Truckers began clearing their big rigs from many city streets on Feb. 14 and moving them closer to the main protest area along Wellington St., as a way to reduce their presence in Ottawa for the convenience of residents.
According to a man who was directing drivers near the corner of Albert and O’Connor streets, the breakthrough came after contact between city officials and protest leaders.
The development came after Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson made a request to protest organizer Tamara Lich.
“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,” Watson wrote in a letter.
“I hope we can make progress to alleviate the extreme and undue burden this protest and the occupation of our residential districts in the core and elsewhere have had on the residents and businesses of downtown Ottawa,” he said.
In her written response, Lich thanked the mayor for his letter and said the truckers had always been about peaceful protest.
She added it had never been the intent to disturb residents of Ottawa, although this had occurred.
“The Freedom Convoy Board agree with your request to reduce pressure on the residents and businesses in the City of Ottawa,” she said.
“We have made a plan to consolidate our protest efforts around Parliament Hill. We will be working hard over the next 24 hours to get buy-in from the truckers. We hope to start repositioning our trucks on Monday.”
Lich said on social media that claims that the protesters have made any “deal” is not true, and that they still intend to stay in Ottawa until mandates are lifted. But she said on Feb. 13 that “Plans to relocate trucks out of residential areas as agreed to will go ahead.”
The repositioning—described by a protester as “reducing their footprint”—was noted by an Epoch Times journalist about noon on Feb. 14.
With a police officer controlling the intersection near the Sheraton Hotel, two truck drivers reversed—one at a time—along Albert St and into O’Connor St, where they followed a police vehicle with lights flashing up the rise toward Parliament Hill.
There was a little wait for the next pair of trucks as the police unit returned to pick them up.
It was a quick and efficient operation and, during the 20 or so minutes The Epoch Times was there, six pairs of trucks had left Albert St, where they had been parked for more than two weeks.
It was reported the trucks were to be parked on Wellington St, or the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway that links with Wellington St.
A police officer watching the scene said he was relieved, as the outcome had been achieved with no one being hurt
