For people living in the downtown core of Ottawa adjacent Parliament Hill and further afield, time is passing slowly. Some residents have temporarily abandoned their homes in favour of living -- for as long as it takes for the protesters to finally disperse -- with friends or family in the city suburbs. To get away from the airborne pollution of diesel assailing their senses, along with the incessant noise, from rigs idling, to people among the protesters partying.

 

In other instances things have begun moving, if not quickly, then faster than they had been, as the city, then the province declared states of emergency, followed by the federal government invoking the Emergencies Act to enable it to take extraordinary action to bring the Trucker Convoy protest to a halt. Intimidation and harassment of ordinary residents is not a very good formula for drawing sympathy with a protest movement, even if many people agree that the COVID mandates that have stifled lives as much as the coronavirus has, should come to an end.

 

Ottawa's police chief, Peter Sloly, has been the focal point of criticism by people living on the fringe of exhaustion from the protest's disruption to their lives, to the media, all complaining about his policing style which has seemed too careful, if not downright timid in addressing the unlawful and unethical conduct of some of the protesters. Chief Sloly has been roundly condemned for his approach from every corner, from the Prime Minister's office, to local councillors.

Today he handed in his resignation as Chief of the Ottawa Police Force after two years on the job from his former position as second in command of the Toronto Police Force. Bill Blair, a former Toronto police chief, now the federal Public Safety Minister, has also placed the finger of blame on Chief Sloly, when it seems that fully half and more of Canadians believe it is the Liberal Prime Minister who is chiefly to blame for a protect that has got completely out of hand.

That news surprised us this morning, and elicited from us a sense of sadness for the man, the first black chief of police the city ever had. In our opinion made a political scapegoat. Despite the news seeping out that his relations with others on the force has been troubled. 

 

We had gone out early this morning to do our weekly shopping, with the full expectation that as a result of border crossings between Canada and the U.S. we would surely find perishables not grown in Canada at this season in short supply. The Windsor-Detroit crossing, critical to a quarter of all shipping back and forth across the border has been shut to traffic due to a trucker blockade, for a week.

So we were relieved when we walked into the supermarket to see the shelves full. Piled high with fresh fruits and vegetables and everything in between, enabling us to do a trouble-free shopping accessing absolutely everything we needed. We did notice a spike in prices of non-perishable food products but that is attributable to the lockdown mandates and the higher costs of  both production with COVID-induced labour shortages, and rising shipping costs where a shortage of cargo containers has become a problem. The price of energy has risen, contributing as well.

 

We have the personal luxury of 'forgetting' all of this, just putting it behind us -- COVID, isolation, masks, distancing, labou disputes, hospitalization deferrals for surgeries; in total everything in our normal lives turned upside down and inside out -- through the simple expedient of making the most of our immediate environment.

A daily enterprise that Jackie and Jillie enthusiastically lend themselves to. So this afternoon, as always, saw us all on a bright, sunny day, albeit cold and windy at -7C, out in the ravine for our daily trek. Despite that a negligible few centimetres of snow fell overnight, the ravine trails are icy and slippery.

Those frozen indentations are no help, nor is the little snow fallen over the icy trails been a help since there's too little of it, and because the atmosphere is so dry the snow won't stick to the ice.

 

So ascending one of the  hills, once again my cleats gave out nearing the top, and I went to my knees. Harmlessly, other than that it's difficult on a slope that's icy to resume a standing position without slipping again. Irving to the rescue, though I hate to burden him since I have visions of my being responsible for his slipping, in turn.

 

Jackie and Jillie oblivious to our difficulties float breezily along, and we soon follow once we reach the upper main trail. Down below in the depth of the ravine we've just left behind, the creek is again encased in thick ice. The ice is opaquely white. Not much differentiates it from its snowy banks; white creek, white forest floor, blue sky above and beneficent sun illuminating all.

Science truly is amazing. A dinosaur found in Montana, studied by a team of researchers was found to have suffered from a bird-type lung disease, never before seen in a dinosaur. A relic of 150 million years ago, the bone that was found revealed that the long-necked herbivore had a viral infection that was so serious it altered the bones in the dinosaur's neck, and ultimately killed the suffering beast. Viruses have a truly ancient lineage, far pre-dating the presence of homo sapiens, and it's fair to say viruses have been haunting us since forever. Viruses seen in on-human animals can cross the species barrier as a zoonotic, just as has occurred with the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 and its mutated variants.

