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Trukers and supporters block access to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, during a protest
Photo: Nathan Denette / dpa
The trucker protests in Canada have been going on for more than two weeks.
The province of Ontario has now declared a state of emergency.
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford announced on Friday measures to end the blockades in the Canadian capital Ottawa and at a key border bridge to Detroit, among other places.
These included fines of up to 70,000 euros and a year in prison for the demonstrators.
In addition, truck drivers could have their licenses revoked.
Task forces would be deployed to protect important roads, airports, ports and other infrastructure facilities.
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The protests against the Canadian government's corona policy had recently affected the country's economy and border traffic after truckers blocked a bridge between the city of Windsor and Detroit for days.
25 percent of Canadian-American freight flows across the Ambassador Bridge.
About 8,000 trucks cross this border every day.
Several automakers in the region were forced to partially shut down their production lines.
The drastic measures against the demonstrators are now necessary before "unprecedented" trade problems arise, said Ford. "As soon as possible" they will ensure that access to the bridge is free again.
Thousands of people have been demonstrating in Canada against corona measures and vaccination regulations for days.
With trucks and other vehicles, they blocked, among other things, parts of downtown Ottawa.
The object of the protests were vaccination requirements for truck drivers.
The so-called Freedom Convoy initially protested against the requirement that truck drivers must be vaccinated against the corona virus in order to cross the US border.
In the meantime, the protest has turned against the government pandemic restrictions as a whole.
In January, an ordinance came into effect requiring truck drivers returning from the United States to provide proof of vaccinations.
mfh/dpa
