Ottawa homeless shelter staff harassed by convoy protesters demanding food
An Ottawa homeless shelter says protesters from the "Freedom Convoy" harassed staff and volunteers Saturday, demanding food from their soup kitchen, and one shelter client was allegedly assaulted.
The convoy, billed as a protest against COVID-19 mandates, brought thousands of people to downtown Ottawa. While the bulk of the crowd remained on Parliament Hill and was largely peaceful, the Shepherds of Good Hope said on social media that there was an incident at its shelter.
"Earlier today, our staff and volunteers experienced harassment from convoy protestors seeking meals from our soup kitchen," the Shepherds said on Twitter. "The individuals were given meals to diffuse the conflict. Management was then informed of the issue and no further meals were given to protesters. Our soup kitchen is committed to providing meals to people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in Ottawa. This weekend’s events have caused significant strain to our operations at an already difficult time."
President and CEO of the Shepherds of Good Hope Deirdre Freiheit told Newstalk 580 CFRA there were several issues on Saturday.
"Staff and volunteers were verbally harassed by people who came to the kitchen looking for meals. We also had a situation where the trucks were blocking our drop-off in front the shelter, which is where police and paramedics come to bring people to us for care," she said. "That was blocked and that could have cost somebody a life."
Freiheit said she didn't have an exact figure of how many people came demanding meals, but said it was not a large number of people.
"There were people who came into the kitchen demanding meals, there were people who came to the shelter, trying to get into the shelter asking for meals," she said.
Freiheit also said one of the shelter's clients was assaulted.
"One of the people who used services in the shelter was assaulted," she said. "My understanding is that our security guard was able to diffuse the situation. Unfortunately, that person was subjected to racial slurs from the people who were assaulting the person who is using our services, but they were able to bring that person back to the shelter."
Freiheit said it is standard procedure to report such incidents to police; however, Ottawa police told CTV News Ottawa they had received no reports of an assault.
"Officers in the area did respond to disturbances but at no point where there any assaults reported," a statement from police said.
Ottawa police said Sunday that "several criminal investigations" were underway into a number of incidents related to activities on Saturday. In a tweet Sunday evening, police said officers were aware of the reported incidents, "and have actively reached out to @sghottawa to investigate."
Freiheit said staff and volunteers described a "mob mentality" in the area on Saturday.
"For people who are working really hard to support those who are most vulnerable in our community, who are experiencing homelessness, it was a very tough day for them."
The protest, which drew in people from across the country, created gridlock and noise throughout the downtown core Saturday. Many people returned to the downtown core to continue to protest Sunday.
News of the incident at the Shepherds of Good Hope had some residents pledging to donate to the shelter in response.
In a statement to the media, the Shepherds of Good Hope said they've been overwhelmed by the response in the time since the incident became public.
"Shepherds of Good Hope had no desire to comment on this protest. However, we felt compelled to correct disinformation on protest communications channels that we were 'happy to feed the patriots.' This was not the case," the statement said, in response to comments made on social media by some of the protesters.
"Since then we have been beyond overwhelmed at the community response. The support we have gotten from across the country has been staggering. It is safe to say that the meals that were consumed have been more than made up for. However, we are extremely grateful to have this opportunity to highlight the incredible work done by our teams."
Freiheit added that no meals would be served to demonstrators on Sunday.
“My understanding is that it was a small number of people that were given meals to diffuse the situation and after that we did not provide meals to others. If people come down today, under the same circumstances, they will not be provided a meal,” she said.
The shelter later said on Twitter its website was experiencing issues due to overwhelming traffic. Some attempts to access it resulted in an error message saying the site had exceeded its resource limit.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.