Protesters agree to police deadline to end Winnipeg occupation

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This article was published 21/02/2022 (994 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police have given local so-called “freedom convoy” protesters a deadline of 5 p.m. Wednesday to end their occupation of an area across from the Manitoba Legislative Building.

In a letter issued Tuesday afternoon, demonstrators were warned they risk being arrested and charged if they do not comply with the order. The notices covered in clear plastic were also attached with plastic zip ties to vehicles on Broadway and occupying Memorial Boulevard.

“It’s a sad day,” one of the protesters said, getting a bite to eat at the site’s temporary food tent Tuesday, away from the -34 windchill.

“We’re done,” said the man, who did not give his name. “For now.”

Some of the half-dozen-or-so people at the site at the start of the afternoon rush hour seemed resigned to leaving. “I guess so,” said one woman in a snowsuit.

Another protester joked about moving to the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street if forced to leave Broadway and Memorial Boulevard.

Co-organizer Caleb Brown said protesters will comply with the demand to move equipment off Memorial Boulevard but maintain a presence inside Memorial Park, though he didn’t know what it would entail.

“It’s mixed emotions, but we don’t want this escalating to where people are in violation of the law. We knew this was coming eventually. We don’t feel the job is done,” he said.

The group is aiming to meet the 5 p.m. deadline, but there could be some stragglers, Brown said.

“It’s a bit of a process to get everything moved.”

The anti-COVID-19 mandate protesters, who have been camped in the area of Broadway and Memorial in downtown Winnipeg since Feb. 4, have been told to move their vehicles (including semi-trucks, farm tractors and a school bus), plus trailers and other structures before the deadline.

“Over the last three weeks, the Winnipeg Police Service has worked to balance your right to protest while protecting the rights of residents affected by protest activity,” the letter states. “Your ongoing presence and blocking of streets is interfering with the lawful use and enjoyment of personal and public property.”

Protesters who do not comply could be charged with mischief, intimidation or other offences under the Criminal Code, and their vehicles could be seized and become subject to an application by the Crown for forfeiture, police said.

Highway Traffic Act charges of obstructing police and failing to obey the instructions of a peace officer could also be considered, along with bylaw offences, including excessive noise.

Police warned the group the Federal Emergencies Act could be used to seize vehicles, trailers and equipment, and freeze assets.

Anyone who is charged and/or convicted could be prevented from entering the U.S., said police.

At a news conference last week, Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth said he hoped the situation would be resolved in the near future, as police said they would continue with the strategy of communication.

Amid that ongoing dialogue, the demonstration’s footprint became smaller on Feb. 18. Protesters agreed to move their vehicles off Broadway and on to Memorial, and honk horns only twice a day for two minutes per time.

The Winnipeg protest began a week after a cross-country convoy of truckers and supporters converged on Ottawa, where they occupied streets outside thr Parliament Buildings until police moved in on Feb. 18.

The national convoy started in response to a federal regulation requiring Canadian truckers arriving from the U.S. to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to avoid a 14-day quarantine. (The U.S. requires all non-Americans entering the country at land or ferry ports to be fully vaccinated and provide proof.)

It morphed into a demonstration against the government and restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

Winnipeg council has instructed the city’s chief administrative officer to explore a court injunction against what Mayor Brian Bowman has called an “unlawful occupation.”

— with files from Carol Sanders

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching