The City of Toronto said it is preparing for a potential truck convoy this weekend, with protesters congregating at Queen's Park on Saturday.
A flyer titled “Convoy for Freedom Toronto” reads that on Feb. 5, supporters are being asked to meet up in several locations across the Greater Toronto Area at 10 a.m. before descending onto Queen’s Park.
Meet-up locations for the convoy include the shopping centres Vaughan Mills, Yorkdale mall and Scarborough Town Centre.
The flyer has seen circulation on Instagram from Phat Farm Car Meets, a car enthusiast group, and from various users on Reddit. Instagram accounts in support of the Ottawa Truck Convoy protests were tagged in the flyer post.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said he is working with Toronto Police to ensure the protests are peaceful and residents are kept safe.
While he supports the right to peaceful protest, Tory said Toronto police continues to gather information on the matter. He reaffirms that any form of protest cannot disrupt the roads and pathways near the city’s hospitals. Healthcare workers should be allowed to move freely to and from their respective workplaces on Saturday.
University Ave. near Queen’s Park include Toronto’s largest hospitals including Mount Sinai, Sick Kids and Toronto General.
Further, this week is the beginning of Ontario’s reopening plans in Phase 2 protocols. With indoor restrictions eased, and inperson shopping and dining permitted in public spaces and local businesses, Tory said he hopes protesters do not dissuade any of these places from from opening and functioning properly.
Several Toronto hospitals, including Mount Sinai, Women’s College hospital and Sickkids have released memos advising staff coming to work on Saturday morning to wear plain clothing to avoid attention from protesters. All hospitals are expected to prepare additional security measures prior to the protests.
The truck convoy, which is calling itself the Freedom Convoy, have blockaded downtown Ottawa for the past week, cfrausing gridlock across the city.
According to one of the convoy’s Instagram profiles, the convoy expects to stay until COVID-19 mandates are lifted nationwide.
On Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said it is time for protesters to go home and let the people of Ottawa get back to their lives—Ford was asked about the protests during an interview with the Hamilton radio station AM900 CHML.
Reports on the conduct of these protesters have been mixed – while rallies at Parliament Hill have been allegedly peaceful, there have been incidents involving the National War Memorial and flags displaying hateful symbols circulating on social media.
Online support for the Ottawa truck convoy through avenues like GoFundMe and Facebook continue to emerge.
More details to come: