department for the Canadian capital added on Thursday that it was working with Canadian and international security agencies authorities to “to investigate email-based threats” that were thought to be aimed at disrupting the response to the “freedom convoy”.

Ottawa police also said it continued “to collect financial, digital, vehicle registration, driver identification, insurance status, and other related evidence that will be used in criminal prosecutions.” As many as 25 alleged protesters have so far been arrested.

“All available Ottawa Police Service officers remain on active duty,” the department added, with patrols centred around the Centretown, Sandy Hill, Lowertown and the ByWard Market areas. Concrete road blocks remain in place.

‘Freedom convoy’ targets third border crossing

11:20 , Gino Spocchia

The “freedom convoy” of disgruntled long-haul Canadian truck drivers protesting against vaccine mandates has blocked a third US-Canada highway as part of their demonstrations.

“A demonstration involving a large number of vehicles & farm equipment is blocking the Emerson Port of Entry,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Manitoba announced on Thursday. “No traffic is getting through either northbound or southbound. The Port of Entry is shut down.”

The port of entry connects the Emerson community in Manitoba, Canada, with the US city of Pembina in North Dakota.

Third US-Canada port blocked by ‘freedom convoy’ as GM plant forced to close

Police seize vehicles amid crackdown on convoy

10:55 , Gino Spocchia

Ottawa Police Department has now issued 1,775 tickets to truckers who are protesting Covid mandates in the Canadian capital, and 25 arrests have been carried out – two more than earlier this week.

The department said in an update on Thursday afternoon that “the Ottawa Police Service and its partners are continuing to work to put an end to the unlawful demonstrations in the downtown core” and “respond to calls for service”.

Among the crimes in connection to the 25 arrests were public mischief, resisting police, and the transportation of fuel – which police warned earlier this week would lead to arrests.

The 1,775 tickets have meanwhile been issued for traffic violations, illegal window tinting, and noise. About a dozen vehicles have also now been seized, the police department said.

In total, there are 126 active criminal offence investigations in relation to the demonstration, police said, and 413 reported hate crimes in association with the occupation of downtown Ottawa.

White House says Canadians ‘engaged around the clock'

10:30 , Gino Spocchia

On Thursday, the White House said members of president Joe Biden’s cabinet and senior administration staff are now focused on the “freedom convoy” issue, as protests enter their fifteenth day on Friday.

A White House spokesperson told Canada’s CBC News that it had numerous conversations with their Canadian counterparts today and that “[They] have been engaged around the clock to bring this to a swift end”.

The homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also encouraged his Canadian counterparts on Thursday to intervene in the protests that have shutdown central Ottawa and two US border crossings – bring car manufacturing and other economic activities to a hault.

US conservatives cheer Canada truckers protest

10:05 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The ongoing truckers protest in Canada against Covid-19 vaccine mandates has found support among several conservative media figures in the US.

Fox News host Sean Hannity cheered the truckers on while showing three live reports from Ottawa this week, reported Associated Press.

Tucker Carlson’s online store is also selling “I (heart) Tucker” t-shirts edited to say “I (heart) Truckers.”

According to the liberal watchdog Media Matters for America, Fox News Channel has devoted eight hours and 43 minutes of airtime to the story between 18 January and Wednesday.

In a monologue on his show last week, Mr Carlson had said: “The trucker convoy in Canada is pretty cool. People getting together to promote human rights. Who’s against that?”

US conservative figures cheer on Canadian trucker protest

GM, Toyota, Ford production hit by truckers’ protest

09:16 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Several automakers, including Toyota, General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler-parent Stellantis, said on Thursday that they had been forced to cancel or scale back some production at North American plants on Thursday as a fallout of the truckers’ protest.

General Motors said that it had been forced to halt production on Thursday at a Michigan plant where it builds sport utility vehicles, reported Reuters.

“Although we may have intermittent stoppages, we intend to keep production running and meet current schedules at all of our manufacturing operations in the US, Canada and Mexico,” said Shilpan Amin, GM’s vice president for global purchasing and supply chain in a mail to suppliers.

