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Freedom Convoy, Ambassador Bridge, Milk Increase Overview:
- Who: Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency as the Freedom Convoy protests continue into their third week in Canada’s capital city while the Ambassador Bridge reopens and milk prices soar.
- Why: Demonstrators are protesting COVID-19 restrictions put in place by the government. The convoy originally began as a group of truckers protesting a vaccination requirement to cross the United States and Canada border.
- Where: The Freedom Convoy protest is ongoing in Ottawa.
Ottawa’s mayor declared a state of emergency over an ongoing anti-vaccination and COVID-19 restriction protest in Canada’s capital.
Truckers protesting COVID-19 rules have dubbed the protest the “Freedom Convoy,” and it has blocked city streets, disrupted traffic and caused residents to endure the sound of blaring truck horns for more than a week.
Originally, the protest was over truckers’ disagreement with COVID-19 rules requiring them to be vaccinated to cross the border between the United States and Canada.
The protest has since grown in size and become more of a general rallying cry against COVID-19 rules in general being enforced by the Canadian government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In declaring a state of emergency, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said in a statement that the ongoing protest posed a “serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents.”
Watson said declaring a state of emergency would also allow “other jurisdictions and levels of government” to help counter the protest.
Ottawa police have reportedly arrested 20 people and issued more than 500 tickets as of Friday, NBC News reports.
Ambassador Bridge Reopens Despite Freedom Convoy Ongoing
While the Freedom Convoy continues into its third week, the Ambassador Bridge, which connects the US and Canada, reopened after it was closed for nearly a week due to the protest, NPR reports.
The Ambassador Bridge connects Detroit to Windsor and is the busiest border crossing between the two countries, responsible for a quarter of the trade.
Emma Jacobs, a multimedia journalist based out of Montreal, told NPR the blockade had disrupted automakers who send parts byway of the crossing, causing some to halt production and send workers home.
The bridge will not be closed again now that it has been reopened, according to Windsor Police Chief Pamela Mizuno.
The protest, meanwhile, has still been attracting thousands of people to the area during the weekends as residents continue to pursue noise complaints and try to get relief for what they say is aggressive behavior from some of the protestors, Jacobs told NPR.
According to Jacobs, Mayor Watson has said he will meet with the demonstrators on the grounds they begin to move their vehicles away from residences, which one key leader of the convoy has reportedly said they will consider.
“However, a lot of the participants in these demonstrations have said they will not go home until all public health mandates are lifted. And some seem very intent on seeing this all the way through. So it is a tense moment,” Jacobs told NPR.
Price Of Dairy Soaring Across Canada Amid New Farmer Pay
Amidst the hubbub, milk prices have been taking off across Canada, coinciding with a record increase in pay for dairy farmers.
The price of milk has increased by as much as 15% in grocery stores in some provinces, Global News reports.
Arianna Scott, CEO of Alberta Food Banks, told Global News the price increase is likely to affect families that are low income and food insecure the most.
“If families start being unable to provide milk to their kids or they start rationing it or diluting it, you’re going to start to see an increase in health concerns,” Scott told Global News.
The price increase can be traced back to a record-high increase in pay for dairy farmers, who, on Feb. 1, began receiving 8.4% more for the milk they produce.
Farmers are being paid more for their milk in an attempt to offset price increases in production, including the cost of feed, in addition to reimbursing them for higher costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Global News reports.
“This decision, which represents six cents per litre of milk leaving the farm, was made after careful consideration and consultation with all the stakeholders across the supply chain,” said commission spokesperson Chantal Paul in a written statement.
The price of milk currently varies across Canada with the highest prices being seen in Atlantic Canada where the dairy farms are smaller and there are fewer customers to serve, Global News reports.
Have you been affected by the ongoing Freedom Convoy demonstration? Let us know in the comments!
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