A suspected convoy bound for Windsor to allegedly re-occupy the Ambassador Bridge has been thwarted by police.
The Windsor Police Service made the announcement during a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
Deputy Chief Jason Bellaire told the media that a convoy of around six trucks was turned back on the westbound 401 in the past 24 hours.
"They said they were just going to go in the other direction. It was a simple interaction between the officers who were there. They were around 250 kilometers outside of Windsor. They said they were heading to Ottawa, which you can't get to, I guess, by westbound 401. So they turned around and went the other way," he says.
Bellaire also told the media that they remain very concerned over the possibility of protestors returning to Windsor to try and shut down Huron Church Road and the Ambassador Bridge again.
"We're absolutely concerned and I think the federal government is concerned," he says. "I think the scope of the issue is so large that it did compel the federal government to enact a piece of legislation that hasn't been done in my lifetime, and I'm almost 50."
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he had invoked the Emergencies Act to bring to an end antigovernment blockades he describes as illegal and not about peaceful protest.
Demonstrators blocking the entrance and exit of the Ambassador Bridge (Rob Hindi)
On Feb. 7, a group of protestors stopped along Huron Church Road heading to the Ambassador Bridge, halting traffic until police officers moved them off the route on Feb. 13, following court injunction against the demonstrators and a state of emergency declaration by the Ontario government.
When asked about the presence of protestors still in the region, Deputy Chief Bellaire gave few details, citing ongoing operations and investigations.
"We still have local people here and from not far away, that are involved in this type of activity, and there's still people we're concerned about," he says. "It's evaluated on a continual basis, throughout the day and throughout the night, and that's about the best answer I can give you on that."
Windsor police officers continue to restrict access along Huron Church Road as they work to maintain the flow of traffic heading to the Ambassador Bridge.
Some east-west access points have been opened but the rest remain restricted along the main route to the border.
Deput Chief Bellaire says that police liasion officers are going out to speak with business owners along Huron Church Road as they try to work through the security situation.