Canada convoy protest has effect state of emergency
Integrated Command Centre response
Plans for the creation of the new Integrated Command Centre were in place by February 12. The Integrated Command Centre was created to help Ottawa Police Services (OPS) coordinate with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and RCMP when the anticipated reinforcements would arrive. As an estimated 4,000 protesters converged on Parliament Hill on February 12, the extra reinforcements requested by Chief Sloly a week earlier had not yet arrived.Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said on February 13, that they are in constant contact with provincial and municipal authorities. Because the situation is "critical" for Canada with the "closing of our borders, the targeting on critical infrastructure, particularly our points of entry by the people behind these protests", it poses a "significant national security threat" to Canada, and we have to "end it".On Day 19 of the protests, with Ottawa under three states of emergency invoked by the three levels of government, Chief Sloly resigned. At the February 15 Ottawa Police Board meeting, Deputy Chief Steve Bell, who was appointed Interim Chief of Police, told the board that the OPS force had not "yet received the 1,800 extra officers requested". At the height of the protests there were about 8,000 protesters. Overnight on February 14 there were "less than 150 people in the blockade" and approximately 360 vehicles still on the streets, in contrast to the estimated 4,000 vehicles at the end of January. The OPS had made a total of "33 arrests and charged 18 people" in the 19 day period. Canadian Police Association president, Tom Stamatakis, cautioned that with Sloly's resignation, politicians "should not "scapegoat him for other failures that have allowed this occupation to drag on."On  February 18, Day 22, hundreds of OPS, York, Toronto, Gatineau, Durham Region, London, Hamilton forces, the Sureté du Québec, the OPP, and the RCMP, worked on a coordinated police action in and around Parliament Hill. By late February 18 morning, CTV News and other mainstream media reporting in the red zone, showed police steadily, very slowly sandwiching groups of dozens of the remaining protesters on all sides on separate streets. There were reports of a flank of police on horseback behind those in the front lines. Families with children were seen in these final groups of protesters with police reporting that protesters were "putting children between their operations and the protest site." The police assured that "children will be brought to a place of safety." In a CBC interview with Charles Bordeleau, former OPS chief, he said he had never seen children used before in other protests. He said that the CAS did not have to step in. Pat King was arrested near noon. King is described as the final of three major online influencers continuing the protest to be arrested. He was later charged of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobey court order (s.127), and counselling to commit the offence of obstruct police.By early afternoon, tactical officers began slowly entering the cabins of large rigs that had been parked in front of Parliament since the end of January. Two large campers placed by protesters to prevent large trucks blocking Sussex from moving were finally cleared early in the afternoon with the arrest of a protester in the motor home by five officers wearing full security gear. Police allowed mainstream media close access to the frontlines of the tactical method. In the afternoon, as some of the remaining protesters accepted the inevitable, they began to clear 30 cm of snow from their trucks and trailers in preparation for their departure.Frustrated protesters interviewed by CBC and CTV who were earlier calling "Hold the line", asked for their "voice to be heard". The last few protesters said without evidence, that the protest was legal, citing, but misunderstanding Canadian law. CBC News on the front lines reported protesters in the red zone, who could leave but choose to stay and be arrested. There were 70 arrests and 21 vehicles were removed by mid-afternoon. CBC's senior defence writer, Murray Brewster, described the police operation as professional,  methodical, and tactical. Police did not prevent truckers or individual protesters from driving or walking away for most of the day. They may face charges later.Police used a minimal amount of force even late in the afternoon as members of different forces began "squeezing" the group of protesters "even tighter" on Wellington Street in front of Parliament. They were not wearing shields or using pepper spray or tear gas, as they wanted protesters to leave, as opposed to arresting them, according to Bordeleau.  As waiting long lines tow trucks, brought in by the police, replaced the heavy rigs that had been grid-locking Ottawa downtown, some of tow truck company names were hidden. CBC reported that tow truck companies who had previously refused to tow protesters' vehicles,  have been forced through the Emergencies Act to comply with orders.  Bordeleau also said that the Emergencies Act had allowed police to set up 100 checkpoints around the city of Ottawa to prevent protester back-filling and to prevent pop-up protests. In response to those who contrasted the February 18 coordinated successful response to the OPS inaction in previous weeks, Carol Anne Meehan, an Ottawa City Councillor, said that the OPS had been severely under-resourced until the Emergencies Act was invoked.On February 19, police began with a "hard, fast push" towards to the encampment at Parliament Hill. Due to the resistance of protesters, police wore helmets and batons for protection. At one point, a smoke device was released by protesters. By early afternoon, more than 140 people had been arrested and dozens of vehicles had been seized. During the question period of the OPS press conference, Chief Bell confirmed that security forces have been gathering intelligence using videos, and that they will be actively pursuing people who have been filmed. The police will actively follow up with identifications, collect evidence, seek criminal charges with sanctions can include the financial level and licensing level.
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