Injunction to end Ambassador Bridge blockade delayed until Friday

An Ontario Superior Court justice has delayed hearing an application for an injunction that would stop protesters blocking Canada-bound traffic at the Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Windsor.

Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz says he understands that the matter is urgent, but the application is “serious in nature” and the defendants should be given the chance to make their case.

Morawetz says he will hear submissions tomorrow at noon.

The City of Windsor was granted intervener status in the application, which was brought by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association and Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association.

The city says it is looking to end what it calls an “illegal occupation” at the bridge.

“The individuals on site are trespassing on municipal roads and if need be, will be removed to allow for the safe and efficient movement of goods across the border,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a statement released on Thursday.

“The economic harm that this occupation is having on international trade is not sustainable and must come to an end.”

The move comes as automakers in Canada have been forced to scale back production as the blockades at U.S. border crossings worsen an industry-wide parts shortage.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada said all three of its production lines have been affected, while Ford Canada said it’s running its plants in Oakville, Ont., and Windsor at reduced capacity.

The backlogged Ambassador Bridge – the busiest crossing in North America – typically handles about 7,000 commercial vehicles a day carrying goods traded between Canada and the United States.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance called on all levels of government to act to end the blockades, which they said were leading to “significant losses.”

“Many of those who are protesting having their lives disrupted by certain policies are, in turn, ironically disrupting the lives of their fellow Canadians,” Stephen Laskowski, the group’s president wrote in a statement.

“Whether it’s the dedicated truck driver who’s stuck at the border and unable to get home to his or her family; or the factory worker who is sent home from work because critical products and raw materials aren’t being delivered, the only people who these blockades hurt are the hard-working Canadians who have kept our nation moving.”

As politicians highlighted the economic impacts of the border bridge closure, one participant at the Windsor protest said that was exactly the point.

“They’ll lose money. Yeah, of course,” said Stephanie Parent, a Windsor resident who’s stopped by every day of the protest.

“But we have people that have been without work since these mandates have come into effect, since these businesses have imposed these policies, requiring their employees to to get vaccinated … Until it affects you directly, you don’t truly understand the ramifications.”

Parent said she got vaccinated in order to keep her job, but she doesn’t think she should have had to make such a choice. She expects the protests to last as long as the government recommends vaccine mandates, she said.