Ottawa police launch command centre with OPP, RCMP amid 'overwhelming' protests

• Ontario announces a state of emergency because of convoy protests.
• Ottawa police launch 'integrated command centre' with help of OPP, RCMP.
• Noise injunction ignored by some Ottawa protesters.
• Protests roll through other cities in Ontario, elsewhere in Canada.
• Counter-protesters march through Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood.

Ottawa police have launched an "integrated command centre" with their provincial and federal policing counterparts as a large influx of protesters once again descended on the nation's capital Saturday.

More than 4,000 protesters showed up Saturday as the demonstration against COVID-19 public health mandates entered its third weekend, according to an evening news release from the Ottawa Police Service (OPS).

Police said safety concerns arising from "aggressive, illegal behaviour by many demonstrators" have made it hard to enforce the convoy occupation, centred near Parliament Hill and the surrounding neighbourhoods.

The new command centre, launched in tandem with the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP, would "significantly" help with the response, Ottawa police said. The force did not share any other specifics about the command centre.

Earlier in the day, the OPS said it had deployed all of its available officers Friday night and was awaiting reinforcements in order to enact a plan to end the downtown occupation.

The force said its officers had been overwhelmed by the behaviour of belligerent protesters overnight.

"Demonstrators exhibited aggressive behaviour towards law enforcement, including refusing to follow directions, overwhelming officers and otherwise subverting enforcement efforts," a statement issued Saturday morning said.

Ottawa police and bylaw officers have now issued more than 2,600 tickets and made 26 arrests related to the demonstration. The force declined to provide an overall breakdown of the arrests by charge, although two people were arrested for public intoxication.

Police said Saturday evening they had also intercepted a fuel transport destined for the downtown core.

Fences removed from war memorial

A concert stage and hot tub were spotted on Friday night and Saturday among the hundreds of trucks in downtown Ottawa, still blocking streets and honking their horns in defiance of a court injunction.

A group of protesters also dismantled a metal fence around the National War Memorial, near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on Saturday afternoon. 

The barrier was put in place by authorities two weekends ago after reports of protesters parking, dancing and relieving themselves on or near the memorial.

Laurence MacAulay, Canada's veterans affairs minister, tweeted that the removal of the fence was "completely unacceptable" and urged protesters to "respect our monuments."

The city is expecting another surge of protesters this weekend. Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly said his officers are tired, but will do what they can to use the new enforcement powers available to them.

"We will enforce [the law] to the extent that our resources allow us," he said Friday. "The more resources we can get, the more we can do."

Sloly's comments come after Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday declared a state of emergency for the province, which followed a similar move by the City of Ottawa. 

Ford said the emergency orders would make it "crystal clear" that it's illegal to block critical infrastructure, including highways, airports and bridges. Not complying could result in hefty fines and possible jail time.

WATCH | Protesters in Ottawa not going anywhere:

Protesters in Ottawa not going anywhere

3 years ago

Duration 4:54

Trucks continue to block streets in downtown Ottawa, with their horns blasting in defiance of a court injunction, as the protest against COVID-19 public health rules stretches into its third weekend. Ottawa police say their officers were overwhelmed by aggressive behaviour from demonstrators on Friday night.

The City of Ottawa has also sought an injunction, which the city solicitor says would "supplement" the provincial orders.

It was made at the same time the City of Windsor and automotive groups successfully received an injunctive order to end the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a critical international trade connection that links the city to Detroit.

The application also comes after a judge granted an Ottawa resident an injunction on Monday against the constant noise from truck and air horns.

• Main convoy protest drags on with no end in sight, even as Ambassador Bridge enforcement continues

Despite the injunction, some horn honking and cheering could be heard in Ottawa Friday and Saturday night. 

Protesters also built a professional stage with an LED backdrop at the Wellington Street intersection opposite Parliament Hill. Two large party tents were set up down the street in front of the West Block of the House of Commons, and elsewhere on Wellington, at least two protesters bathed in a hot tub while others stood around open burn barrel fires.

Lawyer Paul Champ, who filed a proposed class-action lawsuit seeking the noise injunction, said in a tweet on Saturday morning that the overnight honking represents a "blatant disregard" for the court order.

With protests popping up elsewhere in the province, Sloly said getting police resources in Ottawa involves time-consuming co-ordination, as other police forces also request backup.

He said he's expecting a similar number of protesters in Ottawa compared with what there were last weekend.

More protests, counter-protests on Saturday

Demonstrators also converged on Kingston, Ont., on Saturday, with police there warning residents of a "slow roll" through the downtown and a protest at city hall.

The truck convoy was expected to disrupt traffic between 1:30 and 3 p.m. ET, Kingston police said. Kingston Transit is also advising passengers of possible delays.

"We acknowledge that individuals are entitled to a right to peaceful demonstration," police Chief Antje McNeely said in a statement. 

"Kingston Police's priority will be to minimize the impact on motorists to ensure public safety, with the goal of restoring regular traffic flow in the safest manner possible."

Numerous farming tractors and motor vehicles similarly alighted at the border crossing in Cornwall, Ont., the Cornwall Police Service said.

The service said it has been in contact with protest organizers and will be charging demonstrators found committing crimes or acts of violence.

Meanwhile, a group called Community Solidarity Ottawa held a counter-protest at the Share the Flame monument in Lansdowne Park on Saturday afternoon.

The group's website says it is "a coalition of local labour unions, community organizations and residents" rallying in support of front-line workers and residents affected by the ongoing occupation.

A second counter-protest, led by a group called Citizens of Ottawa, likewise met at Lansdowne Saturday.

The two groups marched from Lansdowne, along Bank Street and through the Glebe neighbourhood.