Windsor mayor and acting deputy chief listed among witnesses in Emergencies Act public inquiry

Police walk the line to remove all truckers and supporters after a court injunction gave police the power to enforce the law after protesters blocked the access leading from the Ambassador Bridge, linking Detroit and Windsor, as truckers and their supporters continue to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, in Windsor, Ont., Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Windsor’s mayor and acting deputy police chief have been named as witnesses set to testify in the upcoming public hearings into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act in February.

The Public Order Emergency Commission, led by former Ontario Superior Court justice Paul Rouleau, released a list of 65 anticipated witnesses Tuesday which included Mayor Drew Dilkens and Jason Crowley of the Windsor Police Service.

“The Commission is about to embark on the public phase of the process of finding answers to the questions assigned to it by Parliament under the Emergencies Act. This critical phase will shed light on the events that led to the declaration of the public order emergency and fully explore the reasons advanced for the declaration,” Rouleau said in a news release.

Demonstrators protesting COVID-19 mandates and supporting the so-called Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa set up a blockade on Huron Church Road on Monday, Feb. 7, disrupting traffic to the Ambassador Bridge.

Protesters continued demonstrating for about a week before a court injunction was granted on Feb. 11 to clear them from the area. There were a total of 90 charges, 46 arrests and 37 vehicles seized.

“The Windsor Police Service will cooperate fully with the Public Order Emergency Commission. We look forward to describing the events that took place on the Ambassador Bridge in February 2022 and to receiving any recommendations that will come out of these public hearings,”said Acting Deputy Chief Jason Crowley in a statement.

The City of Windsor estimates the week-long protest cost the city more than $5.6 million.

The hearings are set to being Thursday with the mandate to evaluate the government’s use of the Act for the first time since it became law in 1988.

The commission intends to call more than 50 witnesses over the six weeks of factual hearings including protest participants, law enforcement representatives, officials from all three levels of government, as well as individuals and businesses impacted by the protests.

“I am confident that, with the cooperation of all of the parties, the hearings will provide a fair and thorough process for the presentation of the evidence required for the Commission to be able to give the public the answers to which it is entitled,” said Rouleau.

The factual phase of the hearings will take place in Ottawa and is scheduled to run until Nov. 25.

- With files from CTV News Ottawa