(CNN) — The city of Windsor, Canada, and the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association obtained an injunction Friday followingnoon to end the ongoing blockade at North America’s busiest international crossing.
The fault occurs when the national protests once morest measures by covid-19 weeks-long have disrupted the supply chain and triggered a state of emergency in the country’s most populous province.
Officials, including the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have said the gridlock on the Ambassador Bridge, which connects the city to Detroit, Michigan, is hurting families, workers and economies on both sides of the border. Earlier Friday, Trudeau called for the “illegal activity” to end.
The injunction, issued by Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz, will give police more power to end the ongoing protest. It went into effect at 7 p.m. Friday night to give people a chance to clear the area, Morawetz said.
Morawetz said the protesters’ demands for freedom are resulting in the direct denial of freedom for many others in society, adding, “We’re dealing with millions of dollars in damage every day.”
Earlier Friday, Windsor, Ontario Mayor Drew Dilkens told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota that if the city received the warrant, police would ask the protesters to leave by warrant, and if they refused, ” one by one we will start towing the cars if required”, he said.
“All of us respect that the hallmark of our respective democracies is that we have the right to express ourselves, to protest and demonstrate, that’s fine,” Dilkens said. “What is not right is deciding to block the busiest commercial border crossing between our two nations.”
The blockades have slowed the movement of goods and caused production problems at auto manufacturing plants along the border. Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have announced production problems.
Blockades due to protests in Canada:
Protesters have been occupying major highways between Canada and the United States for several days. Here are the border crossings with confirmed blockades.
In recent days, protesters have used semi-trailers and, at times, farm machinery to block key access points between Canada and the US in Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota, as well as at the Coutts access point. between Alberta and Montana. And for two weeks, they have blocked the center of the city of Ottawa, Canada’s capital, including its main airport, prompting a judge to rule that they must stop honking.
The protests were sparked by truckers who oppose Canada’s new rule requiring them to be fully vaccinated when crossing the Canada-US border or face a two-week quarantine. Since then, his “Freedom Convoy” has drawn supporters resisting other COVID-19 preventative measures, including mask mandates, lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings.
At a press conference on Friday, the prime minister said that many of the protesters who are part of these blockades do not represent the roughly 90% of truckers who the Canadian government says have been vaccinated once morest covid-19. And while much of the country may be tired of Covid-19 restrictions, Trudeau said, the pandemic is not over and “we’re going to continue to follow the science and do whatever it takes to keep Canadians safe.”
“If you joined the protests because you are tired of covid, now you need to understand that you are breaking the laws. The consequences are getting more serious,” Trudeau said.
“We have heard you,” he added. “It’s time to go home now.”
Trudeau also said at the news conference that he spoke with Dilkens regarding the impasse at the Detroit hotspot, “to offer the full and continued support of the federal government.”
Also on Friday, Ontario’s premier declared a state of emergency and promised “serious” consequences for those who participate in the lockdowns.
“I will call on Cabinet to use legal authorities to issue urgent orders that will make clear that it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services across critical infrastructure,” said Doug Ford.
Failure to comply might bring a year in prison and a $100,000 fine, he said. “We will also provide additional authority to consider withdrawing the personal and business licenses of anyone who fails to comply with these orders,” Ford said.
