Tag: Anti-Mask Protest

GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – Hey, Remember the Freedom Convoy?

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

The “official” end of the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa was Wednesday February 23, but it was a long road to get there, and it wasn’t really the end. Although the COVID-19 mandates that sparked the convoy have long since lifted, the anger and disinformation generated by the movement are still with us, and so is the fallout the Federal government’s call to use the Emergencies Act. Let’s look back at how it started… Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – Hey, Remember the Freedom Convoy?” →

Nice Day for a Protest! Political Action Marks First Day of Spring

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Sunday was the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, but the season was barely a couple of hours old when Guelph’s political activists came out in force on Sunday afternoon. From anti-abortion activists in front of the Basilica of Our Lady, an anti-COVID mandates demonstration in front of city hall, to a march for migrant rights around the office of MP Lloyd Longfield, things here very politically busy downtown. Continue reading “Nice Day for a Protest! Political Action Marks First Day of Spring” →

Cold Weather and Hot Tempers at School Board Mandate Protest

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The snow was falling, and a bitter wind was blowing, but things actually did get heated at a protest outside the main office of the Upper Grand District School Board on Victoria Road Friday. Over 20 people, some with their kids, gathered to call for an end to mask mandates in schools, while at least one person stood her ground about the ongoing necessity of public health restrictions. Continue reading “Cold Weather and Hot Tempers at School Board Mandate Protest” →

Ford Declares State of Emergency to Deal with Convoy Protests

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Nearly two weeks after the so-called “Freedom Convoy” set up residency in Ottawa, and almost a week after a solidarity blockade began at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Premier Doug Ford announced action against the protest in the form of the third state of emergency he’s declared during his premiership. Protest is fine, Ford said, but the events in Ottawa and Windsor no longer fit that definition. Continue reading “Ford Declares State of Emergency to Deal with Convoy Protests” →

Opposition Leaders Push Ontario Government to Act on Convoy Distruptions

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Nearly two weeks after the original Freedom Convoy pulled into downtown Ottawa, all levels of government are still trying to cope with the disruption, and now there’s a growing blockade on the Ambassador Bridge to worry about. Ontario’s opposition parties are now united in one point of view on these protests: the Ontario government is missing in action, and they’re each making some demands of the Premier and his ministers. Continue reading “Opposition Leaders Push Ontario Government to Act on Convoy Distruptions” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #310 – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

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Canadaland once said of Kurt Phillips that he was hunting Nazis online before it was cool. Experts in online hate like Phillips have been very busy lately following the developments of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, which has now launched several branch convoy protests, including the most recent one on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. How did it get this far? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #310 – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” →

Local Political Leaders Continue to Call Out Convoy Participants

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It’s day #6 of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa, and patience is wearing thin. Even here in Guelph, where there is no convoy of any kind, our local political leaders have expressed shock and dismay at the events in our nation’s capital over the last several days. Mayor Cam Guthrie, MPP Mike Schreiner, and MP Lloyd Longfield have all released statements in response to the convoy, and they’re submitted together here for your convenience. Continue reading “Local Political Leaders Continue to Call Out Convoy Participants” →

Condemnation and Regret After a Weekend of Madness in the Capital

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Politicians and the public are still trying to make heads or tails of a weekend of protest and chaos in the nation’s capital. From the Prime Minister of Canada to the MPP for Guelph, there was widespread condemnation of the actions of the so-called “Freedom Convoy”, whether it’s the flaunting of public health rules, the use of hate symbols, the desecration of national monuments, and the generous misuse of support for homeless people. Continue reading “Condemnation and Regret After a Weekend of Madness in the Capital” →

Biggest Anti-Lockdown Rally Yet Storms Old Quebec Street

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The Guelph edition of this weekend’s nation-wide protest against anti-lockdown measures and vaccine mandates was the largest such gathering in Guelph yet, and the emboldened crowd made it a road show. After hearing speeches in front of City Hall, a few hundred people marched up Wyndham Street, and entered Old Quebec Street maskless as an act of organized defiance. Continue reading “Biggest Anti-Lockdown Rally Yet Storms Old Quebec Street” →

Guelph Protesters Warm Up Before Country-Wide Freedom Rallies Next Weekend

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Next weekend, there are a series of so-called freedom rallies planned for our region, around Ontario, and across the country. Perhaps as a warm up act, or perhaps just to warm up, about two dozen people gathered at Wellington Street and Gordon Street to protest the new provincial lockdowns, vaccine mandates, masking rules, and the general malaise of the pandemic. Continue reading “Guelph Protesters Warm Up Before Country-Wide Freedom Rallies Next Weekend” →