Ontario declares state of emergency to end blockades — live updates

Article content

This week blockades inspired by the so-call Freedom Convoy that descended on Ottawa on Jan. 28, have closed three U.S.-Canada border crossings, including the crucial Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, which is responsible for US$13.5 million per hour in economic activity, according to the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Article content

The major auto plants in the region have been forced to pause lines because of a shortage of parts.

The demonstrations began as a protest against the federal government’s move to require that Canadian truck drivers crossing the U.S. border be fully vaccinated. It has since evolved into a protest against all public health measures aimed at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the disruption continues, fears grow about the impact this will have on the economy.

Here are the latest updates on what is happening today.

10:56 a.m.

Ontario declares state of emergency

Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency on Friday following more than two weeks of protests in Ottawa and a week of protests along key Canada-U.S. trade routes.

Article content

“Our economy in Ontario is built on trade, especially with our partners in the United States. The Ambassador Bridge in Windsor alone sees more than $700 million of two way trade every single day,” Ford said at a press conference. “We’re now two weeks into the siege of the city of Ottawa. I call it a siege because that’s what it is. It’s an illegal occupation. This is no longer a protest.”

Ford was joined by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney. Jones clarified that the initial emergency declaration will be for 42 hours and further amendments to the law will be made to address public safety issues.

The emergency order will give powers to the government and police to arrest and fine protesters blocking the movement of goods and services along critical infrastructure, including on highways, airports, bridges, railways and ports. Non-compliance with emergency orders can yield fines of up to $100,000 and a year in prison, the premier said. On top of that, protesters infringing on orders can have their personal and commercial licences taken away.

Article content

The premier added: “Folks, I got to stress to you: we’re in a critical situation worldwide economically. We have competitors breathing down our back on a daily basis. We’re competing against our neighbours south of the border. We’re competing against the rest of the world and the last thing we need is an anchor around our neck when we’re competing. These people need to make sure they leave the Ambassador Bridge immediately for the sake of hundreds of thousands of workers, millions of families that depend on a paycheque going into these factories, going into these auto plants, making sure food gets distributed up here. That’s what this is all about.”

— Bianca Bharti

10:34 a.m.

Latest from Windsor front-lines

Article content

10:25 a.m.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to make an announcement at 10:30 a.m about the blockades.

He will be joined by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, Attorney General Doug Downey and Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney.

9:39 a.m.

The Ambassador Bridge blockade is stoking a sentiment protesters most likely didn’t intend — American protectionism. Check out the tweet below from Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin.

Article content

Slotkin was complaining because a General Motors plant outside Lansing is being starved of parts from Canada by the ongoing closure of the border crossing between Detroit and Windsor, Ont.

“The one thing that couldn’t be more clear is that we have to bring American manufacturing back home to states like Michigan. If we don’t, it’s American workers like the folks at Delta Township who are left holding the bag,” Slotkin wrote in another tweet.

— Canadian Press

9:31 a.m.

Ontario freezes protest’s funds

The Ontario government has moved to freeze $8 million going to the crippling trucker blockades in Windsor and Ottawa as local leaders continue to ask for help from all levels of government to end the protests.

Late Thursday, Premier Doug Ford’s government announced they had obtained a court order freezing the funds raised through GiveSendGo, an online fundraising platform that the truckers turned to when GoFundMe closed a previous effort. The GiveSendGo page indicated more than $8 million had been raised through the platform, but the protest convoy was also raising money through private transfers and through cryptocurrency.

Article content

— Ryan Tumilty

9:03 a.m.

Magna starting to feel the pinch

The CEO of vehicle-systems-maker Magna International Inc. said the Aurora, Ont. company is beginning to see “some initial impact” from the blockades.

“Some of the OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer] customers have had to idle or they’re adjusting production schedules,” Seetarama Kotagiri told analysts during an earnings call on Friday. “We’re kind of starting to see some initial impacts in some areas versus the others, for example, facilities and so on. So we’re watching closely.”

Magna reported a 14-per-cent drop in sales to US$9.1 billion for its fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2021. It attributed COVID-19 disruptions and semiconductor shortages to the year-over-year decline.

Article content

— Bianca Bharti

8:32 a.m.

Super Bowl next target?

Meanwhile in America, police are being warned by Homeland Security that Canadian-style trucker convoys could disrupt the Super Bowl this weekend in Los Angeles, as well as President Biden’s first State of Union address.

A memo by the department, which oversees border controls, warns that truckers in the U.S. may stage solidarity protests with the Freedom Convoy truckers in Canada, The Hill and other media are reporting.

The DHS memo said the department has received reports of truck drivers potentially planning to block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates, according to The Hill.

“The convoy will potentially begin in California early as mid-February, potentially impacting the Super Bowl scheduled for 13 February and the State of the Union address scheduled for 1 March,” according to the memo obtained by The Hill.

Article content

The convoy of truckers plans to travel from California to Washington — and Canadian truckers may join — the memo notes. While there are no plans for violence, it warns of disruptions to major cities.

— National Post Staff

8:07 a.m.

Update from Honda Canada

“Due to border delays, Honda of Canada Mfg. in Alliston, Ontario is scheduled to temporarily suspend manufacturing on one production line during the day shift on Friday, February 11. All Honda automotive manufacturing operations in the U.S. are currently scheduled to run production on Friday, February 11. As this remains a fluid situation, we are monitoring the disruption of transportation between Canada and the U.S. and will adjust production as necessary.”

Article content

7:44 a.m.

Article content

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is facing increasing pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to end the blockades at the border, convened a meeting of the Incident Response Group, a dedicated emergency committee on standby for national crises, on Thursday night, Politico reported. Trudeau then met with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens before assembling the leaders of the federal opposition parties for a meeting, the publication said.

7 a.m.

It could be an eventful day on the blockade front as standoffs loom between protesters and government officials desperate to get the economy moving again.

Windsor, Ontario is seeking a court injunction to end the protest, setting the stage for a potential confrontation with demonstrators. A provincial court will hear the application at 12 p.m. ET today, a city spokesperson told Bloomberg. A court order would clear the path for police to make arrests or tow vehicles to clear the streets, if necessary, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said.

As of 6 a.m. this morning, Canada border services were still listing the Ambassador Bridge, North America’s main land crossing in Windsor, as “temporarily closed.”

The U.S./Canada crossing at Coutts, Alberta, where another protest is going on, is showing seven-hour delays.

Additional reporting by Canadian Press, Reuters and Bloomberg