>DOUGH
As Trudeau put it to Canadian socialists in 1961: "Federalism must be welcomed as a valuable tool which permits dynamic parties to plant socialist governments in certain provinces, from which the seed of radicalism can slowly spread."
https://twitter.com/PnPCBC/status/1492281636142161926
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens hopes most protesters will respect the injunction to clear the Ambassador Bridge and leave voluntarily: "If they fail to move on, police will have capabilities to move in and help them move out."
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/feds-should-use-emergency-powers-to-end-ottawa-occupation-expert-1.5780354
Feds should use emergency powers to end Ottawa occupation: expert
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Wark
The federal government should invoke its powers under the Emergencies Act to bring the occupation of downtown Ottawa to an end, a leading national security expert says.
“I think the time is long past for buck-passing,” said Wesley Wark, a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa’s graduate school of public and international affairs. “I think the federal government has to finally step up, as unwilling as they might be.”
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-mayor-says-truckers-have-agreed-to-leave-residential-neighbourhoods-1.5779428
Ottawa mayor says truckers have agreed to leave residential neighbourhoods
Mayor Jim Watson says an agreement has been reached with the president of the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration to remove trucks out of residential neighbourhoods starting Monday.
The 17-day demonstration against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures has gridlocked the downtown core, closing roads, businesses, the Rideau Centre and a COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
The Mayor's Office told councillors Sunday afternoon that an agreement was reached through "backchannel negotiations" this weekend for vehicles to exit residential streets in the coming days. Watson asked organizers to limit the perimeter of the demonstration to Wellington Street, between Elgin Street and the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.
In a letter to Mayor Watson on Saturday, "Freedom Convoy" president Tamara Lich said organizers are working to get "buy in" from the truckers."
"We have made a plan to consolidate our protest efforts around Parliament Hill," Lich said, telling Watson the Freedom Convoy Board agreed with his request to reduce pressure on residents and businesses.
"We will be working hard over the next 24 hours to get buy in from the truckers. We hope to start repositioning our trucks on Monday."
Watson's offer to meet with the protesters if they move all the vehicles to Wellington Street is an about-face for the mayor. Last week, he said that he would only meet with the protesters "the minute they clear out the downtown."
The mayor sent a letter to Lich on Saturday, saying residents "are exhausted and on edge, and our small businesses impacted by your blockades are teetering on the brink of closure."
Watson says he wants to see "clear evidence" that the truck convoy will be departing residential streets before 12 p.m. Monday. The mayor says he will meet with Lich and the organizers to discuss their concerns if they meet three conditions.
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Remove all trucks from the residential districts south of Wellington Street, and from all other residential areas including the market, the Ottawa Baseball Stadium on Coventry, etc.;
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Agree to not backfill the residential areas currently occupied with trucks, other vehicles and/or demonstrators; and
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Agree to not displace the truck convoy, vehicles and/or demonstrators to other residential areas in the City of Ottawa.
During an interview on CTV News at Six, Watson insisted there would be no deal with the organizers.
"We're not giving them any deals, we're not giving them any special treatment. If they have tickets they have to pay tickets," Watson said.
"At least for the foreseeable future when this issue is over at least some of those people in Centretown can have their streets and sidewalks back."
The mayor acknowledged there will be criticism for agreeing to negotiate with organizers that have led an occupation of downtown streets.
"This is a completely unique crisis that our city is facing," Watson said.
"There will always be criticism for new ideas; the bottom line is the people in these downtown urban communities need some help and need a reprieve from the horror and the hell that they've been through."
The "Freedom Convoy" demonstration arrived in Ottawa on Jan. 29 to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures. Trucks and vehicles have been parked on Wellington Street and roads around Parliament Hill since the protest began 17 days ago.
Residents have complained about horn honking, fireworks, loud music and harassment in residential areas around the demonstration zone. A stage with a giant TV screen has been set up on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill, while a DJ truck is parked at Rideau and Sussex Drive. Demonstrators have set up barbecues, tents, a hot tub and a bouncy castle in the area during the demonstration.
