Ford Declares State of Emergency in Ontario

Ford is promising a crackdown on protests with maximum fines of $100,000 and one year of prison. He will also consider taking away commercial licences.

Premier Doug Ford has declared a Province wide state of Emergency amid the ongoing protests and blockades in Ottawa and Windsor. 

Here is the full statement from the Premier:

"Today I am using my authority as Premier of Ontario to declare a state of emergency in our province. 

And I will convene Cabinet to use legal authorities to urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure. This will include protecting international border crossings, 400-series highways, airports, ports, bridges and railways.

It will also include protecting the safe and essential movement of ambulatory and medical services, public transit municipal and provincial roadways, as well as pedestrian walkways. Fines for non-compliance will be severe, with a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year imprisonment. 

We will also provide additional authority to consider taking away the personal and commercial licence's of anyone who doesn't comply with these orders." 

The initial declaration will be for 48 hours. 

Ford calls the ongoing protests in Ottawa a siege and he is pleading with truckers to go home and he is urging them to take their children home. 

"Let me be as clear as I can, there will be consequences for these actions and they will be severe."

Ford was asked if fines and threats of jail time are enough. 

"I do not direct the police, we make the laws, the police enforce the laws but we cannot have people occupy cities, holding them hostage, holding millions of people hostage to go to their jobs, or preventing tens and tens of thousands from doing their jobs because they don't have the parts or the widgets or the food cannot get across the border, not because of the truckers. I can tell you folks, 99 percent of the truckers are working their tails off, to put food on our table, to make sure parts get to our factories. The last count I heard at the bridge, there was 5 truckers, the rest were pedestrian cars." 

Ontario has already frozen the funds for the protestors after getting a court order yesterday.

Ford was also asked why he went snowmobiling this weekend in cottage country. Ford admitted he was at his cottage on the weekend and did go out for ride but spent most of his time talking with Premiers and the Prime Minister. 

You can listen to the entire announcement from the Premier this morning below: