Faced with the threat of a second “Freedom Convoy” in the streets of the federal capital, the new police chief of Ottawa is already in preparation mode and promises not to let the situation degenerate as it did l last winter.
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“We will be ready. The ultimate goal of all this planning and preparation is to make sure what happened last year doesn’t happen again this year,” chef Eric Stubbs told CTV News.
“We believe that we are [en bonne posture en ce moment]given the information we have, [et] that our preparations are well in hand,” he added.
Last month, James Bauder, founder of the group Canada Unity and a key organizer of the protest that paralyzed downtown Ottawa in early 2022, announced that he wanted to do a similar protest in next February.
In a Facebook post, he called on the population to mobilize for a “Freedom Convoy 2.0” from February 17 to 21, echoing the monster demonstration of last winter. Bauder, however, indicated that the protesters would leave Ottawa as early as February 22.
Faced with this threat, the police have already done “significant” work to deal with a possible demonstration in February, including intelligence gathering, discussions with various police forces, including the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (RCMP), as well as the purchase of equipment, said Chief Stubbs.
Additionally, Ottawa police have been in contact with protest organizers, he added.
Recall that the management of the convoy by the police was at the heart of the Commission on the State of Emergency which was mandated to examine the federal government’s invocation of the Emergency Measures Act to put an end to the demonstrations in the streets of the capital.
Having learned from their mistakes, law enforcement intends to use this lesson to prevent “Freedom Convoy 2.0” from getting out of hand.
“There have been a lot of changes since February in terms of how Ottawa police potentially prepare for this year,” Chief Eric Stubbs said, adding that he intends to ensure the downtown core remains safe and that the streets are not blocked by the vehicles of the demonstrators.