Last week, an Ontario Superior Court judge agreed to an injunction to stop the horn honking as part of a class-action lawsuit filed by a Centretown resident.
ORGANIZERS CONFIRM DEAL WITH WATSON, CALL FOR AN END TO MANDATES
There was confusion on social media Sunday evening after Lich and other organizers of the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration said there was "no deal."
"The media lies to their viewers. No 'deal' has been made," Lich said on Twitter. "End the mandates, end the passports. That is why we are here."
BJ Dichter also said there was no deal, "The federal government has not yet lifted its mandates and passports."
However, Lich confirmed there is a deal with the mayor to move trucks out of residential neighbourhoods in response to a tweet from CTV News Ottawa reporter Colton Praill. Lich says truckers are not leaving Ottawa and the Parliamentary Precinct until all federal mandates are dropped.
"@JimWatsonOttawa is not in charge of FEDERAL mandates as my comment clearly indicates. Plans to relocate trucks out of residential areas as agreed to will go ahead."
When asked about the "no deal" comments from organizers earlier Sunday evening, the Mayor's Office told Newstalk 580 CFRA that, "The Mayor’s office has had no communication with the group that would suggest such a development."
https://twitter.com/Tamara_MVC/status/1493072750642180103
MAYOR SAYS PROVINCE, FEDS HAVE "NOT STEPPED UP" TO END OTTAWA OCCUPATION
Appearing on CTV's Question Period Sunday morning, Mayor Watson accused the federal and Ontario governments of not stepping up with additional resources as the demonstration against COVID-19 mandates reaches its 17th day.
However, Watson is hopeful more police officers will arrive in Ottawa within the next 24 to 48 hours to assist the Ottawa Police Service in ending the occupation of downtown streets.
Hundreds of vehicles remain parked on Wellington Street and other roads, as people call for an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures. Sunday morning, counter-protesters blocked several downtown streets to prevent the "Blue Collar Convoy" from arriving in downtown Ottawa to support the "Freedom Convoy" demonstrators.
Watson said "control was lost a week or so ago" in downtown Ottawa, and its gotten worse this weekend.
"We sent a request to the federal and provincial governments for 1,800 officers that we need now to bring control and order to the city, and unfortunately both other orders of government have not stepped up to the plate like we'd like them too," Watson said.
"So all weekend we've been working with our federal and provincial partners to stress the urgency."
Last Monday, Watson sent a request to the federal and Ontario governments for an additional 1,800 officers and civilians to help Ottawa police end the downtown occupation. On Saturday, Ottawa police said it was waiting for reinforcements to arrive to implement their "plan to end this unlawful occupation.”
"We have a plan to end this unlawful occupation and await the necessary reinforcements to do so," police said in a statement.
Ottawa police, the RCMP and the OPP have established a new "Integrated Command Centre", which police say will help them better respond to the occupation in Ottawa.
Watson says he's hoping to reach an agreement on Sunday with the upper levels of government for additional police resources to arrive in Ottawa.
"No more sort of thoughts and prayers with the people of Ottawa, we need actual action from the province, from the federal government. We do not have the resources to bring order to this situation," Watson said.
"My number one priority is to bring some peace to the people who live in the residential communities. They're the ones that are the hardest hit, along with the small business community.
The mayor adds police need to act and end the "completely unacceptable behaviour" downtown.
"My objective is to make sure that all three police services are operating in tandem to get this nightmare finished once and for all," Watson said. "It's taken far too long, and the public and my council colleagues are frustrated."
On Saturday, police said "aggressive, illegal behaviour" by demonstrators in the downtown core was limiting police enforcement capabilities during the third weekend of the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration.
"Due to the volume of people and vehicles in the downtown core, police safely managed the movement of various convoys in and around Ottawa," Ottawa Police said about operations on Saturday. "One 300 vehicle convoy and a 20-kilometer long car convoy from Quebec were safely managed."
