Ontario premier says Ottawa 'under siege,' declares state of emergency
CTV
Premier Doug Ford is declaring a state of emergency in Ontario, which he says will give authorities more tools to help stop the "illegal occupation of Ottawa."
"We are now two weeks into the siege of the city of Ottawa," Ford said during the announcement on Friday morning. "I call it a siege because that is what it is. It's an illegal occupation."
Ford said he's instituting stiffer penalties to protect infrastructure ranging from international border crossings and 400-series highways to municipal and provincial roadways and pedestrian walkways.
Non-compliance will now be punishable by fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in jail, Ford said.
He urged the trucker convoy protesters that have been causing gridlock in downtown Ottawa streets and taken over sections of the core to leave.
