Motor vehicle control zone comes into effect around Parliament Hill, 28 vehicles towed
A multi-block vehicle control zone is in effect around Parliament Hill, meant to prevent a second occupation of downtown Ottawa by protesters associated with last winter’s “Freedom Convoy” movement.
Ottawa Bylaw says 120 parking tickets were issued and 28 vehicles were towed Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The area stretching from Colonel By Drive/Sussex Drive in the east, Wellington Street in the north, Booth Street in the west and Laurier Avenue in the south will not be closed to vehicles, but will be restricted.
“Motor vehicles taking part in any form of demonstration, event, protest or rally will not be permitted,” the city says. “Barricades, heavy equipment or police officers and vehicles will be at various access points surrounding the control zone, to filter lawful traffic onto those streets.”
The control zone will be in effect from 8 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Monday. There will also be road closures on Canada Day.
The vehicle control zone is one of the measures the Ottawa Police Service is taking to prevent a repeat of last February, when protesters parked heavy trucks throughout the downtown core and set up a makeshift village to protest the federal Liberal government and COVID-19 public health protections. Police eventually removed them, empowered by the first-ever invocation of the federal Emergencies Act.
A look at the Motor Vehicle Control Zone in downtown Ottawa for Canada Day. (City of Ottawa/release)
Interim Ottawa police chief Steve Bell is assuring residents that last winter’s occupation will not be repeated.
“There won’t be occupiers because all of our planning is established around ensuring that people do not occupy our streets, that people do not take over areas of Ottawa,” Bell told the Ottawa Police Services Board on Monday. “We’ve set very deliberate plans and we’ve resourced those plans so that occupation does not again occur.”
Speaking on CTV News at Noon on Tuesday, Bell said the police have not forgotten what happened five months ago.
“The trauma our community suffered in February is front of centre through all of our planning,” he said. “Canada Day is about celebrating our country… We want to encourage people to come down and we want to let them know that you can come down to a large area that will have a festive environment to it.”
Bell says all lawful protests will be permitted, but illegal activity will not be tolerated. Ottawa Bylaw is also saying there is zero tolerance for setting up tables, tents, or other materials on roads and sidewalks in the city.
Mayor Jim Watson says the city learned from the occupation.
“We got ahead of the situation this time, we didn’t last time. Last time, obviously, things swirled out of control,” Watson told CTV Morning Live on Wednesday. “If 18-wheelers start to show up on residential streets, they’ll be ticketed and towed away. You’re not allowed to an 18-wheeler on a residential street taking up four or five parking spots. There will be zero tolerance.”
Ottawa Bylaw says enforcement of no stopping zones is already underway.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP uncovers plot to sell drones and equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.