YORKTON — On the morning of January 25 as many as 50 vehicles and 100 people gathered at the intersection of Highway No. 9 and 16 to begin their journey to Ottawa in protest of vaccine mandates and restrictions.
Freedom Convoy 2022 is a group protesting the federal vaccine mandates that prevent unvaccinated long-haul truckers from crossing the border into the United States.
“I’m on my way to Ottawa, I’m going to stay there as long as I can,” said Dallon Leger of Canora, organizer of the Yorkton event, adding, "the goal is to end all mandates for all Canadians.”
The Yorkton event gained steam quickly, “Yesterday I put a post out [on Facebook] that I’m going to Ottawa asking people if they wanted to meet in Yorkton for support, and we’ve got support in Yorkton,” said Leger of the turnout for the event.
The protest isn’t specific to the region, but a nation-wide effort.
The organizers of Freedom Convoy 2022 said in a statement on their Go Fund Me page, “To our Fellow Canadians, the time for political overreach is over. Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods.”
The Go Fund Me has accumulated $4.2 million of their $5 million goal.
“We are asking for donations to help with the costs of fuel first, and hopefully food and lodgings to help ease the pressures of this arduous task,” noted the funding page.
Some groups are voicing concern over the safety of the convoy. In an announcement on their website, The Canadian Trucking Alliance condemned the protests, stating, “The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges. CTA believes such actions – especially those that interfere with public safety – are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed.”
From Yorkton, the convoy was to head south to Whitewood and meet with protestors from other parts of Western Canada. From there, the convoy planned to continue down the Trans-Canada Highway to Ottawa.
“There are probably about ten guys from Yorkton heading out,” said Leger, adding, “Basically, the main convoy is coming in from Regina, a lot of people are going to get to see it, support it, and then we’re going to jump on from the back and continue on our way to Ottawa.
“This isn’t specific to the trucking industry. This is all Canadians whether you’re healthcare or emergency work, we represent all Canadians.”
