Police concerned for safety of children living in trucks in Ottawa protest

Ottawa Police say they’re dealing with a number of complexities and challenges when it comes to ending the stubborn trucker convoy in the nation’s capital, including the presence of a large number of children who are living in many of the big rigs.

“Through intelligence, we’ve learned that almost 25 per cent of the 418 trucks encamped in our city have children living in them — children who could be at risk during a police operation,” Ottawa police Deputy Chief Steve Bell said during an update on Tuesday.

“It’s something that greatly concerns us,” he said, adding that police are working with the Children’s Aid Society to provide “guidance” on the issue.

Bell said risks to children living among the convoy include carbon monoxide, noise levels, cold, and access to sanitation.

“There’s a multitude of concerns,” he noted grimly.

Bell couldn’t provide a timeline for when the last remaining protesters would be cleared out. But he said a resolution was being hampered by demonstrators and supporters who “subvert police efforts” by immobilizing trucks and filling gas canisters with water to confuse the police, who have been ordered to crack down on people bringing fuel to the truckers.

“We’ve seen vehicles with tires taken off and their brakes bled to render them immobile,” he explained. “Many of the remaining demonstrators are highly determined and volatile.”

Bell also described how a person from Ohio called in fake threats to Ottawa police that were “designed to deceive and distract our emergency resources.”

He added that the threat of violence remains an ongoing concern for officers.

“Yesterday we had an attack on our hard-working officers. While attempting to seize fuel from demonstrators, multiple officers were swarmed by these same demonstrators.”

No one was seriously injured, he added.

Ottawa police have said they need 1,800 more uniformed and civilian officers in order to safely clear the lingering protest.

Despite the challenges, Bell said Tuesday that some progress is being made.

“We’ve seized fuel and cut off material, financial and logistical support to the occupation,” he said, adding that vehicles have also been seized and towed.

As of Tuesday, Bell said police have arrested 23 people and issued more than 1,300 traffic tickets. Seventy-nine criminal investigations are ongoing.