Windsor mayor declares local state of emergency to support police following border blockade

Supporters of the trucker convoy on Huron Church Road near the Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday, Feb.8, 2022. (Sijia Liu / CTV Windsor)

Windsor’s mayor declared a local state of emergency to better support the police in their ongoing security operation following a blockade at the Ambassador Bridge.

Mayor Drew Dilkens made the declaration following an update from police during Monday’s council meeting, “to support this ongoing security operation and to allow for continued nimble and agile response as municipal resources are deployed in support of ongoing Windsor Police operations,” a news release from the city stated.

The state of emergency calls for provincial and federal governments to develop a plan to ensure the protection of international border crossings.

Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk says all levels of government need to discuss how they can work together to support municipalities.

“We've seen, over the last five days, the incredible damage that can be wrought, not just in our community, but it has an impact in communities across Canada and impacts economies on both sides of the border,” Kusmierczyk said. “And again, it emphasizes how vulnerable we are. And it emphasizes how we need to work together, make investments to secure this border.”

He says he has reached out to the Minister of Transportation, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Public Safety to discuss how to prevent these types of blockades from happening again and how to best secure major arteries, like Huron Church Rd.

“How do we secure those areas and those spaces so that we never have to deal with the type of blockade and obstruction that our community experienced over the last five days. This has been nothing short of a nightmare,” Kuzmierczyk said. “The negative impact on our community, communities across Canada, is immeasurable.”

The Ambassador Bridge fully reopened Sunday night following a week-long closure caused by a demonstration of anti-mandate protesters on Huron Church Road.

A police presence in the demonstration area continues, and Huron Church Road from E.C. Row Expressway north to Wyandotte Street remains a bridge-traffic-only route.

The city says police will block east-west access for vehicles in the area until the security situation improves in order to “ensure that the safe flow of bridge traffic continues and all contingency plans needed are in place.”

- With files from CTV Windsor's Sanjay Maru