The current state of Ottawa’s Wellington Street may be unrecognizable compared to what it looked like just three days ago, but the city’s mayor says law enforcement efforts to clear the downtown core remain ongoing.
“There is a sense of relief, but it's not over,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CTV News Channel on Monday. “We still have to make sure that these pockets of people that want to get in and reclaim Wellington Street do not happen and that's why we have to abide by the sage advice of our police officers.”
According to Watson, some of the protesters operating larger rigs involved in the demonstrations are still parked outside Ottawa’s jurisdiction, and regrouping in an effort to return. This comes after police spent the weekend clearing out blockades and arresting protesters connected to the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”
Police stated in an update Monday afternoon that the arrest tally had risen to 196 people arrested, and 115 vehicles towed.
“The police have to be very cautious, not claim full victory quite yet, and not open the streets fully until we have confidence that these people cannot come back in,” Watson said. “And if they are on their way here, how do we stop them well away from Parliament Hill and our central core?”
The federal government also remains alert to the possibility that trucks and protesters could return to demonstration sites in Ottawa. In a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there are still people affiliated with the protests gathered in Arnprior and Embrun, two towns located on either side of Ottawa. These protesters have shown interest in reforming blockades, he said.
"The situation is still of people repositioning, people being out there indicating that they are ready to blockade, to continue their illegal occupation to disrupt Canadians' lives," Trudeau said.
In their Monday update, police added that they’ve already encountered some protesters returning after being arrested previously.
Police stated that a Quebec man and a woman from Southern Ontario who had been arrested on Friday and then released with no charges were subsequently arrested a day later for mischief and obstructing police.
After weeks of honking horns and idling engines, Ottawa’s downtown core remained quiet on Monday. With businesses cleared to reopen and light rail transit service resuming, there were signs that daily life is returning to normal in Ottawa’s downtown core. However, the area between Elgin, Bay, Wellington and Queen streets remains closed to vehicles and pedestrians. A “secured area" has also been created to limit traffic flow into the area of Somerset St. West to Parliament Hill and Bronson Avenue to the Rideau Canal. The ByWard Market is not part of the secured area anymore, police said Monday.
“Residents may travel to the secured area if they have a lawful reason such as they live there, work there or are shopping and visiting businesses,” the press release stated.
“Police checkpoints will remain in place and you will be asked your reason for travelling within the area.”
While Wellington Street, which runs in front of Parliament Hill, only remains closed for the time being, the option of removing vehicular traffic from the street permanently should be seriously considered, said Watson.
“What happened over the last four weeks is unacceptable and we're going to have to put in place, on the short-term, measures to restrict traffic,” he said. “Changes will happen on Wellington Street as a result of what we saw.”
Nearly 400 charges have been laid so far on a total of 110 people, according to police. Charges range from mischief and obstruction, causing a disturbance and disobeying a lawful court order to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, possessing a weapon, and assault of a police officer.
This comes after more than three weeks of protesting in the nation’s capital, with demonstrators calling for an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic health restrictions.
Approximately 100 checkpoints were set up around the downtown core, with only those who work or live in the area allowed to enter, as well as anyone with a “lawful” reason to be there. Clean up crews continued to collect garbage as streets remained littered with generators, chairs, tables, hay bales, and other debris.
While all vehicles in the downtown area have been towed away, Watson said city lawyers are looking into the possibility of selling these vehicles. The Ottawa demonstrations have cost taxpayers more than $20 million, the mayor said, and the city is exploring the idea of selling towed trucks and other vehicles that have been seized as a way to recoup costs.
Licence plate numbers belonging to other vehicles that participated in the protest but left of their own accord have also been noted and drivers will be sent tickets if they haven’t been issued one already, said Watson.
“These vehicles were acting on an illegal basis, preventing people from living their lives [and] going to work and they should be held accountable,” he said. “They should not be treated any differently than anyone else who breaks the law.”
Ottawa police have not yet released a timeline for when increased police presence in the city will come to an end. The law enforcement operation took effect after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14.
According to Trudeau said the Emergencies Act has been necessary in dealing with blockades situated at border crossings and other cities across Canada. Despite Ottawa now largely free from trucks and convoy protesters, the prime minister said the national state of emergency continues.
“This state of emergency is not over,” Trudeau said during the press conference Monday. “There continues to be real concerns about the coming days. But we will continue to evaluate every single day whether or not it is time.”
One of the key components of the Emergencies Act involves authorizing financial institutions to freeze or suspend bank accounts that belong to people suspected of sending money to protesters without the need for a court order. At least 76 accounts containing about $3.2 million have been frozen under powers granted by the Act.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it is currently working with banks to identify these accounts. Investigators have provided banks with the identities of people who were “influencers” of the Ottawa protest, or drivers who didn't want to leave. However, a list of donors was not provided to banks, the RCMP said.
For anyone hoping to regain access to their bank accounts, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland advised them during the press conference to "stop being a part of the blockades.”
First invoked on Feb. 14, the Emergencies Act will continue to be enforced for 30 days unless parliamentarians vote to revoke it. A vote on the motion in the House of Commons is expected to take place Monday evening.
With files from CTV News’ Josh Pringle, Michael Lee, Alexandra Mae Jones, Rachel Aiello, Ryan Flanagan and The Canadian Press.
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