14 Feb 2022 | 09:39 PM UTC
Canada, US: Trucker protests continue to block several border crossings as of Feb. 14; Ambassador Bridge reopens to traffic /update 5
Activists blocking several US-Canada border crossings as of Feb. 14; Ambassador Bridge, connecting Windsor with Detroit, reopens to traffic.
Event
Truckers continue to protest at and block several US-Canada border crossing points as of Feb. 14, demanding that authorities rescind Canada's COVID-19-related restrictions and vaccine requirements. Authorities have, however, removed trucks and protesters from the vicinity of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, where the border crossing protests began. Traffic across the bridge, which connects Windsor with Detroit, Michigan, resumed Feb. 13.
Other binational border crossings remain fully or partially blocked. The Coutts border crossing point between Coutts, Alberta, and Sweet Grass, Montana, remains obstructed. Protesters are blocking both north and southbound lanes on Alberta's Highway 4. Authorities arrested 11 people and seized weapons from some of the protesters Feb. 14; provincial authorities have also confirmed that they have acquired heavy equipment to facilitate the removal of the blockade.
Truckers have also blocked Manitoba's Highway 75 near the Emerson-Pembina border crossing. The road has been blocked since early Feb. 10, halting most traffic between Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota. Traffic through the blockade is generally limited to emergency vehicles and some agricultural transport.
Activists also launched a protest in Fort Erie, Ontario, Feb. 12, disrupting traffic near the Peace Bridge, which connects the city to Buffalo, New York. While demonstrators had partially closed Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) in Fort Erie, the main road leading to the Peace Bridge crossing, the QEW and the Peace Bridge crossing are open to traffic as of Feb. 14.
Additionally, protesters have blocked the Pacific Highway in Surrey, British Columbia, creating disruptions at the border crossing with Washington State. Police have temporarily closed the border crossing in the area due to the nearby protest.
Heightened security is likely to remain in place near protest sites. Related protests may materialize near additional border crossings over the coming days. Disruptions are likely to persist even after demonstrations conclude as officials work to clear the backlog of vehicles. Police may seek to forcibly remove encamped demonstrators, especially if the protesters instigate clashes or other violence. The protests may result in short-term supply chain disruptions and production stoppages.
Advice
Consider alternative routes. Reconfirm the status of roads and border crossings before departure. Plan for delays to ground travel, including the movement of freight. Avoid demonstrations as a standard precaution. Do not pass through protester-erected roadblocks; wait for the police to clear them.
