Convoy originating from Mississauga will slow Saturday traffic, Peel Police warn

Mississauga | Ontario | COVID | Police | Politics | Traffic |

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Published February 4, 2022 at 9:12 pm

Police in Mississauga say they will work to “minimize the impact on the public” on Saturday, when a “convoy for freedom” leaves from Square One mall to join a demonstration at the Ontario legislature in downtown Toronto.

As previously reported by inSauga, Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga is one of the meet-up points. They will roll out at 11 a.m. to head to Queen’s Park, where drivers of trackers and truck cabs began amassing on Friday, blaring their horns.

LATEST UPDATE: VIDEO: Truckers convoy disrupting Square One area in Mississauga

A convoy has been protesting mandatory vaccine requirements and other COVID-19 public health measures implemented across Canada over the last two weeks. A demonstration on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 29 transitioned into an occupation of the city’s downtown.

“We are aware of a planned demonstration that is set to occur in the City of Toronto, with a starting point for the participants within our Region,” a Peel Regional Police statement issued on Friday night read.

“While we respect an individual’s right under the (Canadian) Charter of Rights and Freedoms to freedom of expression and to peacefully assemble, our priority as a police service is to ensure the safety and well-being of all involved.

“Demonstrations may interrupt the normal flow of traffic, however we will endeavour to minimize any impact on the public.”

The public is advised to follow the police service’s Twitter account (@PeelPolice) for updates.

The protesters are also planning to head out from Oakville and from Hamilton.

 

Fighting Back

Ottawa residents, along with the elected leadership and police service in Ontario’s second-largest city, are hitting back at the occupiers. GoFundMe has pulled the fundraiser created in support of the convoy, and is offering refunds to anyone who supported it. The Ottawa police suggested they have incurred an extra $800,000 per day in costs due to the occuption.

GoFundMe said it had been presented with evidence of unlawful behaviour by the participants.

As reported by CTV News, lawyer Paul Champ has also filed a $9.8-million class-action lawsuit against four convoy organizers on behalf of affected downtown Ottawa residents. Many people in downtown Ottawa have reported being intimidated by the occupiers, who could also be defendants in the suit if they are publicly identified.

On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford used the term “occupation” to describe events in Ottawa on Friday, and said supported would be offered to both Toronto and Ottwawa. One day prior, during an interview on AM900 CHML in Hamilton, he said of the same group, “We live in a democracy, if people want to come down and protest, God bless ’em.”

Last week, when the convoy rolled across Southern Ontario, the premier’s anti-vaxxer daughter, Krista Haynes, attended the rally and held up a “F*ck Trudeau” flag in a photo she publicly shared on Instagram. Her husband lost his job as a Toronto police officer after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Also Friday, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the premier’s Ontario PC Party government needs to “bring in safety zones around hospitals, schools (and vaccine) clinics.” Healthcare workers in Toronto, who have been working amid a global pandemic for close to two years, were warned Thursday not to wear clothing that gives away their line of work when they show up for their shifts at healthcare campuses near Queen’s Park.

Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca suggested that Ford send a bill for Ottawa’s extra policiing costs directly to the organizers of the convoy-turned-occupation. Del Duca said this is possible under Schedule 1 of the Comprehensive Police Services Act.

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