Anti-vaccine mandate protesters have announced plans to block a U.S. border crossing in Surrey for the second time this month but local police and Canada Border Services Agency are prepared.
Protesters had originally planned to hold a "Global News Rally" on Saturday (Feb. 19), but since then organizers have shifted the protest to be aimed at the 176th street border crossing in Surrey. This move comes a week after a handful of vehicles made their way through police barricades at the same border crossing. In total 16 people were arrested for mischief and intimidation. At this point, it is unclear if protesters will take the same route as last weekend but there may be two separate protest groups converging on the crossing.
In preparation for this, Surrey RCMP has stated resources have been deployed to the area and police will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the crossing remains open.
"There are contingency plans in place and our response will be situationally dependant," an RCMP spokesperson wrote in an email to Vancouver Is Awesome. In an earlier phone interview, a different RCMP spokesperson told V.I.A. the organization has been "planning since the start of last week," and there are checkpoints in place.
In light of the trucker convoy occupation in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked for the first time the Emergencies Act. The Act, among other things, gives police more tools to restore order in places where public assemblies constitute illegal and dangerous activities. Despite this Surrey RCMP stated previous enforcement actions at the border crossing were part of plans established prior to the Act coming into effect and all arrests made were under existing authorities.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will be watching the situation carefully and "is ready to respond, with police of local jurisdiction if necessary," the agency wrote in a statement to V.I.A.
"The Agency is also continuously monitoring changes in demand and may allocate resources, adjust staffing levels and hours of service (if needed) to minimize processing times and potential delays," the statement continued.
With files from Elana Shepert, Canadian Press
