Freedom Convoy takes Canada by storm

Three protestors in the freedom convoy awaiting the trucks to arrive in Calgary on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. These three men were waiting for the trucks to arrive on the Langdon overpass just outside Langdon, these were just three of roughly 150 protestors who attended. (Photo by Ty Davidson/The Press)

Trucker protests roar through southern Alberta on their way to protest in Ottawa

Thousands of truckers have banded together to protest Canada’s Covid-19 restrictions, starting in BC, truckers have been gathering and journeying to Canada’s capital city Ottawa where they will protest in hopes to change the covid mandates.

On highways, people can find a long line of trucks honking their horns and waving their flags, The name of the movement being “Freedom Convoy”; initially starting as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions that forces cross border travel freighters to be fully vaccinated or face a quarantine period of up to 7 days to enter Canada safely.

A protestor sharing his opinion with a sign as the truckers proceed towards eastern Alberta in Langdon on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022.With each truck passing by, horns and cheering can be heard from the overpass to the ground. (Photo by Ty Davidson/The Press)

Many truckers have already joined Ottowa’s protests with thousands more on the way.

“The mandates are affecting the livelihood of these truckers,” said protester Dylan Ginther, the government shouldn’t have mandatory quarantine periods like this, you can’t take away people’s right to choose.”

“The least we can do is support these guys,” said protester Sarah Barlow, “They will be away from their homes and families we can at least encourage their choice to protest and help aid the journey to Ottawa.”

Although the protests have remained mostly nonviolent; Ottowa’s mayor Jim Watson has declared a state of emergency: a statement made in council on Sunday. “the protests reflect a serious danger and threat to the safety of our residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights.” Police in Ottawa has since been relocating protestors and collecting vehicle registration that will be used in criminal prosecution.

A GoFundMe that was created to help aid the truckers reached upwards of 10 million dollars but has been taken down by the website for violating its terms of service, all donations will be offered an option to refund their donations.

As of February, the protests in Ottawa continue to gather support and many protestors won’t back out until the government can reach their demands in relation to lifting the vaccine and quarantine mandates.

A mother and her daughter waving on the truckers in Langdon on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. This photo was taken on the Langdon overpass as hundreds of truckers are driving on their way to Ottowa. (Photo by Ty Davidson/The Press)
About Ty Davidson 4 Articles
As a news reporting and communications major in the journalism program at SAIT, Ty Davidson is working as a writer for The Press during the 2021-22 academic year.