As anti-vaccine mandate protest enters 5th day in Ottawa, some worry about how it might end

As anti-vaccine mandate protesters continue to gum up downtown Ottawa, many are wondering how long police will let the protesters stay — and how they might eventually move them out.

While many residents have been calling for an end to the noise and disruption caused by raucous demonstrations, observers are calling on authorities to avoid public displays of force.

"It's in everyone's best interest that they bring this to some type of peaceful closure," said Jack Rozdilsky, an associate professor of disaster and emergency management at York University.

"That does not mean you do not have, in the background, the ability to respond with force if you need to, if the situation gets out of hand. But probably heavy-handed use of force at this point would not be constructive."

The protest, now into its fifth day, started in opposition to the federal government's vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. It has since expanded into a movement against broader public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, including provincial mandates.

Asked during a Monday afternoon news conference whether police might end up clearing the protesters out, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said that police have "all options" on the table.

"We have seen it as much as an hour ago online, as the demonstration goes into its full fifth day — clear statements and incitements to riotous behaviour, injury, the bringing of arms and weapons into the National Capital Region, specifically in direct support of or indirect support of the range of demonstration causes and activities," he said.

Rozdilsky said that, over the next few hours, he'd like to see police try to contain the size of the protest and establish limits on protesters' activities.

Participants in the protest convoy have been driving through residential neighbourhoods, blaring truck horns and chanting slogans. Their vehicles have been restricting access to downtown Ottawa, forcing businesses to shut their doors and disrupting service centres, a COVID-19 vaccine clinic and an elementary school.

"The situation is untenable. The footprint of the protests needs to shrink," Rozdilsky said. 

He said that between the Ottawa police, the RCMP, the Parliamentary Protective Service and the other police services now deployed to the capital, there's enough force on hand to arrest protesters and tow away trucks — but that could end up doing more harm than good.

"At least initially, having the protesters make the decision to leave on their own accord would be much better for everyone," he said.

"Using more police force, using heavy equipment, using various crowd control tactics, would move ... in the direction of paramilitary action. The types of actions we don't traditionally see on the streets in Canada."

Pierre-Yves Bourduas is a former deputy commissioner of the RCMP, now president of PY Safety. He said one likely scenario involves police giving the "hardcore" protesters — those who have indicated they intend to stay until their demands are met — a deadline to leave, with consequences for non-compliance.