February 11, 2022 11:11am
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is declaring a state of emergency and will enact new legislation to help end the protests at the Ambassador Bridge and in the City of Ottawa.
Premier Ford announced he will convene cabinet and enact orders to make it “illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people, and services along critical infrastructure.” This includes international border crossings, 400-series highways, airports, ports, bridges, and railways. It will also include protecting the safe and essential movement of ambulatory and medical services, public transit, municipal and provincial roadways, and pedestrian walkways.
Fines for non-compliance will be severe, with a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year imprisonment.
Ford had a clear message for the people who continue to demonstrate on Huron Church Road in Windsor and around Parliament Hill.
“Please go home, those of you who brought your children, please take them home, I urge you it’s time to leave, and it’s time to do so peacefully. To the very small group who have chosen to take a different path, to those who have chosen to take a city of 1 million people hostage for the last two weeks, to those trying to force a political agenda through disruption, intimidation, and chaos my message to you is this. Your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the right of hundreds of thousands of workers to earn their living,” said Ford.
-more to come-