A spokesperson for Toyota said that the company was suspending production through Saturday at plants on both sides of the border, in Ontario and Kentucky.

Ford said that while its plants in Windsor and Oakville were running in reduced capacity, it was hoping for a quick resolution “because it could have widespread impact on all automakers in the US and Canada”.

Third US-Canada port blocked by ‘freedom convoy’ as GM plant forced to close

Trudeau holds series of meetings to end truckers blockade

07:32 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Prime minister Justin Trudeau held a series of meetings Thursday evening to end the ongoing truckers blockade that has affected supplies and hit businesses.

In a statement, Mr Trudeau’s office said: “The prime minister and ministers will continue to work closely with all orders of government and local authorities to respond with whatever it takes to help provinces and municipalities end the blockades and bring the situation under control.”

In a series of late evening tweets, Mr Trudeau said: “This evening, I had several meetings that were focused on the illegal blockades and occupations happening across the country. They’re harming the communities they’re taking place in – and they’re hurting jobs, businesses, and our country’s economy.”

Mr Trudeau said that he spoke with local officials and sought the support of the opposition in ending the protests.

“I stressed how important it is for all Members of Parliament, from every party, to denounce these illegal acts – and to call for an end to these blockades,” he added.

US urges Canada to end truckers protest

05:55 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The Biden administration has urged the Canadian government to use its federal powers to end the ongoing truckers protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates.

Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke with their Canadian counterparts and urged them to help resolve the standoff, said the White House.

With the Ambassador Bridge closed for the fourth straight day, supplies have been hit on both sides of the border.

Several automakers including General Motors have been forced to shut their plants due to parts shortages as a fallout of the protests.

In a joint statement the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers and Business Roundtable urged the Canadian government to act swiftly, reported Associated Press.

“The disruptions we are seeing at the US-Canada border — at the Detroit-Windsor Ambassador Bridge and at other crossings — are adding to the significant supply chain strains on manufacturers and other businesses in the United States,” the statement said.

“We respectfully urge the Canadian government to act swiftly to address the disruption to the flow of trade and its impact on manufacturers and other businesses on both sides of the border.”

‘Get off the bridge and let our people get back to work’

05:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of Linamar, Canada’s second-largest automobile parts manufacturer, says they are watching the protest on the Ambassador Bridge “with concern” and call for the protestors to “get off the bridge”.

“We are watching with concern the situation at the border regarding the ongoing protest. The last thing any business needs right now is to be shut down yet again. Cutting Canada off from our biggest trading partner can ultimately have only one impact, reducing output.

“The last two years have been so disruptive to every one of us and our families with situations we can’t control; this one we can.”

She concludes: “To the protestors, please get off the bridge and let our people get back to work earning money for their families.”

Canada Conservatives push government to present plan lifting federal Covid mandates

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Canada’s Conservative party is pushing for the federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to present a plan to lift all federal Covid-19 mandates following a call to the trucker demonstrations to end their protests, CTV reports.

Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen tabled a motion asking the government to present such a plan by the end of the month as provinces across Canada have begun phasing out their own Covid regulations in the wake of the Omicron variant wave.

The Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos acknowledged that while the country is in a much better place than two years ago thanks to the vaccines, there are still thousands of new Covid cases and hospital capacity remains stretched.

The Conservative motion will be voted on this coming Monday.

Auto groups join legal action against bridge blockaders as mayor of Windsor says they will be physically removed

03:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Auto-industry groups and the City of Windsor, Ontario, are seeking an injunction to end the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told a news briefing on Thursday he hopes the injunction will be before a Superior Court of Justice judge later today, and the city “will work with police to enforce that injunction”.

He said of the protestors: “The individuals on site are trespassing on municipal roads and if need be will be removed to allow for the safe and efficient movement of goods across the border.”

Mr Dilkens said the main applicants for the injunction are the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association and Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, along with the City of Windsor and Chamber of Commerce “as supportive interveners”.

The mayor also expressed frustration that the protestors have no clear leadership and that the issues being protested over have diversified away from Covid vaccine mandates as the protest took on a life of its own.

