The ongoing truckers’ blockades and protests against the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions at the Manitoba-US border are expected to end Wednesday (local time), according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
RCMP Manitoba is confident that protesters will leave the area soon and full access to border crossing will be restored, reported CBC News.
“We are now confident that a resolution has been reached and that demonstrators will soon be leaving the area and that full access to the Emerson port of entry will be restored,” Chief Supt Rob Hill with the Manitoba RCMP said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
Protesters have largely dictated who comes and goes at the Highway 75 border crossing in Emerson, Manitoba, since moving in Thursday last week, though they have also been allowing through emergency vehicles, according to RCMP.
Earlier Tuesday, before RCMP said that the blockade is expected to come to an end, the co-owner of the Duty-Free Shop in Emerson said something needed to be done to get traffic going, reported CBC News.
“After two years of the pandemic, and this [blockade] … we will close if this continues,” said Simon Resch, whose shop has been inaccessible to customers since last week.
The Emerson crossing is one of several important land ports for trade at the Canada-US border targeted by protesters calling for an end to not just pandemic restrictions and a federal vaccine mandate for truckers, but also for the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other changes.
On Monday, Trudeau enacted the federal Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history, giving the federal government more powers to handle the protests.
In addition to the largest protest in Ottawa, a demonstration at the Manitoba Legislative Building has been going on for two weeks.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly resigned amid ongoing protests of truckers and ordinary citizens against COVID-19 restrictions, reported Sputnik.
Sloly decided to step down following an Ottawa Police Services Board meeting earlier in the day, reported Sputnik the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday citing sources. It came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday (local time) invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in 50 years to give the federal government extra powers to handle ongoing truckers blockades and protests against the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
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