One thing always leads to another. The French virologist, Luc Montagnier, whose work in discovering the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS has just died. He was a Nobel Laureate, sharing the prize with a colleague and his work was vital in developing AIDS drugs and therapies. This man's virology work opened new avenues for those following him in the science. He reputation suffered, however when he claimed the coronavirus was a laboratory escapee having been created while researchers were in the process of developing a potential HIV vaccine.

From that to the Truckers Convoy in Ottawa now reaching into its third week of chaos and disruption in the city and at provincial border crossings between Canada and the U.S. The government response to the truckers' protests meant to have mandates lifted that have put people out of work who refuse to be vaccinated, has been controversial to say the least. The contempt expressed by the country's prime minister for the convoy and its supporters has served to exacerbate the situation, to make the protest leaders dig in their heels.

The truckers' cause is one embraced globally by people fed up with being marginalized, losing employment, coerced to do something they are not convinced they must do -- Dr.Montagnier for example went on record to oppose mandatory vaccinations in France -- and in sympathy with the trucking protest that has ballooned all over Canada, countries like New Zealand, Australia, France, Germany and others have seen their own truckers' convoys erupting.

 

As for us, another gloriously mild day was in the offing, with a heavy, low ceiling of grey clouds, wind and light snow flurries. All of which meant that Jackie and Jillie would have the freedom of a no-boots tramp through the forest trails. And they wore their comfy-lined rainjackets since it looked as though rain would come down at any moment, but failed to, to our relief.

 

The high temperature hit 2C by afternoon, but the wind and the damp atmosphere lacked that spring feeling that was so prominent the last few days. It never seems to fail, when we're tramping along the trails, suddenly we meet up with one of the many dogs familiar to us plunking itself down beside Irving and patiently awaiting acknowledgement. And as often happens, when one dog comes along -- much, much ahead of its human -- another will suddenly appear, and then another.

 

Jackie and Jillie have become familiar with this scenario, and have learned in fact, to look forward to them. Having realized that if cookies are being doled out they'll be the beneficiaries as well. Even though they had been given cookies at various points along the trails. Irving daren't now venture out of the house and into the ravine without taking preparatory precautions that he not disappoint the doggy community.

 

We're fortunate to be far removed from the stress and tension blanketing the inner core of this capital city. Our mostly phlegmatic, accepting-of-authority fellow citizens have had enough of the Truckers' Convoy for Freedom. Freedom from mandated inoculations against COVID, freedom from mask-wearing, and distancing and closures and lockdowns. Which doesn't come with a scripted freedom from infection, hospitalization, time spent in an intensive care unit, nor death, unfortunately.

The medical community's belief in the latter being forestalled by the former based on their professional, scientific expertise and experience doesn't count for much in the minds of the citizenry fed up to the teeth by confusing orders that often seem to contradict each other. It seems that for the demographic working to deliver much-needed and depended-upon food products derived abroad got fed up themselves, with the dissatisfaction of authorities at their 90 percent vaccination rate, warning the unvaccinated of consequences to be taken, such as employment loss.

It's safe to say that a large portion of the Canadian population was in sympathy with the truckers' anger and determination to deliver a message to politicians when they first announced their intention to lead a convoy of trucks to Parliament Hill to express their attitude on the issues directly to government by converging from all points of the compass with the message that they meant to stay until all mandates were revoked and the current prime minister removed from office.

Although many Canadians would sincerely appreciate that last demand being met, they won't support it happening at the insistence of a convoy of dissatisfied citizens upending the democratic process. Even downtown residents being held hostage to the truckers' presence, blocking off whole communities from freely moving about, harassing and intimidating residents, would draw the line just about there.

Finally, police have moved in to remove the food preparation and diesel fuel storage shacks hastily erected by the protesters, and have made arrests where warranted by illegal actions, so things are beginning to move along not quite in the favour of a prolonged siege amplified by law-breaking events. All that is happening in the city, and we in the suburbs are watching and waiting.

 

And while we're doing that, going about our normal routines, upended as they have been by the presence of the global pandemic. February 7  turned into yet another beautiful winter day, only this time with clear skies, a high afternoon temperature of-2C, some wind and the forecast of more to continue for the balance of the week.

 

This was not a day to be wasted by not heading out to the ravine. And because access to the ravine has a great many points throughout the community into the forest that threads its way through the greater area, many other people were out as well, to share the beautiful weather and the resources of an urban forest.

