U.S.-Canada border crossing blocked by truckers fighting COVID restrictions

By Anna Mehler Paperny and Ismail Shakil

The busiest land crossing from the United States to Canada remained shut on Tuesday after Canadian truckers blocked lanes on Monday to protest their government’s pandemic control measures.

While traffic in both directions was initially blocked, U.S.-bound lanes have since reopened, Windsor Police tweeted.

Drivers demanding an end to federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border traffic began blocking the streets of Canada’s capital, Ottawa, on Jan. 28. Since Sunday night, police have started slowly taking back control, seizing thousands of liters of fuel and removing an oil tanker truck.

Ottawa Deputy Police Chief Steve Bell told reporters on Tuesday that police have immobilized many of the heavy vehicles taking part in the blockade. He said about a quarter of the 418 protest trucks in the downtown have children in them, and police are concerned for their welfare in relation to cold, noise, carbon monoxide risks and access to sanitation.

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters that he had been in touch with the mayor of Windsor and local legislators about the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario.

“We will continue to work…so that we can keep the supply chains moving across the Ambassador Bridge, as well as the wheels of our economy turning,” he said.

Canada sends 75% of its exports to the United States, and the bridge usually handles around 8,000 trucks a day.

“It is clear these disruptions have broadened in scope beyond the vaccine requirement implementation,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “We are of course in touch with our Canadian counterparts” on the blockade, Psaki added.

The owner of the bridge, the Detroit International Bridge Co, said international commerce on the bridge needed to resume as quickly as possible in a manner that reflects mutual respect, the company’s chairman, Matt Moroun, said in a statement.

The president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association called for an immediate end to the blockade, saying “persistent delays at the Ambassador Bridge risk disrupting automotive production that employs tens of thousands of Canadians.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared in public on Monday for the first time in more than a week after being infected with COVID-19, saying the protest had to stop. Trudeau reiterated on Tuesday that “we’re going to continue to follow the science” when interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen asked Trudeau in parliament whether he will follow the science and end the restrictions quickly.

Reuters