Calgary protests against COVID mandates among rallies held across Canada

Protesters opposed to vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions held rallies in cities across Canada, including Calgary, on Saturday in a show of solidarity with a week-long demonstration in the national capital, while the effort to end the newly re-energized demonstration in Ottawa prepared to shift to the legal arena.

Calgary police have estimated thousands of people showed up at a rally downtown in the early afternoon.

Many were seen marching down 4th Street SW near the Sheldon Chumir health centre, carrying flags and signs, a number of which with messaging against health mandates.

Calgary police are estimating that thousands of Calgarians have showed up for today’s protest in support of removing COVID-19 mandates @citynewscalgary #yyc #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/jkHQ7PxEhZ

— Jillian Code (@JillianCode) February 5, 2022

The protest came as additional security measures were brought in at the health centre, after workers were allegedly harassed earlier this week. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees says the move was necessary.

Read more:

• Extra safety measures taken at Sheldon Chumir as workers ‘harassed’ by protesters: AUPE

• Counter-protesters gather in downtown Ottawa with message for freedom convoy: ‘go home please’

“Protesters have blocked the ambulance bay, they have harassed workers and patients as they come to and from the centre, they’ve banged on the windows of the facility to upset people inside and they have blocked roads around the centre. One worker had to sit in her car for an hour after finishing her shift because of the traffic congestion,” Bobby-Joe Borodey, the vice-president of AUPE, said Friday.

Other demonstrations were held in Calgary Saturday, at Central Memorial Park and along 16th Avenue, as well south and west of the city. Police have said they were taking precautions to ensure safety.

Meanwhile, a checkpoint blockade on the highway leading to the busiest border crossing in Alberta appears to be growing.

Protesters at the Coutts crossing with the U.S. have cleared one lane in each direction to allow cross-border traffic to get through. However, about 80 rigs remain along the route in protest of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Alberta RCMP said Saturday that while many of the demonstrators have been making their voices heard in a “lawful way” by being respectful and listening to police orders, some have not.

“We are aware not all individuals are following the law & have several open investigations underway,” a tweet reads.

We appreciate so many of the individuals taking part in protests in the Coutts area are having their voices heard in a lawful way by being respectful & listening to police orders. We are aware not all individuals are following the law & have several open investigations underway.

— RCMP Alberta (@RCMPAlberta) February 5, 2022

Dozens of trucks, pieces of farm equipment, and SUVs sporting Canadian flags have since joined the crowd.

Coutts Mayor Jim Willett met with some of the demonstrators this week. He says he didn’t find anger — just a sense of waiting, adding the protesters are “certainly not” as “bad as some people have said.”

Read more:

• Alberta mayor meets with truckers as protest at U.S. border continues

• Mayor of southern Alberta village frustrated over border blockade by truckers

Farther north, pickups, big rigs, and a large crowd of demonstrators opposed to pandemic restrictions took to the streets near the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton for a second straight. Many of the people carried signs lampooning critics — such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who’ve said the demonstrators are a small fringe minority.

The protest convoy brought traffic along 109 Street, 97 Avenue, and other roads down to a crawl.

“EPS officers have been deployed for traffic and crowd management,” a tweet from the service reads.

Edmonton police are now working on traffic and crowd management as the protest convoy begins rolling into the downtown core. #yeg #yegtraffic #ableg #covid19ab pic.twitter.com/OnRZbH9loG

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) February 5, 2022

Once again, protesters waved flags and carried signs, many of them calling for officials to resign over health mandates.

Loud honking from trucks and many other vehicles could be heard ringing through the downtown area, with traffic crawling.

As you can see, traffic on 109th street near the legislature is mostly a crawl. #yeg #yegtraffic #ableg #covid19ab pic.twitter.com/e7hSVRABNb

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) February 5, 2022

Weekend protests in solidarity with the Ottawa event are taking place near provincial legislatures across the country, as well as in major cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Regina, and Victoria.

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