By Staff
January 27th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Small groups leaned over the railings of overpasses along the 403 and 401 highways. Police advised the driving public to expect delays.
The crowds were not huge – but they were there at almost every overpass along the 403 and the 401 – applauding the trucks with their headlights on that were part of the Freedom Convoy – protesting the requirement that truck drivers be fully vaccinated.
Trucks flashing their lights were watched for hours by protesters.
People on the overpasses were calling it “exciting” and “awesome” while news media were reporting that more people died of Covid19 in January that any other month since the pandemic was declared.
So far, nationally, 32,966 Covid19-related deaths have occurred. Provincially the total is over 11,000.
Almost every overpass along main arterial roads had demonstrators waving flags and shouting.
So, 28% support for a bunch of unorganizeds yahoos,and 32.6 % for Trudeau in the last election. Good thing they don’t have their yahoo act togeter. The medim is the message.
Crime is down in Ottawa and the homeless are being fed and the snow is being cleared.
Who hasn’t got their act together? By the way where is his majesty.
Finally looks like its time for the Liberal ideology supporting the gradual stripping away of our rights to freedom and telling us how to live, is coming to an end. Honk honk. Don’t tell me how to live.
OMG your knowledge and understanding of the federal system is sorely lacking.
The Federal responsibilities are basically limited to the national economy and foreign affairs. The Provinces determine how to deliver services and manage their internal affairs.
Do you not realize the vast majority of the healthcare mandates (masks, social distancing, business closures etc) have been enacted by the Provincial PC government NOT the Liberal Federal government.
So if you must selfishly bleet about temporarily having some restrictions imposed on you for the greater good of society, then get it right and go bleet at Doug Ford
Honk bleepen’ Honk
Honk! Honk! me either.
Using children and families to shore up what remains of our long lives is not a very good look.
I believe a desperate Queen Elizabeth the 1st whispered on her death bed “All my fortune for one last breath”.
My advice, the old should advocate for a full lifting of all mandates, let the young and healthy enjoy their lives.
Wearing masks, social distancing, inoculations, is not about old or young. It’s about trying to minimize transmission of the disease across all sections of society. The age group with the highest rate of infection at this time is the 5 to 9 years age group.
The protesters, who are clear that they are not just protesting about the trucker vaccinaction issue, e press a desire that they wish to overthrow our democratic way of life. They are political agitators masquerading as healthcare mandate protesters. They have the right to protest. But desecrating the Cenotaph and the Terry Fox memorial, flying the Canadian flag inverted is not only disrespectful, it is telling of their horroble mindset.
Do and say what ever you want.
But leave those kids alone.
Rates of infection mean nothing.
They have enough after two years! I wonder what these people. about whom Davis is writing, would have done if they had had to put up with the food rationings, the restrictions within daily life, the black-outs, the loss of lives, the endless stress of the five plus years people had to endure during WWII. This whole thing about “freedom” is a bunch of nonsense. We haven’t lost our freedoms, we just had and have to be sensible during a pandemic to ensure the vulnerable are protected. The truckers and their supporters are a bunch of selfish ignoramuses who need to get education in what life is all about.
Well said. I could not agree more. Those that complain about lost freedom are talking out of their rear ends. No freedoms have been lost. No one is being made to take the shot involuntarily. But like many other areas of life there are rules to follow if you wish to participate in society or employment. For example in many areas of white collar employment employers impose dress codes. If you don’t like it and don’t want to comply go do something else. Your choice, your freedom.
It appears that the organizers no longer claim this convoy is about vaccine mandates. It has morphed into a protest by Peoples Party types and various fringe groups. The paradox of trained and licensed people complaining they are unable to hold their jobs when there is a shortage of people to do the same job is quite obvious.
Ironically to get our freedom back requires getting vaccinated, wearing masks and following social distancing recommendations. Why don’t people get this?
People saying after two years they’ve had enough? Well, you might be young and healthy, but what about seniors, people with underlying conditions, people,with cancer etc…..the vulnerable population who have done their best to stay alive, had their shots, taken the booster, stayed home, washed their hands and not seen some family members for two years. We’ve ALL had enough, but we can’t just throw caution to the wind as if it never happened. We can’t just open he stable door and let the horses run wild…this is not about freedom, give me a break. This is about arrogant people who don’t want to be told what to do by the government and couldn’t care less about anybody but themselves. Well, cry me a river because as far as I am concerned they are just a bunch of selfish, arrogant morons who couldn’t care less if grandma gets covid while the rest of us who have done everything we can to,protect YOUR family. It’s time to think about putting your flags away and think about protecting ours!
Peoples ignorance is making them afraid
vaccine should be mandatory to every person on the planet
Your numbers are off. As of last week, there have been 32,966 deaths in Canada. It’s over 11,000 in Ontario alone.
A noisy yahoo minority if the City TV national poll is correct.
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/01/27/unvaccinated-truckers-freedom-rally-poll-canada/
The poll says only 28% support these yahoos who think they should be exempt from following the same mandates as health workers. That means 72% do not. What argument do they have? If they do not want to get vaccinated then don’t truck across the border. The USA government now has the same requirement in place.
Nicknamed the “freedom convoy”. Please! This has nothing to do with freedom or the infringement of their freedoms. Is the requirement to have an HGV license to drive a truck or to hold a valid visa to enter the country an infringement of their freedom?
Truckers have the freedom to be vaccinated or not. No one is forcing them one way or another. Like the rest of us if they choose not to be vaccinated their ability to fully participate in society is compromised. But that is their choice. Just like kids without a range of vaccinations may not attend school.
The Truckers’ own association does not support the less that 10% of its membership who refuse to get vaccinated.
Gutless intimidation by rightwing apparatchiks under the faux slogan of ‘Freedom.’
No time for this nonsense.
How so? For 22 months while we struggled to get our population vaccinated, these same truckers were our heroes and allowed to cross the border freely. Now that 90% of the population are vaxxed so less chance of serious contagious transfer they are all of a sudden being stopped from this same work?
As someone who is triple vaccinated, I fully support their cause. I don’t agree with people who don’t get vaccinated, I agree with their argument about “why now?” What changed in January 2022 that didn’t exist for the last 22 months?
Excellent to see.
The hard right wingers like Poilievre are leading the charge…where is democracy headed…they
should be ashamed to associate with any anti vaccers…enough of this freedom talk…with freedom comes responsibility!
I was actually on the Guelph Line overpass from 10:15am to 11:30am. I have masses of video. The supporters were young mothers & fathers with kids of all ages, massive numbers of
18-plus students mainly girls. Older adult couples were also in attendance.
The signs were mainly ‘Freedom’ from all mandates also ‘leave our kids alone’ or ‘You’re hurting our children’ and ‘End this tyranny’ Etc.
What I didn’t see surprisingly was not one sign mentioning vaccines or vaccine status. Lots of Canadian flags some cow bells lots of good humour lots of smiling happy faces.
5-deep at the rail and overflowing down both embankments I estimate 3k plus. Not including all the cars & trucks crossing or going under the bridge for over an hour with signs and horns blaring.
Police were in attendance for traffic control and were very friendly.
It was bitterly cold but it was heart-warming to be a part of.
I’m pretty sure the vaccination status was of no concern to the people on that bridge. It was, as a young mother said to me “After 2-years we’ve had enough, we want our freedom back”
Finally a supportive and ACCURATE comment.
“After 2 years we want our freedom back”. Or, if we just hold our breath until we turn blue, the whole virus thing will just go away. Or, who cares if people are still dying from this, I’m betting it won’t happen to me. Or, if there was no government, we would be free. Or…. sad.