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Ontario premier declares state of emergency, threatens fines, prison time for blocking highways and bridges

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency Friday as Canada headed into the third weekend of “Freedom Convoy” truck protests that have paralyzed Ottawa and blockaded several U.S.-Canada border crossings. He said he would seek to impose steep fines and prison time for people blocking highways and bridges.
Speaking at a news conference, Ford urged protesters to end the blockades peacefully. “We’re now two weeks into the siege of the city of Ottawa,” he said. “I call it a siege because that’s what it is. It’s an illegal occupation. This is no longer a protest.”
He said he would convene his cabinet and “urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.”
Fines would be “severe,” he warned, with penalties up to $78,000 a year in prison. Ford said he would consider taking away the personal and commercial licenses of anyone who doesn’t comply with these orders.
The initial state of emergency will last for 42 hours. Ford’s cabinet will meet Saturday to discuss further amendments, solicitor general Sylvia Jones said.
Demonstrators holed up in trucks continue to paralyze swaths of downtown Ottawa and blockade three border crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, the busiest crossing on the U.S.-Canada border. What started as a protest against rules in both countries requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated before crossing the border has snowballed to include a broader list of grievances. Some protesters are demanding the removal of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was reelected to a third mandate in September.
Why are ‘Freedom Convoy’ truckers protesting in Ottawa? Our reporters answered your questions.
Trudeau said late Thursday he had convened several meetings with cabinet minsters, opposition lawmakers and local officials in an effort to end the blockade and “denounce these illegal acts.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 10. (Dave Chan/AFP/Getty Images)
Trudeau underscored the economic damage being done to the country by the closure of three border crossings and other major roads and bridges. “They’re harming the communities they’re taking place in — and they’re hurting jobs, businesses, and our country’s economy,” he tweeted.
Trudeau also said he was aiding the mayor of Windsor, where the closure of the Ambassador Bridge, a vital supply route between automakers in Windsor and Detroit, has affected some trade. He said officials were working together to “get the situation under control — because it is causing real harm to workers and economies on both sides of the border.”
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Thursday that the city and auto groups were seeking an injunction to end the blockade. Companies such as Ford and General Motors have said they already have cut production and canceled shifts at some sites.
As the crisis deepens, officials in the United States called on their Canadian counterparts to get the demonstrations under control. The self-styled “Freedom Convoy,” which began as a protest in Ottawa against coronavirus vaccine mandates, is now heading into its third weekend and has crippled much of the Canadian capital.
The impact is also being felt in the United States, where a group of business leaders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warned Thursday that the blockade was “adding to the significant supply chain strains on manufacturers and other businesses in the United States.” The chamber said that “we are already seeing some production cuts, shift reductions, and temporary plant closures.”
The Biden administration said Thursday it was monitoring the situation at the border “very closely” and that Cabinet officials were “engaged around the clock to bring this to a swift end.”
Canadian trucker protest upends the lives of Ottawa residents
Ottawa residents like Joycelyn Sinclair Bates have had to deal with incessant honking and exhaust fumes as anti-vaccine demonstrations have dragged on. (Zoeann Murphy, Drea Cornejo/The Washington Post)
Here’s what you need to know about the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged their Canadian counterparts to “use federal powers to resolve this situation” and offered the support of their departments, the White House said.

