Truckers blocked part of the busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing as officials scrambled to try to put an end to COVID-19 protests that have disrupted daily life in Ottawa and elsewhere.
Police told motorists to avoid the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, as a line of truckers obstructed flow to an exit near the bridge.
Monday’s incident was part of wider protests against pandemic restrictions that featured a trucker convoy from Vancouver to Ottawa.
The convoy set up camp in the capital more than a week ago, and blaring horns, clogged streets and shuttered businesses have local residents and politicians at their breaking point.
“Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens’ daily lives. It has to stop,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday during a parliamentary debate in Ottawa.
The demonstration started as a protest against a rule requiring Canadian truckers to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 if they want to avoid a 14-day quarantine when they cross the border from the U.S.
Mr. Trudeau said nearly 90% of Canada’s truckers are fully vaccinated so the protesters represent a “small, fringe minority,” according to CNN.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said his officers are “stretched to the limit, but we are 100% committed to using everything we have to end this demonstration.”
The convoy protest has spiraled into a broader fight over crowdfunding platforms after GoFundMe shut down a site that had raised $10 million for the truckers.
A Christian crowdfunding site, GiveSendGo, urged donors to give to the convoy through its platform and said it received assurances from organizers that money wouldn’t flow to anyone who incites violence.
On Monday, the platform said it raised $4.5 million in 24 hours.
“Along with the tremendous showing of support, there has also been plenty of pushback,” said Jacob Wells, co-founder of GiveSendGo. “We’ve seen nearly 10 million bots trying to overwhelm our servers in just the past two hours. Though this has caused issues for the platform, we will not let it stand in the way of providing a safe and effective means of fundraising for our campaign owner across the globe.”
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.