Hundreds in Whitehorse attend protests against COVID-19 health restrictions
CBC
Hundreds of people attended two separate protests in Whitehorse this weekend, to voice their disapproval of current public health restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.
In Whitehorse, both protests were organized by an organization called Yukon Rise Up and the territory's newest political party, the Yukon Freedom Party.
Although these types of gatherings have taken place in the city since the summer of 2021, the two-day protests attracted its biggest audience yet, said Bruce Pedersen, a spokesperson for Yukon Rise Up.
"We need medicine, we need the pharmaceutical companies, but we also need people to say, 'hey, I need to take charge of my own health,' and that's that's what is happening more and more," Pedersen said.
The protest on Saturday was part of the Worldwide Rally for Freedom, a series of protests that occurred in other cities.
The protests come as infections in the territory reach record highs.
It took place in front of the Shipyards' Park sign where people in attendance held signs, talked among each other and waved the Canadian flag as people who drove by either honked their horns or shook their heads.
"We want people to have choices whether to wear masks or not and have the freedom of choice of their own health," said Pedersen who has lived in Whitehorse for 21 years.
Pedersen said he wants the federal government to open borders for travelling, remove the mandatory mask mandates and treat the pandemic as the flu season.
On Sunday, a similar sentiment brought hundreds of vehicles to downtown Whitehorse.
This convoy was organized in response to the recent US-Canada border restrictions for unvaccinated truckers.
Ross Mercer runs a local transportation business, Mercer Contracting, which does cross-border transportation from Whitehorse to Alaska.
He says he finds the new border restrictions confusing.
Truckers crossing the border are now required to get vaccinated or face a 14-day quarantine when crossing the Canada-U.S. border.
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