Lessons learned: Local politicians, businesses reflect on one year anniversary of Ambassador Bridge blockade
Lessons learned: Local politicians, businesses reflect on one year anniversary of Ambassador Bridge blockade
One year ago, all eyes were on the city of Windsor, Ont. as protestors opposing COVID-19 restrictions shut down the busiest international border crossing.
Despite a court injunction, protestors held their ground for six days. The Ambassador Bridge blockade halted an estimated nearly $4 billion in trade activity.
“We started to see plant closures because goods couldn't get through in Ontario, in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, as far away as an auto plant in Kentucky,” said Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association.
On a local scale, Volpe said many local auto workers were on temporary lay off.
“I remember thinking how crazy this was. That these were Windsorites doing to their own friends and neighbours,” said Volpe.
Since the blockade, Volpe has been working to rebuild Canada’s reputation as a reliable trade partner.
At a recent auto industry event, Volpe said many automakers questioned him about the risk of doing business with Canadian companies.
“We have to spend a lot of our time explaining to people how we fixed it, closed the door and how we're mitigating it for the future,” Volpe explained. “This gives us less opportunity to actually talk about the talent in our city.”
Dozens of businesses in west Windsor impacted by the Ambassador Bridge blockade have now received federal relief funding totaling nearly $505,000.
Fred’s Farm Fresh received $10,000, the maximum amount.
“It did help but we probably lost that amount just on the roses we had purchased. We have to order our Valentine’s Day roses at least a month ahead of time,” said owner Fred Bouzide.
Ontario has since passed Bill 100, Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act, to prevent this type of disruption from happening again.
“It’s very clear that if you block a major piece of infrastructure, the fine starts at $100,000 and the action is immediate now,” said Volpe.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens is also confident the legislation in place will prevent a future blockade.
“I think the existing legislation actually has enough teeth now to send a sharp signal to anyone thinking about doing this again, that they shouldn’t, because the consequences are too high,” said Dilkens.
One local politician believes there was one positive that came from the blockade. NDP MP Brian Masse said upper levels of government now understand how important it is to secure our border.
“I’ve been pushing for permanent funding for the creation of a border authority to manage traffic internationally,” said Masse.
He believes we need a strategic plan for a variety of potential border disruptions.
“Borders should be as a planned operation. We shouldn't be winging it every day. That's kind of still what we're doing, we're winging it every day,” he said.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent end run around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has forced the House to spend the day debating a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Bargain hunters are one step closer to seeing sales at Nordstrom's closing Canadian locations. At a hearing at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Monday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice gave the U.S. retailer's Canadian branch permission to start liquidating its merchandise.
Some of the world's largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
Waterloo regional police say they arrested nine people for impaired driving over the course of nine hours between 6:30 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day and 3:30 a.m. on March 18.
Four police officers were assaulted over the weekend while attempting to make an arrest in St. Thomas. Just before 9 p.m. on Saturday, police responded to a home in the north end of the city.
Lane restrictions are now in place on Wellington Street as construction gets underway on Phase 1 of the Wellington Gateway and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements project.
According to officers with the Huronia West OPP detachment, a search of the vehicle turned up a "substantial amount" of suspected drugs with a street value of roughly $20,000.
Police say they found the accused had been driving while under suspension and had an open liquor container in the vehicle, adding to the number of charges he faces.
A 46-year-old man has been taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries after a single-vehicle crash on MR80 near Donaldson Crescent in Val Caron.
Bargain hunters are one step closer to seeing sales at Nordstrom's closing Canadian locations. At a hearing at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Monday, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice gave the U.S. retailer's Canadian branch permission to start liquidating its merchandise.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) announced Monday morning that a third person has died in connection with the tragedy in Amqui, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, where a driver drove his pickup truck into pedestrians a week ago.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping will give an update on the effort to import and distribute children's pain and fever medicine Monday afternoon.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping will give an update on the effort to import and distribute children's pain and fever medicine Monday afternoon.
A vehicle burst into flames in South Vancouver after an early morning collision Monday, prompting police to shut down the intersection at Kingsway and Tyne Street amid an investigation.
People who rely on transit to get around parts of the Fraser Valley are scrambling to find alternatives as workers with BC Transit walk the picket line.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
