Residents mark anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy' counter-protest dubbed 'Battle of Billings Bridge'

A small group of Ottawa residents marked a flashpoint moment during the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' protest on Sunday.

Dubbed the "Battle of Billings Bridge", the counter-protest on Feb. 13, 2022 saw hundreds of residents turn out at the corner of Bank Street and Riverside Drive to block about 35 vehicles that were headed to downtown Ottawa to join the larger convoy protest on Parliament Hill and surrounding streets.

Citizens blocked the intersection for hours. The pro-convoy drivers were eventually allowed to leave one at a time, but only after their trucks were stripped of flags, jerry cans and any 'Freedom Convoy' paraphernalia.

Joel Harden, the New Democrat MPP for Ottawa Centre, was among the small group that marked the occasion Sunday.

"About 20 of us, people of all different ages, just remembering what this time last year meant to us," he said, "that our city was under siege, that it was hard to figure out a way out of the problem. We had had enough. We had enough of the hot tubs and the inaction of our city officials and that regular people took action. They did it peacefully but with determination. Nobody was hurt, no accidents, but we sent a message to the convoy organizers that we had enough and it was time for us to move beyond."

An organizer of the 2022 event, Andrea Harden, said she remembered how quickly everything unfolded.

"We were going to circle and hold them back when they came at the little intersection here. Things unfolded rather quickly. There was a number of trucks, maybe about 30 to 40, and I remember at one point a pickup truck was rolling towards slowly. I made the quick decision to put my back on the truck," she said.

"I think the one thing that really united all of us was that this needed to come to an end. We had enough."

The event was recently spotlighted when news broke Thursday that an unofficial brass plaque was glued to the bridge near the intersection commemorating the "Battle of Billings Bridge." The plaque was made to look like an official city of Ottawa commemorative plaque and had a statement in both official languages about the counter demonstration.

"At this spot on February 13, 2022, everyday citizens and Ram Ranch Resistance members peacefully stood in the way of those who had trampled citizens’ right to peace, free movement and free expression," the plaque read, "This plaque commemorates the ordinary people who did something extraordinary when their leaders would not."

A plaque commemorating the 'Battle of Billings Bridge' during the 'Freedom Convoy' protests erected at the bridge. The plaque is designed to look like an official city of Ottawa commemoration. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)

By Thursday night, the plaque had been taken down. The city of Ottawa says it neither posted the plaque, nor removed it, though officials had said they were "reviewing" the matter. Some councillors had called for the plaque to remain as a piece of public art before it disappeared.

Sean Burges, another organizer of the counter-protest last year, said he was not surprised to see someone remove the plaque.

"The fact that it got torn down so quickly makes it very clear that it hit a major nerve," he said. "I’ve talked to councillors and MPPs, we know the city didn’t take it down."

On Sunday, a photograph of the plaque had been taped to the bridge with its own message.

"On this spot there was a plaque that the City of Ottawa says it didn't take down," the message reads. "So I'll just speculate that a Cancel Culture Warrior / Free Speechifier / 'Freedom Fighter' who is opposed to policing language did. Without realizing the irony of their actions. PS: You left behind the screwdriver you used to remove other people's free speech."

A photo of the original 'Battle of Billings Bridge' plaque was taped to the bridge near Bank and Riverside Feb. 12, 2023, denouncing whoever took the plaque shortly after it was attached to the bridge. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)

The small group reminiscing about the "Battle of Billings Bridge" on Sunday were gathered just days before another possible convoy-related protest is set to take place. The city has warned of "possible convoy activity" on Tuesday that could affect traffic on Highway 417. Feb. 14 is the anniversary of the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act, which came just days before a major police operation pushed the entrenched 'Freedom Convoy' protesters out of the capital.

Burges says he hopes that if any new protest happens this week, it remains peaceful.

"I don’t think there’s any problem with the convoy supporters coming back, protest all you want, but don’t weaponize a truck," he said.

On Facebook, the Canada Unity group has a picture saying "Ottawa February 14-19. True North Strong and Free", but no details on any possible events.

No road closures are currently planned across Ottawa on Tuesday. The city will provide an update on Monday.

Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he's confident the police have a plan to keep the peace.

"The Ottawa police are taking a very different approach to these kinds of events and minimizing the impact to residents and making sure the kind of event that happened last year doesn’t happen again in our city," he said. "We are confident the police have a really strong plan for Tuesday and beyond. There is the possibility of activity on just on Tuesday but also into the weekend."

--With files from CTV’s Natalie van Rooy and Josh Pringle.