OrilliaMatters reporter Tyler Evans has made the journey to Ottawa to report on the protest blockade, inspired by the 'Freedom Convoy,' which is heading into its third weekend. He will be reporting from the nation's capital throughout the weekend.
The atmosphere in Canada's capital Friday seems to be almost festival-like. People from all over Ontario can be witnessed dancing in the streets and offering each other food, water, and other necessities to keep the protest efforts going.
However, the sporadic police presence—moving in groups of 15 to 20—around the downtown core in the hours after Premier Doug Ford declared a province-wide state of emergency, has created an eerie overtone as many are concerned a volatile situation could erupt into chaos.
What follows are some thoughts from various people impacted by the protest.
On one side are those who believe they are fighting for the freedom of all Canadians by refusing to back down until the government lifts vaccine mandates and other public-health restrictions. On the other side are those who see something very different: a hostile takeover of Canada's capital spearheaded by conspiracy theorists and far-right agitators.
Amber Robinson, who was born and raised in Orillia, has no choice but to be in downtown Ottawa during the week. She works just a couple of blocks away from the protest, which has made her daily commute a nightmare.
“I’ve been in the centre of it,” she said. “The first week that it started we had to work from home because it completely shut down our government building.”
Robinson says the protest left some colleagues out of work because they didn’t have the ability to work from home.
“A lot of us are required to be on-site to do our jobs,” she said. “We just couldn’t get into work.”
Since returning to work, Robinson says her 16-kilometre daily commute has doubled to over an hour long.
Robinson says the protest may be peaceful, but it’s also disruptive. “The first few days there was constant honking back and forth,” she said.
Robinson says she understands that everyone has the right to freedom of speech and to protest, but within reason.
“When it starts to impact everybody else’s safety and day-to-day lives, you are essentially creating the same amount of harm as what these mandates are doing that they are trying to fight against,” she said. “I hear them, I sympathize where they are coming from; this pandemic is a global thing that we’ve all been dealing with for two years now. However, creating this situation isn’t the right way to go about it.”
Robinson says the protest has gotten out of hand. She’s even seen human feces on the street near a parking garage she uses.
“We shouldn’t have to be dealing with that," said Robinson, who is fearful for the local businesses and employees in the downtown area.
“You can’t even go in the Tim Hortons across the street without it being packed with people not wearing masks,” she said. “It makes it very uncomfortable for those of us who want to follow the guidelines that have been put out.”
Jeff, a military veteran from 1977 to 2014, and a current trucker has been at the convoy since Day One. He declined to provide his last name.
“I think there are a lot of beautiful people here,” he said. “There are some rogue ones here who do not represent the cause. I think that’s what we are all here for,” he said.
Jeff says the desecration of war memorials in Ottawa was overblown by the media.
“I don’t think there was desecration done to the memorial,” he said. “All I saw was one girl who probably had no idea the incitement of the whole thing. I don’t think there was any foul.”
Jeff is hopeful the protest "is the curve that changes the country". He also hopes other countries begin to follow their lead.
Jeff says he will stay at the protest for “as long as it takes.” As a trucker, he is proud that people of all causes are using the protest to spread their message.
“Truckers took the meat on it,” he said. “There was a dirty job, and somebody had to do it. Now It includes everybody, not just truckers.”
Peter and Ruth Leliveld made the over six-hour drive to Ottawa from Tillsonburg on Thursday to support “Canadians in general.”
“Canada has always been a free and balanced country,” Peter said. “The narrative that seems to be controlled by the media is not in any way true or represents what’s going on here.”
The Lelivelds' mission is to experience the protest firsthand and then spread the word about their experience.
“We always knew that the protesters aren’t being disruptive at all,” Peter said. “It’s peaceful, friendly people, and there are no issues.”
The Lelivelds were handing out cash to truckers and people in need who are planning on staying near Parliament Hill until the end of the protest.
"There is a unity here,” Ruth said. “Since this all began, this is the first time I’ve felt hope.”
Ruth says the pandemic has led to a division in her own family; some of her children are vaccinated and she is not.
“It’s harder to get together with family,” she said. “Half of us don’t gather because they are afraid of the unvaxed.”
The Lelivelds plan on staying in Ottawa just for the weekend.
Les Ewell, whose mother lives in Orillia, made the over two-hour drive to Ottawa from Havelock 13 days ago to hand out goodie bags to children.
“I have a two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter,” Ewell explained. “I don’t want her to have to live the way children are living now. It’s sick, it’s gross, and people are being alienated by families, friends, and communities.”
Ewell says he is camped out in Ottawa to protest mandates and the vaccine. He says he plans to stay “forever” or until mandates are lifted and change has been made.
“We can’t continue living like this, people can’t even afford to live in this country anymore,” he said. “We have to do this for the kids and the next generation."
Cole Kohlruss and his family drove over five hours from New Hamburg on Thursday because they “had a calling from God.”
“We are very strong Christians, and we felt a calling to come and help,” he said. “It’s hard to not see the headlines that say the truckers are hurting people and making a mess, so for me, I had to see it for myself,” he said.
Kohlruss says the convoy is full of happiness and love.
“The smiles, the hugs, the giving, it’s just humanity at its best as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
Kohlruss says he has had to jump job-to-job because of the pandemic. He has also lost good friendships over his views and choices when it comes to mandates. He said he is hopeful the protest gets into the hearts of politicians, and they change their minds on mandates.
“We hope that they see that they are doing something wrong to their people,” he said.
Kohlruss isn’t sure how long he and his family will remain at the protest. They could stay for up to a week.
Jim Kerr, who says he’s from “outer space,” is at the convoy to do reporting for his YouTube channel.
“I want to actually show people what’s actually happening here versus what they hear,” he said.
Kerr says he was interviewed on Fox News and CNN during the protest on Thursday.
Kerr says the pandemic has given him “a reason to live.”
“When I realized there was something fishy about it, I wanted to figure out what that was,” he said. “Before I was out trying to make money or raise a family, which is important, but freedom of humans on planet earth? Man, I can’t think of a better thing to do.”
Kerr has been in Ottawa since the convoy started and he plans on staying “forever” or until the protest is over.
“Unless you are here, you don’t know what it feels like,” he said. “There are so many random acts of kindness, which is what Canada is all about.”
Sandra, from Montréal, was making meals on a large grill for truckers on Friday.
“I do everything the truckers need for them to eat,” she said. “Yesterday I made hamburgers steak, and mashed potatoes with cheese.”
Sandra says her efforts are necessary and every Canadian should be at the convoy to support the truckers.
“I make meals for my profession,” she said. “I will be here for as long as necessary for me to stay.”
“My mother is sick, she is in bed for 16 hours a day and she has had all three vaccines,” she said. “She’s not the same woman as she was before, she was never sick.”
Sandra says she hopes the convoy ends with the government out.
“I will never leave here until the government is out.”
