Daily Occupation Update: February 13
Enforcement Tracker:
Arrests related to convoy demonstrations: 26 arrests
Tickets issued to convoy participants: 2600+
More information on law enforcement efforts is available at OttawaPolice.ca.
Lack of enforcement in Ottawa 'inexplicable'; Emergencies Act invocation possible
The federal government has discussed invoking special emergency powers to deal with ongoing protests in Ottawa, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says, calling a lack of enforcement in the nation's capital "inexplicable."
The government's Incident Response Group and cabinet have had daily discussions about potential use of the Emergencies Act. Blair described the attitude around use of the Emergencies Act, which has never been implemented before, as "appropriate caution" rather than "reticence."
While Blair emphasized it was important to make sure that "the appropriate authorities that are with the provinces are fully utilized," he said the federal government was "prepared to do everything necessary." He also did not rule out deployment of the military in some way to help end the occupation. Read more.
Ottawa police launch command centre with OPP, RCMP amid 'overwhelming' protests
Ottawa police have launched an Integrated Command Centre" (ICC) with the Ontario Provincial Police and RCMP. The ICC will help all levels of government action requests for additional support and officers more quickly.
We expect that the ICC will result in a significantly enhanced ability of our police service to respond to the current situation in our city. The ICC will allow Ottawa Police to make the most effective use of the additional resources our policing partners have provided to us.
City brokers deal for trucks to leave Ottawa's residential neighbourhoods
The City of Ottawa has come to an agreement with one of the leaders of the weeks-long demonstration that could see hundreds of trucks and other vehicles roll out of the residential areas in the downtown core over the next 24 hours.
Protesters have now been asked to limit the trucks to Wellington Street between Elgin Street and the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.
In a letter sent Saturday to Tamara Lich, one of the Freedom Convoy 2022 organizers, Mayor Jim Watson outlined his concerns around the continuing downtown occupation:
"My overarching concern is for the safety and security of our residents, business owners and workers in the downtown core, who are innocent collateral damage of this unprecedented national and international demonstration," he wrote. Given the fact there are roughly 400 trucks in the downtown core, Watson acknowledged it may take up to 72 hours to move them. Read more.
Ottawa residents begin counterprotesting, blocking convoy
Counterprotests began on Saturday, with hundreds marching through Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood, and continued Sunday morning as a group of people blocked a major intersection in Billings Bridge to prevent a number of vehicles from joining the main protest downtown.
The impromptu blockade began to form on Sunday morning at about 9 a.m., when roughly 20 residents stepped into the intersection at Bank Street and Riverside Drive.
On Saturday, roughly 500 people gathered in Lansdowne Park to rally against the hundreds of trucks and other vehicles that have been occupying the downtown since Jan. 28. The rally follows a smaller gathering near Ottawa's city hall last weekend.
If you intend to counterprotest, please do so with an abundance of caution, follow the direction of local law enforcement, and know your rights and responsibilities as a demonstrator.
