“Rolling Thunder” protesters have begun to arrive on Parliament Hill, where Ottawa police have created an exclusion zone around several blocks downtown and called in hundreds of extra officers in preparation.
People wearing black leather motorcycle jackets while waving or wrapped in Canadian flags could be seen all along Wellington Street, the main drive in front of Parliament Hill, and milling around the National War Memorial ahead of Friday evening’s planned rally.
In a tweet Friday afternoon, Ottawa police said the force was “monitoring a large convoy in the area of Hunt Club and Conroy.”
Police said “all efforts” will be made to “ensure that they do not enter the downtown core” adding that the force is “prepared to take any enforcement measures necessary.”
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Ottawa will not tolerate another occupation, police chief warns ‘Rolling Thunder’ biker convoy
Meanwhile, police vehicles from all over Ontario, including the Ontario Provincial Police and York Regional Police, were seen patrolling downtown streets.
Hundreds of motorcyclists are expected to arrive Friday ahead of a gathering Saturday morning. They plan to do a loop around the downtown, with a stop at the War Memorial and march to a rally on Parliament Hill.
Vehicles involved in the rally won’t be allowed into a zone that includes the war monument and Parliament, police say, nor will they be allowed to stop along the route, but participants can walk through the area.
The “Rolling Thunder” group has not been clear about the cause they’re rallying for, except to say they will be in Ottawa to “peacefully celebrate our freedom,” and they oppose the removal of veterans from the War Memorial during a convoy protest in February.
Some of the early arrivals on Parliament Hill ahead of the rally Friday said they were part of the demonstration that seized downtown Ottawa for most of February in protest of COVID-19 restrictions and the Trudeau government.
Angela Manella from North Bay, Ont., said she was in the national capital to protest the vaccine mandates in February, and she’s returned because the mandates are still in place.
“My experience of the convoy protest was that there was so much love and connection and just such good energy,” Manella said Friday next to the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill.
“I want to continue that energy and that momentum to continue to stand up for all of us.”
She said there was a sense of community among protesters at the convoy in February, and that may be part of what is drawing people together again.
Others who gathered near the War Memorial said they are only in Ottawa this weekend to honour veterans who police removed from the site along with the rest of the protesters in February.
For three weeks in February, protesters created encampments in downtown streets, which were packed with big rigs adorned with messages speaking out against vaccine mandates, COVID-19 restrictions and the prime minister.
While protesters described the scene as peaceful, joyful and even festival-like, nearby residents remember it as a nightmare _ one they don’t want to relive.
“A lot of them are concerned, some are scared and some are mad,” said Mary Huang, president of the Centretown Community Association, which represents the neighbourhood closest to Parliament Hill.
She said neighbours are still traumatized after the three-week protest. The loud airhorns droning on at all hours of the night meant that many couldn’t sleep, and some people felt intimidated when they left their homes, she said.
They’re worried this weekend will be a repeat, before residents have even had a chance to recover, she said.
Ottawa police have promised they won’t allow another “illegal occupation” of the city, that there will be no tolerance for a long-term protest and any encampments will be dismantled.
A statement on the “Rolling Thunder” website attributed to organizer Neil Sheard says the protesters plan to leave on Sunday, and they do not support “blockades, obstruction of police performing their duties, damage to property or hate and vitriol directed to the residents of Ottawa.”
The statement also encourages supporters to follow the laws, and says police will be held accountable in court for their actions during the event.
“Lastly, as seen during the lawful protest in Ottawa, spread as much peace, love and patriotism to your fellow Canadians as possible,” the statement says.
Interim police chief Steve Bell said this week that people displaying symbols of hate, including swastikas, will be charged. A few such symbols were seen during the “Freedom Convoy” protest earlier this year.
It is not actually illegal to display a swastika in Canada. Police did not immediately respond Friday to a question about what charges would be laid against those wielding hateful imagery.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asked Friday whether he would support an NDP bill to ban hate symbols, said his government would certainly work “across parties” to defend Canadians from harassment.
-with files from Global News
© 2022 The Canadian Press
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
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The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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