“We can’t just let this lawlessness happen.”

Speaking to CNN he added: “[If] the protesters don’t leave, there will have to be a path forward. If that means physically removing them, that means physically removing them, and we’re prepared to do that.”

Trucker protest disrupting Canadian car production

03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Toyota says it does not expect its auto plants in Ontario to produce vehicles for the rest of the week, because of supply problems stemming from the protests.

“Due to a number of supply chain, severe weather and COVID related challenges, Toyota continues to face shortages affecting production at our North American plants, including Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada,” the company said.

Toyota says trucker protests are disrupting Canadian car production

White House: Ambassador Bridge blockade ‘poses risk to supply chains’

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that the Ambassador Bridge blockade poses a risk to supply chains for the US auto industry because the border crossing is such a key conduit from Canada.

White House says Ambassador Bridge blockade ‘poses a risk to supply chains’

Ambassador Bridge owner says three ways to end blockade

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Matt Moroun, chairman of the Detroit International Bridge Company, the owner of the Ambassador Bridge, says “we are only just beginning to feel the devastating impact” on the economy of the blockaded bridge.

“This cannot continue any longer,” he says on behalf of those whose livelihoods depend on the busy international trade route.

He suggests three options to end the standoff quickly:

1. End the protest by repealing the mandate and recognising that while the vast majority of truck drivers are vaccinated there are some who for many reasons are choosing not to get vaccinated but deserve to be respected and allowed to do their jobs and serve our countries with dignity.

2. Remove the vehicles blocking the Ambassador Bridge so commerce and trade can resume.

3. Do nothing and hope this ends on its own: an option that will mostly prolong the blockade, further crippling our economy and putting more jobs at risk.

He adds that the protest goes to show the importance of the bridge to international commerce between the US and Canada — once the crisis is resolved he would like recognition that such crossings are too important to be subjected to politics and short-term thinking that compromises commerce, jobs ,and the shared economy.

Copycat ‘freedom convoy’ pushed by QAnon could target Super Bowl, US agency warns

00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden may be forced to tackle trucker protests similar to those seen in Canada, potentially targeting the Super Bowl, according to warnings from the Department of Homeland Security.

In a memo shared with police partners and reported by The Hill, the DHS wrote that it had “received reports of truck drivers potentially planning to block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates”.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Warnings US copycat ‘freedom convoy’ pushed by QAnon could target Super Bowl

New fronts open up in Ottawa protests

Thursday 10 February 2022 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

New front opened up in the Ottawa protests on Thursday, as Global News reports:

Frustrations and conflicts tied to the trucker convoy in Ottawa are spilling over onto new fronts Thursday, with police reporting “a concerted effort to flood” 911 lines, protesters mobilizing at the local airport and hackers taking aim at city council.

Earlier in the day, city officials had warned of traffic disruptions at the city’s international airport as the trucker convoy encamped across the city enters its 14th day, and some members appeared to be encircling the airport.

That now appears to have ended, but it remains unclear whether the group will move to a different site or return to the airport.

Ottawa police had told Global News they are “aware” of the convoy’s presence at the airport and shortly after, issued a tweet warning of attempts to target emergency lines.

“We are aware of a concerted effort to flood our 911 and non-emergency policing reporting line. This endangers lives and is completely unacceptable,” the police service said.

Ottawa Police have provided an update on the ongoing efforts to combat disruption

Thursday 10 February 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

“More resources means a faster set of results to end this unlawful demonstration,” says Police Chief Peter Sloly.

He says 12 trucks from the Coventry Road area have left, as have ten from Wellington Street. Firewood and fuel are being taken from protesters and charges made. To date, there have been 25 arrests and 1,550 tickets issued.

Mr Sloly says progress is being made but more resources are still needed.

To demonstrators thinking of coming to the city this weekend, Chief Sloly says: “Don’t. There will be accountability for any unlawful activity.”

Mr Sloly says more and more Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers are being brought in, and more Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area officers are coming in 24 to 48 hours to help.

Ontario Provincial Police officers are helping to triage resources in the city and across the province.

