Judge grants injunction to end Ambassador Bridge trucker blockade

Protesters blocking the Ambassador Bridge will now have to move, one way or another, as Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz granted an injunction Friday evening. 

It went into effect at 7 p.m. Friday, about two hours after the court's decision, to give protesters the "opportunity and the time to clear the area," Morawetz said.

But as police gathered at the bridge to enforce the recent ruling, the protesters showed no signs of leaving — or fear. In a unanimous, yet unofficial vote, they decided to stay.

Rather than packing up, they played Smash Mouth, waved flags, and cheered. Intermittent yells of "freedom" echoed through the crowd.

When 7 p.m. rolled around, demonstrators lit up the sky with blue fireworks. The police had not yet made a move. Around 8 p.m., authorities handed out notices advising protesters that they should clear the area by midnight or face fines or jail time.

While the crowd thinned considerably by midnight, police showed no intention of removing the remaining protesters as they cheered along with the Canadian national anthem.

Truckers calling themselves the Freedom Convoy are opposing a Canadian mandate requiring drivers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated or face testing and quarantine requirements.

For five days, Windsor police and protesters have been locked in a battle of wills with the rest of the world watching. When the protest started Monday, it shut down the bridge both ways.  

The next day, the bridge opened into the United States, but was still closed to traffic into Canada. By Thursday, business industry leaders and top officials in the U.S. and Canada had had enough and were demanding that the bridge be fully reopened.

After Morawetz granted the injunction, the Windsor Police released a statement to notify the protesters that blocking the streets is a criminal offense. Those who fail to stop may face charges and their vehicles may be seized.

"The unlawful act of blocking streets at and near the Ambassador Bridge is resulting in people being denied the lawful use, enjoyment and operation of their property and causing businesses to close down," the statement reads. "Charges and/or convictions related to the unlawful activity associated with the demonstration may lead to denial in crossing the USA border."

Tensions rise

Early Friday, demonstrators in Windsor began moving trucks to open a single lane on the bridge.

But after it was cleared, a protester zipped his truck in to block it, then got out and told other protesters to "Hold the line," adding to the protest confusion and uncertainty about what would come next.

The blockade in Windsor has created a backup and delay at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron and Sarnia, forcing some truckers to go all the way to Sault Ste. Marie and then crossing in New York. 

On top of that, the protest became a model for similar protests around the globe.

Peter Klassen, owner of PNA Klassen Trucking based in Wallenstein, Ontario, told the Free Press on Friday he had a few trucks as part of the blockade near the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.

The company, he said, hauls general freight, primarily in Ontario, Canada.

"The reason why we’re here is just to get our freedom back," he said. "All mandates should be dropped."

Dick Neufeld, the owner of Blytheswood Auto based in Leamington, Ontario, said his partner was at the blockade site with a company car.

“They’re for freedom,” said Neufeld, who didn’t have much more to add.

Windsor officials had been saying for days they hoped the protest was resolved soon but, if necessary, they have the police reinforcements to end it.

"It is our goal to ensure public/road safety and to keep the peace," Windsor Police tweeted early Friday.

By about 10 a.m. Friday, there appeared to be an increased police presence in Windsor as protesters erected shelters and held Tim Hortons coffee cups in their hands. 

At about 10:15 a.m., a truck rolled through and opened up one lane, sounding loud horns to cheers from other protesters.

Several protesters, dressed in camouflaged winter gear, swept the streets clean with big brooms around a few beat-up couches placed in the street where the convoy is set up.

Jason Carswell, 51, of Windsor, who has been at the protest every day, said he is not a trucker but called Canada’s vaccine mandates "malarkey," an expression associated with President Joe Biden. 

"Science," he said, "is about questioning."

Police may want to keep the peace, but tensions are rising as the blockade continues into the evening on its fifth day.

Chris Reid, a Windsor resident riding his bike in a blue windbreaker, stood out against the protesters with their red and white Canadian flags. 

He stopped mid-ride to argue with Matt, a protester holding a Canadian flag on a hockey stick.

Reid said the demonstrators are hypocritical — they're protesting for freedom, but restricting it by blocking the border.

"I'm angry that people on both sides of this border are being harmed by this," Reid said. "There are ways to voice your opinion ... stand on the sidewalk and put your signs up and do whatever you want, don't shut down our border and damage the economy."

