Aylmer and Pontiac join trucker convoy to demonstrate for relaxing Covid rules

Michel Gosselin

Hundreds of vehicles converged at the Rivermead and the Lattion Park-and-Rides on Saturday, January 29. Aylmer’s truckers joined convoys from Pontiac there, and then went on to the Jacques Cartier Park in Hull where they met up with truckers from north coming via Highway 5. They, and other supporters joined thousands of truckers in Ottawa to promote support for Canadian truckers crossing the US border without having to show vaccine passports or to be required to quarantine if unvaccinated. Truckers left the further parts of Canada a week prior to the Ottawa protest day, with the local convoys arriving in the capital for the day of the protest.
Local protesters told the Bulletin they support the general message that government health regulations around Covid-19 have gone on too long and too far. “We not only need to wear masks all the time at school, even gym class,” Junior Dagenais told the Bulletin. “We wear winter coats in class because the windows are left open to improve ventilation.” Another Aylmer protestor said she is participating because of her family’s lack of work due to the trucking industry’s restricted access to travel under the government regulations.
Further protestors point to the unfair restrictions on all aspects of life because of the health restrictions. Business closures due to Covid-19 are what many protesters say are their reason for joining what started as a trucker convoy. One Aylmer spectator told the Bulletin: “the right to protest is important and I support them. But I think what they are protesting is the Covid-19 virus itself. Don’t we all wish we hadn’t lost loved ones, been sick or faced un-imaginable hardships with job losses.”
---Aylmer business brings weekend protest home
The owners at rue Principale’s Café Mulligan put out a statement on the weekend declaring they no longer require their employees to wear masks. A sign explained they are finished with the restrictive requirement and will welcome clients with a smile going forward. The wording used in the sign mirrors the Ottawa anti-government protest messaging about having had enough of the health measures.