: Key U.S.-Canada Bridge Reopens After Police Clear Protesters #WorldNEWS WINDSOR, Ontario — The busiest U. S. -Canada border crossing reopened late Sunday after protests against COVID-19 restrictions

Key U.S.-Canada Bridge Reopens After Police Clear Protesters #WorldNEWS
WINDSOR, Ontario — The busiest U. S. -Canada border crossing reopened late Sunday after protests against COVID-19 restrictions closed it for almost a week, while Canadian officials held back from a crackdown on a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa.
Detroit International Bridge Co. said in a statement that “the Ambassador Bridge is now fully open allowing the free flow of commerce between the Canada and US economies once again. ” Esther Jentzen, spokeswoman for the company, said in a later text to The Associated Press that the bridge reopened to traffic at 11 p. m. EST.
The crossing normally carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, and the blockade on the Canadian side had disrupted business in both countries, with automakers forced to shut down several assembly plants.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=true]
Police in Windsor, Ontario, said earlier in the day that more than two dozen people had been peacefully arrested, seven vehicles towed and five seized as officers cleared the last demonstrators from near the bridge, which links the city — and numerous Canadian automotive plants — with Detroit.
The protest in Ottawa, meanwhile, has paralyzed downtown, infuriated residents who are fed up with police inaction and turned up pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who presided at a Cabinet meeting late Sunday.
A senior government official said Trudeau planned to meet virtually with the leaders of Canadas provinces Monday morning. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The demonstrations have reverberated across Canada and beyond, with similar convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck convoys may be in the works in the United States.
The Ambassador Bridge had remained closed for most of the day despite the break up of the protest as a heavy snowstorm blanketed the area. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens had said the span would open once authorities determined it was safe to do so.
Canada’s industry minister, François-Philippe Champagne, welcomed the development, saying on Twitter: “Good news. Glad to see that the Ambassador Bridge is now reopened. ”

Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP A resident holds a sign expressing dismay at anti-vax protesters near Parliament Hill, Ottawa, on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022.
U. S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday acknowledged the seemingly peaceful resolution to the demonstration, which it said had “widespread damaging impacts” on the “lives and livelihoods of people” on both sides of the border.