Footprint of downtown Winnipeg truck protest shrinking, police say

Protesters who have been stationed near the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg's downtown for the lasttwo weeks have shifted offa major streetand are staying in asmaller area nearby.

The trucks and other vehicles that previously lined Broadway and filled Memorial Boulevard have relocated exclusively to a stretch of Memorial,which Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth said is the result of ongoing police negotiations with leaders of the protest thatorganizers are callingthe Winnipeg Freedom Convoy.

"The movement that you saw today was the result of some negotiation with the organizers, essentially to make the footprint of the protest smaller than it had been," Smyth said at a news conference Friday afternoon.

Access to Memorial Boulevard continues to be blocked off from Broadway to St. Mary Avenue.

Supt.Dave Dalalsaid police will continue with their current tactics of workingwith protesters at the site because of the progress they've seen so far.

That progress also included protesters agreeing to limit their honking to two minutes, twice a day, Dalal said.

That shift was announced earlier this week, when organizers said they planned to honk only at 9 a.m. and 6:58 p.m.to limit how much they affect residents in the downtown area.

Smyth said he's satisfied that those changes from protesters are enough for police to continue negotiating with them.

"Hopefully we can get to a resolution in the not-too-distant future," he said.

Protest organizers announced earlier Friday that they planned to move their trucks tominimize their impact on the downtown area, while still continuing their protest of pandemic restrictions and vaccine mandates.

The protesters havelargely been on Memorial Boulevard, and Smythexpects that will continue for now. The move helped police avoid closing streets or further disrupting traffic on Broadway, he said.

The trucks liningBroadway in front of the Manitoba Legislature,between Osborne and Kennedy streets, since Feb. 4, have restricted traffic to one lane, but drivers have largely been able to travel through the area without significant interruption.

Caleb Brown, one of the protest organizers, said their group cannot ignore the views of police and community members if they want to remain.

"We can't expect anyone to listen to us and hear us out if we can't listen to others and and listen to what they have to say," he said.

The protest site at Memorial Boulevard and Broadway was initially formed in response to the federal government's imposition of a vaccination mandate for truckers crossing into the United States, but drew in a wide array of groups disaffected by COVID-19 health restrictions.

Six out of nine members of the convoy's core organizing committee moved on to "other projects" after Premier Heather Stefanson's announcement last week that restrictions will come to an end on March 15,Brown said in an interview earlier this week.

Standing our ground not worth it: co-organizer

On Friday, Brown said the group was told to clear out of Broadway.

"We've been asked to move. We could stand our ground and say, 'No way.' Some people feel that's within our rights, but I don't think that's the best way to move forward," he said.

Some cooperation between the police and protesters can ensure Winnipeg's demonstration doesn't inflame tensions like what's happening in Ottawa's downtown, he said.

"We feel that the best way for our voice to be heard is to stay downtown, to be able to have conversations with the media like this, explain why we're here, the reasons why we're here and why it's important," he added.

"I don't want to push this to a point where a Winnipeg police officer has to cuff me and take me away."

Some neighbours who've opposed the protest say they're appreciativethe incessant honking can no longer be heard.

Cindy Kroeker, wholives nearby,was pleading with the protesters to go home at a counter-demonstration attended by hundreds last weekend, but now she's grateful they've toned down the noise.

"Now that they've stopped the honking, they're not really bothering us anymore," she said.

Olivia Velazquezsaid she's returned to studying in the peace and quiet of her home.

"You do have the right to protest," she points out. "Ifthey're doing it peacefully and quietly then that's OK by me."

The protesters are pledging to maintain their presence in front of the legislative grounds until all COVID-19 restrictions areeliminated.

According to Hank Penner, a nearby resident who joins the protest every day, it would be easy to end the demonstration.

"One thing I wish we would do is lift the mandates," he said."Then none of this would be necessary."

Downtown Winnipeg truck protest shrinking

3 years ago

Duration 2:01

Protesters who have been stationed near the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg's downtown for the last two weeks have shifted off a major street and are staying in a smaller area nearby.