Peterborough police say they’ll work with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board to monitor activity at Crestwood Secondary School after the board said its property is off limits for supporters of the national truckers convoy heading to Ottawa.
Local social media posts have requested anyone heading to the convoy in Ottawa this Saturday to first gather at the high school parking lot in Cavan-Monaghan Township, near the city’s west-end at 5:30 a.m. to depart at 5:45 a.m.
The truckers convoy is advocating that the federal government end all COVID-19 related mandates.
However, on Wednesday night, the school board posted on its social media channels that access to the school is not available.
“We have not been contacted for permission to use the school premises,” a tweet reads. “This is private property, which cannot be used for this purpose. We respectfully ask that another location be chosen for this event.”
The main convoy consisting of hundreds of truckers from western Canada arrived in the Greater Toronto Area Thursday afternoon with other trucker convoys expected to converge on the nation’s capital on Saturday.
During Thursday’s media briefing by Peterborough Public Health, police Insp. John Lyons said the service is aware of the planned gathering at Crestwood.
“We are definitely working with the school board; we are always monitoring any of this information that comes to our attention and we work with them accordingly,” said Lyons.
“If there’s a presence required, we will certainly be there. And we’re always prepared will for whatever that may be.”
Lyons says discussions continue with the board who could give police permission to lay charges under the Trespass to Property Act, if deemed necessary.
“If there’s a presence there, we will certainly be in a position to deal with it — working in relation with the school board,” he said.