Ambassador Bridge Reopening Sunday After Police Clear Last of Anti-Vax Truck Protesters
North America’s busiest trade link will reopen for traffic on Sunday, ending a six-day blockade, a top U.S. official said, after Canadian police cleared the protesters fighting to end COVID-19 restrictions. The blockade has choked the supply chain for Detroit’s carmakers, forcing Ford Motor Co, the second-largest U.S. automaker, General Motors Co., and Toyota Motor Corp to cut production.
Police stepped up their presence on the Ambassador Bridge on Sunday, with more than 50 vehicles, including cruisers, buses, and an armored car, as the number of protesters dropped to around 45 from roughly 100 on Saturday. Windsor Police tweeted “there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity”. Canadian police made several arrests on Sunday and cleared protesters and vehicles that occupied the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, following a court order on Friday. A Windsor Police official told reporters that between 20 and 30 arrests were made. Police also seized vehicles within the demonstration area, according to an earlier statement.
“Canadian authorities intend to reopen the Ambassador Bridge today after completing necessary safety checks,” White House Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall said in a statement. “We stand ready to support our Canadian partners wherever useful in order to ensure the restoration of the normal free flow of commerce can resume.”
Molly: The people who are most excited this week about this trucker caravan were the Fox News opinion hosts. They could not get over how thrilled they were and remember we’ve seen other protests where they were pretty mad at the protesters pic.twitter.com/3MDRiRLiI1
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 13, 2022
The “Freedom Convoy” protests, started in the national capital Ottawa by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, entered its 17th day on Sunday. But it has now morphed into a rallying point against broader COVID-19 curbs, carbon tax, and other issues, with people joining in cars, pick-up trucks, and farm vehicles. Counter-protests in Ottawa started blocking vehicles trying to join the protests on Sunday, with residents losing patience over the three-week-old demonstrations.
In the Ottawa trucker protests, you can think of the United States as a bad actor funding disorder through well-known private individuals, and organizing behind the destruction of democratic institutions and economic institutions in Canada. W/ @AliVelshi pic.twitter.com/hfquqy9MMM
— Timothy Snyder (@TimothyDSnyder) February 13, 2022
The bridge carries about $360 million a day in two-way cargoes – 25% of the value of all U.S.-Canada goods trade. The estimated loss so far from the blockades to the auto industry alone could be as high as $850 million, which puts the 2021 daily flow in vehicles and parts at $141.1 million a day.
While on my way today to cover the Ambassador Bridge trucker protest, I stopped at a truck stop in Woodstock Ontario, where I met Ted McNeill. He had to take a five hour detour to get his truckload of food into Canada. He shared this message to those protesting COVID-19 mandates. pic.twitter.com/oOJernINIf
— Adrian Ghobrial (@CityAdrian) February 9, 2022