Police have shared the expected route that hundreds of motorcyclists will take on Saturday as part of the unauthorized Rolling Thunder Ottawa weekend rally.
The rally compared to the devastating Freedom Convoy protest that took over downtown Ottawa in a few weeks in January and February and has been described many times as an illegal occupation.
His schedule includes rallies on Friday night and Saturday afternoon on Parliament Hill, a Saturday event at the National War Memorial, a Saturday trip through the city streets and a church service on Sunday morning in Vanier.
Ottawa police have called on other aid services and said they would not allow protesters into an “exclusion zone” made up of dozens of blocks in the center. Special areas for prohibited parking are being created in the nearby neighborhoods.
At a news conference Thursday morning, acting police chief Steve Bell said the riders were expected to gather on Saturday morning at an unspecified location on Coventry Road before leaving around 10:45 p.m.
This is the route that the Ottawa Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally is expected to take on Saturday, April 28, according to Ottawa police. (CBC)
No suspension of the War Memorial is allowed
The plan shared with police then prompts them to head north on Vanier Parkway, turn down Montreal Road and make their way across the Cummings Bridge to Rideau Street, Bell said.
From there, the trip will turn south on Waller Street, head to Mackenzie King Bridge, descend Elgin Street and turn east on Laurier Avenue West, Bell said. They will end up driving down Nicholas Street and exiting Highway 417, he said.
The entire route will be a no-stop, no-parking area, and Bell said staff will monitor the trip to ensure participants make their way through the city “safely and expeditiously” with “as little impact on residents as possible.”
Saturday’s event at the National War Memorial is expected to coincide with the ride, but motorcyclists will not be allowed to stop in front of the monument as they pass, Bell said. The entire route will bypass the boundaries of the exclusion zone, he noted.
Rally organizers have already indicated that up to 400 motorcyclists will take part, Bell said, fewer than 500 to 1,000, whom the acting chief estimated earlier this week.
Many would stay in hotels in the center, he said. He did not estimate how many more protesters would arrive on foot, but said the current plan would take those numbers into account.
Organizers also said the protesters would leave Ottawa on Sunday, Bell said.
City and police officials held a press conference Thursday, a day before the Rolling Thunder Ottawa motorcycle rally arrived in the country’s capital. (Joseph Tony / CBC)
Community concerns are taken seriously
Rolling Thunder Ottawa has joined groups with a variety of motives, including a veterans’ group working to restore “fundamental rights and freedoms” and a non-profit organization dedicated to “the end of all tyrannical bills and legislation.”
The involvement of vehicles, along with its links to the recent convoy of freedom, has left many residents at the center of the brink after weeks of harassment, noise and road closures and business earlier this year.
Several of the people accused of the freedom convoy have conditions that prohibit them from being in Ottawa, and Bell said that if they ignore those conditions and attend the rally, they will be arrested.
Ottawa police have already said they will spread to the central neighborhoods to try to keep the protest legal and hate-free, with OPP, RCMP and other forces intervening to help.
“We have heard the community and we take the concerns seriously. You will see this in all elements of our planning, “Bell said.
The city has also announced bylaws, with employees expected to leave to enforce parking rules, limit vehicle noise and prevent waste.
In an email Wednesday, the city said Rolling Thunder organizers applied on April 13th for permission to hold a special event for Saturday, but the request was denied because the city needs at least 28 days to process these types of requests.
Regular pedestrian and vehicle traffic will be allowed within the restricted area, and transit is expected to proceed normally.
Even with some disruptions and possible traffic delays, Mayor Jim Watson urged residents to continue to enjoy the center over the weekend and support local businesses.
“People certainly have the right to protest peacefully,” Watson told a news conference on Thursday. “And I want to emphasize that no illegal activity will be tolerated.
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