 
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency Friday as Canada headed into the third weekend of “Freedom Convoy” truck protests that have paralyzed Ottawa and blockaded several U.S.-Canada border crossings. He said he would seek to impose steep fines and prison time for people blocking highways and bridges.
Speaking at a news conference, Ford urged protesters to end the blockades peacefully. “We’re now two weeks into the siege of the city of Ottawa,” he said. “I call it a siege because that’s what it is. It’s an illegal occupation. This is no longer a protest.”
He said he would convene his cabinet and “urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.”
Fines would be “severe,” he warned, with penalties up to $78,000 a year in prison. Ford said he would consider taking away the personal and commercial licenses of anyone who doesn’t comply with these orders.
The initial state of emergency will last for 42 hours. Ford’s cabinet will meet Saturday to discuss further amendments, solicitor general Sylvia Jones said.
Demonstrators holed up in trucks continue to paralyze swaths of downtown Ottawa and blockade three border crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, the busiest crossing on the U.S.-Canada border. What started as a protest against rules in both countries requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated before crossing the border has snowballed to include a broader list of grievances. Some protesters are demanding the removal of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was reelected to a third mandate in September.
Why are ‘Freedom Convoy’ truckers protesting in Ottawa? Our reporters answered your questions.
Trudeau said late Thursday he had convened several meetings with cabinet minsters, opposition lawmakers and local officials in an effort to end the blockade and “denounce these illegal acts.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters in Ottawa on Feb. 10. (Dave Chan/AFP/Getty Images)
Trudeau underscored the economic damage being done to the country by the closure of three border crossings and other major roads and bridges. “They’re harming the communities they’re taking place in — and they’re hurting jobs, businesses, and our country’s economy,” he tweeted.
Trudeau also said he was aiding the mayor of Windsor, where the closure of the Ambassador Bridge, a vital supply route between automakers in Windsor and Detroit, has affected some trade. He said officials were working together to “get the situation under control — because it is causing real harm to workers and economies on both sides of the border.”
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Thursday that the city and auto groups were seeking an injunction to end the blockade. Companies such as Ford and General Motors have said they already have cut production and canceled shifts at some sites.
As the crisis deepens, officials in the United States called on their Canadian counterparts to get the demonstrations under control. The self-styled “Freedom Convoy,” which began as a protest in Ottawa against coronavirus vaccine mandates, is now heading into its third weekend and has crippled much of the Canadian capital.
The impact is also being felt in the United States, where a group of business leaders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warned Thursday that the blockade was “adding to the significant supply chain strains on manufacturers and other businesses in the United States.” The chamber said that “we are already seeing some production cuts, shift reductions, and temporary plant closures.”
The Biden administration said Thursday it was monitoring the situation at the border “very closely” and that Cabinet officials were “engaged around the clock to bring this to a swift end.”
Canadian trucker protest upends the lives of Ottawa residents
Ottawa residents like Joycelyn Sinclair Bates have had to deal with incessant honking and exhaust fumes as anti-vaccine demonstrations have dragged on. (Zoeann Murphy, Drea Cornejo/The Washington Post)
Here’s what you need to know about the ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged their Canadian counterparts to “use federal powers to resolve this situation” and offered the support of their departments, the White House said.

You forgot "Deplorable".
 
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Well who couldn't see this coming? Canada throws pastors in jail for holding church services. Don't do what leaders tell you, go to jail, don't pass go, don't collect $200.
 
Good, glad to see the government stepping up. These truckers are no different than the BLM people who blocked road ways.

Actually, it’s quite a bit different in scope and scale. Of really in the same neighborhood.
 
Were you cool in 2020 with protesters blocking traffic?
Actually yes, freedom of assembly does not say anything about where. As long as BLM did not destroy property, disagree with them as I may, I did/do not have a problem with them assembling anywhere.
 
Fair enough. I bet you are in the minority of Trump lovers.
Maybe, but you might be surprised how many "Trump lovers" did/would not have a problem with peaceful protests, even from BLM. Unfortunately the idiots on both sides get all the attention.
 
Fair enough. I bet you are in the minority of Trump lovers.
And don't misunderstand I was plenty pissed in the summer of 2020 when a BLM protested and blocked my only way to pick up my order at California Pizza Kitchen. At least CPK refunded my order.
 
Well who couldn't see this coming? Canada throws pastors in jail for holding church services. Don't do what leaders tell you, go to jail, don't pass go, don't collect $200.
If you break your governments laws you might go to jail??
Crazy sounding place!!

You live in Cali I assume ;)
 
Not cool. They need to target something more specific rather than affecting the general public.
 
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Well who couldn't see this coming? Canada throws pastors in jail for holding church services. Don't do what leaders tell you, go to jail, don't pass go, don't collect $200.
He was jailed in 2021. Your link is a year old.

Coates was locked up in mid-February for breaching bail conditions. He had been charged with violating public health orders, with the church holding in-person services without social distancing and in violation of restrictions that limited capacity to 15 per cent of fire code.

 
He was jailed in 2021. Your link is a year old.

Coates was locked up in mid-February for breaching bail conditions. He had been charged with violating public health orders, with the church holding in-person services without social distancing and in violation of restrictions that limited capacity to 15 per cent of fire code.

It still happened. I was making a point. Don't defying executive orders in Canada. It lands you in jail eventually.
 
You okay with stuff like this? Throwing pastors in jail who refuse to shut down their churches because of public health orders?
Yes during a pandemic. At the time the vaccine was just getting going.. He was out on bail after violating the restrictions and he chose to continue having normal services then he was jailed.
 
Yes during a pandemic. At the time the vaccine was just getting going.. He was out on bail after violating the restrictions and he chose to continue having normal services then he was jailed.
Fair enough. I disagree with you but respect your opinion. Canada has been a boiling pot that we haven't paid much attention to until now. There have been a lot of pissed off people up there for awhile. What you see now has been brewing for quite awhile.
 
As I felt with BLM protestors blocking interstates…

rocky-drago-if-he-dies.gif
 
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