The latest developments on ongoing protests against COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, in Ottawa and various locations across Canada, on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. All times eastern:
11:45 p.m.
The Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey, B.C., has reopened following a protest against COVID-19 public health measures.
RCMP say the "vast majority" of protesters and vehicles have left the area near the border crossing and that a small group of protesters remain at an intersection a short distance away.
They say traffic is moving again on 176th Street in all directions and the public can now access the border crossing.
The Mounties say police will be maintaining a "large presence" throughout the evening and continuously assessing the situation.
9 p.m.
Ottawa police say they deployed mid-range impact weapons after protesters were allegedly assaulting officers with weapons.
Police say the use of the ARWEN weapons was warranted to stop the "violent actions of the protesters."
They say the weapons were used by police this evening.
Police told the Canadian Press that they do not know of any reported injuries.
8:15 p.m.
RCMP are investigating after they say members of the media were swarmed by protesters near the Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey, B.C.
The Mounties say they are aware of several alleged incidents involving a group of aggressive protesters who surrounded journalists.
They say in a statement police intervened and ensured media had safe passage to their vehicles.
Sgt. Elenore Sturko says while it is not always safe for officers to take immediate enforcement action due to the size of the crowd, the incidents will be fully investigated and could lead to subsequent arrests or charges.
8 p.m.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says demonstrators at a border crossing in Surrey, B.C., must go home.
The minister says in a tweet the government has been clear that illegal blockades will not be tolerated.
He says the government is committed to keeping the Canada-U.S. border safe and secure to allow goods to enter without disruption.
RCMP have said they blocked access to the Pacific Highway border crossing today as a safety precaution due to increasing protest activity in the area.
7:15 p.m.
Police in Edmonton say early indications are that noise levels from today's truck convoy through the city have been less than previous weekends.
They say in a social media post that they have been ticketing for noise when it was safe to do so, and that enforcement was taking place.
A court granted the city a temporary injunction earlier this month to address nuisance noise from vehicles that participate in protests against public health restrictions.
Hundreds of opponents of pandemic health restrictions also marched from the Alberta legislature, through the streets of downtown Edmonton, this afternoon.
5:15 p.m.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his United Conservatives will launch a court challenge of the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act.
Kenney announced the news in a tweet this afternoon.
He says the Trudeau government's invocation of the law is "unnecessary," "disproportionate," "violates natural justice," "intrudes into provincial jurisdiction," and "creates a dangerous precedent."
Kenney said last week that he would respect the federal government's decision if it feels it's necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act to quell disturbances in other jurisdictions.
But he said invoking the Emergencies Act for his province could actually inflame tensions.
He said Alberta has all the necessary statutory powers and operational capacity for enforcement after R-C-M-P arrested 11 people at the Canada-U.S. border crossing at Coutts, Alta., earlier in the week.
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4:30 p.m.
The Canada Border Services Agency says British Columbia's main border crossing for truckers is experiencing a service disruption due to protest activity in the area.
The CBSA says the Pacific Highway port of entry remains open, however it advises travelers to use an alternative processing site due to protest activity in the area.
It encourages travelers to consult the CBSA website given evolving circumstances.
The RCMP say an arterial road near the border crossing has been closed and access to the border has been blocked as a preventative measure to help ensure public safety amid increased protest activity against COVID-19 mandates.
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3:45 p.m.
Ottawa's interim police chief says officers are using more force against protesters because they are facing a "barrage of resistance."
Steve Bell says 47 new arrests have been made, bringing the total number since the operation began to clear Parliament Hill to 170.
Bell says protesters have been shoving officers and hurling vitriol at them.
He says officers are now wearing helmets and wielding batons.
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3:15 p.m.
Protesters staged another anti-mandate rally in Fredericton today.
Police say the protest in front of the provincial legislature was peaceful and included about 100 participants at its peak.
The crowd has begun to disband.
One organizer told the crowd to consider travelling to Ottawa to bolster the number of demonstrators there.
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3:05 p.m.
An Ottawa judge says she will decide on Tuesday whether to grant bail to Ottawa protester Tamara Lich.
That means the 49-year-old Alberta woman will be returned to the local Ottawa detention centre until then.
Lich was charged with counselling to commit mischief in connection with the protests that have snarled Ottawa for more than three weeks.
Lich told court she just wants to return to Alberta and be with her family.
Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois says she wants to take the time necessary to render a decision.
Ontario courts are closed this Monday because of the Family Day holiday.
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2:45 p.m.
Thousands of protesters have converged on the Quebec legislature to take part in a demonstration against COVID-19 health measures inspired by the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa.
Quebec City police said via Twitter that they had made three arrests as of noon but the majority of attendees have have demonstrated peacefully.
Horns could be heard honking as a convoy of vans and cars circled near the legislature.
The Quebec government has already announced it is phasing out use of its vaccine passport and intends to withdraw most COVID-19 health measures by March 14.
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2:30 p.m.
The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa is urging families with children to leave the protest zone immediately.
