Rather than physically removing the protesters who are blocking a Canadian National rail line on Montreal’s South Shore, Longueuil police say they would rather continue discussions with the group.
Clad in black riot gear and ski masks, police gave protesters a deadline of 5 p.m. to evacuate the blockade in Saint-Lambert, Que.
Though some demonstrators left, the rest remained hunkered behind a snow fort or milling about the makeshift encampment while police stood in a half-moon formation nearby.
Earlier in the afternoon, police closed St-Georges Street, which crosses the train tracks near the rail blockade. They said it was to “ensure the safety of the demonstrators as well as that of the citizens who circulate in the sector.”
Media were pushed back from the site and the cold air became tense as police and protesters stood their ground.
But nothing physical happened and the riot police eventually left the scene despite Quebec Premier François Legault’s Wednesday promise to “dismantle the blockade” once the injunction was served.
Legault said Longueuil police would be in charge and use force if necessary.
The number of protesters blocking commuter trains on the Mont-Saint-Hilaire line near Saint-Lambert station has dwindled since an injunction was served Thursday evening.
By Friday evening, as the sun set, roughly 30 protesters remained on site in a show of solidarity for Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs in BC, who are against a pipeline passing through traditional territory. Unlike most other rail blockades, the one in Saint-Lambert is not on Indigenous territory.
Longueuil police have been keeping watch on the blockade but have not moved in to dismantle it or try to remove the protesters by force, as suggested by the premier.
Police said they would give a reasonable amount of time for protesters to leave on their own after being handed the injunction on Thursday evening. They didn’t specify when they planned to move in and enforce the injunction.
Saint-Lambert resident Henri-François Girard told CBC News he decided to join the protesters because he supports their cause.
“I was just passing by and I saw ‘Hey, these guys are doing the right thing,'” he said.
He feels their protest has been portrayed negatively in the media, but in person, “they’re all good people over there in the camp.”
Girard said he was moved to join them because he feels the climate crisis is an issue that can’t be ignored. He hopes the stand-off between protesters and police won’t lead to violence.
“We’re trying to be pacifists, we’re not trying to cause trouble,” he said.
The Mont-Saint-Hilaire line is the second commuter train route to be disrupted in the greater Montreal region. A blockade in Kahnawake, on Montreal’s South Shore, has forced Exo to cancel travel on its Candiac line since Feb. 10.
Legault said the Kahnawake blockade will not be dismantled by the Quebec government, because it is on Mohawk territory.
Many of the protesters in Saint-Lambert are young people and students, the majority of which are not Indigenous.
Saint-Lambert Mayor Pierre Brodeur emphasized this distinction in an interview with Radio-Canada’s Tout Un Matin Friday morning.
He said that “it’s frustrating to watch a small group of people who are depriving the citizens of Longueuil of access to commuter trains,” adding that the protest isn’t taking place on Indigenous land, nor is it led by Indigenous people.
“These are people who have nothing to do with Indigenous people,” he said.
In his view, the protest happening in Saint-Lambert is “completely different” from those taking place in other parts of the region.
Brodeur said it’s not fair that commuters in his area should be impacted by the solidarity protest, saying “we are just waiting for the green light” and that he is “impatient to get started dismantling these barricades.”
Ghislain Picard, chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, told CBC Montreal’s Daybreak that “this is so much bigger than an issue of land rights out in BC. It affects everyone,” he said.
Picard said if police remove Saint-Lambert protesters by force, it might mobilize more groups of people to take action in solidarity.
“People are talking and trying to find ways to be supportive,” he said.
He said this crisis provides an opportunity for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to prove his commitment to building relationships with Indigenous people in Canada and resolving the conflict peacefully will be a key part of that.
On Friday, Trudeau said the blockades “need to come down now,” but said he would not be sending in the army to do so.
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.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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.
A look at Susan Holt, Liberal premier-designate of New Brunswick
Sentencing hearing continues for University of Waterloo gender studies class stabber
Here is the latest on the New Brunswick election
New Brunswick Liberals win majority, Susan Holt first woman to lead province
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio making a difference off the pitch as well as on it
Inequality has broad impacts on the health of Montreal children, report finds
Two dead, one missing in B.C. after mudslide, road washout triggered by heavy rain
Premier-designate of New Brunswick, Susan Holt, is first woman to lead the province
