Lambton OPP reported late Monday that, after nearly a week, all vehicles and pedestrians have left Highway 402 in Warwick Township east of Sarnia, Ont.
Still, police advised motorists to “proceed with caution” as traffic finally resumed along the westbound lanes. Police also thanked the public for their patience.
Participants in the so-called “Freedom Convoy” set up last Wednesday along the westbound lanes of the highway at Nauvoo Road, prompting police to close a section of the highway and implement a detour.
“The OPP respects the right of everyone to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” police said at the time. “The OPP asks everyone to be patient and respectful of each other despite potential inconvenience.”
The closure was approximately 45 km away from the Blue Water Bridge crossing between Canada and the United States in Sarnia, Ont. There, the bridge itself remained open.
On Feb. 6, a convoy shuttered a portion of that same highway between Modeland Road and Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia, however, that closure only lasted a few hours.
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The reopening of Highway 402 in Watford came just hours after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the never-before-used Emergencies Act to support provinces in ending the blockades and public disorder related to the convoys.
He said Monday that the measures do not include calling in the military, or overriding civil rights.
“We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue,” said Trudeau, adding it will allow the federal government to order the provision of services like towing trucks.
Trudeau also vowed to introduce within the coming days business support measures for the local Ottawa companies that have been forced to shut down due to the blockades, many of the participants of which have repeatedly refused to respect public health measures like masking indoors. The convoy has now been set up in Ottawa for 19 days.
Meanwhile, a six-day-old blockade that halted traffic at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ont., and Detroit — North America’s busiest trade corridor — ended on Sunday.
— with files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly, Ryan Rocca and Kelly Wang as well as a file from Reuters
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