against government vaccine mandates continues to disrupt Ottawa?s downtown core, forcing some businesses who were gearing up to reopen from Ontario?s COVID-19 lockdown on Monday to remain closed indefinitely.
https://globalnews.ca/news/8583758/trucker-protest-ottawa-downtown-businesses-restaurants/
COVID-19 protests threaten border trade between Canada, US
The blockade at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, prevented traffic from entering Canada while some U.S.-bound traffic was still moving, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said, calling the bridge ?one of the most important border crossings in the world.? It carries 25% of all trade between Canada and the United States.
Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said such blockades will have serious implications on the economy and supply chains. ?I?ve already heard from automakers and food grocers. This is really a serious cause for concern,? he said in Ottawa, the capital.
Added Mendicino: ?Most Canadians understand there is a difference between being tired and fatigued with the pandemic and crossing into some other universe.?
Auto parts and other goods were still flowing across the border Tuesday evening, despite the bridge delays. But trucks had to travel almost 70 miles north to the Blue Water Bridge connecting Sarnia, Ontario, to Port Huron, Michigan. Authorities at that bridge reported a nearly three-hour delay for trucks to cross. In total, the trip will take more than five hours longer than normal.
Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, said the protesters have no right to park vehicles in the middle of roads. He questioned how many of the protesters were truckers because trucker associations and large logistics companies have disavowed the blockades.
?It is really a collection of kind of anti-government provocateurs,? he said.
The protests also threaten supplies of fresh produce, livestock and other food, Volpe said.
Even a five-hour delay can cause production disruptions because factories are running so lean on part supplies with an already fragile supply chain, said Jeff Schuster, president of the LMC Automotive consulting firm in Troy, Michigan.
?Everything is so ?just-in-time? these days,? he said. ?We?re still dealing with parts shortages in general and supply chain issues. This is just another wrench in the industry that we?re dealing with right now.?
Protesters also closed another important U.S.-Canada border crossing in Coutts, Alberta.
https://apnews.com/article/coronavi...nada-protest-c49a25da25cd2f5e81f1eac5664e37ad
It looks like effecting commerce in Canada and trade between US and Canada. (Produce, live stock, auto parts) The article says it there is a detour but it takes 5 hours longer or maybe even longer factoring traffic.