Windsor police respond to release of Emergencies Act documents; say too many 'sub-groups' of blockade protestors to negotiate an end

Police officers move in on demonstrators near the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., Feb. 12, 2022. (Source: @_OnLocation_ / Twitter)

Court documents released in Ottawa indicate the most pressing issue for the federal government in Feb. 2022 was the removal of the blockade at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge.

The documents, released Thursday, were filed in federal court as part of a legal challenge to the government’s use of the Emergencies Act.

The blockade at the foot of the Huron Church access to the Ambassador Bridge started on Feb. 7 and was in place until police action dismantled it over the weekend of Feb. 12 and 13.

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The court documents also detail the possibility of negotiations between the City of Ottawa and “illegal blockaders” leading to “a potential for a breakthrough” in Ottawa that would have seen protestors clear the streets surrounding Parliament Hill in exchange for the opportunity to speak with the government.

Ultimately, negotiations were unsuccessful and the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history on Feb. 14.

In Windsor, the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association and Canadian Vehicle Manufacturer’ Association applied for a court injunction, which was backed by the City of Windsor, to have the bridge blockade cleared.

The injunction was granted on Feb. 11, the day before officers from multiple law enforcement agencies converged on the blockade and cleared the protesters at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge.

In a statement, Windsor police said officers engaged daily and continuously with local protestors and attempted to identify the leaders of the blockade, in the hopes of peacefully resolving the situation.

“Yet as previously stated, it was difficult to end the blockade as many sub-groups within the main body of the protest had differing views," the statement reads.

"Although discussions were positive, there was never an agreed-upon decision to remove the barricades by the demonstrators.”