Small group gathers on Parliament Hill to mark Emergencies Act anniversary

Ottawa police say "convoy-related activity" passed through Ottawa without incident Tuesday on the the anniversary of the invocation of the federal Emergencies Act during the "Freedom Convoy" occupation.

Police described it as a "small number of vehicles" in a statement Tuesday afternoon. A few demonstrators were gathered on Parliament Hill with Canadian and "Freedom Convoy" flags.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the federal Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022 for the first time in Canadian history as the "Freedom Convoy" protest was in full swing. The legislation granted sweeping powers to the RCMP to enforce municipal bylaws and provincial offences, prohibited public assembly where it is deemed to be unlawful and gave banks the power to freeze assets of protest organizers.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti and President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair stand behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces the Emergencies Act will be invoked to deal with protests, Monday, February 14, 2022 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The powers were invoked as "Freedom Convoy" protesters remained entrenched in downtown Ottawa. Border crossing occupations in Coutts, Alta. and Emerson, Man. were also still ongoing at the time. The emergency powers were revoked Feb. 23, 2022.

"We're all working as hard as we can to see if we can have a future of freedom and fairness and peace and justice," said Johnny Rowe, a protester on Parliament Hill Tuesday.

Downtown residents said they didn't mind seeing protesters a year later.

"You know, there'll always be a handful and that's fine. I mean, as long as they’re not disrupting people's lives," said Chris Busuttil. "I'm less concerned about a crowd this year because I think the people who are in charge have a much better grasp of what the potential damage can be to the community."

The city had warned of possible disruptions on Highway 417 and the downtown core Tuesday because of the possibility of protests to mark the anniversary of the Emergencies Act's use. The city of Ottawa says parking is restricted downtown Tuesday because of the potential for protests marking the anniversary and Ottawa police say their stepped up posture will remain in place.

"Residents and businesses will see an increased police presence from time to time in the downtown core and surrounding areas. Illegal activity, including obstructing or impeding the flow of traffic with vehicles on any roadway, will not be tolerated and will be met with swift and immediate action," the city of Ottawa said in a news release Monday.

Special parking restrictions in the downtown core came into effect at 6 a.m. Exemptions will be made for permit holders and hospitality service loading zones. The affected area is bordered by Wellington Street in the north, Laurier Avenue in the south, Bronson Avenue in the west and Elgin Street in the east. There are no extra restrictions in the ByWard Market. Residents and visitors are advised to follow posted signage and to park their vehicles accordingly.

Wellington Street in front of the Parliament buildings remains closed to vehicles. Access to Parliament Hill is restricted Tuesday. 

In addition to a stepped up police presence, Ottawa Bylaw will also have additional officers in the downtown core to enforce municipal rules, such as unnecessary vehicle noise, construction of structures on city property, public urination and defecation, open-air fires, littering and lighting and discharging fireworks, all elements seen on the streets of downtown Ottawa during the "Freedom Convoy" last year.

A city of Ottawa spokesperson said they would have the number of tickets, tows, and provincial offence notices Wednesday. 

There will be no changes to OC Transpo or Para Transpo services Tuesday.

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Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe told CTV News Ottawa on Sunday that he believes police have a strong plan for any possible events.

"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."

The restrictions Tuesday are similar to those that were put in place on the weekend of Jan. 28 and 29, which marked the anniversary of the convoy's arrival in Ottawa. A few hundred people gathered on Parliament Hill to mark the occasion. During the weekend, police and bylaw towed 25 vehicles, arrested two people for trespassing on Parliament Hill, and issued 224 parking tickets and 67 provincial offence notices.

Tuesday's events turned out to be very small, but Sutcliffe told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron Tuesday that he felt the level of response was still appropriate. 

"At this stage, I think it's important that we send that signal that we're ready for any event," he said. "Nobody wants a situation where more people show up than are expected and the police aren't ready for it."

Matthew Dixon, owner of Dixon Jewellers, says he had a client who was hesitant to come downtown because of all the warnings of potential convoy protests.

"She was emailing this morning saying, well, you know, what should I do? Should I make the trek downtown? I hear there's a lot going on there," Dixon said. "She was reluctant to come down. We haven't exactly lost anything, but certainly there's delays and people are concerned about coming downtown."

Sutcliffe said he's fine right now with being over-prepared.

" If we're erring on the side of being over-prepared, I'm okay with that and I think the community is as well."

The report on the use of the Emergencies Act following the Public Order Emergency Commission is to be delivered Feb. 20.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Dave Charbonneau.