Protesters move supplies, wooden shed out of downtown Ottawa park

Ottawa Police and NCC Conservation Officers were at Confederation Park on Sunday, where demonstrators have set up a community kitchen and are storing supplies. (Natalie Van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)

Protesters who built a wooden shed in a downtown Ottawa park moved it to another location five kilometres away, along with the gas canisters, propane tanks and other supplies.

Ottawa police say the park is now closed off to people to prevent another gathering in the area.

Dozens of people packed up the "community kitchen" wooden shed and other supplies in Confederation Park Sunday morning under the watchful eye of Ottawa Police and NCC conservation officers.

The park located less than a kilometre from the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration on Parliament Hill had turned into a supply and staging area, with dozens of vehicles parked in the area and barbecues and supply tents set up.  Last Thursday, demonstrators began building a wooden structure, saying it was a community kitchen for anyone to get food or drinks. 

On Sunday morning, people were seen moving gasoline and propane canisters into vehicles and packing up the supplies. Police officers were in the park, while a security fence had been installed between the park and the roadway.

One of the organizers told CTV News Ottawa they were moving the shed and supplies to the Ottawa Baseball Stadium on Coventry Road, which Ottawa police described as a staging area.  On Saturday, several large tents were set up in the parking lot of the baseball stadium, with approximately 100 vehicles.

“Through successful discussions and dialogue between our police liaison team, I can say Confederation Park has now been vacated," said Deputy Chief Steve Bell during an interview on CTV News at Six.

"The NCC has fenced it and there will be no more activities around there. Our enforcement efforts are going to continue to step up until either the protesters willing go away or we have an enforced end to these protests."

The city of Ottawa had placed several portable toilet facilities on Queen Elizabeth Driveway near the Laurier Avenue West overpass, next to Confederation Park.