The City of Toronto said it is preparing for a potential truck convoy this weekend, with protesters congregating at Queen's Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n
A flyer titled \u201cConvoy for Freedom Toronto\u201d 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\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n
Meet-up locations for the convoy include the\u00a0shopping centres Vaughan Mills, Yorkdale mall and Scarborough Town Centre.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Toronto Mayor John Tory said he is working with Toronto Police to ensure the protests are peaceful and residents are kept safe.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s hospitals. Healthcare workers should be allowed to move freely to and from their respective workplaces on Saturday.<\/p>\n
University Ave. near Queen\u2019s Park include Toronto\u2019s largest hospitals including Mount Sinai, Sick Kids and Toronto General.<\/p>\n
Further, this week is the beginning of Ontario\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Several Toronto hospitals, including Mount Sinai, Women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The truck convoy, which is calling itself the Freedom Convoy, have blockaded downtown Ottawa for the past week, cfrausing gridlock across the city.<\/p>\n
According to one of the convoy\u2019s Instagram profiles, the convoy expects to stay until COVID-19 mandates are lifted nationwide.<\/p>\n