OTA warns of Sarnia, Fort Erie protests as Windsor blockade continues

The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is warning that protesters could target international bridges in Sarnia and Fort Erie, and adds that the Ambassador Bridge continues to be closed for entry into Canada.

Widespread rumors suggest protesters could return to the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia within the next 24-48 hours, the association said in a bulletin on Tuesday afternoon. That span is handling much of the truck traffic looking to avoid Windsor, which is the site of the latest border-related disruptions.

Bluewater Bridge
Protesters are planning a return to the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia, Ont. (Photo: istock)

A group that has previously protested at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie is planning a protest on Feb. 12 at 11 a.m., OTA adds. Earlier actions have not impeded traffic across the bridge.

Traffic was completely blocked at the Ambassador Bridge — the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S. — as of 8 p.m. on Monday, Essex County OPP reported. The span was also the target of some of the earliest protests against vaccine mandates.

Protests at Coutts, Alta., have eased somewhat.

“Commercial and passenger vehicles northbound from the U.S. are able to cross freely at the Coutts border crossing,” Alberta RCMP said in a tweet. “Large commercial vehicles traveling south to the U.S. are being asked to use the Aden, Del Bonita and Carway border crossings to avoid any delays.”

Protests have emerged at various crossings since Canada and the U.S. introduced a vaccine mandate for truck drivers at the international border. Related convoys and other actions have emerged fighting pandemic-related measures of every sort.


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  • My complaint with the truck mandates is simple when they needed us to get the freight and food to Canada and the states no one cared about our health or safety as long as the job got done so why does it matter now