‘Freedom convoy’ protests: Police have cleared a week-long protest at the Ambassador Bridge

There’s an intensifying demand for an end to the protests paralyzing downtown Ottawa as well as border crossings near Coutts, Alta., Emerson, Man., and the busy Windsor-Detroit Ambassador Bridge. Follow live updates here on Sunday. 1:06 p.m. The blockade is ending with a fizzle.After a seven-day shutdown of Canada’s busiest commercial route that drew international attention and sparked sudden economic upheaval, hundreds of protesters at the heart of a social and political crisis were gradually cleared from the Ambassador Bridge on Sunday to allow for cross-border commerce to resume.The protests eased by 9 a.m., after hundreds of police descended on the encampments blocking access to Huron Church Road, threatening to arrest the remaining demonstrators and tow the vehicles blocking the lanes, though some protesters remained at a distance from the bridge early Sunday afternoon.While Ontario had declared a state of emergency in response to province-wide protests early Friday morning — and an Ontario court had ordered protesters in Windsor, Ont. to clear the bridge later that evening — the police waited until Sunday before clearing the path to the storied suspension bridge that spans the Detroit River.Read the full story from the Star’s Jacob Lorinc here.11:56 a.m. The mayor of Windsor says the blockade that shuttered the Ambassador Bridge border crossing for nearly a week is over. Drew Dilkens issued a statement saying the crossing that links Windsor and Detroit will reopen as soon as it’s safe to do so, noting police and border agencies will be tasked with making that call. Police cleared several protesters from the site earlier in the morning. They say they arrested nearly a dozen people and laid several charges, mostly on counts of mischief.Dilkens offered thanks to law enforcement officials for their help in ending what he described as a “national economic crisis” caused by the border closure.10:37 a.m. Police are telling people gathered in a gas station parking lot near the intersection of Huron Church Road and Tecumseh Road to leave or they will be arrested and ticketed for trespassing.The intersection is currently blocked off by several officers, two armoured vehicles, a transit bus and City of Windsor vehicles as police respond to the so-called ‘Freedom convoy’ protest near the Ambassador Bridge border crossing between Canada and the U.S.This comes after police made some arrests in relation to the protest, though details were not immediately available.Police are telling the public to avoid the area.9:02 a.m. Police have cleared a week-long protest at the Ambassador Bridge that drew international attention and cost the Canadian economy millions, though the bridge remains closed to the public. By 8:50 a.m. police had effectively cleared the roadway of all remaining protesters and were standing in a line across the road, the Star’s Jacob Lorinc reports. Some protesters were hanging around in an adjacent parking lot, but many got in their vehicles and left.The roadway has not yet opened back up to the public.8:50 a.m. Early Sunday morning, a throng of police moved to clear the remaining encampment blocking access to Huron Church Road, the eight-lane artery leading to the Ambassador Bridge.A dwindling group of protesters had camped out on the roadway overnight, reports the Star’s Jacob Lorinc from the bridge, squaring off with a line of police for hours in freezing weather as they protested pandemic restrictions.Even around 1 a.m., they were playing loud music and chanting, “Freedom!”But starting at 7:30 a.m., a procession of police moved in to begin clearing the roadway. The police, equipped with armoured vehicles, tear gas and rubber bullet guns, warned that protesters who did not leave would be arrested and charged with mischief. As of 8:30 a.m. at least two people had been arrested and several trucks towed. 8:30 a.m. Windsor Police say enforcement actions are underway at the foot of the bridge, saying they’re towing vehicles still at the protest site and barring anyone else from arriving on scene.Enforcement efforts got underway on Saturday morning, but appeared to reach an impasse in the afternoon as hundreds of protesters ignored requests to clear the area.The Ontario Superior Court had granted an injunction on Friday ordering an end to the protests by 7 p.m. that night, but it was largely ignored.The demonstration in Windsor, as well as cities and border crossings across Canada, are being held in solidarity with protesters who have jammed downtown Ottawa streets for more than two weeks.The protesters are demanding an end to all public health measures imposed to combat COVID-19, while critics and public officials have described their actions as illegal and called for an end to the demonstrations.6:06 a.m. Windsor Police officers arrested a man near Ambassador Bridge for a “criminal offence in relation to the demonstration” Saturday night. The 27-year-old man was arrested near the Huron Church Rd at Mil