Ford Confident In Toronto Police Ahead Of Convoy Protest: ‘It’s Time For This To Come To An End’

Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for demonstrators to end the “occupation” of gathering to protest COVID-19 mandates and public health measures, saying he has the utmost confidence in Toronto Police to handle the situation this weekend.

On Friday, Ford said the province is very close to getting back to normal and that while protests are a constitutional right, the nature and circumstances are enough to warrant a stop to it.

“It’s not a protest anymore. It’s become an occupation,” Premier Ford said. “It’s time for this to come to an end.”

Ford goes on to say that “the occupation in Ottawa is only hurting families and businesses that are trying to continue on with their lives.”

“Public health measures are beginning to lift as the situation in our hospitals stabilizes. We’re stronger as a province and as a country when we’re all pulling in the same direction,” the Premier said. “Let’s move forward together so we can be done with this pandemic once and for all.

Embattled Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly gave no indication when the protest would end, and police expect it to ramp up again this weekend with the demonstrations in Toronto and Quebec City.

Deputy police chief Steve Bell admits to not anticipating this type of response, saying if officers knew that it was going to seep into the suburbs, “we would have deployed more resources into those neighbourhoods.”

“We’ve listened to our community. They are upset. They are fearful,” Bell said.

Thousands of protesters railing against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital last weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a federation representing truckers across the country, has estimated that 85 per cent of truckers in Canada are vaccinated. It opposes the protest.