'Striving to resolve this issue': Windsor requests federal assistance with border protest

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says the city has asked for federal assistance with a protest impacting traffic on the road leading up to the Ambassador Bridge international border crossing.

Dilkens and Windsor police Chief Pam Mizuno provided an update on the local response to the protest on Wednesday.

The group protesting COVID-19 mandates set up a blockade with transport trucks, pickups and trailers on Huron Church Road on Monday. Although the number of demonstrators has fluctuated, the traffic interruption continues Wednesday.

Dilkens says they are requesting additional personnel to help handle the protest.

“In the past 24 hours we have spoken with officials at both the Provincial and Federal Governments; and yesterday evening formally requested additional resources from the federal government,” says Dilkens. “While we are hopeful this situation can be resolved in the near term, we need to plan for a protracted protest and have requested additional personnel to be deployed to Windsor to support our hard working local police service.”

Dilkens says to date, these demonstrations have been by and large peaceful and without incident.

“We are striving to resolve this issue safely and peacefully,” says Dilkens.

The Canada Border Service Agency reports the Ambassador Bridge is “temporarily closed” to traffic from the United States to Canada on Wednesday.

Dilkens says he is concerned with the economic impact of the border closure.

“Make no mistake, our community will not tolerate this level of disruption for long,” says Dilkens.

Mizuno met with officers on Huron Church Road on Wednesday morning. She says officers continue to monitor the situation and are working to get traffic flowing.

“Our goal is to open all lanes of traffic on Huron Church Road,” says Mizuno.

Mizuno says there are about 100 protesters on Wednesday. Police have issued four tickets.

“We’re working with, communicating with the protesters,” adds Mizuno. She says public safety is the number one priority.

Mizuno says police are being careful to avoid escalation with the protesters.

“The police are between a rock and a hard place and I think we all need to recognize this isn’t easy for the police,” says University of Windsor law professor Chris Waters.

Waters says there’s no question protesters are breaking both provincial and municipal laws.

“The protest has become prolonged and where the disruption is heavy. And we’re going to need to see enforcement,” he says.

Howard Ramos who studies social movements at Western University says police are following a standard approach.

“We look at it for what it is, which is a small group of people making a maximum amount of disruption,” he says.

Ramos says legislative tools like an injunction, or class action suit are available.

“It’s a bit of a balancing act, and I think we all want this to end quickly, but what’s more important is for it to end peacefully and pragmatically,” he says.

- With files from CTV Windsor's Rich Garton