Counter-protesters say 'Go Home' as Vancouver convoy disrupted
Counter-protesters say 'Go Home' as Vancouver convoy disrupted
For the second consecutive weekend, protesters opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic-related restrictions took to the streets of Metro Vancouver.
Unlike last weekend, however, the convoy met organized resistance in the City of Vancouver.
Dozens of counter-protesters on foot and on bicycles met the rolling protest on Terminal Avenue as it headed toward Main Street Saturday morning. Counter protesters carried signs with messages reading, “Honk if you’re vaxxed,” “No Hate Speech” and “Go Home.”
After a standoff that lasted less than an hour, both groups started to leave the scene, with some counter-protesters indicating they were headed to the intersection of Main and Hastings streets, believing the convoy would attempt to enter downtown via Hastings.
Vancouver police said on Twitter late Saturday morning that the convoy had "split in multiple directions," with "numerous counter-protesters" attempting to stop it by blocking intersections.
By early afternoon, a line of trucks and other vehicles could be seen streaming over the Burrard Street Bridge. Many honked their horns and waved Canadian flags. Others displayed the Canadian flag upside-down as well as signs containing profanity-laced anti-government messages and conspiracy theories about vaccines and journalism.
"Expect major delays on the Burrard Bridge if traveling to the downtown core due to the ongoing protests," police said in another tweet. "Consider an alternate route."
Police added that "hundreds" of vehicles had made it into the downtown core and were "causing significant congestion."
Protests are being held across Canada on Saturday in solidarity with the self-described "Freedom Convoy" that has been camped out in downtown Ottawa for more than a week.
The convoy began last month with a cross-country journey by truckers opposed to the federal government's mandate that all truckers crossing the border from the U.S. be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Truckers were joined throughout their route and in Ottawa by other people opposed to vaccine mandates, as well as those opposed to the life-saving vaccines themselves and mask-wearing. Organizers have expanded the scope of the protests to include opposition to all pandemic-related restrictions.
Ahead of this weekend's protests, Vancouver's two health authorities issued memos to staff encouraging them not to engage with the demonstrators and - in one case - recommending that they refrain from wearing scrubs or ID badges outside of their hospitals on Saturday.
The memos from Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care described their recommendations as "a precaution."
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart and B.C. Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth issued statements ahead of Saturday's protests.
"As the mayor of a city with an over 95 per cent vaccination rate, my message to the convoy is this: Vancouver doesn’t want you here. Make your point and then go home," Stewart's statement read, in part.
Farnworth's statement emphasized the public's right to peaceful protest and lawful assembly, but condemned the ongoing disruption seen in Ottawa and elsewhere as "unfair."
"While the police will respect lawful protests, they will also consider all the tools and options available to them to protect people, preserve public safety and investigate unlawful conduct," Farnworth said. "British Columbians have been navigating the ongoing challenges of the pandemic together, and it is unfair to have one group disrupt the lives of so many others … We understand the strain of this pandemic, but we must come together to beat COVID-19."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside.'
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
Although bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Canada, experts say there’s a significant lack of awareness surrounding whom it affects the most — statistically, men — and that the most common risk factor is smoking.
Canada will soon require health warnings to be printed directly on individual cigarettes, making it the first country to implement this kind of measure aimed at reducing tobacco usage.
More than three years after COVID was declared a global pandemic, a new study is looking at how the international health crisis has changed the lifestyle habits of Canadians.
A year after arguing Nigeria's ruling party is responsible for terrorist acts, the Trudeau government has sent a cabinet minister to celebrate the swearing-in of its new president.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
Statistics Canada says fewer fresh fruits and vegetables were available to Canadians in 2022, due to factors such as ongoing supply chain issues, labour shortages and price increases.
The northern Vancouver Island village of Sayward remains on edge Wednesday as a wildfire continues to burn out of control just five kilometres west of the community.
The B.C. government will set housing targets for 10 major communities on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland in an effort to combat the province's housing shortage.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
A man who slammed an Edmonton mother to the ground and strangled her outside of a downtown daycare in 2021 has had his nine-year prison sentence reduced to four years.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Brad Treliving to be the team's new general manager. The team made the announcement Wednesday, less than two weeks after firing Kyle Dubas.
A Toronto woman says she was shamed for the size of her order at a sushi restaurant north of the city in a scathing review posted to social media that’s been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
Last year, Quebec’s Bill 96 became law, which brought sweeping changes to the Charter of the French language. Sections of the new law will come into effect on June 1, the one-year anniversary of the bill receiving royal assent.
Some communities in Quebec are expected to get record-high temperatures and Environment Canada has issued several weather warnings and watches for heat. Dr. Christopher Labos spoke to CTV News anchor Mutsumi Takahashi about heat and sunstroke and tips for preventing serious consequences in the sun.
Louise Avon, brutally murdered on March 31, 2022 in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts by her husband in the throes of a crack-induced psychotic delirium, might still be alive if Quebec hadn't "failed miserably in its role of protecting the public."
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
Huntsville OPP has charged a third girl in connection to an alleged assault captured on video at a local high school and shared on social media earlier this month.
Forest fires in northern Ontario are on the rise, with the largest in the region shutting down a critical highway for the people of Hornepayne for a bit and bringing the community to the brink of evacuation.
A Toronto woman says she was shamed for the size of her order at a sushi restaurant north of the city in a scathing review posted to social media that’s been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
A 72-year-old from Kitchener has been charged with careless driving after a vehicle careened off Highland Road West and smashed through the backyards of three homes on Ralgreen Crescent in Kitchener Tuesday afternoon.