“Let me be clear, there is no reluctance to be involved in enforcement efforts. We’ve been enforcing the law from day one and we continue to so as more resources become available,.” says Chief Sloly.

Ottawa Police refute claim they’ve been ordered to return fuel.

Thursday 10 February 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

No, the police will not return fuel that has been confiscated.

Ottawa protesters carry out bizarre ‘peace officer’ ceremonies

Thursday 10 February 2022 21:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Protesters in Ottawa have been carrying out an odd ceremony in which they deputise themselves as “peace officers” claiming it empowers them to “detain and arrest anyone you see breaching the public peace”.

The ceremonies were filmed at the Coventry Road supply camp earlier today and another last night.

Former Trump official at Ottawa’s trucker convoy protest

Thursday 10 February 2022 21:21 , Oliver O'Connell

A one-time science adviser to former President Donald Trump has been in Ottawa for several days participating in the trucker convoy Covid-19 vaccine mandate protests.

Paul Alexander has described his presence there as a “personal mission” CBC’s Alexander Panetta reports.

During his time in the Canadian capital, he has appeared at news conferences, alongside People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier, and has been tweeting about supplying fuel to protesting truckers.

Mr Alexander also claims that he has been contacted by people hoping to organise a similar convoy in the US, which the Department of Homeland Security has already issued a warning about.

“The truckers have common sense,” Mr Alexander told CBC, adding that the possible US version of the protest is going to be “massive” and “politicians had better pay attention”.

The former science advisor to Michael Caputo, assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, left the role in September 2020.

He disagreed with other officials about the handling of the pandemic and wished to pursue a herd immunity strategy.

Mayor says police prepared to physically remove bridge protestors

Thursday 10 February 2022 21:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Police near the Ambassador Bridge have begun receiving additional manpower, Drew Dilkens, mayor of Windsor, Ontario, which borders Detroit, told CNN.

“(If) the protesters don’t leave, there will have to be a path forward. If that means physically removing them, that means physically removing them, and we’re prepared to do that,” Dilkens said.

Reuters

Ambassador Bridge owner says three ways to end blockade

Thursday 10 February 2022 20:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Matt Moroun, chairman of the Detroit International Bridge Company, the owner of the Ambassador Bridge, says “we are only just beginning to feel the devastating impact” on the economy of the blockaded bridge.

“This cannot continue any longer,” he says on behalf of those whose livelihoods depend on the busy international trade route.

He suggests three options to end the standoff quickly:

1. End the protest by repealing the mandate and recognising that while the vast majority of truck drivers are vaccinated there are some who for many reasons are choosing not to get vaccinated but deserve to be respected and allowed to do their jobs and serve our countries with dignity.

2. Remove the vehicles blocking the Ambassador Bridge so commerce and trade can resume.

3. Do nothing and hope this ends on its own: an option that will mostly prolong the blockade, further crippling our economy and putting more jobs at risk.

He adds that the protest goes to show the importance of the bridge to international commerce between the US and Canada — once the crisis is resolved he would like recognition that such crossings are too important to be subjected to politics and short-term thinking that compromises commerce, jobs ,and the shared economy.

What are Canadian politicians seeing of the protest?

Thursday 10 February 2022 20:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Bales of hay, a dance party, barricades... jumbo toys.

It would be funny if it wasn’t making things so miserable for so many people.

Auto groups join city of Windsor legal action to end bridge blockade

Thursday 10 February 2022 20:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Auto-industry groups and the City of Windsor, Ontario, are seeking an injunction to end the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told a news briefing on Thursday he hopes the injunction will be before a Superior Court of Justice judge later today, and the city “will work with police to enforce that injunction”.

He said of the protestors: “The individuals on site are trespassing on municipal roads and if need be will be removed to allow for the safe and efficient movement of goods across the border.”

Mr Dilkens said the main applicants for the injunction are the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association and Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, along with the City of Windsor and Chamber of Commerce “as supportive interveners”.

The mayor also expressed frustration that the protestors have no clear leadership and that the issues being protested over have diversified away from Covid vaccine mandates as the protest took on a life of its own.

