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| Police officers stand guard on a street as truckers and supporters continue blocking access to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, in protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada February 12, 2022.(Photo by=Carlos Osorio/Reuters) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] WINDSOR, Ontario: North America's busiest trade link will reopen for traffic on Sunday (Feb 13), ending a six-day blockade, a top US official said, after Canadian police cleared the protesters fighting to end COVID-19 restrictions, Reuters reported.
Canadian police made several arrests on Sunday and cleared protesters and vehicles that occupied the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario following a court order on Friday. The blockade has choked the supply chain for Detroit's carmakers, forcing Ford, the second-largest US automaker, General Motors, and Toyota Motor to cut production. "Canadian authorities intend to reopen the Ambassador Bridge today after completing necessary safety checks," White House Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall said in a statement.
The bridge carries about US$360 million a day in two-way cargoes, 25 percent of the value of all US-Canada goods trade. Windsor Police said in a statement on Sunday they arrested several people on a charge of mischief, without saying how many. Police also seized vehicles within the demonstration area, the statement added. The Canadian government has discussed whether to invoke special emergency powers to deal with the protests in the capital, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told CBC News on Sunday. Blair said the lack of police enforcement in Ottawa was "inexplicable."
