Truckers, motorists en route to U.S. stalled by massive blockade in southern Alberta
CBC
Truckers and motorists travelling to and from the United States from southern Alberta are caught up in gridlock as an extremely large blockade of vehicles tied to an ongoing nationwide protest continues to jam border traffic.
Vehicles have been blockading the highway from south of Lethbridge, Alta., to the Canada-U.S. border crossing in the village of Coutts since Saturday afternoon.
That means that traffic to and from the border crossing has largely come to a standstill.
It's a frustrating development for professional long-haul trucker David May, who's been driving for 15 years and is fully vaccinated.
May picked up a load of meat in Brooks, Alta., to deliver to Portland, Ore., before running up against the blockade on Saturday. He's been stuck in Milk River, Alta., since then.
"The protest makes no sense at all," he said. "Came back here and parked with a lot of other truckers who are all vaccinated and ready to head south and do our jobs. It's really frustrating."
The protest is being held in support of a convoy of trucks from across the country that has arrived in Ottawa, with a stated goal of demonstrating against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers issued by the federal government.
Jake Zacharias previously told CBC News that he attended the protest on Saturday to support his friends who are truck drivers. He said many plan to stay near the border "until the mandates are lifted."
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC News shortly after 11:30 a.m. Sunday that it was monitoring the situation.
"[The CBSA] is ready to respond, with police of local jurisdiction if necessary, to any events impeding operations at ports of entry," a spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said that "no traffic is being blocked from coming into Canada," adding it was an offence under the Customs Act to hinder a border services officer from doing their work.
The blockade is taking place on the highway, north of the ports of entry.
The Coutts border crossing is the only 24/7 commercial crossing between Alberta and Montana, and it's a crucial trade route between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Alberta's Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, established in 2020, allows the province to enact punishments for trespassing, interfering with operations and construction or causing damage to essential infrastructure, which includes highways.
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