Those wishing to join Ottawa’s “freedom convoy” must turn these days to encampments that sometimes feel like no-go zones.
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Many vehicles are still immobilized in the city center of the federal capital, but their number is slowly decreasing as some decide to leave since the police block access to any new vehicle.
To prevent new demonstrators from parking in residential streets, the authorities encourage them to park in parking lots where camps have been erected. Paradoxically, she repeatedly asked all protesters to go home.
“The police had difficult choices to make” and they are “trying to bring order to the chaos”, explained the city manager of Ottawa, Steve Kanellakos, in city council last Wednesday.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
The camp, which is used to supply protesters in the city center, is very well organized and includes marquees, chemical toilets, gas cans and even saunas.
One such site, located on Conventry Street, looks like a no-go zone. The protesters took over the parking lot of the Ottawa baseball stadium.
Its access is controlled by individuals and the trucks are parked in such a way as to form a sort of barricade. There are tents, toilets and even saunas to warm up.
At the passage of Journal, no police guarded this camp. Unlike in the city center, the police do not seem to be present there permanently.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
The Ottawa police, however, negotiated the departure of 12 vehicles from the site this week, and carried out a fuel seizure there last Sunday which sparked an altercation. The Coventry camp has become so popular that the government has given permission for surplus vehicles to park on one of its lots on Bronson Street.
According to what the demonstrators on the spot explain, these sites also serve as strategic points to supply the protesters in the city center, among other things with fuel.
Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
The Farfadaas camp in Gatineau is giving headaches to owners who had rented the land, but who now want the occupants to leave.
Another large camp was erected by the Quebec anti-sanitary measures group Les Farfadaas, on the Gatineau side. More than a hundred vehicles are there, which seems to create discomfort for the owner of the land.
“They said for two days that they wanted us to leave the place and they no longer accept our payments,” said Steeve “L’Artiss” Charland, leader of the group, who claims to have an agreement to rent the parking $1000 per day with, the company Zibi.
The latter indicated to Journal Wednesday that she is working with Gatineau’s security services to arrive at a “safe, quick and peaceful resolution”. But according to Mr. Charland, the Farfadaas will not leave the site until “all sanitary measures” are lifted.
“We cleared the snow to enlarge the parking space,” says Mr. Charland. We have more and more people. It’s overflowing. »
Gatineau police said they could not intervene until they received a call because it is private land.
“We have good communication with the people on site and the owners of the land,” explained agent Andrée East.
