A quieter atmosphere on Ottawa streets Monday after second protest weekend

After a weekend of bouncy castles, dance music and demonstrators riding horseback, the capital’s downtown streets are somewhat quiet in comparison.

But while the bash may be over, for now, the "Freedom Convoy" protest is not and the trucks are still parked.

Concrete barriers now block some streets in the ByWard Market, and police cruisers are parked at other intersections, limiting the amount of vehicles entering the area.

Thousands more protesters travelled to Ottawa for a second weekend of demonstrations. Some residents refer to the Saturday event a ‘carnival’, with bonfires, dance-parties, and free food.

Monday’s atmosphere feels much like a hangover, with fewer horns blaring and fewer people on the roads.

Garbage bags line Wellington Street and protest participants, like trucker Erik Mueller who travelled from Alberta, say they’re not leaving a mess.

“We are cleaning up everyday,” says Mueller, whose big-rig, including a trailer, is parked in front of the Chateau Laurier. “Look at the street; there is not even a piece of paper on the ground and we are taking care that everything works as good as possible.”

At Confederation Park, the large wooden house erected last week has been removed, along with the fuel cans and people. Fences are in place around much of the area, and the party is clearly over.

That is not the case in front of Parliament Hill. Hundreds are gathered, some dancing to music, others with signs and waving flags. Ottawa’s downtown core continues to be jammed with hundreds of trucks and thousands of demonstrators, lining city streets and forcing continued closures.

“We kind of feel locked in,” says Ottawa resident Lynn Dubinsky, “We can’t go to the usual places like the market and whatever. We are not free to go wherever we want … they have made their point, probably over-stated it, and now we’ve got the message now I don’t what else there is for them to do.”

The protest is occupying several streets in the downtown area around Parliament Hill. Major impacts include but are not limited to:

• Wellington Street
• Queen Street
• Metcalfe Street
• O’Connor Street
• Lyon Street
• Kent Street
• Sir John A Macdonald Parkway
• Queen Elizabeth Driveway
• Laurier Avenue and Elgin Street around Confederation Park

The Alexandra Bridge and Portage bridge, which cross to Quebec, remain closed.

OC Transpo has also been detoured. All routes that travel in the downtown ore will remain detoured until service can reliably be restored.

Residents are advised to avoid non-essential travel in or around the downtown core.