Protesters may no longer be set up in downtown Ottawa but some have relocated elsewhere in the region, with private property owners offering up sites for people to regroup.
Trucks, trailers and Canadian flags have been spotted on sites in Ottawa’s vicinity in recent days following the removal of protesters from the city’s downtown.
The protesters, some of whom called for an end to COVID-19 mandates, first rolled into Ottawa nearly four weeks ago.
After last weekend’s arrests, some of those protesters are no longer camped in front of Parliament Hill but have taken up spots on properties within a couple hours drive.
One site is located on a private property near Arnprior, Ont., about 70 kilometres west of Ottawa. An unverified video posted to Youtube late Monday shows tractor-trailers, passenger vehicles and dozens of people supposedly involved in the protests gathered on a rural property. Tents are set up with food, water and fuel supplies.
“We are not going to quit, no matter what anyone says. We are here to the end,” said one person featured in the video.
In a statement, the Ontario Provincial Police said it is aware of the situation near Arnprior and that the people who have relocated onto the private property have done so with permission from its owner.
“The OPP continues to monitor the situation as well as maintaining open dialogue with individuals at the location,” Sgt. Tylor Copeland wrote in an email to CBC.
Other sites east and south of Ottawa
Another site is in the south-Ottawa suburb of Greely, where a steady number of vehicles have been seen coming and going through a set of gates adorned with Canadian flags.
People at the site refused to do an official interview with CBC but said they had permission to use the land and had remained in the area to help “in any way” they could. They also said there were local residents sleeping in their cars on the property because they were too afraid to return home.
They also told CBC that last weekend’s police action left them feeling discouraged, but not defeated.
It’s unclear how many people are staying on the site, but Karin Glaser, who works at ANS Scrap Metal, which is located beside the lot, said it’s been quiet so far.
Dozens of people, trucks and other vehicles were also been spotted on a farm in Vankleek Hill, Ont., Tuesday. (Denis Babin/Radio-Canada)
“If they stay quiet, if they’re not bothering my customers or my staff, causing any violence, they can get on with their day,” she said.
When asked how she felt about protesters relocating to other areas of Ottawa she said “if they’re not even from here, I don’t think they should be here. There’s a reason downtown was cleared out. Go home. Be done with it.”
Nearly two weeks ago, trucks and other protesters were also staying at a farm in Embrun, Ont., in the Township of Russell, which has since been cleared.
“It’s still left a distasteful taste in many residents’ mouth, the fact that it was set up in the first place and those at the other extreme who supported them,’ said the township’s Mayor Pierre Leroux.
Dozens of trucks are also located in Vankleek Hill, Ont., about 100 kilometres east of Ottawa. They were first set up at a truck stop but have since relocated to a nearby farm.
WATCH | Protests end but distrust remains:
The divisions and distrust the Ottawa protests exposed
12 hours ago
Duration 6:01
The blockades may be gone but the protesters’ anger isn’t. Ioanna Roumeliotis explores what drove people to the nation’s capital and what some hope comes next. 6:01
‘Situation is not over’
Experts warn these satellite camps could lead to a resurgence in blockades. “Definitely the situation is not over,” said Joao Velloso, a law professor at the University of Ottawa whose research focuses on policing and protests.
“The occupation in Ottawa, it was just a tiny and maybe most visible part of the protest,” he said, adding other blockades have been organized across the country.
Velloso said at this point, however, there is not enough information to determine exactly what people at these sites are planning.
In a statement sent to CBC Tuesday, the Ottawa Police Service said it couldn’t share operational plans or strategies but it was “working to ensure that the unlawful protest is not given a chance to return.”
Downtown is clear of trucks and protesters but some have just set up camp outside the city on private property. CBC’s Nicole Williams visited one of them and brings us that story. 5:14
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
