Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Aug 02, 2026

Protesters angry over Covid-19 mandates blocked roads in Canada. Now a judge has temporarily banned some from honking their horns

Protesters angry over Covid-19 mandates blocked roads in Canada. Now a judge has temporarily banned some from honking their horns

Tensions stemming from protests spearheaded by Canadian truck drivers over the country's Covid-19 mandates have been simmering in recent weeks, so much so that traffic at key US transit points has ground to a stop and a judge has temporarily banned demonstrators in the nation's capital from using horns.

For nearly two weeks, Canadian truckers have been protesting a new rule that requires them to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or face a two-week quarantine in their homes after they return across the US-Canadian border. Others have joined to rally against mask mandates, lockdowns, restrictions on gatherings and other Covid-19 preventative efforts in the country.

Demonstrations have popped up across Canada, including at the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit and is the busiest international crossing in North America. Idling trucks and vehicles impeded access to the bridge for a third day Wednesday, snarling traffic on both sides of the border.

"When the border crossing of this magnitude -- almost a third of all traffic between our two countries crosses here -- and when it closes down, it has an immediate and material impact on the economies of our both nations," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told CNN's Don Lemon on Tuesday night.

Some protesters have been loud -- so annoyingly loud that a lawsuit is demanding an end to the deafening honking unleashed by the truckers in downtown Ottawa, Canada's capital, where residents have endured the near-constant noise in their homes.

Zexi Li, who lives within five blocks of protests at Parliament Hill, sued to demand an end to the beeping. Sound levels from the air and train horns are "dangerous and cause permanent damage to the human ear" and cause "significant mental distress, suffering and torment," the lawsuit filed by the 21-year-old says.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Hugh McLean on Monday issued a 10-day injunction that prevents demonstrating truckers on downtown Ottawa streets from using air or train horns. A hearing is set for next Wednesday.

Mayor Jim Watson described the constant honking of large trucks as "tantamount to psychological warfare" and wrote in letters to federal and provincial officials earlier this week that, "People are living in fear and are terrified."

As of Wednesday morning, Canadian-bound traffic at the Ambassador Bridge was still shut down, Michigan officials tweeted. US-bound traffic was flowing for both commercial and passenger traffic, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

Access to the bridge from the Canadian side could be tricky, however. Owing in part to protests on that side, traffic was heavy and some roads were blocked.

One access route in particular was still open, Windsor police Constable Talya Natyshak said.

About 100 protesters were in the area of the bridge in Windsor as of 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, Natyshak said.

Canadian-bound and US-bound lanes were open to passenger and some commercial traffic at an alternative, the Detroit-Windsor tunnel, which has height restrictions, according to Canadian and US border websites.

Another alternative, the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron and Sarnia about a 60-mile drive northeast of Detroit, was open to traffic from both sides.

While little wait was reported for US-bound traffic and Canada-bound passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles headed to Canada were enduring delays of more than four hours Wednesday morning, according to Canada's website for wait times.

The truckers' vaccine rule that kicked off the protests remains. But some of the Covid-19 related restrictions that moved others to join truckers in their protests have started to go away.

Provincial public health officials across Canada, who are largely responsible for imposing and lifting most health restrictions, have lifted some measures in recent weeks.

As the most recent surge of Covid-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant subsided, nearly all provinces have seen a decrease in new hospital admissions -- though ICU occupancy remains stubbornly high.

Canada's chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, has said in recent days that it is prudent for provinces to react and adapt health restrictions based on local circumstances.

Protesters block access to Alberta-Montana crossing


Protesting truckers also blocked access Tuesday and Wednesday to a border crossing connecting Coutts, Alberta, to Sweet Grass, Montana, Canadian police said.

Demonstrators moved 10 farm tractors and three passenger vehicles onto Alberta's Highway 4 around 8 p.m. Tuesday, Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesperson Fraser Logan said.

The border crossing remained inaccessible Wednesday morning, preventing movement in both directions, Logan said. CNN has reached out to the Canadian Border Services Agency for comment.

There was little police could do to remove trucks from Highway 4, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said Tuesday. Even if officers were to detain the truckers blocking the road, they wouldn't be able to clear the blockade, he said.

"Moving vehicles like these requires special equipment and operators," Zablocki said.

Protests started in Coutts 12 days ago with more than 250 truckers but as of Tuesday evening had dwindled to around 50, Zablocki said.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday evening that the province has begun to roll back some Covid-19 restrictions. Albertans won't need to show proof of their vaccination to eat in restaurants or get into venues; some capacity limits are removed; masks mandates for schools will be removed Monday.

