Large crowds of protesters gathered in Toronto on Saturday as part of ongoing demonstrations against COVID-19 restrictions and the Justin Trudeau government.
By 1 p.m., crowds had converged at Queen’s Park, and the park north of the Ontario Legislature.
Many held Canada flags and signs reading “freedom.”
An hour later, trucks had blocked the intersection of Bloor Street and Avenue Road in downtown Toronto, near the legislative building.
Hundreds gathered there as the semi trucks blared their horns and protesters cheered.
About two dozen riot squad officers stood a block south.
Just before 2:30 p.m., Toronto police said Peel Region Paramedics were “slowed at Avenue and Bloor due to trucks and protesters.”
“This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the force said in a tweet.
“Vehicles and people must make room for emergency vehicles to pass through,” police said.
The force also said a 22-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the protests.
Earlier on Saturday, Toronto police tweeted, saying the force was “prepared” for the demonstrations, and that there would be an “increased” presence of officers in the city.
Ahead of the protests on Friday, Police closed a number of roads on Friday, ahead of the planned protests.
“We continue to maintain road closures in the downtown core,” the tweet reads.
Officers said “ensuring Hospital Row stays clear remains our priority.”
Similarly, in a statement Saturday, Peel Regional Police said it was “aware of a planned demonstration that is set to occur in the City of Toronto, with a starting point for the participants within our Region.”
The force said “while we respect an individual’s rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to freedom of expression and to peacefully assemble, our priority as a police service is to ensure the safety and well-being of all involved.”
Police said the demonstrations “may interrupt the normal flow of traffic.”
“However, we will endeavor to minimize any impacts to the public,” the statement reads.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) also urged patience, saying the demonstrations may make trips “take longer than expected.”
By late Saturday morning, protesters had gathered across the greater Toronto area, in Vaughan and at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga.
Meanwhile, a couple hundred health-care workers and their supporters marched from the University of Toronto to hospital row just south of the Ontario legislature this afternoon.
They held signs saying “free-dumb” and “N95 masks for all.”
The demonstration in Toronto comes just one week after protestors from across the country converged on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
The protests, initially aimed at denouncing vaccine mandates for truck drivers crossing the Canada-U.S. border, has since morphed into a protest against a variety of COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.
Now, a week after arriving, some protesters remain on Parliament Hill.
Ottawa police have said “several” investigations are underway into the protests, including the desecration of the National War Memorial and the Terry Fox statue.
On Thursday, officers said at least 30 tickets had been handed out in connection with the demonstrations.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Toronto Mayor John Tory, said police would make sure that the protests are “peaceful” and “respectful.”
“And that we don’t see symbols of hate or other kinds of words spoken like that, which we don’t accept here,” Tory said. “And then hopefully, what will happen is that people will say their piece and they will go home.”
On Friday, the mayor said he has spoken with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
“In our conversations, all three offered their help and the help of their governments to the City of Toronto if required throughout this protest,” Tory said.
In a statement emailed to Global News on Friday, Ford said the Toronto and Ottawa police services have his “unequivocal support as they work to keep the public safe.”
“Harassment or acts of hatred or intolerance of any kind will not be tolerated,” he said. “I reiterated to both Mayor Tory and Mayor Watson that the province stands ready to provide any additional resources they might require.”
Ford said the occupation in Ottawa is “only hurting families and businesses that are trying to continue on with their lives.”
“It’s time for it to come to an end,” the statement said.
In a statement Saturday, Stephen Laskowski, President of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) said the association “does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways and bridges.”
“OTA believes such actions – especially those that interfere with public safety and impede the flow of traffic or citizens – are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed,” the statement reads.
Laskowski said he “strongly” urges all protesters to “please respect traffic laws and comply with direction from authorities to not block access to the hospitals and critical care facilities around the legislature.”
“While some Canadians are at Queen’s Park today to voice their displeasure over this mandate, it appears that most protestors have no connection to the trucking industry and have separate grievances beyond the cross-border vaccine requirements,” the statement reads.
“As these protests unfold, OTA asks the public to be aware that many of the people you see and hear in media reports do not have a connection to the trucking industry and do not represent the view of the Ontario Trucking Association or its members.”
-With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues and Ryan Rocca, and The Canadian Press
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