Many of the roads in downtown Toronto have reopened after one other protest in opposition to COVID-19 restrictions was held within the metropolis Saturday.
A whole lot of protesters carrying placards and waving Canadian flags gathered at Queen's Park on Saturday and marched by way of downtown streets, calling for the tip of vaccine mandates and different public well being measures.
Simply earlier than 12:30 p.m., Toronto police closed stretches alongside the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway in an effort to forestall vans and different "Freedom Convoy" automobiles from reaching the downtown core.
"That is simply to make sure, once more, that we do not have convoys of automobiles, vans and supporting automobiles that need to descend on the downtown core and block our roadways and impede visitors and impede entry to the hospital care," Workers Supt. Lauren Pogue mentioned.
The 2 highways totally reopened simply after 3 p.m.
Forward of the protest, police closed the areas surrounding the Ontario legislature and Hospital Row, the place among the metropolis's busiest health-care services have been situated. On Saturday morning, town additionally introduced extra street closures within the core.
In a night replace, Toronto Mayor John Tory mentioned all roads have reopened besides College Avenue from Dundas Avenue to Faculty Avenue and Queen's Park Circle from Faculty Avenue to Bloor Avenue.
Tory mentioned in a press release that he's grateful that Saturday's demonstration within the metropolis was "by all accounts peaceable and respectful."
"Police are persevering with to observe 'convoy' protests throughout Ontario and are ready to instantly reinstate street closures ought to it show mandatory," Tory mentioned.
The province issued an order Saturday morning, saying it could defend worldwide border crossings, in addition to the 400-series highways, airports, bridges, ports and railways within the province.
Fines for non-compliances will likely be extreme, Premier Doug Ford mentioned, with a most penalty of $100,000 and as much as a 12 months imprisonment.
Police mentioned they're discouraging folks from coming into the downtown core as a result of closures.
Toronto police have closed stretches of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway to forestall a trucker convoy from coming into downtown Saturday.
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