Several criminal investigations underway connected with Ottawa convoy protest
The Ottawa Police Service says criminal investigations are underway in connection with incidents during Saturday's "Freedom Convoy" protest on Parliament Hill and throughout the city's downtown core.
"Several criminal investigations are underway in relation to the desecration of the National War Memorial/Terry Fox statue, threatening/illegal/intimidating behaviour to police/city workers and other individuals and damage to a city vehicle," police said in a tweet Sunday.
Thousands of protesters descended on Ottawa's downtown core on Saturday, creating massive gridlock. The bulk of the crowd remained on Parliament Hill but there were many more people wandering through the streets, in some cases engaging in behaviour that has been condemned by officials, including standing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial and attaching an upside down Canadian flag to the Terry Fox statue on Wellington Street. The Shepherds of Good Hope also said some protesters harassed staff and volunteers at their soup kitchen on Saturday.
Police said no arrests were made Saturday.
"Officers encountered several challenges with demonstrators, including sporadic road blockages by trucks, which officers worked to clear," a press release said. "These high-risk situations were de-escalated and resolved with no arrests."
The press release did not mention the criminal investigations.
In a statement to CTV News, the Ottawa Police Service confirmed that the incident at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was under investigation. Police also confirmed to CTV News that they are working with organizers of the protest on a route and safe manner to clear the downtown.
Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA on Sunday, Ottawa police spokesperson Const. Amy Gagnon urged residents who witness crimes to call police directly.
"I know there's a lot circulating on social media and we want to remind people that we actually can't police based on social media," she said. "We actually haven't had incidents reported, so we're asking people to call us. Please call Ottawa police if there's an incident to report."
Gagnon said there are officers prepared to investigate any criminal reports and they are ready to lay charges if necessary.
"We are here to help the residents and so if you have experienced or are experiencing threats or it does escalate to violence, please call us. We need to know so we can respond."
The protest against COVID-19 mandates and public health measures began as a convoy of truckers driving from B.C. to Ottawa, with many people coming along in personal vehicles. Protesters throughout the downtown core blared horns for most of the day Saturday and set off fireworks at night. Honking resumed downtown at around 8 a.m. Sunday as a smaller crowd began gathering on Parliament Hill.
Gagnon could not provide a specific estimate of the crowd's size but said it was in the thousands. She said police are preparing for the same number of people in the core on Sunday.
Barricades at War Memorial
Police also announced that barricades had been placed around the National War Memorial on Sunday to prohibit vehicles from parking at the cenotaph.
Ottawa police put up barricades at the National War Memorial to prohibit vehicular access to the site Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, after incidents at the monument during a large protest against COVID-19 mandates. (Jeremie Charron/CTV News Ottawa)
Police removed some cars that had parked around the monument Saturday morning. Later in the day, a video shared on social media showing a person standing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier shouting "freedom!" drew widespread condemnation from the country's top soldier, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, Defence Minister Anita Anand, and groups like the Royal Canadian Legion.
Concrete barriers were placed on the paths leading up to the monument Sunday.
"We need our memorials to be respected. That behaviour is unacceptable and so we're putting up physical barriers to make sure that vehicles can't access the path and you will see an increased police presence around those areas as well," she said.
Gagnon also said police were also working to put barriers around the Terry Fox statute on Wellington Street.
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.
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.
'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.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
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.
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.