Toronto police prepared to move convoy protest vehicles this weekend, says chief

Toronto's police chief says the force is prepared to move convoytrucks if needed, ahead of a weekend of potential protest against vaccine mandates.

"We're going to help them leave," Chief James Ramer said at a news conference Friday,adding that police have "assets in place" to move vehicles.

"If vehicles are engaged and they're not moving, we're going to move them out of the way."

Ramer said police will allow peaceful protests, but will not allow "encampments" or for protesters to occupy roadways.The police have several tow trucks ready to move quickly if they are required, he said.

WATCH |Toronto police ready to move convoy trucks:

Toronto police ready to move convoy trucks

3 years ago

Duration 0:34

Interim chief James Ramer says Toronto police are prepared to move convoy trucks if needed, ahead of a weekend of potential protest against vaccine mandates.

Police say their priorities include keeping emergency routes clear and protecting key infrastructure.Roads around Queen's Park are closed and police are asking the public to avoid thearea "unless absolutely necessary."

Here's what's closed so far:

• Queen's Park Circle from College to BloorStreet.
• College Street from Bay Street to YongeStreet.

The streets are closed to vehicles only and will still be accessible by public transit or walking. Additional closures are possible, and the public should expect to see an increased police presence over the weekend, police say.

Mayor urges 'peaceful,' 'respectful' protest

On Friday, Toronto Mayor John Tory thanked Ontario Premier Doug Ford for declaring a state of emergency and said what the province is seeing "goes way beyond" peaceful protest.

"Illegal behaviour or any actions that threaten public safety cannot be tolerated in the City of Toronto," he said.

"If you're planning to come here for a protest that is not peaceful and is not respectful, I would urge you on behalf of all Toronto residents and businesses most sincerely to please just stay away from our city."

Tory said no one should be blocked from accessing healthcare and that routes to hospitals should also not be blocked.

WATCH | Toronto mayor thanks Ontario premier for declaring state of emergency:

Toronto mayor thanks Ontario premier for declaring state of emergency

3 years ago

Duration 1:33

Toronto Mayor John Tory expressed support for Premier Doug Ford's declaration of a state of emergency in Ontario ahead of an expected second weekend of protest in Canada's biggest city. 'Illegal behaviour or any actions that threaten public safety cannot be tolerated,' he said.

Toronto city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who representsToronto Centre, urged Toronto residentsto use public transit ifvisitingthe downtown area this weekend.

On Twitter, the Toronto Police Service said that the road closures are in response to "several social media posts announcing a possible demonstration involving a large number of vehicles."

Ramer said on Friday that police had intelligence beyond social media posts that protests were planned for this weekend, although he couldn't reveal how police gathered their information.

"Our intelligence is actually quite robust," he said.

Ramer said the police plan is "nimble" enough to allow them to scale up or scale down based on how large the protest is.