- The busiest US-Canada border crossing reopened late Sunday night.
- The Ambassador Bridge was closed for almost a week in protest against the corona restrictions.
- Another major protest broke out in the capital Ottawa.
According to US media reports, the bridge operator, the Detroit International Bridge Company, confirmed the reopening. In a statement, she said that “the Ambassador Bridge is now fully open again, allowing for the free flow of trade between the Canadian and US economies.”
“Great news: The Ambassador Bridge is open again!” Wrote Canada’s Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Twitter late Sunday evening (local time). He thanked the police and “all levels of government” who had contributed. After an injunction from a Canadian court, the authorities began dismantling the blockades over the weekend.
Normally, 25 percent of all trade between the two countries crosses the bridge. The blockade on the Canadian side had disrupted the economy in both countries. As a result, automakers were forced to close several assembly plants.
More protests and final arrests
Windsor, Ontario police said early Monday morning that more than two dozen people were arrested at a demonstration near the bridge. Seven vehicles were towed away and five impounded as the last of the protesters were driven away.
Legend:
A protester waves the Canadian flag.
key stone
Elsewhere, however, protests against the Canadian government’s corona measures continued. According to officials, at least one other border crossing between Coutts in the Canadian province of Alberta and Sweet Grass in the US state of Montana remained closed early Monday morning.
According to media reports, truckers in Canada’s capital Ottawa also held out despite the freezing cold. The protests in Ottawa paralyzed downtown.
That put pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who chaired a cabinet meeting late Sunday night. A senior government official said, on condition of anonymity, that Trudeau wanted to meet virtually with Canadian provincial leaders on Monday morning.
repercussions beyond national borders
The demonstrations have resonated not only in Canada but also in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The US Department of Homeland Security warned that truck convoys could be in the pipeline across the United States.
The Ambassador Bridge had remained closed for most of the day despite the dispersal of the protest as a heavy snowstorm swept through the region. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said the bridge would open as soon as authorities deemed it safe.
Canadian Minister of Industry François-Philippe Champagne also welcomed the development and wrote on Twitter: “I am pleased that the Ambassador Bridge is now open again.”
The administration of US President Joe Biden recognized on Sunday the seemingly peaceful end of the demonstration, which had “widespread damaging effects” on “the lives and livelihoods of people” on both sides of the border.