Halifax police brace for disruptions from planned trucker protest Saturday

HALIFAX, N.S. -

Police are appealing for the public's patience as they brace for a 'freedom convoy' scheduled to hit downtown Halifax on Saturday.

Halifax Regional Police warned at a news conference Friday residents should expect disruptions from the planned truck convoy protest.

Police spokesman Const. John MacLeod confirmed multiple groups from different parts of Nova Scotia have said they would be heading to Halifax for a protest. He advised the public against any unnecessary travel around the city.

"We can't speak to the specifics or exact timing of these activities, but we can confirm that we expect these events to have an impact throughout the day," MacLeod told reporters.

Although he wouldn't divulge the police deployment plans, MacLeod said protesters would be expected to obey the law, including COVID-19 emergency measures and the province's Motor Vehicle Act.

"We will enforce as necessary including under provisions of the Emergency Measures Act," he said. "We will have police presence required throughout our city and our officers will do their very best to keep the traffic and streets flowing."

The provincial government issued a directive last Friday that prohibits protesters from impeding traffic or blocking any road, street or highway in the province. It followed a similar directive last month that banned an organized blockade at the boundary between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Fines range from $3,000 to $10,000 for individuals and between $20,000 and $100,000 for a corporation.

A post to a social media channel by "Nova Scotians for Freedom" publicizes a "Nova Scotia Freedom Convoy," saying truck convoys would be departing for Halifax Saturday from Port Hastings in the province's northeast, Kingston in the Annapolis Valley and Yarmouth in southwestern Nova Scotia.

It said protesters were expected to arrive before 3 p.m. for a rally at a downtown park before leaving for Enfield, N.S., outside of Halifax, at 5 p.m. A protest last Sunday saw a convoy of cars and trucks roll through the city's downtown, largely without incident.

MacLeod did confirm that an investigation is ongoing into an alleged collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian during the Sunday protest, while summary offence tickets were issued to one driver and one pedestrian.

Meanwhile, the Nova Scotia legislature was temporarily closed to visitors Friday due to an unspecified security risk. In an interview, James Charlton, chief clerk of the Nova Scotia Assembly, said the move was made following a recommendation by the legislature's sergeant-at-arms.

Charlton said it followed several threats "both specific and non-specific" to Province House and the surrounding area in downtown Halifax. He wouldn't provide details, but he confirmed that ongoing protests in Ottawa and other provincial capitals against COVID-19 health orders "are a factor" in the decision.

Charlton said the legislature will remain open to assembly members and government staff as well as to the press gallery and committee witnesses. He said it will be reopened to the public as soon as it's deemed safe to do so.

MacLeod said investigations are also continuing into a series of suspicious envelopes that have been sent to several Nova Scotia MPs and members of the provincial legislature over the last week.

Halifax area MPs Andy Fillmore and Darren Fisher were among those who confirmed through tweets Thursday that their constituency offices received packages containing chemical irritants.

"There's something happening in our country right now, and it's not good," Fillmore wrote. "We all need to take a step back and return to a more civil discourse."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2022.