Traffic is again moving down Highway 402 to the Bluewater Bridge unimpeded.
The protesters on Highway 402 have left around 3 pm Monday. The 16 vehicles parked on the highway drove up the Forest Road off ramp in groups as the OPP monitored the situation.
About 25 vehicles, including tractors, pick ups and three large CAT trucks, parked on the 402 westbound near the Forest Road exit Wednesday. About 16 vehicles were still on the road this morning.
The group acted in support of protestors in downtown Ottawa organized by Canada Unity which wants to turf out the current government and form a coalition with the senate and the governor general.
The protestors in Ottawa and on the 402 want all COVID-19 measures ended.
In an online post, one of the organizers, David Buurma of Petrolia, said there were a number of factors to leaving the highway including his own personal schedule and the fact people in the area were concerned about the amount of truck traffic in the area.
He also said “about 50” tractors and farm vehicles were parked in a field near the highway on Forest Road, should they ever need to step up and support the protesters in Ottawa again.
And while the trucks are no longer on the highway, Buurma said “the party” in the bush beside the highway will continue.
“I hope to be in USA again here in a few days. And again, what’s happening in America is that they’re wide open. Farm shows are going on. …no masks, no vaccine passports, no nothing. Why is that? Because the vaccine, the passport is a joke. COVID is a joke. It’s gone. It’s moved on.”
Another protest which shut down Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge was ended by police late Sunday. Over the seven days protestors cut off access to the US, transports made their way through Lambton and to Port Huron, Michigan via the Bluewater Bridge.
Thousands of transports and personal vehicles are going off the highway at Nauvoo Road and returning to the 402 at Oil Heritage Road. This morning, trucks were lined up at the Nauvoo Road exit as far as the eye could see and traffic on London Line was causing 20 minute backups as transports waited for the lights at Reece’s Corners so they could get back on the highway.
Road crews had to clear and salt the roads since it had snowed during six days the protesters had been on the highway. The road reopened around 7 pm.
It’s not clear if Lambton OPP laid charges against the protesters involved.
