Convoy protests: More fencing erected as police begin enforcements to end trucker-led convoy protest in Ottawa

Police have warned that a crackdown is coming in downtown Ottawa as trucker-led convoy protesters continue to cause chaos in the city. This week, Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly resigned in response to criticism of the police’s response to the protests. Follow the Star’s live coverage.11:46 a.m. The Ottawa police service is warning people who remain entrenched in the occupation in downtown Ottawa that they “face severe penalties” if they don’t remove their vehicles and “cease futher unlawful activity”. The tweet echoes information on notices handed out by police officers to occupiers near Parliament Hill on Thursday. 11:33 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his MPs held a news conference following a debate in the House over the government’s decision to use the Emergencies Act. “We know that it was necessary to give law enforcement and our other officials the tools, authorities and resources that they require to do the job,” said Bill Blair, minister of emergency preparedness. “The use of the financial tools is going to increase in the coming days,” added Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, when asked about the move to freeze accounts by people alleged to have contributed to funding the Ottawa occupation. 11:26 a.m. A number of city vehicles carting more fencing arrive in downtown Ottawa late Thursday morning. City workers started installing fencing near the entrance for Parliament Hill overnight where occupiers have been staged. 10:44 a.m. On Wednesday night, convoy organizer Tamara Lich released a tearful video suggesting she might soon be removed from the demonstration.“I think it’s inevitable at this point, but I’ll probably be going somewhere tomorrow where I’ll be getting three square meals a day. And that’s okay. I’m okay with that. And I want you to know that I am not afraid,” she told supporters.10:36 a.m. Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says it has assurances from police that schools are safe despite an increased police presence downtown. “We will maintain contact with police through the day,” tweeted the school board. “In the event of any changes to the current situation, we will activate our safe schools procedures.”10:21 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the House of Commons to begin debate over the Liberal government’s historic use of the Emergencies Act. A hush fell over the chamber as Trudeau stood to applause from his MPs to defend a decision to declare a public order emergency on Monday. He says it was done because the illegal blockades and occupations have to stop. He pointed to traffic and trade across borders having resumed in the days since, and now Ottawa police have more resources to give people their freedoms back. After Trudeau lays out the government’s case, Opposition parties will have their turn to speak as well.They can potentially also amend or scale back the powers the use of the act provides. 10:04 a.m. Police and by-law enforcement continue handing out notices to occupiers still camped out near Parliament Hill at Wellington Street and R. O'Connor Street. Based on videos and live footage from the ground, protesters don’t appear in a rush to vacate the area. 9:59 a.m. More security fences were erected around Parliament as a historic debate on what the Trudeau government says is a national emergency was set to get underway Thursday.On Wellington Street there was visibly a stronger police presence as more officers got in place on a rainy morning.After police warned of pending action in the hours and days ahead, protesters showed no signs of movement, continuing to play music and cooking food on Wellington Street. Others held up signs asking police to remove barriers in respect of their Charter rights.Police vehicles were gathering at sites away from Parliament Hill in the city, and the Sûreté du Québec said it was arriving to assist a beleaguered Ottawa city police service to end the occupation of the city’s downtown core.Read more from Tonda MacCharles on the Star9:39 a.m. Things appeared to get tense as police officers and by-law officers handed out what appeared to be additional notices and ticketed some parked vehicles. Occupiers and protesters appeared to shout and yell at the officers handing out notices. 9:32 a.m. Animal owners who are part of the Ottawa occupation are being warned by city by-law officials that they risk having their pets seized. “If you are unable to care for your animal as a result of enforcement actions, your animal will placed into protective care for 8 days, at your cost. After 8 days, if arrangements are not made, your animal will be considered relinquished,” reads a tweet by Ottawa by-law.9 a.m. From videos and live feeds being shared on social media, police and city staff appear to be erecting fencing near the staging area where occupiers have been camped for more than two weeks. A large number of police officers and a number of buses mobilized outside a convention centre in Ottawa early Thursday morning. 5 a.m. A B.C. gun ra

Feb 17, 2022 - 22:55

Convoy protests: More fencing erected as police begin enforcements to end trucker-led convoy protest in Ottawa

Police have warned that a crackdown is coming in downtown Ottawa as trucker-led convoy protesters continue to cause chaos in the city. This week, Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly resigned in response to criticism of the police’s response to the protests. Follow the Star’s live coverage.

11:46 a.m. The Ottawa police service is warning people who remain entrenched in the occupation in downtown Ottawa that they “face severe penalties” if they don’t remove their vehicles and “cease futher unlawful activity”. The tweet echoes information on notices handed out by police officers to occupiers near Parliament Hill on Thursday.

11:33 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his MPs held a news conference following a debate in the House over the government’s decision to use the Emergencies Act. “We know that it was necessary to give law enforcement and our other officials the tools, authorities and resources that they require to do the job,” said Bill Blair, minister of emergency preparedness. “The use of the financial tools is going to increase in the coming days,” added Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, when asked about the move to freeze accounts by people alleged to have contributed to funding the Ottawa occupation.

11:26 a.m. A number of city vehicles carting more fencing arrive in downtown Ottawa late Thursday morning. City workers started installing fencing near the entrance for Parliament Hill overnight where occupiers have been staged.

10:44 a.m. On Wednesday night, convoy organizer Tamara Lich released a tearful video suggesting she might soon be removed from the demonstration.

“I think it’s inevitable at this point, but I’ll probably be going somewhere tomorrow where I’ll be getting three square meals a day. And that’s okay. I’m okay with that. And I want you to know that I am not afraid,” she told supporters.

