Last Trucker Blockade Between US, Canada Opens
Three border blockades demanding an end to vaccine mandates, other COVID restrictions had snarled trade between the two countries 
The last of the three trucker protest border blockades between the U.S. and Canada was set to reopen Wednesday. The blockade at Emerson, Manitoba, which borders North Dakota, was to be fully cleared by Wednesday afternoon. “Throughout the past six days, our officers continued to use open communication and a measured and tempered response,” said Sergeant Paul Manaigre, Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police media relations officer. “This continuous dialogue between our officers and demonstrators enabled us to reach a resolution yesterday.” The trucker protests, which started in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, have stretched into their third week. Truckers are demanding an end to vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions. Last week, similar blockades at the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Ontario and Michigan, was opened, as was another blockade in Alberta, which borders Montana. The blockades had snarled trade between the U.S. and Canada. The protest in Ottawa continues with police handing out notices threatening the truckers with arrest if they don’t leave. Ottawa police have started ticketing some trucks. Many of the participants remain defiant. "If it means that I need to go to prison, if I need to be fined in order to allow freedom to be restored in this country — millions of people have given far more for their freedom," David Paisley, who traveled to Ottawa with a friend who is a truck driver, told The Associated Press. On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to end the protests.