"There will be consequences": Ottawa prepares for "Freedom Convoy" arrival

Jan 28 2022, 7:37 pm

The City of Ottawa is preparing for the arrival of the “Freedom Convoy,” which has been making its way across Canada this week.

The “Freedom Convoy” is planning to protest vaccine mandates in the nation’s capital this weekend. Protesters are expected to arrive in Ottawa today. Counts by Kingston Police suggest that just over 100 trucks are headed to the city and more than 420 personal vehicles are part of the convoy. This is the convoy that has been gathering from the west coast. It is not yet clear how many people will join from east coast provinces and Quebec.

Ottawa police say they likely won’t have an accurate count until the convoy fully arrives in the city. Some members of the demonstration have already arrived in Ottawa ahead of the convoy.

“The numbers swell while in province. They shrink wildly across the provincial border. They swell as they go through cities, particularly large regions, and they drop off,” Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said at a press conference on Friday.


He added that they have estimates of how many people will arrive, but it’s not yet clear how those numbers will grow while the convoy remains in Ottawa.

“We expect that we’re going to have people arriving from the south, the east, the west, and the north,” he said.

In response to the convoy, Ottawa is deploying police officers in the city and asking anyone who does not need to be downtown to stay home.

“It is simple: if you do not need to be downtown this weekend, avoid the area,” said Deputy Police Chief Trish Ferguson.

There will be a heavy police presence downtown. Plainclothes officers and officers from other jurisdictions will be deployed to collect evidence and observe the crowd.

“Demonstrators and residents can expect to see our members in different uniforms with a variety of equipment on their person and in different vehicles,” she said.

While the convoy organizers have been linked to far-right groups by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Ottawa’s deputy police chief said that the main organizers have “peaceful goals.” Regardless of intent, Ferguson added that police are prepared to take action.

“There will be consequences for any person engaging in or inciting criminal or violent behaviour,” she said. “We are prepared to deal with any such incidents, including making arrests and laying charges as appropriate.”

The City will be working to direct vehicles to designated areas to keep road space open for emergency vehicles. Ferguson told reporters that if any roadways are to be shut down, the public will be notified.

“We have determined that we would like to keep one lane open and along all our major routes,” she said. “We will not be shutting down any major arteries and when we do — or if we do — we will be sharing that with the public.”

While Sloly said that they have not received any direct threat assessments for any of the groups descending on the city, he said that the rhetoric around the demonstration cannot be ignored.

“We cannot … ignore the direct hate-language and threats. We cannot ignore the direct attempts to incite violence and criminality in and around the demonstration,” he said.

Police expect members of the convoy to remain in Ottawa over the weekend and possibly into next week.

Brooke TaylorBrooke Taylor

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