A convoy of pickup trucks, vans, SUVs and cars wound its way through Barrie again today.
More than 100 vehicles, from mini-vans and pickup trucks to tractors and even a few tractor-trailers, gathered Saturday morning in the Sadlon Arena parking lot for the third weekend in a row. It was a planned route that was set to see the supporters make their way around the city and through the downtown before heading back to the starting point in the city's south end.
Vehicles started lining up around 10:30 a.m. for the noon protest convoy around the city, with many parked in the Sadlon Arena lot honking their horns, waving Canadian flags — some attached to hockey sticks and others attached to the back window of trucks or car doors.
Some vehicles had messages on their windows, such as ‘End Mandates Now' and 'We’re doing this for your kids too'. Some people could be heard shouting support for protesters in Windsor after learning police had begun to move in to clear up the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge.
Barrie residents Carley Goddard and Regan Adair, along with their friend Allan Robinson from Belleville, attended the local protest and told BarrieToday they were there because they wanted to see Canadians' rights and freedoms restored.
“We are not anti-vaccine. We are all vaccinated,” said Robinson, who, along with Goddard, has also attended the protest in Ottawa. “Everyone (was) hugging and happy. It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen more violence at a rock concert.”
Goddard told BarrieToday she simply wants people to have freedom of choice.
“If someone wants to have the vaccine, all the power to them, but if they don’t, I think they should have that same choice as well,” she said. ‘I don’t think people should be forced to take something or possibly lose their job, their business… or lose their homes. It’s not fair in any way.
"People should have the freedom to do what they want to with their own bodies," Goddard added.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says the COVID-19 vaccine remains "the best defense" against the virus, including the Omicron variant. Getting vaccinated reduces the risk of becoming seriously sick or hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection. It can also increase protection for others in your household, at work or in the community, and is "especially important to protect those who are elderly or immunocompromised," the health unit says.
Prior to the start of the protest convoy, Barrie police officials told BarrieToday they planned to monitor the event. At approximately 1 p.m., police warned motorists via Twitter that they may encounter delays throughout the city, including many of the city’s main roads.
Barrie police confirmed to BarrieToday on Saturday afternoon they were not aware of any issues related to the event.
The city of Ottawa has been snarled for several days by those with an anti-mandate message for government officials. Last weekend, protesters also headed to Toronto.
Ontario's Big City Mayors (OBCM), of which Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman is the chair, unanimously passed a motion Feb. 10 condemning the damaging actions of convoy protesters across the province.
"Ontario's Big City Mayors stand in solidarity with the mayors of impacted cities and condemn the irresponsible and damaging actions of the convoy protesters," said a statement from the group. "OBCM supports the right to a peaceful protest, but what is happening in Ottawa and at the Ambassador Bridge is unacceptable.
"Public disorder and lawlessness must end. Workers are being laid off, critical industries such as the auto sector are disrupted, residents are being forced to leave their homes, and illegal and dangerous actions are continuing. Experts are now suggesting that the economic impacts on goods and services could last for months, and we believe Ontario businesses have suffered enough," the statement added.
