SARNIA, Ont. (WWJ) -- The Blue Water Bridge -- linking Sarnia, Ont., and Port Huron, Mich. -- was closed for several hours Sunday as Canadians protested COVID-19 mandates.
Ontario Provincial Police said on Twitter Sunday that Highway 402 had been closed between Modeland Road and the international bridge due to an “ongoing truck demonstration.”
OPP officials were encouraging traffic to exit “well in advance” to avoid delays, and commercial traffic destined for the U.S. was being told to divert to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor and Detroit.
The highway remained closed for more than five hours on Sunday, as OPP said vehicles and pedestrians were present on the highway at Front Street, which is the last exit on 402 before the bridge.
It was not clear how long the protests were expected to last, but as of 5:30 p.m., the bridge was still closed. OPP officials expected to provide updates when more details become available.
Hundreds of farm vehicles, tractors and trucks were parked on the highway beginning around 11:30 a.m., according to a report from Sarnia News Today. Protesters were demanding for COVID-19 mandates to be lifted in Canada.
Several videos posted to Twitter throughout the day showed loads of tractors and trucks heading towards the Blue Water Bridge, with many sporting messages. Videos appeared to show one lane of the highway remained open despite the protests, but police shut it down entirely.
One tractor had a stack of hay bales with “Freedom! No more mandates” spray painted in red.
Sarnia News Today also reported there were protests in downtown Sarnia outside of City Hall, while protesters gathered in downtown Toronto at Queens Park on Saturday.