A Canadian judge has ordered protesters at the Ambassador Bridge, which crosses the border with the US, to end a five-day-old blockade that has disrupted the flow of goods between the two countries and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production.
Trucks blocking the Ambassador Bridge, which links Canada and the United States. Photo: AFP
It was not immediately clear when or if law enforcement officers would be sent in to remove the demonstrators, who parked their vehicles in a protest against Canada's Covid-19 restrictions and an outpouring of fury toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government.
Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court said during a virtual hearing that the order would become effective at 7pm, giving protesters time to leave.
Windsor police immediately warned that demonstrators blocking the streets could be arrested and their vehicles might be seized.
The decision came after a four and a half hour court hearing at which the city of Windsor and lawyers for auto parts makers argued the blockade was causing undue economic harm for the city and region.
Supporters of the protesters, some of them truckers, argued that an order would disrupt their right to peacefully protest against vaccine mandates that hindered their ability to earn a living.
Since Monday, drivers mostly in pick-up trucks have bottled up the bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit.
Hundreds more truckers have paralysed downtown Ottawa over the past two weeks.
'We heard you. It's time to go home'
The ruling came in a day of fast-moving developments as federal, provincial and local officials moved simultaneously on different fronts to try to break the so-called Freedom Convoy stand-off.
"This unlawful activity has to end and it will end," Trudeau warned just hours earlier.
"We heard you. It's time to go home now," the Prime Minister said, cautioning that "everything is on the table" for ending the blockades.
Also on Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency and threatened heavy penalties against those who interfered with the free flow of goods and people.
Ford said he would convene the provincial cabinet on Saturday to urgently enact measures that made it "crystal clear" it was illegal to block critical infrastructure.
Violators would face up to a year in prison, he said.
"There will be consequences for these actions, and they will be severe," Ford said.
The measures will also provide additional authority "to consider taking away the personal and commercial licences of anyone who doesn't comply", according to the Premier's office.
Trudeau called Ontario's decision "responsible and necessary" and said he spoke with US President Joe Biden about it.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo: 2021 Getty Images
"We discussed the American and indeed global influences on the protest," Trudeau said.
"We talked about the US-based flooding of the 911 phone lines in Ottawa, the presence of US citizens in the blockade and the impact of foreign money to fund this illegal activity."
Trudeau said he understood the protesters were frustrated by the pandemic, but "these blockades are hurting everyday families, auto assembly workers, farmers, truckers, blue-collar Canadians".
The protests have caused shortages of auto parts that have forced General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Honda to close plants or cancel shifts.
'We need to get back to normal'
Before the judge's ruling came down, dozens of protesters in Windsor blocked the entrance to the bridge while carrying signs and Canadian flags.
Music played, food was handed out and a trampoline was set up for children.
Troy Holman, a 32-year-old Windsor resident who has protested every day this week, said he believed the government overreached with its Covid-19 restrictions, which he said hurt his wife's small business.
"Unfortunately, we have to be here, because this is what's going to get the attention of the government," he said.
Signs read "Freedom Is Essential", "Say No to Mandatory Vaccines" and "End Mandates".
"We stand for freedom. We believe that it should be everyone's personal decision what they inject into their bodies," protester Karen Driedger, 40, of Leamington, said.
"We're saying, 'That's enough.' We need to go back to normal and live our lives again."
Protesters in downtown Ottawa. Photo: AFP
While the Canadian protesters are decrying vaccine mandates for truckers and other Covid-19 restrictions, many of the country's infection measures, such as mask rules and vaccine passports for getting into restaurants and theatres, are already falling away as the Omicron surge levels off.
Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the US, but Canadians have largely supported them.
The vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated, and the Covid-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States.
- ABC
