QEW closures persist as convoy protests continue near Peace Bridge in Niagara: police

Police in Niagara say the closures along Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) “remain in place” on Sunday as protests in solidarity with anti-mandate demonstrations in Ottawa persist near the Peace Bridge border crossing between Fort Erie, Ont., and Buffalo, N.Y.

In an email to Global News Sunday afternoon, Stephanie Sabourin a spokesperson for the Niagara Regional Police, said there are a “small numbers of protesters” but “no issues or concerns.”

Sabourin added that the Peace Bridge “remains open” to traffic.

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“At this time, no charges have been laid,” the email reads.

On Saturday, the force said the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) initiated a closure of the Fort Erie-bound lanes of the QEW.

In an email that afternoon, Niagara Police told Global News the force was “working with local law enforcement partners on the Canadian side of the border to manage a convoy that had travelled along the Queen Elizabeth Highway (QEW) earlier this morning towards the Peace Bridge.”

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The protesters are demonstrating in solidarity with the so-called “freedom convoy” anti-mandate demonstrations taking place in Ottawa and across the country.

The demonstrations, initially aimed at denouncing vaccine mandates for truck drivers crossing the Canada-U.S. border have since morphed into a protest against a variety of COVID-19 restrictions and the federal government.