Major Canada-U.S. border bridge cleared of anti-vax protesters, reopened, as Ottawa residents get fed up

Protester arrested at Ambassador Bridge
(Image credit: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images)

The Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, fully opened to traffic Sunday night after police cleared the remaining Canadian anti-vaccine protesters who had blocked the bridge for seven days. The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing, facilitating about a quarter of all trade between the two countries.

A Canadian judge had ordered an end to the bridge blockade on Friday, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford then declared a state of emergency authorizing fines of up to 100,000 Canadian dollars ($79,000) and a year in jail for anyone illegally blocking roads, walkways, or other critical infrastructure. Police arrived in force Sunday morning and cleared the remaining trucks and protesters, arresting more than two dozen people and towing or seizing 12 vehicles that refused to leave.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.