P.E.I. premier says plans in place to keep Confederation Bridge open

With the possibility of a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions this weekend on the P.E.I. side of the Confederation Bridge, Premier Dennis King told the legislature Tuesday there are plans in place to prevent the island from being blocked off from the mainland.

In response to questions from the Official Opposition he also offered what sounded like a warning to any would-be demonstrators who might choose to try to disrupt the flow of traffic at the province's only land link to the mainland.

"While you can gather and while you can peacefully protest, you cannot disrupt the flow of goods and services into this province," King said. 

"There are disruption plans that are in place from Transport Canada for areas like the Confederation Bridge and they will be enacted if needed to be."

A Facebook group called PEI Freedom Convey to Ottawa 2022 has been promoting a 24-hour, overnight "dance party" to take place at the former ferry terminal in Borden-Carleton on the P.E.I. side of the Confederation Bridge.

The group has invited people from all four Atlantic provinces to come, urging them to bring camping gear and to participate in a "slow roll" crossing of the bridge.

There were conflicting messages on social media on Tuesday as to whether the event was going ahead as planned or would be postponed.

Another demonstration against pandemic restrictions in Charlottetown on Feb. 12 involved between 500 and 700 vehicles taking part in a "slow roll" convey up the city's main traffic corridor, according to estimates from Charlottetown police.

"Across Canada this month, we've seen how a failure to plan can have critical consequences for people's health and for people's safety," Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker said during question period Tuesday.

"We've watched as bridges, border crossings and downtown cores have been paralyzed by protests."

P.E.I. has ferry access to Nova Scotia for part of the year, but that service won't resume until the spring.

That leaves the Confederation Bridge as the only road link to the mainland.

"Without this structure, we only have a few days of food available on reserve for Islanders," Bevan-Baker said.

"Businesses will be unable to get product to market [and] Islanders needing off-Island health care will be prevented from accessing that care."