Ottawa [Canada], February 8 (ANI): Canada‘s two main airlines have demanded that Ottawa reverse COVID-19 travel restrictions amid the ongoing protests against the vaccine mandates that have overwhelmed the nation’s capital. The current wave of protests against COVID-19 measures started when thousands of demonstrators gathered in Ottawa expressing strong opposition to vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the US-Canada border.

WestJet Airlines Ltd. has canceled 20 percent of its flights in March amid continuing uncertainty over trucker protest, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported. “It is disappointing that Canada remains stagnant in its approach and continues to make travel inaccessible and punitive for Canadians and inbound tourists,” said Interim chief executive officer Harry Taylor while adding that travel advisories and testing requirements were meant to be temporary.

Earlier on Sunday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson had declared a state of emergency in the city. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino on Monday announced that federal police have approved Ottawa‘s request for additional officers to quell the protest. “I can confirm that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) has received and approved a request for additional officers,” Mendicino said during an emergency debate on the situation.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the trucker protest taking place in Ottawa must come to an end, citing disruptions it has caused to the economy and the local residents. “Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy, and our fellow citizens’ daily lives, it has to stop,” Trudeau said in a speech to Canada’s parliament on Monday evening. “People of Ottawa don’t deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods. They don’t deserve to be confronted with the inherent violence of a swastika flying on a street corner or Confederate flag.” (ANI)

Canadian court grants injunction to silence trucker protest horns for 10 days: Reports

Toronto [Canada], February 8 (ANI/Sputnik): A Canadian court has granted a temporary injunction, prohibiting the use of vehicle horns in downtown Ottawa, state broadcaster CBC reported on Monday.
“Tooting a horn is not an expression of any great thought I’m aware of,” Hugh McLean, an Ontario Superior Court of Justice magistrate, said during a court hearing in Ottawa as quoted by CBC. The interim injunction will be in effect for 10 days, the judge ruled.

A group of downtown Ottawa residents, where the vast majority of anti-government protesters are situated, filed a multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit last week alleging that the demonstrators are interfering with their quality of life. Since the so-called “Freedom Convoy” trucks first entered Downtown Ottawa 11 days ago, residents have had to contend with a myriad of audio disruptions, including fireworks, singing, and, most notably, truck and car horns.

The wave of protest across Canada began in mid-January, with thousands of truckers and other demonstrators converging upon Ottawa to express strong opposition to vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the US-Canada border. The protest has since evolved into an anti-government demonstration, with various groups uniting in opposition of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (ANI/Sputnik)