Freedom Convoy: Ottawa residents urged to avoid highways 417 and 416
Ottawa residents are being asked to avoid highways 417 and 416 this weekend with a 'Freedom Convoy' of truckers expected to descend on the capital.
Ontario Provincial Police issued the warning a day after local officials urged people to avoid the downtown core starting as early as Friday.
"OPP advises motorists to avoid travel on #Hwy417 and #Hwy416 in the Ottawa area, beginning Friday afternoon and on Saturday," the police service tweeted on Thursday. "Expect major delays."
Authorities are bracing for the cross-country convoy of truckers to arrive on Parliament Hill, some as early as Friday.
Police say they don’t yet know how many demonstrators to expect downtown, or how long they plan to stay. But they say they are preparing for all scenarios and are prepared for a fluid situation to change quickly.
"This will be a significant an extremely fluid event that could go on for a prolonged period,” Acting Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson told a briefing of the city’s police services board on Wednesday.
“We are planning for a range of potential risks, including but not limited to counter-demonstrations, blocking of intersections, interfering with critical infrastructure, and unlawful and violent activity.”
City officials are warning of delays and disruptions on roadways across the city as the truckers arrive and throughout the weekend.
Police warned people to prepare to adjust their plans if they have appointments, children in activities or are expecting food deliveries.
"Do not travel if you can avoid it this weekend in Ottawa," police said.
The convoy of truckers opposed to vaccine mandates and other government policies is expected to arrive in Kingston on Thursday afternoon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.