OTTAWA – The countdown has begun and Ottawa is preparing for the new round of protests scheduled to begin on Canada Day. Mayor Jim Watson and interim police chief Steve Bell say security plans have been drawn up to allow for safe celebrations on Friday despite the threat of Veterans for Freedom demonstrations. 

The city has already been the scene of numerous demonstrations of the ‘Freedom Convoy’ when the movement that opposes the restrictions against Covid and vaccines, in January and February occupied the city center for three weeks. “I want to assure everyone that the RCMP, the Ottawa Police, the Police de Gatineau and the Parliamentary Protective Service are fully prepared to respond to any situation,” Watson said yesterday at a press conference.

Although police have since managed to prevent similar protests from returning to sow inconvenience in the city, it is likely that preventing the planned demonstrations from getting out of hand during Canada Day will be complicated by the presence of thousands of people celebrating the national holiday. “We will not be intimidated by any group that intends to interrupt the celebrations – said Watson – we are prepared and we will not tolerate any illegal activity by anyone”.

Bell said police are prepared for a number of different scenarios and will respond quickly to any illegal event, including setting up facilities such as stages. “We developed our plans in the shadow of the illegal protests and the Rolling Thunder event,” he said.

In late April, the Ottawa Police Services Board approved Bell’s request to appoint up to 831 RCMP officers to lend a hand at rolling thunder motorcycle events and made those appointments valid until July 4.

Watson said Ottawa residents and visitors should feel comfortable attending Canada Day celebrations, which will be held in a location west of downtown, but also said they should be prepared for delays, road closures and other inconveniences. The city warns that vehicles will be fined and towed if they are found in violation of the prohibition zones, although the full extent of the areas that will be banned has not been determined.

Many Ottawa residents, still furious at the way the city and police handled the Freedom Convoy protests, hope that the same situation will not be repeated. Several community groups came together to launch a citizens’ inquiry into how that protest was conducted.

The Ottawa People’s Commission on the Convoy Occupation is planning to submit a final report by early next year. The group says ongoing reviews of what it calls “a siege of the city” are barely scratching the surface of what happened. “We need this independent, non-partisan investigation to listen to ordinary citizens, advocacy organizations and social agencies, entrepreneurs, workers and others whose lives have been turned upside down during the occupation,” said Ken Rubin, a community activist who started the Ottawa People’s Commission on the Convoy Occupation.