RCMP warn protests could cause weekend traffic disruptions on QEII

Mounties in Central Alberta are warning motorists of possible slowdowns on the QEII north of Red Deer over the weekend due to a protest along the highway.

RCMP say protesters are currently gathered at the Juniper Lake Rest stop near Lacombe, and say with improving weather this weekend they anticipate the demonstration could grow.

“Disruptions to traffic flow from the protest on the QE II has been minimal at this point,” says Cpl. Troy Savinkoff in a statement. “With fairly good weekend weather we can expect an increase in protestors. This combined with traffic congestion could present a safety issue.”

Savinkoff tells CityNews that some of the protesters at the current spot are the same who participated in a “slow roll” convoy on Highway 1 west of Calgary earlier this month in protest of the carbon tax.

A slow roll protest is when a number of vehicles drive below the speed limit on highways.

As of now, Savinkoff says there are around a dozen trailers in the rest up and a large tent has been setup.

“There is a presence there for sure,” he says. “We would believe that will increase over the weekend.”

Westbound traffic on Highway 1 was impacted for most of the day on Apr. 1 due to numerous vehicles and hundreds of protesters gathered on the shoulder of the highway near Highway 22.

That event, organized by a group called Nationwide Protest Against Carbon Tax, was one of many that took place across the country in the wake of the federal carbon tax increase at the start of the month.