TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2022) Canadian officials are increasingly desperate for a solution to the nearly two-week anti-government demonstrations amid a growing number of flashpoints across the country and mounting financial costs.
POLICE STEP UP ENFORCEMENT, THEATER OF CONFLICT WIDENS
In Ottawa, ground zero of the anti-government demonstrations, the protest appears to be fading as law enforcement flexes its muscles.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly on Thursday said law enforcement is gradually regaining control of the city through negotiations with protesters and enforcement.
"Day by day we are removing trucks through negotiation and towing enforcement from the footprints in the red zone and around in the surrounding neighborhoods," Sloly said during a press briefing. "Weekend over weekend we are seeing significant reductions in the range of 50 to 65 percent of total trucks and total demonstrators."
Earlier in the day, Ottawa police announced they negotiated the departure of a dozen more trucks obstructing traffic.
Additionally, Sloly said that the law enforcement agencies operating in the city have made 25 arrests and issued more than 1,700 tickets related since protesters converged upon the city 13 days ago.
However, Thursday also saw the emergence of new flashpoints, while pressure amplified up at existing bottlenecks.
In Manitoba, protesters used motor vehicles and farm equipment to block the Emerson Port of Entry linking the US state of North Dakota and the Canadian province, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement.
Other hotspots, including the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, which accounts for nearly a quarter of freight deliveries between the US and Canada, either face disruptions or have been forced to close entirely.
The protest-related bill, meanwhile, is rising.
The Ambassador Bridge blockade has forced Ford, Toyota and General Motors to either close their plants or curtail production in Ontario, citing a shortage of parts.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, following a conversation with Ontario Premier Doug Ford regarding the situation in Windsor, in a statement via Twitter accused the protesters of "endangering jobs" and "threatening the economy."
The financial impacts are also being felt in Ottawa where many businesses in the downtown core remain closed and the city continues to incur cost of up to $630,000 for additional policing resources deployed to the capital to maintain order.
Canadian officials are feeling the heat from both sides of the aisle, as proponents of the so-called 'Freedom Convoy' widen the theater of conflict - with new blockades popping up by the day - and opponents grow increasingly frustrated with authorities' efforts to quell the protests, or lack thereof.
Despite frantic calls for action, there appears to be little consensus among the Federal leaders about the way out of the standoff, with all sides choosing to point the finger at each other for the ongoing turmoil.
Trudeau, himself a lightning rod for anger, has repeatedly called for an end to demonstrations but continues to insist on a policing solution, which Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly has dismissed as unrealistic.
The Prime Minister and his Liberal caucus, meanwhile, is blaming the Conservative Party for the continued disruptions, accusing the official opposition of prolonging the stalemate. Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen, who has lent her support to protesters, on Thursday called on the demonstrators to take down the barricades.
Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the left-wing New Democrat Party (NDP), slammed the Prime Minister for a perceived lack of leadership on the issue, calling the Trudeau government's response "totally unacceptable."
However, federal officials are not the only ones drawing criticism. Provincial leaders, most notably Ford, whose province has taken the brunt of the impact, are also castigated for a lethargic response to the ongoing standoff.
OFFICIALS SCRAMBLE TO REASSESS PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES
While the conflict appears to be far off from a solution, the public health measures, which served as a trigger for the protests, are being reviewed by officials.
Canada's chief medical officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, last week suggested that the country may need to learn to live with the virus, "re-examining" existing public health measures to find a more "sustainable" way to address the virus, which may linger for years.
On Thursday, Singh called for a federal plan to exit the pandemic just days after Saskatchewan abruptly announced that it would drop all COVID-19 restrictions by the end of the month.
Neighboring Alberta has also announced an end to its vaccination passport program and dropping masking mandates in schools and the latest reports suggest that Ontario may also be fast-tracking its reopening timeline.
