The last word

My last words about the dreadful situation in Ottawa are not mine at all. They belong to Bob Rae, who tweeted, 

" A truck is not a speech. A horn is not a voice. An occupation is not a protest. A blockade is not freedom, it blocks the liberty of all. A demand to overthrow a government is not a dialogue. The expression of hatred is not a difference of opinion. A lie is not the truth."

The Madness Continues

Okay, so call me naive. On January 30th, I wrote a fairly calm piece, expressing my total confidence in various levels of government and the many police forces in the Ottawa Gatineau area. I truly believed that they would ensure a safe and quick end to the protest  here in Ottawa.  I just assumed that they were all working together. Was I ever wrong ! Just this past Saturday, February 12th, there was an announcement that an integrated command centre was being set up, bringing together local police with the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP. Really ?! On the third weekend of protests you tell the citizens of Ottawa that you are setting up this joint desk? Why didn't you set that up before the protesters even arrived here? 

As if God would condone treating their fellow citizens in this abusive manner!

The news over the past week has been incredible. The province has rightly declared a state of emergency.   With the lack of both leadership and basic law enforcement, all kinds of people felt it necessary to take action of their own. A twenty-one year old woman launched a court injunction to stop the constant blaring of trucks,  the Ottawa mayor did some of his own negotiating with truckers, to remove their trucks from residential streets, regular citizens launched counter protests and prevented some protesters from going downtown. 

On February 14th, for the first time, Trudeau looked like he was truly interested in helping to stop this insanity. Bring on the Emergencies Act ! Do something, anything. Today while out for a walk in our area, we ran into a few neighbours and they all expressed the same opinion -  Ottawa has been failed by all levels of government . The people of Ottawa are sick and tired of squabbling among various elected officials. We need a coordinated effort. Yesterday, for better or worse, our police chief has resigned. Will that help matters ? 

There's so much to read on the current situation.   From yesterday's Ottawa Citizen, here are a couple of pieces to consider: Click here to read local writer Kelly Egan's assessment of the situation. Click here to read yesterday's editorial in the Ottawa Citizen.

There are many days that I can't believe the times we are living in. For so many reasons, this is a depressing era. My only consolation is that our grandchildren are young enough that we can still try to protect them from the very harsh realities of the current situation. We'll spend this coming family day weekend with our seven and nine year old grandkids. They're pretty big on rules. They know you can get a ticket if you break the law. They give me heck if I start to back the car out of the driveway, while still buckling up my seatbelt. They know we should all wear helmets when we ride our bikes. They trust that police officers are there to assist  them if they need help. 

I want them to continue to have faith and trust that police forces and government officials are there to take care of all of us. This weekend we'll play with them and if we watch television at all, we'll turn off the news and watch the Olympics instead. The Olympics aren't perfect but it's a good escape from this ongoing siege. 

What now?

 I wrote my last post on Sunday evening. By Monday morning I was furious. That was after I listened to several radio interviews, with folks affected by this occupation.  Tomorrow is Friday - a whole week of this unprecedented, outrageous situation. Tonight's At Issue panel (CBC ) was particularly vehement in their condemnation of the Conservative Party's reaction to the situation. Of course I have no idea how this should be resolved. All I know is that the personal stories that I have heard on the radio this week have been absolutely heartbreaking. Councillor Diane Deans, the head of Ottawa's Police Services Board apologized to the people who live and work in the downtown core  for the "living hell" they are enduring.  Alex Munter, the CEO of CHEO, was tweeting information in the mornings - traffic tips -  to advise hospital workers that if they showed their hospital ID at the closed Chaudiere Bridge, they would be allowed to use that bridge to cross from Quebec to Ottawa, to get into their shifts at the hospitals. That's so they could avoid the hours long delays on the other bridges. 

Today, as I drove around my own neighbourhood I was struck by the politeness of my fellow drivers. We still have a lot of very large snowbanks after our last storm, making it difficult for two cars to pass each other. So we patiently wait and duck into a laneway and let the other guy go first. It happens all the time. Same thing on the sidewalks. Often, when you are walking along, people will cross to the other side of the street or pull over into a lane way to let the other pedestrian walk by- because  of Covid concerns, That's the kind of city we are . Ottawans are, for the most part, polite, kind and patient. That's why we are so appalled at the extreme rudeness and selfishness of the thugs who have invaded our city. 

This is madness.