The so-called Freedom Escort, which occupied large areas of downtown Ottawa for weeks, was disbanded by police on February 19 after protesters ignored many orders to leave.
Three days earlier, Ottawa Rideau-Vanier District Councilor Mathieu Fleury hit the city with questions about its answer by that date.
Among other things, Fleury asked what prompted the city to wait until February 6 to declare a state of emergency, not last week, when protesters remained in the city center after their first weekend shouting horns and closing roads.
Mathieu Fleury is the mayor of Ottawa’s Rideau-Vanier district. (Simon Lasalle / CBC)
The city’s March 18 response to Fleury’s survey was posted online earlier this week.
His new knowledge is that on January 30, the National Capital Territory Administration Center (NCRCC) – which has been mobilizing municipal, provincial and federal intelligence – expected protesters to leave the city “by February 2” at the latest.
By the end of the second weekend of protests on February 6, however, it was clear that the protesters had dug, according to the response.
See how the city’s revelations fit into a timeline of previously published details of the early days of the occupation.
January 28-30: Crowds reached 18,000 on Saturday and then shrunk to 3,000 on Sunday, according to the Ottawa Police Department (OPS), which led efforts to quell the protest.
Both the police and the city’s emergency operations center had representatives at the NCRCC, according to Fleury.
“[The NCRCC] He expected the protesters to leave the city by February 2 at the latest. “The city understands that this was information provided by the organizers of the protest to the police liaison teams,” the response said.
“On January 30, therefore, it was not known by the city that the demonstrations would turn into a prolonged occupation.”
Vehicles, including a bus and some trucks, line up at Queen Elizabeth Parkway on January 30th. (Guy Quenneville / CBC)
February 1: The police said 250 protesters left behind, but they did not offer a number of vehicles for the rest of the escort.
February 2: In a press release, escort organizer Chris Barber says protesters – who sought an audience with Prime Minister Justin Trinto for their opposition to COVID-19 orders – planned to “stay in Ottawa for as long as necessary.” “.
OPS said the information suggested the numbers were expected to rise over the next second weekend.
A crowd gathers on Wellington Street on February 2. (Guy Quenneville / CBC)
February 4: Interim Police Chief Steve Bell, who was then acting deputy chief, said hundreds of trucks, up to 2,000 more protesters and up to 1,000 more protesters could arrive by the weekend of February 4-6.
The numbers were likely to drop on Feb. 7, as well as after the first weekend, Bell said.
Police did not expect large numbers of trucks in residential areas, Bell added, and would have done more to remove them if they had.
Kids play hockey on Wellington Street on February 4th. (Guy Quenneville / CBC)
February 5: Police Chief Peter Sloley, who later resigned amid concerns over the handling of the protest, said his force did not have enough resources to end what would be transformed into occupation.
Bell said information from security partners across the country when the convoys first started suggested they would stay for a while and leave.
February 6: Ten days after the protest, it was “clear that the situation had stabilized,” according to the city’s response to Fleury.
“Ottawa was experiencing city-wide impact on residents’ safety, critical infrastructure, businesses, key employee access,” the response said.
The OPS said it would tighten law enforcement against protesters, including blocking the flow of fuel to trucks, while Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency.
“It was also clear that the Ottawa Police Department was numerical and could not implement the kind of enforcement operation required to safely evacuate protesters without outside assistance,” the city said in a statement.
READ HERE The city’s response to Koun. Fleury