10:36 a.m. Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says it has assurances from police that schools are safe despite an increased police presence downtown. “We will maintain contact with police through the day,” tweeted the school board. “In the event of any changes to the current situation, we will activate our safe schools procedures.”

10:21 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the House of Commons to begin debate over the Liberal government’s historic use of the Emergencies Act.

A hush fell over the chamber as Trudeau stood to applause from his MPs to defend a decision to declare a public order emergency on Monday.

He says it was done because the illegal blockades and occupations have to stop.

He pointed to traffic and trade across borders having resumed in the days since, and now Ottawa police have more resources to give people their freedoms back.

After Trudeau lays out the government’s case, Opposition parties will have their turn to speak as well.

They can potentially also amend or scale back the powers the use of the act provides.

10:04 a.m. Police and by-law enforcement continue handing out notices to occupiers still camped out near Parliament Hill at Wellington Street and R. O'Connor Street. Based on videos and live footage from the ground, protesters don’t appear in a rush to vacate the area.

9:59 a.m. More security fences were erected around Parliament as a historic debate on what the Trudeau government says is a national emergency was set to get underway Thursday.

On Wellington Street there was visibly a stronger police presence as more officers got in place on a rainy morning.

After police warned of pending action in the hours and days ahead, protesters showed no signs of movement, continuing to play music and cooking food on Wellington Street. Others held up signs asking police to remove barriers in respect of their Charter rights.

Police vehicles were gathering at sites away from Parliament Hill in the city, and the Sûreté du Québec said it was arriving to assist a beleaguered Ottawa city police service to end the occupation of the city’s downtown core.

9:39 a.m. Things appeared to get tense as police officers and by-law officers handed out what appeared to be additional notices and ticketed some parked vehicles. Occupiers and protesters appeared to shout and yell at the officers handing out notices.

9:32 a.m. Animal owners who are part of the Ottawa occupation are being warned by city by-law officials that they risk having their pets seized. “If you are unable to care for your animal as a result of enforcement actions, your animal will placed into protective care for 8 days, at your cost. After 8 days, if arrangements are not made, your animal will be considered relinquished,” reads a tweet by Ottawa by-law.

9 a.m. From videos and live feeds being shared on social media, police and city staff appear to be erecting fencing near the staging area where occupiers have been camped for more than two weeks. A large number of police officers and a number of buses mobilized outside a convention centre in Ottawa early Thursday morning.

5 a.m. A B.C. gun range owner, a twice-bankrupt charity founder from Durham Region, a Donald Trump fan who owns a national chain of industrial cleaning warehouses and a former lawyer who now operates a popular lodge in Killarney are among the top five Canadian donors to the Ottawa “Freedom Convoy.”

Together, these five have donated more than $225,000 to the protesters who have occupied parts of downtown Ottawa for more than two weeks. They used the online platform GiveSendGo, which had its donor list leaked after being hacked last weekend.

The Star obtained the hacked donor data from the online whistleblower DDoSecrets, a website that hosts leaked data. The Star has independently confirmed the identities of many of the top donors.

5 a.m. Ottawa’s new emergency law enlists a huge range of financial players in a bid to cut off funds to protesters tied to the trucker blockades, but questions remain about who will be targeted and whether it will even work.

A new order and regulations under the Emergencies Act, which the federal government invoked on Monday, requires a long list of entities — this includes banks, insurance companies, credit unions, trust and loan companies, payment processors and online fundraising platforms — to continuously determine whether they should freeze accounts and halt services for individuals or companies tied to illegal assemblies and blockades that have gripped the country for weeks.

The order and regulations were published late Tuesday evening and confirmed that the financial institutions will not face legal liability for enforcing the order, which is expected to be in force for 30 days.

Read the full story from the Star’s Christine Dobby

4:30 a.m. Ottawa’s interim police chief says officers will clear the streets of people who oppose the government and COVID-19 restrictions in the next few days, warning they are ready to use methods people are not used to seeing in the capital.

Steve Bell made the promise to Ottawa city council at a virtual meeting yesterday after taking on the interim role following the abrupt resignation Tuesday of former chief Peter Sloly.

Police have handed out notices to protesters encamped outside Parliament Hill that warn the Emergencies Act gives them the power to seize vehicles that are part of the nearly three-week-long demonstration and ban people from travelling within a certain area.

Read the full story here on the Star

4 a.m. The symbolism attached to national flags often revolves around patriotism, but experts say the Maple Leaf’s prominent appearance at COVID-19 mandate protests comes at a moment of reflection for Canada.

Canadians might not be known as fervent flag wavers like their U.S. neighbours, but the Maple Leaf’s display at protests on Parliament Hill and at border crossings has given some people pause, said Carmen Celestini, a post-doctoral fellow with the Disinformation Project at Simon Fraser University's school of communication in Burnaby, B.C.

"It's definitely jarring for everybody and making people really think about who we are as a nation on so many different levels," she said in an interview.

Images of the flag fluttering from trucks, flying upside down or worn as a cape have captured attention since the blockade began in Ottawa on Jan. 28.

Read the full story here on the Star

3 a.m. A B.C. gun range owner, a twice-bankrupt charity founder from Durham Region, a Donald Trump fan who owns a national chain of industrial cleaning warehouses and a former lawyer who now operates a popular lodge in Killarney are among the top five Canadian donors to the Ottawa “Freedom Convoy.”

The Star obtained the hacked donor data from the online whistleblower DDoSecrets, a website that hosts leaked data. The Star has independently confirmed the identities of many of the top donors.

Read the full story by Grant LaFleche and Marco Chown Oved here