Ottawa under 'siege,' officials say, as mayor asks for more help
CTV
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.
On Monday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson sent letters Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying the protest had turned into a “siege of our downtown area,” and asked the provincial and federal governments for an “immediate injection of additional officers.”
“Given the scope and scale of the armada of large trucks that are now occupying our downtown core, we are writing to you today to ask that you work to help the City secure 1,800 officers to quell the insurrection that the Ottawa Police Service is not able to contain,” Watson wrote in the letter.
As part of the 1,800 officers Watson is requesting, he’s looking for 1,000 regular officers, 600 public order officers, 100 investigative officers and 100 civilian staff, in addition to “all supporting resources.”
“We must do everything in our power to take back the streets of Ottawa and our parliamentary precinct, from the criminal activity and hooliganism that has transpired over the last nine days,” Watson wrote.