Kenney addressed the blockade in the news conference, calling it an inconvenience that's hurting business across the province.

"I've said consistently we welcome the freedom of people to protest lawfully and peaceful, but this is not a lawful protest," Kenney said. "This and other road blockages constitute a safety hazard a serious interference in the lives of others."

Roughly 150,000 trucks pass through the Sweet Grass-Coutts border crossing each year, according to US Department of Transportation. The nearest border crossing to the east adds about two hours of travel to a trip; the nearest crossing to the west adds about an hour.

Many Ottawans are at their 'breaking point'


In Ottawa, the police department has requested additional resources from Mayor Watson so it can better deal with the unrest.

"We have been 100% full out on this for the last 10 days straight, and we will not rest until it's done, but we need more help," Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Monday.

Sloly has been pushing all three levels of government for "whatever they can bring to bear on the permanent, sustainable, lawful, safe resolution of this demonstration," he said, adding that many Ottawans are at their "breaking point."

"This is crushing for those residents and their businesses," he said. "It has to stop, and we are doing everything we can possibly do to stop it. We need more help; we're asking for that help; and we're starting to receive that help, but we need more to get this done."

In letters the mayor wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada's minister of safety and Ontario's premier and solicitor general, he asked for additional officers "to quell the insurrection that the Ottawa Police Service is not able to contain."

Police have opened more than 60 criminal investigations linked to the protests and 23 arrests have been made. Charges include mischief, flight from police and menacing. More than 1,300 tickets have been issued for violations ranging from excessive noise and use of fireworks to driving a motor vehicle on a sidewalk.

A small line of semi-trailer trucks line up along northbound I-75 in Detroit as the Ambassador Bridge entrance is blocked off for travel to Canada on February 8.


'It's unclear how this ends,' mayor says


Trudeau on Monday acknowledged protesters had a right to voice their concerns but said residents do not deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods.

"This pandemic has sucked for all Canadians, but Canadians know the way to get through it is continuing to listen to science, continuing to lean on each other, continuing to be there for each other," he said after underscoring that Canadians are tired of Covid-19 health restrictions.

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Dilkens, the Windsor mayor, said Canada is a Democratic society, where protesting is acceptable.

"But blocking off the busiest border crossing between our two nations is not ok. So how do we get at least a lane of traffic open in each direction to allow trucks to continue to flow to get goods to market in the US?" Dilkens said.

Dilkens added that he's not sure what protesters' "end game" is

"It has gathered a head of steam, yes, with folks who are feeling upset about vaccine restrictions or mandates, having to wear a mask," Dilkens said. "But it's also been a gathering point and rallying cry for many who are just angry with government in general. And so it is unclear how this ends, and what would make everyone happy so that they go away and stop protesting. We're not sure."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Zuckerberg Opposes US Ban on Chinese AI Models and Warns of Regulatory Capture
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
Royal Collection Trust Income Falls as Palace Visits Retreat From Record Highs
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Ministers Examine Social-Care Levy as Burnham Seeks Funding Settlement
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes to Keep Serious Offenders in Prison
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
Another AI Genius Left the United States — and Silicon Valley Is Starting to Worry
Shein Reports $99mn Loss as Trade Barriers Test Low-Cost Model
CXMT Gains 466% in China’s Biggest IPO Since 2010
Amazon Seeks Approval for 5,105-Satellite Mobile Network
Burnham Puts School-to-Work Reform at Centre of Welfare Strategy
Burnham Rules Out Replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
Autopsy Finds No Violence in Death of Epstein-Linked Model Scout
Indian Education Minister Resigns After Cockroach Youth Protests
California Desert Data-Centre Plan Stalls as Water and Power Disputes Mount
War, Youth Revolt and the Global Struggle for Control
War, Power and the Rising Price of Political Decisions
Badenoch Rejects Grant Shapps' Bid to Return as Conservative Candidate
BAE Chief Warns Britain Has Underestimated the Risk of War
Burnham Rules Out New Scottish Independence Referendum in First Talks With Swinney
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Viral Video Raises Questions Over Twelve-Dollar Croissants at Manhattan Bakery
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
US Gasoline Returns to $4 as Renewed Iran Fighting Disrupts Oil Flows
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Orders 50% Tariffs on Selected Canadian Imports
×