Photo by Jake Kivanc
This weekend, more than 700 members of the Hells Angels are meeting up for the biggest gathering of its kind in Canadian history. From now until Sunday, the notorious biker club will be celebrating its "Canada Run" convention, which happens every four years, in Carlsbad Springs, a rural community near Ottawa.Besides this being a reportedly mandatory event for the gang, 11 Ontario Hells Angels chapters are also celebrating their 15th anniversaries this year.
Ottawa police, Gatineau police, the Ontario provincial police, and the Sûreté du Quebec will be closely monitoring the event all weekend.
"This is organized crime coming from all over Canada meeting in one location," the head of Ottawa's biker enforcement unit, Len Isnor, told the National Post.
The Hells Angels have always had a fairly visible presence in Canada. Earlier this year, they attended Port Dover, Ontario's popular Friday the 13th biker rally en masse.
Meanwhile, many Carlsbad residents have expressed that they are not worried and that local businesses are anticipating capitalizing on the influx of bikers. Nonetheless, Ottawa police made sure to warn residents to be aware of the event and not to interact with Hells Angels too much.
Michel Marin, the Ottawa police inspector, said that he doesn't expect anything to go wrong but that residents should notify the police if they see something suspicious. "We're going to have high visibility, high police presence, and they'll be aware of our presence," he said.
Hopefully this weekend ends better than Sons of Anarchy.
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