Doug Ford Takes Break From Snowmobiling to Declare State of Emergency

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called a state of emergency in an attempt to remove “freedom convoy” blockades—after spending early moments of the escalating crisis snowmobiling in cottage country. 

The move comes as the U.S. applies pressure on Canada to get a grip on the situation.

Anti-vax truckers have been occupying Ottawa for two weeks, and their supporters have also blocked major trade routes along the U.S.-Canada border. The “freedom convoy” started out as a mass protest against vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the border but quickly devolved into an ugly protest against all COVID restrictions. Protesters have flown Confederate flags, thrown feces at others, and are accused of more than 200 hate crimes. 

Ford spent the convoy’s early days relatively silent; he withheld comments on the protests and refused to meet with federal politicians about it. 

Turns out, Ford was out snowmobiling near Muskoka while Ottawa was under siege, CTV News first reported. 

“I've been on the phone almost 24/7 along with the premiers, U.S. ambassadors, the governor, and the prime minister around the clock. Make no mistake, I have been engaged from the second this has happened,” Ford said when asked about his cottage country escapades. 

When pressed further, Ford admitted, “I was at the cottage, I went out on my snowmobile.”

He’s since returned and announced a province-wide state of emergency on Friday that comes hours after the U.S. started putting pressure on Canada to end the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, the busiest land border crossing that’s responsible for 25 percent of trade between the two countries.Convoy members have clogged it for several days, slowing down traffic and forcing Toyota and Ford plants on either side of the border to shut down.

Ford told reporters he is meeting with his cabinet to "urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people, and services along critical infrastructure.”

People who don’t comply will face serious penalties, including a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to a year in prison. Anyone caught breaking the rules could also lose personal or commercial licences, Ford said. 

Despite striking a heavy hand, Ford announced that he is considering loosening pandemic restrictions. It’s a move that experts say could erode trust in Canada’s democracy if people perceive that he’s responding to the anti-vax convoy.

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