Police announced the establishment of an enhanced "Integrated Command Centre" with the OPP and RCMP to respond to the "significant influx of demonstrators into the Ottawa area and the escalation of the current occupation."
"We expect that the ICC will result in a significantly enhanced ability of our police service to respond to the current situation in our city," police said. "The ICC will allow us to make the most effective use of the additional resources our policing partners have provided to us."
The Prime Minister's Office says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed further "immediate actions" the federal government is considering to address the situation in Ottawa, and will reconvene today.
"They emphasized the urgent need for anyone participating in the blockades to return to their communities peacefully and immediately, and that consequences for breaking the law will be increasingly severe," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement late Saturday evening.
"These blockades must be brought to an end, and the federal government will continue working on every option to end them."
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told CTV's Question Period the government is prepared to invoke the Emergencies Act to end the trucker convoy protests and blockades across the country.
A former Ottawa police chief says the Ottawa Police Service must try to keep a lid on things until the reinforcements arrive.
"I think that the Ottawa Police Service clearly is unable to execute the strategy that they've laid out because they do not have the resources in place to do it, and the best they can do is to keep a lid on it," Charles Bordeleau told CTV News Ottawa.
"They key question is when they do get those additional resources will they keep with the same plan or will they alter their strategy in order to become more effective in executing what the community wants.
"The community wants these people to leave, and they really have to assess whether the current strategy they have in place is having that measurable impact and if that additional number of resources will continue to have an impact on executing their plan."
As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, police had made 26 arrests, while police and Bylaw Services officers had issued 2,600 tickets. There are currently 140 criminal investigations underway into the demonstration.
Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency in Ontario on Friday, saying it will give authorities more tools to help stop the "illegal occupation of Ottawa." Fines up to $100,000 are possible for blocking critical infrastructure, including municipal and provincial roadways and pedestrian walkways.
https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/counter-protesters-block-convoy-vehicles-on-ottawa-streets-1.5779659
Counter-protesters block convoy vehicles on Ottawa streets
Residents frustrated with the 17-day "Freedom Convoy" occupation in downtown Ottawa took to the streets on Sunday, blocking vehicle convoys from joining hundreds of trucks, vehicles and people on Parliament Hill.
Vehicles in the "Blue Collar Convoy" rolling into the downtown core from the Ottawa Baseball Stadium and the west end were greeted by human blockades at several intersections.
"We don't want to see them come through our community so it's time to take a stand," Andrea Harden said.
A Facebook page said the "Blue Collar Convoy" was, "Blue-collar workers coming together in support of Freedom Convoy and farm convoy against mandates." The plan was to join hundreds of vehicles parked on Wellington Street and on several streets around downtown Ottawa as part of the demonstration against COVID-19 mandates.
Shortly after 9 a.m. a few dozen people blocked Riverside Drive at Bank Street to stop the convoy from turning right on Bank Street. By 12 p.m., hundreds of counter-protesters were at the intersection to block traffic.
"We cannot allow more of these trucks to go downtown and join the lawlessness that's already happening there," Harden said.
Word of the planned blockade spread through Facebook groups, as residents braved an extreme cold warning to send a message about the actions of police, government officials and demonstrators during the 17-day protest downtown.
"It's a chance for us to vocalize our feelings and a bit of frustration in regards to the event itself," Scott Bradley said.
Jen Roger added, "I'm tired of these truckers and other people taking over our city."
Municipal and provincial politicians attended the rally to support constituents.
"I believe in this city and I believe in this neighbourhood in particular. I know this got put together in a Facebook group for dog walking, cookouts and kid meet-ups, so, look, that should tell the authorities people are fed up. We want action," Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden said.
"The convoy needs to go, you've made your point, we hear you. We're upset too, no one likes the moment we're in."
Ottawa police officers were on the scene to monitor traffic throughout the day.
"We're all angry, we're all upset," said one person on Riverside Drive.
