State of emergency declared in Ottawa
Removing heavy trucks from city streets is very difficult technically.
Protests in downtown Ottawa against restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue for a second week. Truckers from different provinces walked to the Parliament building in Ottawa on January 29 and have been blocking traffic in the city center ever since.
Residents of Ottawa are suffering from the noise, and those who worked in the protest zone have not received their wages for a week, as about 100 stores, cafes and other establishments have been forced to close. A law firm has been found that has already filed a $9.8 million CAD class action lawsuit on behalf of the city's residents.
On Sunday, February 6, a state of emergency was declared. Ottawa police estimated that more than 500 heavy-duty vehicles were parked in the city center. Police reported that 28 vehicles were towed for obstructing traffic, but it is not known what these vehicles had to do with the protests.
Local organizations that have towing vehicles refuse to participate in the forced removal of trucks from the streets for fear of ruining relationships with transportation companies. In addition, it is much more difficult to tow a truck than an ordinary passenger car.
Even with the active participation of van drivers, according to the owner of Ward's Towing, it would take several days of round-the-clock work to get hundreds of trucks out of Ottawa. It can take half an hour just to securely hitch a truck to a tow truck, and you have to get under the truck to do it. When a truck can move at any moment and there's a protesting crowd around, it's just life-threatening.
The van drivers say they only need to press one button to block all 18 wheels. They intend to remain in the city center until all demands are met.
