(OTTAWA) Police say about 100 children are living in idling trucks on the streets of downtown Ottawa during the cold, loud and prolonged protest that gripped the capital.
Posted at 6:39 p.m.
Police officers patrolling downtown noticed families and children in the early days of the protest, Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Deputy Chief Steve Bell said.
According to him, almost 25% of the 418 large vehicles still blocking the streets of Ottawa are occupied by families with children.
“It’s something we’re very concerned about,” Bell said at a Tuesday briefing.
Police have called in the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa to make sure the children are okay, he added.
Children have been an integral part of the protest since its inception more than two weeks ago. Demonstrators denounce the consequences on their children of the vaccination requirements as well as the restrictions linked to COVID-19 and demand that they be lifted. Children were seen with signs, including one that read, “I want my childhood back. »
Police are concerned, however, about some of the conditions the children were exposed to throughout the protest. The parliamentary precinct was the epicenter of deafening horns from trucks and tractor-trailers parked along Wellington Street. The site also reeks of diesel smoke from idling vehicles, smoke from barbecue grills, smoke from campfires lit by protesters, and marijuana.
“We’re concerned about the cold, about having access to washroom facilities — being able to shower — there’s a whole host of concerns,” Bell said.
The deputy chief of the Ottawa Police Service also said he was concerned that the children could be put in danger if a police operation were organized in the area.
The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa did not immediately respond to questions about what it plans to do when it visits the site to meet the children.
The police do not intend to remove the children from the demonstration, but will instead consult with Children’s Aid to find out if further action is necessary.
“We think that’s a big factor that complicates and makes this operation even more difficult,” Bell said.