
Ottawa police say they need 1,800 people – officers and civilian staff – to beef up their response.
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Police have said they feared violence if they were too aggressive.Ĭommercial vehicle licenses could provide authorities with another avenue of enforcement – but they first must issue a charge or ticket.Ī person can have their commercial vehicle registration suspended or cancelled if they rack up enough infractions. But police forces have been largely unable or unwilling to crack down on occupiers, with enforcement complicated by factors such as the blockade's urban setting and the presence of children with many of the protesters. … We knew coming in that there were far-right folks itching for confrontation but because of an unwillingness to address that more freely, the police took a hands-off approach and allowed the whole neighbourhood to be held hostage.” WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR POLICE?Ĭanada has laws and bylaws against blocking traffic, excessive noise, harassment and dangerous operations of motor vehicles, among other things. “There were just massive mistakes from the start – the permissiveness, the cultivation of a never-ending frat party. Ottawa Police lost their enforcement opportunity when the convoy first rolled into town at the end of January, said Carleton University criminologist Jeffrey Monaghan. Police in Ottawa have made about two dozen arrests while issuing more than 1,300 tickets for noise and other violations. Some Ottawa residents say they were harassed. Protesters say they are peaceful but some waved Confederate flags and swastikas in the occupation's early days. read moreĪ court granted an interim injunction this week, preventing people from sounding horns in downtown Ottawa. WHAT ARE THE AUTHORITIES DOING?Ĭanadian authorities are scrambling to end the Ottawa occupation, hoping a combination of criminal charges, traffic tickets and the prospect of losing access to fuel will end the blockades.

The protests have broadened to oppose a range of provincial and federal COVID-19 measures.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, an industry group, said it opposes protests on public roadways and the vast majority of Canadian truckers are vaccinated.
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