An Ontario mayor says he will seek a court order Friday that expands his power to remove truckers blocking a key border crossing as part of protests against COVID-19 rules.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said the order would expand police powers to move the truckers near Ambassador Bridge that connects Canada to Detroit.
“I get that this injunction would be a single piece of paper, but it gives police more weight in the actions that they are prepared to take, and they will do what is operationally required to move people out,” Mr. Dilkens said.
If the court order is granted, tow trucks and equipment would be brought in to get the trucks out of the way.
U.S. and Canadian officials are getting antsy about the economic shocks from the protests, which also blocked key border crossings in Manitoba and Alberta.
Automakers have sent workers home or temporarily shuttered operations because they cannot get necessary parts.
“It’s never been just a Canada issue,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, told CNN. “It’s been hurting us in Michigan since day one.”
“We are at an economic crisis because of this illegal blockade,” she said.
Truckers have clogged the capital, Ottawa, for roughly two weeks after a convoy from Vancouver, prompting a judge to ban horn-honking as city denizens grumble about disruptions. The protest began as a demonstration against COVID-19 vaccine mandates on truckers but expanded into a general protest over pandemic rules.
U.S. officials are getting skittish about a similar protest taking shape across America. Reports suggest some truckers might try to disrupt the Super Bowl in Los Angeles this weekend before heading east to protest in Washington.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.