WINDSOR, Ont.—A convoy of trucks and other vehicles continues to block off a main Canada-U.S. border crossing over provincial and federal COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
Protesters from the Canadian side of the border initially drove to the Ambassador Bridge on Feb. 6, parking their vehicles and creating a blockade. They say they will remain there until their demands for lifting COVID-19 mandates are met.
“There’s enough food here. Some of the guys have camped out and made setups, there’s barbeques here, they got all kinds of foods,” Bernie Berg, a pastor from the nearby Leamington who is camped at the site, told The Epoch Times on Feb. 9.
“Residents from the area bring in food, and yesterday, businesses were dropping off pizza. People are bringing you coffee and donuts. It’s almost like a party atmosphere.”
The protest is one of the many across Canada started by truckers against a federal government requirement for all cross-border truck drivers to have COVID-19 vaccination. The protest movement has since expanded, attracting many supporters from different parts of Canada who want all levels of government to drop their COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
The Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, Michigan, is the busiest international crossing in North America, with $320 million worth of goods crossing the border each day.
“We need to stop the blockage of supply chains,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said about the border blockade on Feb. 9. “Jobs are being affected.”
The White House also said on Feb. 9 that the border closure “poses a risk to supply chains for the auto industry because the bridge is a key conduit for motor vehicles components and parts.”
Berg says the impacts of the COVID-19 mandates and restrictions have been devastating, and people have no choice.
“It’s not that we want to do this, but we have to send Ottawa a message because of these terrible mandates that have harmed so many people,” Berg said.
“So many people have lost jobs. People are contemplating suicide. What’s happening here is just unbelievable with these terrible, terrible mandates, and the people want freedom. So this is their way to express it.”
Sisi, a resident of Windsor, who only gave her last name, said she’s protesting because she wants to stand up for her children.
“It’s segregation. It’s not fair that kids don’t have a choice in attending sports. They shouldn’t have to wear a mask at school,” she said in an interview. “We have every right to peaceful protesting.”
