Convoy protest expanding to new site: councillor

A few trucks could be seen parked at a government complex parking lot near Carleton University, which a city councillor said had been granted by police as an overflow area for protesters.

A few trucks could be seen parked at the parking lot of a federal government complex near Carleton University. City councillor Riley Brockington said he learned Wednesday morning that police designated the area for overflow vehicles.

"This is in the Confederation Heights Govt Complex," he tweeted. "Learned this morning that it ;'was granted for overflow vehicles at the direction of the Ottawa Police Service to alleviate congestion in the downtown core.' Zero advance outreach with myself or Coun Menard."

Ottawa police said Tuesday that several factors are affecting their enforcement tactics, including the presence of children in about a quarter of the more than 400 trucks parked in the core and the fact that several of the vehicles entrenched on downtown streets have been immobilized.

“It’s something that greatly concerns us,” Deputy Police Chief Steve Bell said, when it comes to children living in trucks. “From the risk of carbon monoxide and fumes, the noise levels … we’re concerned about cold, we’re concerned about access to sanitation, the ability to shower. We’re not at the stage of looking to do any sort of enforcement activity around that. We’ll rely on the Children’s Aid Society to give us guidance around that.”