The truck driver who appeared to brush a cyclist with his vehicle in a video from the convoy protest in Vancouver last weekend has been fired.
In an emailed statement, Dustin Van Dokkumburg of the Chilliwack, B.C.-based Van Dokk Transport Ltd. confirms the driver’s position was terminated and the driver acted alone.
“We do not support or condone the actions of that driver,” wrote Dokkumburg. “This action was not permitted by us and we cannot stand behind it.”
In a video posted to Twitter, which has been viewed more than 88,000 times, the truck driver appears to roll past a counter-protester on a bicycle who tried to block his path. The cyclist moves out of the way but appears to be brushed by the truck in the process.
The confrontation took place at 12th and Ontario streets on Saturday, as hundreds gathered in downtown Vancouver to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic health restrictions.
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Vancouver police confirmed Monday that a complainant has come forward about the confrontation captured on film, and officers are investigating the incident.
Five people were arrested and released after the demonstration, which took place in solidarity with the “Freedom Convoy” that has occupied Ottawa for more than a week, disrupting traffic, businesses and residents.
Among those arrested were a man seen wearing a balaclava and pulling a wagon full of egg cartons, a man seen standing in the middle of the road trying to push a convoy driver’s vehicle backward, a man who was reportedly challenging people in the crowd to fights, and a man who allegedly threw eggs.
Other trucker convoy rallies were held last weekend in Kelowna, on Vancouver Island, in Toronto and several other Canadian cities.
The movement in Ottawa, meanwhile, has been characterized by Ottawa councillor and police services board chair Diane Deans as a “nationwide insurrection” that has placed the city “under siege.”
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Monday the federal government has approved a request by the RCMP for additional resources to police the protests, and a 10-day court injunction was recently granted to stop the convoy truckers from blaring their horns.
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