“We can’t just let this lawlessness happen.”

Report: Military says ‘false flag’ story is fake

Thursday 10 February 2022 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Global News’s Mercedes Stephenson reports military sources as confirming that they have not been asked to step in to resolve the protest situation.

A wild conspiracy theory post on a QAnon Telegram channel claimed the Canadian Armed Forces had refused to do so and an alleged false flag event was now planned to force them to step in and arrest “the insurrectionist”.

Homeless shelter inundated with donations after protest harassment reports

Thursday 10 February 2022 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Following the widely reported harassment of staff and volunteers by protesters from the ‘Freedom Convoy’ who demanded food from their soup kitchen during the first weekend of protests, a homeless shelter has been inundated with donations.

More than 13,000 people have donated about $750,000 to the Shepherds of Good Hope since 30 January 30, the head of the shelter announced on Thursday.

The bulk of these funds will be used to build supportive housing residences so that the group can end the journey of homelessness for 105 people in its shelter.

They are in the midst of building (and renovating) two residences.

Soup kitchen says Freedom Convoy truckers ‘harassing’ staff for meals

Trudeau spoke with Ontario premier Doug Ford about border blockades

Thursday 10 February 2022 19:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken with Ontario’s premier Doug Ford about the ongoing border crossing blockages.

While condemning the blockades he does not give details as to what tactics the federal and provincial governments might use to get traffic moving again.

When will Canada’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest end?

Thursday 10 February 2022 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The “Freedom Convoy” of disgruntled long-haul truck drivers who crossed Canada to denounce tightening Covid-19 vaccine rules have now been present in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, for almost two weeks – and their protest looks no closer to reaching its end.

The truckers originally set out from Prince Rupert in the far east of British Columbia on 23 January to express their anger at the loss of vaccine exemption status for cross-border drivers, meaning that the unvaxxed returning from assignments in the US faced a gruelling 14-day quarantine period.

The issue only ever affected around 16,000 hauliers – given that 85 per cent of their colleagues have received their jabs, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance – but, since their arrival in Ottawa on 29 January, the movement has mutated into a broader, all-purpose expression of anti-government dissent.

The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad looks at what might happen next.

When will Canada’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest end?

GiveSendGo fundraiser tops $8m — but where are donations coming from?

Thursday 10 February 2022 18:54 , Oliver O'Connell

The fundraiser for the “Freedom Convoy 2022” on Christian website GiveSendGo has hit more than $8m, CTV reports.

The network says that the number of donors from the US may actually outnumber those from Canada. Americans who donated and spoke to CTV say they find common cause with the truckers across the northern border.

CTV News sampled some 6,500 donations over a 12-hour period coming onto GiveSendGo, together worth about $622,000.

About 35 per cent were anonymous donations, or clearly pseudonyms, such as “Justin Trudeau.”

Of the remainder, CTV News counted those who declared their location or made it clear what country they were from — about 10 per cent. Among the names listed are “Buckhorn Texans for Freedom from Government,” and “The Republican Club of Lakeland, Florida.”

In that smaller sample, Canadian donations accounted for about 36 per cent of the money gained. Small amounts came from people who said they were in the UK, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong, with donations coming from as far away as Latvia and Japan, the records show.

But dwarfing them all were donations from those who said they were in the United States — about 52 per cent of identifiable donations.

CTV asked GiveSendGo for a full breakdown by country of where donations came from, but did not receive an answer.

Texas AG investigating GoFundMe for axing Canada truck protest fundraiser

Thursday 10 February 2022 18:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has confirmed that he will be investigating GoFundMe for shutting down the fundraiser for the Canadian trucker protest in Ottawa.

Texas AG investigating GoFundMe for shutting down Canadian truck protest fundraiser

White House: Ambassador Bridge blockade ‘poses risk to supply chains’

Thursday 10 February 2022 18:20 , Oliver O'Connell

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that the Ambassador Bridge blockade poses a risk to supply chains for the US auto industry because the border crossing is such a key conduit from Canada.

White House says Ambassador Bridge blockade ‘poses a risk to supply chains’