Authorities on Sunday declared an end to the week-long protest blockade against vaccination of the important trade route.
The Ambassador Bridge, a key route for trade between the United States and Canada, reopened Sunday night after authorities cleared a weekend blockade set up by protesters unhappy with vaccine mandates.
Detroit International Bridge Company, which owns and operates the structure, said in a statement that the bridge is "enabling the free flow of commerce between the Canadian and US economy" again.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens had announced the end of the demonstration earlier that day.
"Today our national economic crisis came to an end at Ambassador's Bridge," he said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
After a day of snowfall, teen temperatures, between 25 and 30 arrests and the seizure of five vehicles, Pam Mizuno, deputy police chief in the border port city of Windsor, Ontario, even reiterated that statement during an evening news conference as the bridge remained closed. At the time.
In a tweet Monday morning, Mizuno praised her officials as well as outside authorities, adding: "I am very grateful for today's peaceful outcome."
Some remaining protesters were arrested when they occupied restricted areas or tried to block roads, she said.
"It can be a cat and mouse relationship for a while," she said.
Authorities also had to deal with concrete barriers, known as K-rails, that were put up near the bridge entrance on Saturday, apparently to prevent vehicles from supplementing the blockade and keep police from corralling protesters away from the bridge. structure.
While the deputy chief reiterated the service's zero-tolerance stance for "any activity" in the area, the deputy chief said protesters have the right to legally express their concerns, such as remaining on the sidewalks.
Police officers began dispersing protesters on Saturday after Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz ordered them to leave at a hearing on Friday.
After some success, Saturday's demonstration seemed to dissipate before the crowd swelled again before nightfall. An overnight front that brought snow may have helped authorities when the number of protesters dwindled and officials made arrests on Sunday.
Demonstrations in Windsor began on February 7 and led to at least partial blockades of cross-border traffic throughout the week.
The main protest is taking place in its third weekend in Canada's capital Ottawa, where hundreds of protesters used their trucks to block roads, honk their horns and disrupt traffic.
On Saturday, protesters also temporarily closed smaller border crossings in Surrey, British Columbia; Emerson, Manitoba; and Coutts, Alberta, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency on Friday, saying he would use all government resources to end the two-week protest. He said the protests amounted to a "siege" of downtown Ottawa and the Ambassador Bridge.
The protests have resonated outside the country, inspiring similar convoys in Europe and New Zealand.
Protesters in Canada have sparked a backlash both in Ottawa and across the country over allegations of harassment, as well as the presence of hateful symbols, including at least one swastika from the Confederate flag.
