Trucks pass Gasoline Alley on Highway 2 during Freedom Convoy 2022 rally. (Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Vaccinated and unvaccinated join to end mandates

Freedom Convoy met by large crowd at Gasoline Alley

Jan 24, 2022 | 7:37 PM

An initiative calling on Ottawa to ditch vaccine mandates for truckers wishing to cross the international border, rolled into Gasoline Alley near Red Deer over the weekend.

Freedom Convoy 2022, passed through Gasoline Alley Sunday evening at roughly 10:30 p.m., with one message: stop the mandates.

Organized by a group called Canada Unity, the convoy comprises of multiple routes from both east and west, leading to Parliament Hill in Ottawa Jan. 29 in opposition of the vaccine mandates placed on the trucking industry.

Originally exempt from the mandate and later incorrectly told that truckers would remain exempt, it was confirmed by the federal government that as of Jan. 15, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Canadian truck drivers would have to get a PCR test outside of Canada within 72 hours of re-entering the country, a test upon arrival, an at-home test on the eighth day, and quarantine for 14 days. Unvaccinated truckers from the United States would not be allowed to cross the border. The United States, meanwhile, passed a similar mandate which started Jan. 22.

The convoy’s first route began in Prince Rupert in northern B.C. on Jan. 22 and made its way to Prince George. On Sunday, Jan. 23, the convoy’s route went through Alberta, making its way to Edmonton and down Highway 2, ending in Calgary before midnight.

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Crowds started to gather around 9:00 p.m. Sunday evening in Gasoline Alley with Canadian flags and signage against mandates. Drivers in cars and trucks honked their horns along Highway 2 as people cheered.

“Doesn’t matter what position you’re in, even if you’re in health care, you should never have to sacrifice your freedom of choice to go to work,” said Jeremy O’Sullivan, a pipe fitter in Grande Prairie.

In communication with the convoy drivers and rolling with them to Ottawa, he also explained the convoy was running behind schedule for what he believed was a tactic by the federal Department of Transportation to split up the drivers and reduce traffic.

Sam Ouellet, an unvaccinated truck driver for E360 Solutions, an environmental waste management company, expressed concern over the impacts the mandate would have on the supply chain.

“If it doesn’t drop, all these truckers are going to just stop. We won’t get any of our stuff and belongings like food and clothing. Shelves will be empty,” he said.

Hugh Ormerod, a father of five and former dental therapist of 18 years at an Indigenous health centre, he said he lost his job due to vaccination mandates and has been following the convoy from his hometown in B.C.

“I was in a really dark place for a while and I felt alone for a really long time but now I realize I am not alone. We have the support of an entire country behind us,” he said.

A student named Jessica planning to get her commercial driver’s license believes the mandate will add further strain to already long routes for truckers and that the choice should be individual.

“I don’t judge whether or not you have a vaccine, that’s totally up to you. I don’t shame people who do or don’t. I just think we should have the choice. There’s other things that can affect us; it’s religion, it’s health issues, it’s free will,” she said.

“Personally I was happy to step up and get my shots,” said Jeff, an oil field worker. “I just want all the mandates stopped. Just let people live.”

“I don’t think a lot of people understand how much we rely on the trucking industry. Stop the trucking industry, hopefully people are ready to go hungry, because that’s reality,” he said.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) confirmed in a statement in early January that the industry expected to lose between 12,000 – 16,000 drivers, or 10 – 15 per cent, as most truckers were already vaccinated.

On Jan. 22, the first day of the convoy’s rolling out, the CTA expressed their disapproval with the protest.

“The Government of Canada and the United States have now made being vaccinated a requirement to cross the border. This regulation is not changing so, as an industry, we must adapt and comply with this mandate,” said CTA president Stephen Laskowski.

A GoFundMe page created in Medicine Hat had been set up to raise funds for the convoy’s expenses such as gas, food, and lodgings. The Freedom Convoy 2022 estimated fuel costs for one semi-trailer round trip from Vancouver to Ottawa would be $5,448. To date, the page has raised $3,416,410 out of its $4 million goal, donated by over 45,000 people.

Conservative MP Arnold Viersen expressed his disapproval with the effectiveness of the mandate and raised concerns over further increases in prices of goods after Canada’s inflation rate hit a 30-year high last month at 4.8 per cent.

He referenced the findings Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, professor at Dalhousie University who specializes in food security and supply chains, made in the Toronto Sun that, “Canada imports about $21 billion worth of agri-food products from the United States every year, and about 60 to 70% of the food imported arrives on wheels. That’s almost 20% of the food Canadians buy in food service and retail.”

“Canada has one of the most vaccinated populations in the world. The question I and many others have is: What is the goal of the Liberals with their vaccine mandates? Research has shown that threatening people to get vaccinated doesn’t work well,” Viersen said in a statement.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, in response to the convoy, accused Conservative politicians of “fear mongering” by over exaggerating the impact the mandate would have on supply chain disruptions.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney posted on Twitter Monday morning pictures of empty shelves sent to him by grocery stores.

Prime Minister Trudeau confirmed the mandate would remain in place.

Freedom Convoy 2022 truck. (Alessia Proietti)

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