Bill 100 introduces new police powers to deal with protests

Born out of the Ambassador Bridge Blockade in 2022, new police powers mean law enforcement can now respond much faster and harder if a similar situation were to arise again.

The Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act, passed in the spring of 2022 just months after the Ambassador Bridge blockade, provides what the Deputy Chief calls "powerful tools of persuasion" should a rally get too close to the border—whatever the cause or concern.

The newly formed Public Order Unit ensures organizers understand the "lay of the land." When a local group plans a rally or protest walk, Windsor Police are looped in.

The biggest new tool is Bill 100: Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act, which includes serious consequences for demonstrations near the border.

"If you're a commercial vehicle operator, so you have a licensed truck or trucking company, you can lose your regular driver's license,” said Windsor Police Deputy Chief Jason Crowley. “You can lose that operator's license for the trucking company as well. That's going to affect someone's livelihood."

Police can also remove vehicles blocking the border and hold them for up to a month.

Police officers move in on demonstrators near the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., Feb. 12, 2022. (Source: @_OnLocation_ / Twitter)

At this point, Windsor hasn't made use of the powers offered in that law.

"We want to have that good rapport with protesters,” said Crowley. “We don't want to affect someone's livelihood, but it does give us something to actually use."

For some, the new powers go too far and could be abused.

"The underlying issue is that it's unnecessary,” insisted Hatim Kheir of Charter Advocates Canada. He insists police already had the authority needed to clear the blockade and now fears that the legislation might be misused, "One of the things that Bill 100 does is it creates room for certain administrative penalties, which occur before anyone has a right to a hearing, including 14-day suspensions of driver's licenses."

And here's a little-known fact: the injunction protecting the border from protesters remains in effect today.

You may recall it took nearly a full week for the city to argue and win the court order that gave police the authority to make arrests.

Deputy Chief Crowley said the injunction has no end date and serves as another way of keeping border crossings open.