Truckers stuck for hours behind Windsor blockade say 'it should be cleared out'
Transport truck drivers have been idling for hours on Huron Church Road leading up the Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Windsor, Ont., because of a protest over COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
“They can protest a different way,” says Siva Sivayoganathan, a truck driver from Mississauga who arrived in Windsor around 8 p.m. Monday.
That’s when Windsor Police reported that Huron Church Road was closed between Tecumseh Road and College Avenue.
U.S.-bound traffic can only access the bridge from Wyandotte Street, because protestors have parked rigs and passenger vehicles at the entrance to the bridge.
Canada-bound traffic is also blocked in Windsor, at the bridge exit.
The traffic interruption is in support of the “Freedom Convoy” protest in Ottawa, where the city remains under a state of emergency. It is protesting all COVID-19 mandates.
According to various media reports out of Detroit, truckers have been sitting since Monday evening, waiting to cross into Canada.
“(I’m) only 45 minutes' drive across the border, I’m 12 hours waiting here,” says Sivayoganathan.
“I’m feeling very bad,” says Krish Thapa, a transport driver from London. “It’s a long time waiting here.”
Thapa says he’s frustrated by the pandemic as well, but needs to be able to continue on his trip across the border soon.
“If I lost today, my pickup, then definitely I will lose my earnings,” says Thapa. “It (the blockade) should be cleared out.”
“International commerce needs to resume,” Matt Moroun, chairman of the Detroit International Bridge Company, owners of the Ambassador Bridge, wrote in a media release Tuesday.
“We encourage the appropriate officials to take prompt action to alleviate the situation as quickly as possible in a manner that reflects mutual respect.”
Moroun says they “sympathize” with transport truck drivers caught in the blockade.
“We recognize that truck drivers are essential workers that work hard to deliver necessities to all of us, and that the Canadian government has done a tremendous job with vaccine rates,” says Moroun.
About $300 million in trade flows across the Ambassador Bridge every day, according to Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA).
Volpe believes the auto industry in Canada will be impacted with 24 hours.
“This small group of protestors, as loud as they may be, is going to get a big lesson in international relations very shortly,” says Volpe.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.