Alberta Purchased Tow Trucks for Coutts Border Protest Before Emergencies Act Invoked: Documents

Protesters demonstrating against COVID-19 mandates gather as a truck convoy blocks the highway at the U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta., on Feb. 2, 2022. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

After difficulty getting tow truck companies to agree to tow rigs at the Coutts border protest in February 2022, the Alberta government ultimately bought towing equipment from Kijiji and the Truck Trader, according to documents.

The provincial government ultimately bought $826,000 worth of equipment after various Alberta companies with towing or crane equipment were contacted by the RCMP by Feb. 1, and all “refused to assist,” according to a report filed with the Public Order Emergency Commission in August, and first reported on by Blacklocks Reporter on Nov. 14.

The Alberta government also requested federal assistance on Feb. 5 that included the “provision of equipment and personnel to move approximately 70 semi-tractor trailers and approximately 75 personal and recreational vehicles from the area,” says the report.

On Feb. 7, Alberta began searching for more towing assistance, including asking companies in Montana and other provinces. By the next day, the provincial government considered buying or leasing its own equipment, and by Feb. 11, found a number of vehicles using online searches.

Alberta spent $826,000 on towing equipment, between Feb. 12 and 14. The purchases included a 1996 GMC 3500 tow truck at a cost of $26,500, a 1998 Freightliner Classic tow truck, for $85,000, and a 2010 Komatsu bulldozer with winch, for $109,500. Also purchased was a 2006 Peterbuilt 378 for $92,000, a 2009 Gerrys 60 Ton 16-wheel lowboy trailer for $89,500, a dozer with winch, and a number of other tow trucks.

Ultimately, the equipment was not required to clear the Coutts border protest. The Coutts protest ended before the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to clear the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa.

The lack of tow trucks to remove protesters was one of the reasons cited by the federal government to justify the invocation of the act.

In an April 26 meeting in the House of Commons, of the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency, Minister Marco Mendicino said that using highway traffic acts to clear protesters “wasn’t effective in the circumstances. One of the problems was that no tow trucks were available.”

Mendicino said, “We were not able to secure the tow trucks.”

During the meeting, Senator Claude Carignan challenged Mendicino on his testimony stating, “Minister, I found tow trucks for sale in Auto Hebdo magazine. You could have bought some and had the trucks removed yourselves without invoking the Emergencies Act.”

Mendicino replied, “I would point out once again that the police tried but couldn’t do it. That’s why we decided to invoke the Emergencies Act.”

That statement was contradicted by testimony from Ottawa Police Service Supt. Robert Bernier on Oct. 26. Bernier told the Public Order Emergency Commission that OPS had secured heavy-duty tow trucks to remove heavy vehicles involved in the Freedom Convoy protest before the Emergencies Act was invoked.

Law Enforcement Testimony

Marlin Degrand, then director of law enforcement with Alberta Justice and former assistant deputy minister of public security, said the government bought “the exact equipment” that RCMP required if they ultimately had to tow all the vehicles at the border crossing.

Degrand testified before the public inquiries commission on Nov. 10, that RCMP was negotiating with the protesters, and that it was “important to note that throughout the duration of the event... the majority of the time there actually [was] one lane of travel open both north and south.”

He said that to resolve the border issue, the Alberta government did not require legislative help, it required logistical help, specifically heavy tow capacity.

Degrand testified that Alberta had its own Emergency Management Act that would allow the province to compel the use of towing resources and drivers. Degrand said that given the number of tools that were already available to police through existing legislation, the invocation of the Emergencies Act wouldn’t have changed anything. He testified none of the powers under the Federal Emergencies Act were ever used at Coutts.

He said government officials tried to get support for the RCMP to use equipment from the transportation industry.

“It was categorically dismissed, and the people were either not returning our calls, point blank, or telling us that they just refuse to cooperate,” Degrand said. “Many of the individuals within the industry were fairly supportive of the protest or did not wish to be seen to be involved in taking action against the protest.”

Degrand said using the emergencies act to compel drivers “could have been met just as easily with a refusal” and then enforcement would have to be also taken against tow truck drivers in addition to against protesters.