Protesters remain outside N.B. legislature after thousands rallied on the weekend

FREDERICTON -

About 30 people were outside the New Brunswick legislature Monday, continuing their protest against COVID-19 related measures.

It marks the fourth day for the protest – one the Fredericton Police Force says has been mostly peaceful.

“At the height of the protest, there were probably 800 to 1,000 people,” said Fredericton Police Force Chief Roger Brown. “There were somewhere around 300 cars in the convoy that came in. We dealt with all those issues – yes, there were arrests made, and yes there were charges.”

Three people were arrested over the weekend under the Emergency Measures Act, for blocking or stopping traffic. Those individuals have court appearances in April.

There were also several fines handed out, for squealing tires, using horns and setting off fireworks.

Businesses say the protest had an impact on customer traffic, but were overall satisfied with how it was handled.

“Downtown Fredericton Inc. was very pleased with the proactive approach of the city to minimize the disruption and to keep it mostly in front of the legislature,” said Downtown Fredericton president Mike Babineau. “It could have been way worse.”

Chamber of Commerce CEO Krista Ross says businesses were nervous going into the weekend, but were ‘very relieved’ it didn’t turn into a situation seen in other cities.

“I think that, at this time, it would have been just one more thing that would have been very difficult for them to take,” she said.

Organizers are still calling on people from all over the province to come to Fredericton and continue the protest this week.

“Pack your pillow, pack your sleeping bag and get to Fredericton and stand at the legislature and help us take back our province,” said one of the speakers during a speech on the steps of the legislature.

Brown says if the protest continues into the weekend, “We’ll put our ops plan in place the same way as we did last time.”

Premier Blaine Higgs said he’s satisfied with how his changes to the Emergency Measures Act, that includes fines for people who stop the normal flow of traffic, worked.