Protesters in Alberta say they won't end their demonstration until all COVID restrictions are rescinded
By jdheyes // 2022-02-12
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Tens of thousands of truckers and supporters in Canada have had more success in pushing back on lame and useless COVID-19 restrictions and mandates than protesters in any other Western country, but many of them say they're not quite satisfied. In fact, anti-pandemic and vaccine mandate demonstrators in the province of Alberta say they will continue protesting until all mandates and restrictions are lifted, according to The Epoch Times. John Vanreeuwyk, a feedlot operator from Coaldale, Alberta., told The Canadian Press he and other demonstrators are blocking Highway 4 because they are acting in solidarity with the trucker convoy besieging the county's capital of Ottawa in protest of vaccine mandates and other restrictions. “We’re here for the big picture. It started with the border thing, it started with [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau and until Trudeau moves, we don’t move,” Vanreeuwyk said. Though Vanreeuwyk said he is grateful that Alberta Premier Jason Kenney recently ended that province's vaccine passport requirement, that isn't enough because people are still required to put on a worthless mask indoors. (Remember when 'the vaccine' was supposed to make masking unnecessary -- and about 100 other lies we've been told throughout this pandemic?) “Overall it’s disappointing… there was some good that [came] out of it but not even a 10 percent,” Vanreeuwyk said of measures the provincial government has taken to end restrictions. Effective this week, Alberta began the first step of phasing out pandemic restrictions by removing capacity limits for all businesses with the exception of very large facilities and entertainment venues of 500 or more people. Next, mask requirements for children 12 and under in any setting will be repealed. The second phase of reopening begins March 1 if COVID hospitalizations continue on a downward trajectory, Kenney noted at a news conference this week. The second phase removes capacity limits for all venues and gets rid of mask mandates, The Epoch Times notes. The final reopening phase will make isolation required only on a recommended basis, while COVID outbreak protocols at eldercare facilities will also be rescinded. Officials have not yet determined a target date for this phase, however. The Alberta protesters have closed and opened the lanes of Highway 4 on and off since Jan. 29. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement earlier this week that the lanes were again closed due to the protest. “Please be advised the north and southbound lanes to the Coutts border crossing are now closed due to protester’s [sic] blockade,” the RCMP said on Twitter. Alberta’s acting Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Sonya Savage remarked that road blockage near the Coutts border crossing “continues to be of concern." “To repeat what we’ve said on several occasions: Alberta’s government will always stand up for people’s fundamental democratic right to protest,” she noted. “However, the constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and expression have reasonable limits. When protesters threaten public safety, disrupt the public peace or prevent Albertans from accessing vital infrastructure, then they open themselves up to potential action from law enforcement.” Vanreeuwyk went on to say, however, that as political figures increase pressure on protestors, it is likely to create more protests and unrest at this point. “We’ve got guys here—they’ve lost everything due to these mandates and they’re not giving up and they’re willing to stand their ground and keep going until this is done,” he said. “The harder the politicians push the larger this is going to get.” Meanwhile, the lifting of restrictions in Alberta contrasts with what is going on in Ontario, home to the nation's capital of Ottawa. There, authoritarian 'liberals' are moving against attempts to raise money for protesting truckers through various crowdfunding platforms including GoFundMe and GiveSendGo, the latter of which is a Christian-themed platform that responded late this week to the Ontario government's threat to "freeze" nearly $9 million in funds. “Know this! Canada has absolutely ZERO jurisdiction over how we manage our funds here at GiveSendGo,” the company wrote. “All funds for EVERY campaign on GiveSendGo flow directly to the recipients of those campaigns, not least of which is The Freedom Convoy campaign.” The COVID pandemic has opened many eyes by exposing a truth: So-called Western 'democracies' run by 'liberals' are really no less authoritarian than dictatorships. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com BeckerNews.com
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