Trucker convoy makes its way to the Sudbury area
The cross-Canada trucker convoy protesting vaccine mandates made its way through northeastern Ontario on Friday.
Greater Sudbury Police said early Friday evening the front of the convoy was headed to Wahnapitae along Highway 17, while the remainder was still gassing up at a service station on Regent Street.
CTV News caught up with the convoy in Nairn Centre, just west of Sudbury. A few hundred supporters lined the highway to greet them.
“I’ve been inspired by seeing what the truckers are doing to try to make a difference," one supporter said. "Our children have been locked down for too long, and it’s not good for their development. We have to take care of our country because our leader is not.”
“We’ve come out for this reason: freedom. This is about freedom, (Prime Minister) Trudeau, this is not about the fringe.”
Others said the protest was about regaining their freedom after extensive lockdowns due to the pandemic.
“Forcing people to do things, I don’t think is a good idea," one person said.
"I came from a country where (we were) forced a lot and, then we came here for freedom. So I would like to have that Canada back and I’m here to support them.”
A group called Action for Canada, which has begun legal action against the Canadian and B.C. governments, was one of the groups in attendance.
“My hope is that we come together and start to have dialogue and we go over the nuances of the science and what is going on in particular on the laws and freedoms and we work together to keep everyone safe,” said spokesperson David DiCarlantonio
Northern Ontario politicians said Friday they welcome the public dissent, but they worry about some radical elements.
“The bulk of the protestors who started … they have a right to protest as every Canadian does and that’s something that I support wholeheartedly," said Nipissing-Temiskaming MPP Anthony Rota.
"But there’s a small fringe group that have kind of come in and infiltrated the group that I’m concerned about. That’s the ones I’m concerned about on what exactly their plans are.”
The truckers have already started to arrive in Ottawa, and a huge rally and protest is scheduled for Saturday at noon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.