 

We came across any number of dogs we're familiar with who have long since become friends of Jackie's and Jillie's. And we also saw quite a few newcomers to the forest trails, puppies guiding their humans about here and there. There was one tiny Yorkie, five months old whose assertive curiosity was a sight to behold. The little fellow was half the size of Jackie and Jillie, but curious and unafraid of their presence, happy to see everyone, and eager for playtime.

 

From the sublime to the ridiculous in contrast, there was a huge black mastiff we'd never before seen, nor his human. The dog was curious and friendly, his human companion, neither. The sun glanced fiercely through the forest, lighting tracks on the dense snow cover of the forest floor. Another few days of this kind of weather? I think we could manage to welcome it.

 

And if authorities at every level manage to take control from all of the protest groups supporting or just tagging along with the truckers' convoys popping up all over the country perhaps government, particularly the federal government, will digest the message that their performance has been far, far less than competent in the opinion of the electorate.

Things are definitely not normal in Ottawa. Not that the city has witnessed normalcy in the past two years with any number of lockdowns and restrictions. And it's the latest federal government mandate over truckers' vaccination that has brought the city centre to a standstill with the presence of heavy trucking rigs with Canadian truckers protesting the forced vaccination of the as-yet unvaccinated in the trucking community. 

A man walks past signs fixed to the fence surrounding Parliament where the truckers protest continues to block streets in Ottawa's downtown core on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The casual observer might take the impression that most truckers are opposed to vaccination, but the fact is 90 percent of Canadian truckers are fully vaccinated. It's the few that are not that the aggregate are protesting on behalf of, those who have lost employment. Along with the strictures in general, leading to a pause in civil liberties. 

Ironically enough, there are more than a few studies that support what the truckers are protesting against. That lockdowns, temporary closures of borders, travel restrictions, shutting restaurants, gyms and direct in-person teaching have accomplished nothing in the avoidance of coronavirus infections,  hospitalizations and deaths.

In the face of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the province has been in yet another partial lockdown. But this city, the country's capital, is in another kind of lockdown. Those thousands of protesters and their rigs have made their point, but it's the radical fringe groups who always recognize an opportunity to hide behind legitimate grievances, the haters and the sociopaths, the radical nationalists and the neo-Nazis have been out in full display, spreading their disaffection liberally. The central city has been shut down; businesses, hospitals, medical clinics, universities, public schools in the face of sociopaths threatening people and blocking access to services.

"We know there remain many unlawful demonstrators that are highly determined and highly volatile within our city. "

"[Intelligence gathered by the Ottawa Police Services and RCMP and OPP suggests that] we will continue to see the convoy attempt to hold the footprint that they have."

"We'll see large group9s of people gathering in the Parliamentary Precinct who are both in support of the convoy effort, as well as opposed to them, and they will all be demonstrating within the same area downtown."

Ottawa Police Service Deputy Chief Steve Bell

The Ottawa Police Force is playing it low-key. They have decided it would serve no useful purpose to confront the convoy, arrest people for blocking access to roadways, haul off their rigs, and possibly provoke a violent response. There have been a few discrete arrests; of people found carrying firearms. There will be others as investigations continue into incidents like desecration of the National War Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the occurrence of harassment and assaults.

As for neighbourhood communities confronted by some of those who have joined the protest, verbally abusing them for wearing masks, refusing to mask when entering restaurants, converging on humanitarian groups providing meals to the homeless and insisting on being fed at their soup kitchens, and the loud, unending noise connected with people being out on the streets partying, or blowing air horns without stop, interfering with people's sleep, ability to study and to work, this is a city being held hostage.

The hostage-takers of course are the very group bitterly complaining that their employment is being held hostage to government mandates that do more harm than good. That truckers who convey all the necessities of life for social communities have their needs that are being ignored. And in their determined push to be heard and their complaints listened to, they have used their discouraged frustration to victimize other people, those who cannot sleep at night, who cannot set out in the morning without harassment to go to work, attend school due to blocked roads. 

"A lot of people in my community here in Centretown are suffering and struggling and honestly, I just don't see the reasoning behind protesting for freedom and taking away a whole community's freedom."

"We're being overrun. This is an incursion."

"We don't have the ability to live our lives and workers and businesses and residents are suffering."   Counter Protester

This upending of a community reflects the social chaos that has resulted as a result of political and medical authorities theorizing the best possible public measures to take in hopes of taming a deadly virus which has no intention of falling under human control.

Trucks are blocked by police barricades as a rally against COVID-19 restrictions, which began as a cross-country convoy protesting a federal vaccine mandate for truckers continues in Ottawa on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle)