Ottawa - Jim Watson, the Ottawa Mayor declared a state of emergency on Sunday after over a week of trucker convoy demonstrations in the nation’s capital against COVID-19 restrictions. The move comes after Watson lamented earlier on Sunday that police have been outnumbered by the demonstrators, and indicated he wants the federal government to help quash the protest.
A state of emergency will provide “greater flexibility” for the City to deliver essential services to residents and to acquire equipment for frontline workers and first responders, according to the statement.
Before announcing the emergency, Watson pleaded with the federal government to “sit down and have some kind of a discussion, some kind of mediation to get this situation resolved because it’s now spreading across the country.”
Watson’s statements echoed an admission by Police Chief Peter Sloly on Saturday. “We do not have sufficient resources to adequately and effectively address this situation while adequately and effectively providing policing in this city,” the top cop said during a meeting with the Ottawa Police Services Board. Referring to the demonstration as a “siege,” he insisted it was “something that is different in our democracy than something I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
While Sloly has repeatedly claimed “all options are on the table,” PM Justin Trudeau last week ruled out deploying the military, acknowledging that such a response should be a matter of last resort. The protesters have promised to hold the line until the government repeals its vaccination mandates and QR code “health passports.”
The trucker convoy arrived in Ottawa on Friday Jan. 28 from across the country. It has since parked itself in the downtown core in protest against government COVID-19 measures, including a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers and the requirement to wear face masks inside businesses.
Over the past week, the demonstrations have been criticized for loud honking and harassment of residents, businesses as well as media covering the events. Global News has found connections between the organizers and extremist elements in Canada.
During the first weekend, protesters placed a sign and an upside-down Canadian flag on a statue of Terry Fox and were recorded jumping on a World War II memorial.
Some 5,000 people and 1,000 vehicles descended on downtown Ottawa on Saturday, joining the multitudes already present on the 10th day of the ongoing demonstration. A smaller counter-protest took place at City Hall.
Ottawa Police began issuing more tickets related to the protest, saying Sunday that over 450 have been given since Saturday morning for offenses such as excessive noise, use of fireworks and other traffic violations.
Authorities have placed heavy barricades at key crossing points throughout downtown and closed roads in an effort to keep out the endless parade of trucks.
Attempts to divert trucks to the Ottawa Baseball Stadium to keep them out of downtown appear to have backfired, with the stadium turning into a “staging area” for the demonstrators with saunas and reportedly even bouncy castles for protesters’ children along with a refueling station and other supplies.
Organizers have indicated they plan to stay in Ottawa for the “long haul,” seeking donations from supporters to cover the costs of fuel, food, and lodging. After fundraising platform GoFundMe froze $7 million in donations, they regrouped on competitor GiveSendGo, overloading the platform’s servers as supporters rushed to pledge their money once more.
While Ontario has refused to budge regarding its Covid-19 restrictions, the provinces of Quebec and Saskatchewan have already rolled back some of their stricter measures, while Alberta announced that a vote to lift the mandates will be held this week.
-RT/Globalnews