"I came here to disrupt the convoy and to stop it, and that's what we've accomplished. Let's not forget why we came here - I didn't come here for a pound of flesh, I came here because I wanted to stop the convoy and we sent a message, and that's what our community has done."
Coun. Jeff Leiper reported shortly after 4 p.m. that counter-demonstrators were slowly allowing the convoy vehicles to leave the intersection one at a time. As of 6 p.m., Riverside Drive was open to traffic at Bank Street.
https://twitter.com/ShawnMenard1/status/1492907581710512132
We blocked the convoy in our neighbourhood this morning at Riverside at Bank. We started with about 25 people with hundreds more who have joined in solidarity. We made sure residents could get through but kept the convoy here. #Ottawa #OttawaOccupied #Ottnews
We're tired of convoy parking in our streets so we made them park in the street! That'll show em!
>Jilly
https://mediastyle.ca/
We’re a progressive strategy and design agency.
These people are stupid!
We have six pillars that shape our work:
01 We are committed to improving health outcomes for Canadians.
02 We believe in education and universal access to it.
03 We are dedicated to reconciliation and support like-minded individuals and organizations.
04 We are intent on improving and enhancing democratic institutions.
05 We are proud feminists and work towards equity for all.
06 We support the labour movement and aspire to build a stronger society.
https://mediastyle.ca/case-studies/canadas-nurses/
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) represents nearly 200,000 nurses and student nurses across the country. The organization advocates on behalf of both registered nurses and the patients they serve to ensure we have health policies that meet the needs of Canadians.
What was the communications opportunity?
Nurses have lots of passion, but not much time. CFNU wanted to find a way to engage its hard-working membership in its advocacy activities.
MediaStyle’s solutions needed to fit into the daily realities of this busy audience, by making it as easy as possible to take meaningful action on issues important to their work and our health care system.
What did we accomplish?
Working with Canada’s Nurses, we launched a custom online platform called Speak Up, which was also available as iOS and Android mobile apps. The platform allowed members to easily tweet at their Member of Parliament, post Facebook messages and send advocacy emails with just a few easy clicks.
The organization went on to theme its major national convention under the same campaign brand, encouraging their members to speak up for issues like pharmacare and safer workplaces.
>We are proud feminists and work towards equity for all.
>Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)
https://nursesunions.ca/international/
In the past our support has gone to a variety of organizations with experience working in the field, including Oxfam Canada, the Canadian Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and many other humanitarian aid groups.
This support has been in response to a variety of humanitarian emergencies, including health emergencies such as Ebola, natural disasters such as earthquakes and humanitarian crises such as the refugee crisis triggered by the ongoing conflict in Syria.
>In the past our support has gone to a variety of organizations with experience working in the field, including Oxfam Canada, the Canadian Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and many other humanitarian aid groups.
>This support has been in response to a variety of humanitarian emergencies, including health emergencies such as Ebola, natural disasters such as earthquakes and humanitarian crises such as the refugee crisis triggered by the ongoing conflict in Syria.
>so the plebs understand they are owned
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitaid
Unitaid supports programs that are implemented by organizations such as Coalition Plus, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Expertise France, The Global Fund, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Médecins Sans Frontières, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Stop TB Partnership, TB Alliance, UNICEF and others.
>187
>Prince Andrew's lawyers ask accuser Virginia Giuffre to hand over infamous photo
>Lesley Stahl
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1493245394280755207
Happy Valentine's Day! đź’•
https://twitter.com/buperac/status/1493252872653266948
Here is the video last night from Coutts. A tractor moved and the police swarmed, steering around kids walking.
When they approach tactical you can hear him put his safety back on. Who was he going to shoot? Who was the threat? These police are unhinged. Every day less respect.
He's trying so hard.
https://twitter.com/Justin_Ling
https://twitter.com/SydFizzard/status/1493022035219554305
Listen to the phone call withRCMP confirming they sabotaged three excavatorsnear the Coutts blockade.