Ottawa in state of emergency as downtown residents seek court injunction to stop protest noise

Ottawa is in a state of emergency as the trucker protest continues to paralyze parts of the nation's capital. Some businesses and public buildings remain closed as trucks and personal vehicles continue to make parts of the downtown core inaccessible.

One of the major complaints has been the incessant honking that has been a staple for the protesters, an act that spurred the filing of a $9.8 million class-action proposed lawsuit Friday on behalf of the residents of Ottawa’s downtown core.

The residents are asking for an injunction to be issued to prevent truckers parked on the city streets from honking all day and night. Superior Court Justice Hugh McLean is set to hear the arguments Monday afternoon.

Lead plaintiff in the class action suit, Zexi Li, described the current living situation for residents in downtown Ottawa as “unbearable.”

“There are people who have had to evacuate their homes because they can't stand the noise because it is literally, quite literally, torturous to us,” Li told CTV News Channel on Monday. “And we are not going to stay quiet anymore because people need to understand the real damage this is doing to real people.”