Carswell, with a long white beard, donned a Santa hat for the protests. He walked around on Friday morning snapping photos with a digital camera.

In the middle of the street, three men bundled up for winter looked on at the protests. One of the men said he is “OK” with what the protesters are doing. The two other men standing with him said they were trying to "educate him" into protesting more.

Meanwhile, outside the protest, the drumbeat to end it grew louder.

Opposing parties agree

Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, leader of Canada's liberal party, and Doug Ford, premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, said on Friday the bridge must reopen.

In Ottawa, Trudeau held a news conference, vowing that police and other law enforcement will use increasing measures against protesters if needed — including measures that could hurt them financially — if they don’t leave.

“Make no mistake, the border cannot and will not remain closed,” he said. “Everything is on the table because this unlawful activity has to end and it will end.”

Trudeau said the use of military force is not something being contemplated at this point and did not describe the actions law enforcement might take to break up the protests. But he said there are concerns that protesters could become violent if forced to move and that he expects police to seek a peaceful resolution first to ending the blockade and take a “predictable, progressive approach” to their actions.

Best case scenario, Trudeau said, the protesters leave before they bring harm — economic or otherwise — to themselves or their families. 

Trudeau and Biden spoke earlier in the day as well, with Biden agreeing that the blockade is having “significant direct impacts on citizens’ lives and livelihoods.”

Friday, not long after the one lane was cleared, Ford made an announcement of his own, asking the group to end the protest and "please go home."

He declared a state of emergency and said he plans to convene cabinet and “use legal authorities to urgently enact orders” that will protect border crossings and impose fines of up to $100,000 and a year imprisonment.

Michigan ready to help

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hit the airways early Friday and reiterated her concerns about the protest. She told WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) that "we've been burning up the phone lines" talking to federal and Canadian officials.

It's up to the Canadian government to end or move the protest, she said.

But Michigan, she added, stands ready to assist.

She also spoke to CNN, and later released a statement adding: "We cannot let another minute go by unnecessarily because this border is too important to our economy, to our homeland security, and as we grow our economy."

Police estimate that there are about 100 protesters and between 50-75 vehicles, including tractor-trailers.

It was unclear whether the demonstrators would disperse on their own, although snow, rain, and temperatures in the 30s going down into the teens was forecast for Friday, which could dampen some resolve.

Throughout the week, the group has been blocking the way off the bridge and are walking around the area, waving Canadian — and American — flags and interacting with police over barricades. 

They are encamped in an area that has allowed them to get food and other necessities. 

Mayor Drew Dilkens has said the police are reluctant to push out protesters because there could be violence. Some protesters, he added, were reportedly armed with tire irons, and some said they'll die for their cause.

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and Business Roundtable said the disruptions at Ambassador Bridge and at other crossings are adding to the supply chain strains on manufacturers and other businesses.

"The business community is rolling up its sleeves to find workarounds and keep facilities up and running," they said in a joint statement. "But we are already seeing some production cuts, shift reductions, and temporary plant closures."

$51 million lost auto wages

Still, Windsor resident Don Gelinas warmed up Thursday evening over a charcoal grill. He said he joined the demonstration for several reasons.

Among them: He said his wife lost her job over the vaccine mandate, his daughter is unable to participate in extracurricular activities like gymnastics, he was not allowed to see his mother before she died in a long-term care facility and he has to quarantine every time he comes into the United States to get supplies for his fencing business. 

One of North American's biggest commercial gateways, the Ambassador Bridge shutdown was widely condemned by Canadian and U.S. officials Thursday, with calls for it to end immediately.

In addition, members of congress, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged the Canadian government to resolve the border standoff.

A long-haul truck driver demonstration that began late last month in Ottawa to protest vaccine-related border mandates imposed by the Canadian government has turned into an international affair.

Similar protests are spreading via social media to other countries, including Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, France and the United States.

In Paris, the protesters — which are supported by the right-wing presidential candidate there — are using the name Convoi de la Liberté, a French translation of what Canadian truckers are calling themselves, the Freedom Convoy. 

By one estimate, more than $51 million in direct lost auto-industry wages has been lost in Michigan as a result of the protest. The East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group released its conclusion Thursday. 

But it noted, that the figure does not include losses in other industries.

Free Press staff writers Phoebe Wall Howard, Todd Spangler, Emma Stein, Jamie L. LaReau and Eric D. Lawrence contributed.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.