WINDSOR, Ontario — Police have moved in to clear and arrest the remaining protesters near a key U.S.-Canadian border bridge as they try to end one of the main protests that have broken out across Canada and the world against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions.
Windsor police said arrests were being made, and vehicles were being towed just after dawn near the Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
The bridge is the busiest border crossing to the U.S. It's responsible for 25% of all trade between the U.S. and Canada, carrying nearly 8,000 trucks with more than $323 million in goods every single day. About $100 million of that is auto parts, engines and vehicles coming from the Motor City.
Police barricades remained, and it was not immediately clear when the bridge might be opened to traffic entering Canada.
In Canada's capital, Ottawa, the ranks of protesters swelled to what police said was 4,000 demonstrators.
The protesters, who call themselves the "Freedom Convoy," are demonstrating against Canadian regulations that require truckers entering the country to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face regular testing. They've snarled traffic in Ottawa for going on two weeks, and the protests are border crossings have been taking place since last Sunday.