The society says in a statement it has teams on standby in case any children face imminent risk or become separated from their parents during police action, but they have not had to intervene in the demonstrations.
The society says its goal is to reunite families where it is safe to do so, as quickly as possible.
As police action unfolds, the society says parents should make alternate care plans in case they become unable to care for their children.
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2:15 p.m.
RCMP say they are monitoring protests near the U.S. border south of Vancouver where convoys of trucks are expected to arrive today.
Sgt. Elenore Sturko says buses have begun dropping off protesters in Surrey, B.C., near the Pacific Highway border crossing, the main one used by truckers in the province.
She says the Mounties have been in contact with organizers to communicate appropriate areas for the protests, maintain public safety and keep the border open.
A dozen people were arrested in the area on Monday during related protests against COVID-19 mandates and government.
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1:30 p.m.
The husband of Ottawa protest convoy organizer Tamara Lich says he flew to Ottawa Feb. 2 on a private jet, the $5,000 cost of which was covered by a “really nice gentleman” he doesn’t really know.
Wayne Lich testified to that and other details at today's bail hearing for his wife Tamara, who faces charges of counselling to commit mischief.
There was no publication ban on the evidence heard at the hearing, which is shedding new light on the inner workings of the convoy organizers.
Tamara Lich appeared in person, wearing a mask in the prisoner’s box of an Ottawa courtroom.
Lich testified she just wants to return to Alberta to be with her husband and kids, and pledged a $5,000 bond, saying that was all she could afford.
She promised to leave Ottawa by vehicle and give up her advocacy of the protest, saying she would need several days to make those arrangements because she does not have the required vaccine passport enabling her to fly and because her bank accounts are now frozen.
Another prominent protest organizer, Patrick King of Alberta, is expected to appear at a bail hearing early next week after he was arrested by police on Friday.
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1:15 p.m.
Ottawa Police say they've made 47 arrests so far today as they continue to try and clear protesters from the heart of the downtown core.
They also say they've towed 38 vehicles since Friday and have cleared a stretch of Wellington Street that runs in front of Parliament.
They issued a tweet saying the road is now clear up to O'Conner Street.
But enforcement operations continue amid a tense atmosphere, with police using batons and a "chemical irritant" as they try to disperse the crowds.
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12 p.m.
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says police are proceeding methodically and responsibly in dealing with the ongoing occupation in downtown Ottawa.
Mendicino defended the federal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act, saying the exceptional measures are targeted, time-limited and Charter guaranteed as MPs resumed their debate on the act today.
He says it has given police additional tools to restore order in Ottawa and keep the country’s borders open for trade and economic security.
Mendicino told a virtual news conference today that authorities have frozen 76 bank accounts with $3.2 million attributed to the blockade.
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11:50 a.m.
Ottawa's parliamentary precinct has entered a "hold and secure" mode amid ongoing demonstrations in the city's downtown core.
The Parliamentary Protective Services says the order limits movement between buildings, but is not a lockdown.
The service says staff are on hand to manage the situation and asks that anyone not on or around Parliament Hill avoid the area.
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10:20 a.m.
Police in Quebec City say they’re preparing for the arrival of heavy trucks and protesters opposed to COVID-19 measures in the provincial capital today.
A planned party near the provincial legislature on Friday evening was cancelled, with a man supervising the stage setup blaming Quebec City’s mayor for the event not going ahead.
A spokesman for Mayor Bruno Marchand’s office told The Canadian Press that organizers of the convoy had the right to demonstrate but did not have a permit to put on a show.
It's unclear how many people will turn up for the weekend demonstration near the National Assembly, amid a heavy police presence and with certain streets around the legislature blocked off by city vehicles.
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10:15 a.m.
Pat King, one of the leading figures behind an antigovernment protest on Parliament Hill, is set to appear in court today to face charges related to his role in the demonstration.
Ottawa police say King, 44, faces charges of mischief, counselling to commit mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobeying a court order and counselling to obstruct police.
King, from Red Deer, Alta., livestreamed his own arrest on Facebook Friday.
Tamara Lich, another prominent protest organizer, is also expected to appear in court today.
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9:45 a.m.
Police are closing in on the heart of the protest site in downtown Ottawa where protesters have been encamped for the past four weeks.
Rows of officers carrying batons are assembled along Wellington Street near the Prime Minister's Office.
Police are issuing warnings to protesters to clear the area and appear to have made some arrests.
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9:15 a.m.
NDP MP Charlie Angus is calling for a public inquiry into the “national embarrassment” that led to the trucker blockades of the Canadian capital for more than three weeks.
Angus is speaking in the House of Commons as MPs resumed debate on the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act.
Angus says an inquiry is needed to determine why Ottawa police let large trucks enter the national capital and set up a blockade that included bouncy castles, while racist members of the freedom convoy harassed local residents and forced businesses to close.
He is also calling for an inquiry into foreign funding of the so-called freedom convoy.
He called the leaders of the protest “racists” who belong in the “crowbar hotel.”
He says Canada can’t be made to look like a “failed state” in the eyes of the world.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2022.
The Canadian Press
