Windsor Police did a smooth job with Ambassador Bridge blockade compared to how Ottawa handles protests: report

The Windsor, Ontario police force’s plan to deal with the Ambassador Bridge blockade a year ago was executed “smoothly” compared to the city of Ottawa’s handling of pandemic-mandated protesters, according to the federal government’s usage report released Friday emergency law.

The report, authored by the head of the Emergency Public Order Commission Paul Rouleau and released on Friday, found the government had reached the “very high” threshold required to invoke the law and cited “a failure in policing and federalism.”

It was also noted that communications between Windsor Police and the City Council were being streamlined.

“Unlike Ottawa, police integration in Windsor was quick and smooth.”

The commission was tasked with assessing the federal application of the emergency law in February 2022 following convoy protests in Ottawa and other parts of Canada, including in Windsor.

Rouleau’s report makes 56 recommendations for improving information sharing, police response to large-scale protests, and the emergency law itself.

He criticized Ottawa’s handling of the convoy protests, saying a failure by the Ottawa Police Service to properly assess the information gathered as numerous protest convoys converged on the capital, coupled with a “confused command and control structure” at the top of the organization . were key factors that enabled and exacerbated the three-week occupation of the country’s capital last winter.

The government invoked the law on February 14, a day after protesters cleared the Windsor bridge blockade by police.

The blockade of the bridge, a key international trade crossing, began on February 7th.

On February 11, a court order prohibiting the blocking of the bridge was issued, and the Ontario government declared a state of emergency in response to the convoy’s protests.

The commissioner noted that the Ontario Provincial Police and RCMP prioritized the blockade over the other protests due to the economic impact of blocking truck traffic.

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To explain why Windsor was prioritized, Rouleau also cited “the smaller and less entrenched nature of the Windsor protest compared to Ottawa, the rapidity and seamless integration between the [Windsor Police Service] and OPP, and the fact that the Ottawa plan wasn’t ready.”

Rouleau said the Ambassador Bridge blockade was “reasonably foreseeable” at least three days in advance, but police efforts to prepare were limited by several factors, including:

• Jurisdictional issues between Windsor Police and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

• A lack of police resources from the OPP before the blockade.

• Lack of success in negotiations with protesters.

“I also find that the WPS learned from what happened in Ottawa and attempted to prevent the bridge from being blocked by controlling the nearest intersection,” Rouleau’s report reads. “However, protesters responded by blocking other crossings further from the bridge.”

In a statement released ahead of the report’s release, Windsor Police Chief Jason Bellaire said the service would look into Rouleau’s conclusions.

“Over the coming days, we will review the report and review any recommended changes to our procedures to ensure we are doing everything we can to respond appropriately to emergency situations, keep members of our community safe, and protect the local economy,” said Bellaire.

NDP Canada-US border critic Windsor West MP Brian Masse said he hoped Rouleau’s recommendations would lead to further action to prevent further blockades of the Ambassador Bridge.

“I hope that we actually get a better plan for the future,” said Masse.

“All levels of government” must learn from events

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens commended police for de-escalating and ending the protest. He said the people in Windsor owed a thorough review of the report to ensure such an event did not happen again.

“The real value of this report is how all levels of government are learning from the events of the past year and our collective response.”

Last fall, acting Deputy Chief of Police for Dilkens and Windsor Jason Crowley was among those who testified before the commission.

Dilkens said at the time the statement was helpful to Windsor, even if it wasn’t used to disperse the protest itself.

“From an Emergency Act perspective, anything that would send a signal to people who are considering coming to Windsor to start this all over again was extremely helpful from my chair,” Dilkens said in early November.

“That should have signaled that this is serious business and must not happen again.”

Dilkens had said he didn’t know if the act prevented further attempts to block the bridge.

Rouleau noted there were ongoing threats, resulting in a sustained police presence and weeks of closures around Huron Church Road, which leads to the bridge.

But Rouleau also suggested that the act was not a factor in the area’s security.

“Police established these checkpoints without relying on emergency response regulations and continued to use them after the public order emergency was lifted,” he said.