Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency for the City of Ottawa on Sunday due to the ongoing demonstration.
“Declaring a state of emergency reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” an official statement from the city said.
Protestors of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates arrived in the city on Friday, January 28 after a Canada-wide convoy began and many have remained in place since.
In a release, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said it has responded to over 650 calls for service in relation to the demonstrations since they began.
The OPS and Bylaw services said that they have issued more than 450 tickets just over the weekend.
The police are currently investigating 97 criminal offences in relation to the demonstration including hate crimes.
@OttawaPolice enforce perimeter containment measures, charges laid, new RCMP resources announced.
We continue to advise demonstrators not to enter Ottawa, and to go home.
~
La version française suivra sous peu #ottnews #ottawa #ottnouvellehttps://t.co/4hvpTligCZ pic.twitter.com/OBc5uAtOvr— Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) February 5, 2022
OPS is working with the RCMP as well as US law enforcement in an effort to address unlawful behaviour by protestors.
