Windsor's mayor is asking for patience from residents who may be frustrated by a protest on Huron Church Road.
At the same time, Drew Dilkens is telling the Windsor Freedom Convoy it will not be allowed to become entrenched the way the protest in Ottawa has.
"I appreciate that we live in a democracy and people have the right to protest. It's one of the hallmarks of democracy," he said on Tuesday, almost 24 hours after the blockade started. "This is an essential corridor in our community, and it is the lifeblood of so many families here. We are not going to let a small group of protesters take over the international gateway."
The protest started late Monday afternoon and continues to block the north and southbound traffic on the main road leading up to the Ambassador Bridge.
So far, Canada-bound traffic on the border crossing is still closed, and U.S.-bound traffic has been moving through at a trickle. Windsor Police tweeted on Tuesday morning they could bypass the protest by taking Wyandotte Street West to the bridge entrance.
The protest also snarled traffic on Hwy. 401 and the Ojibway Parkway during the morning commute.
According to Dilkens, members of the Windsor Police and the Ontario Provincial Police Liaison Team met with protesters overnight.
Detailing an incident during those hours, Dilkens said some protesters attempted to park in the parking lot at Assumption College Catholic High School. Police asked them to move their vehicles. They refused, and tow trucks were called in to remove them.
"The car was lifted up, and then protesters called their compatriots who came running over, surrounded the police and the tow truck driver and pulled out tire irons," he said. "We don't want to see violence."
Police were able to de-escalate the tension.
"There are some people saying this is a fight that they're willing to die over. We don't want anyone to die over getting a vaccine during the middle of a pandemic," he said. "We don't want police officers to get hurt. We don't want members of the public to get hurt, so we're trying to deal with this in a sensible way."
However, Dilkens acknowledged the Freedom Convoy movement has grievances well beyond the vaccine mandates.
"It's obviously expanded to be a whole lot of anti-government-type rhetoric and a lot of hate and racism," he said.
Overnight, a spokesman for the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa spoke with reporters telling CTV he was going nowhere until the protesters had achieved their goals.
"Enough hiding," Tom Marazzo told CTV News reporter Glen McGregor, alluding to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to follow public health guidelines and isolate himself after his exposure to COVID-19. "I'm willing to sit at a table with the Conservatives and the NDP, and the Bloc as a coalition. I'll sit with the Governor-General."
"Let the public hear both parties and let the public decide," he said.
Until now, one could plausibly contend that the Canada Unity MOU demanding the government turn over power to them was a wacky sidebar to the protest. But now we have a protest organizer saying it publicly. The mask is off, so to speak. https://t.co/0uRmwLdEQp
— Glen McGregor (@glen_mcgregor) February 8, 2022
A new survey by Leger conducted last weekend suggested that while 32 per cent of Canadians had sympathy for the convoy protesters, 62 per cent did not. Of those respondents, 47 per cent strongly opposed the protests.
Marazzo then said, wrongfully, that the COVID-19 vaccine was untested.
"These long-term safety studies are not yet complete, The clinical trials are not yet complete. How can you give me the information?" he asked.
Health Canada approved the Pfizer vaccine for Canadians 16 and over in December 2020 after a trial involving 20,000 participants. The Moderna shot was approved three days later after an independent review of data.
Back in Windsor, Dilkens hopes the protesters will allow a lane of traffic in each direction on Huron Church Road to minimize the impact on international traffic and nurses crossing the border to work in Michigan.
He also said there is a contingency plan should protesters attempt to block the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel.
"What I want to see happen is to see these folks respect their right to protest, as we're respecting it, but open a lane in each direction so trucks can continue to move," said Dilkens.
Dilkens also addressed the possibility of counter-protests along Huron Church Road, saying that was also the democratic rights of residents, although it may not be effective.
"It's my hope that sensible minds, being Windsor Police, the OPP Liaison Team, and just hopefully, sensible minds within their own group say, 'why are we here? What impact are we actually having besides hurting our fellow neighbours?" he said.