The Ambassador Bridge in Ontario reopened to traffic on Sunday evening.
The Canada Border Services Agency tweeted that normal border operations resumed at the Ambassador Bridge late evening. Non-essential travel remains discouraged, according to the agency.
Earlier Sunday, Windsor police had regained control of the situation near the Ambassador Bridge, one of Canada’s main border links with the United States, according to the city’s mayor.
Drew Dilkens had issued a statement saying the bridge will be reopened to traffic as soon as it is safe to do so.
The police dislodged the demonstrators who were still blocking access to the bridge on Sunday morning.
Windsor Police Chief Pamela Mizuno said late afternoon that 25 to 30 people had been arrested. She added that five vehicles had been seized the previous day and seven others had been towed away.
Ms Mizuno said the aim was to open the lanes to traffic, but officers must attempt to do so in a “safe and sustainable” way.
She said authorities were continuing to refine their operational plan, but the goal was to restore traffic and reopen the bridge.
The police chief reminded that people who try to stop traffic near the bridge could face criminal charges.
The police operation started early. The police took advantage of the departure of many demonstrators on Sunday morning to resume their advance. They left no one behind.
Like the day before, a heavy cordon of police again advanced several meters on Huron Church Road, near the entrance to the bridge. They were followed by two RCMP armored vehicles and a number of vehicles. This time, the operation was more successful than the day before.
Law enforcement advised people gathered at a gas station not far from the bridge that they could be given a trespassing ticket if they did not leave.
A drone quickly flew over the scene. Horns could be heard from a distance.
The police began a funny dance with the demonstrators in the afternoon. They advanced a few meters before retreating.
Some demonstrators still present shouted insults at the police, chanting “shame on you! or “freedom!” » ; others honked their horns or waved the Canadian flag. A participant yelled into his megaphone: “It’s a peaceful demonstration”.
New arrests, some brutally, were made during the afternoon.
Carrying the maple leaf on her shoulders, Karen Parrinello, a resident of Windsor, has been coming to participate in the demonstrations since Thursday evening. She plans to stay there for a long time.
“I will be back as long as it takes. I can’t always stay here, but I will be back every day for a few hours until vaccination is no longer mandatory and our freedoms return. »
Protesters, who are calling for an end to restrictions aimed at combating COVID-19, have been blocking access to the Ambassador Bridge for several days, which has led to numerous disruptions.
The Ontario Superior Court had granted an injunction ordering protesters to clear the lanes, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.
The blockade of the bridge harms cross-border trade worth hundreds of millions of dollars. United States President Joe Biden and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have urged Canadian authorities to reopen the post and stem the economic haemorrhage that now threatens the livelihoods of large numbers of people in the two sides of the border.
Other border crossings
In Manitoba, the blocking of a border crossing in the south of the province has intensified, according to the police.
RCMP estimated last week that there were 50 tractor-trailers, farm vehicles and passenger vehicles that had blocked access to the border, excluding emergency vehicles and livestock trucks.
On Sunday, there would be around 75 vehicles, although the number fluctuates as protesters come and go.
Police say all four lanes of Highway 75 north of the border remain blocked. Only emergency vehicles, including police vehicles, as well as some agricultural transport continue to have access to the tracks.
In Alberta, three excavators that the RCMP said were heading towards the truck blockade that closed the US border crossing at Coutts were intercepted by police.
Police have since Saturday issued dozens of tickets to vehicles involved in the protest, most of which were issued under the Road Safety Act.
Border services were suspended all weekend in Coutts.
In British Columbia, four people have been arrested for mischief during a protest against health measures near the Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey.
The highway remains blocked by police, but RCMP say some of the vehicles and protesters from last night have now left the area.
Although the RCMP says in a statement that the “border crossing remains closed”, the Canada Border Services Agency has confirmed that it is still open, but suggests travelers use a different access point if possible.