Arrests as RCMP clear protest near Pacific Highway border crossing in B.C.

Advertisement

Advertise with us

VANCOUVER - Traffic was moving again Tuesday through the main commercial truck crossing between British Columbia and Washington state, hours after RCMP made numerous arrests and ordered an end to a demonstration against COVID-19 mandates.

Read this article for free:


By clicking the button above, an account will be created and you will begin to receive some of our recommended newsletters. You may opt out of any newsletter by visiting your Email and Communication Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any email.

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $1.44 a week*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $5.77 plus GST every four weeks. After 52 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/02/2022 (1709 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER – Traffic was moving again Tuesday through the main commercial truck crossing between British Columbia and Washington state, hours after RCMP made numerous arrests and ordered an end to a demonstration against COVID-19 mandates.

Officers ordered demonstrators out of the area just north of the border crossing at Pacific Highway late Monday, said Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha.

A statement released by RCMP says 12 people had been arrested, adding to the four taken into custody for mischief on Sunday.

A Canada Border Services Agency patch is seen on an officer in Calgary on Aug. 1, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A Canada Border Services Agency patch is seen on an officer in Calgary on Aug. 1, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Those arrested began blocking routes leading to the truck crossing last week, but police said there were concerns that some people may try to stay until all pandemic-related mandates were lifted.

“The public can expect to see a continued police presence in the area in the days ahead, with ongoing assessments of the situation,” the RCMP statement says.

Sangha said Mounties were monitoring southbound traffic at the crossing 50 kilometres south of Vancouver and are allowing commercial trucks to pass but will question drivers of private cars to ensure they plan to enter the United States.

Surrey RCMP took action after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, which would give the federal government temporary and extraordinary powers to deal with protests that have clogged Ottawa’s downtown core and shut down several border crossings this month.

Trudeau also said Canadians could be reassured that the Canada Border Services Agency was turning back non-Canadians trying to enter Canada to participate in blockades at several ports of entry across the country.

The agency had already turned back several people hoping to join the B.C. protest, a spokesman said in an emailed statement.

“By exercising existing enforcement authorities, the CBSA has directed some foreign nationals back to the United States and in other cases, travellers chose to leave Canada voluntarily,” Patrick Mahaffy said.

“Throughout the public order emergency, the mere intention to engage in unlawful demonstrations will, by itself, form a basis for the CBSA to deny entry to travellers,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Katie Zacharia and the telling of lies

Pam Frampton 5 minute read Preview

Katie Zacharia and the telling of lies

Pam Frampton 5 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

U.S. President Donald Trump’s new press secretary made her debut last week and was almost universally panned and parodied, lasting just five days before being fired.

Read
2:00 AM CDT

Clay Stevenson credits therapeutic side of hockey in learning to live with mother’s suicide

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Clay Stevenson credits therapeutic side of hockey in learning to live with mother’s suicide

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Hockey has always been more than just a game to Clay Stevenson. That was especially true after he suffered the biggest loss of his life: his mother, Holly, died by suicide seven years ago.

Read
Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Province looks to keep nearly $1M from traffic stop

Erik Pindera 4 minute read Preview

Province looks to keep nearly $1M from traffic stop

Erik Pindera 4 minute read Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

The RCMP constable could see that Alireza Haghgoo was nervous. The 22-year-old, seated as a passenger in a rental Nissan SUV the Mountie pulled over for speeding outside Brandon in late July, was breathing heavily and tapping his foot constantly.

Read
Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Puzzles Palace

1 minute read Friday, Oct. 16, 2026

To solve our puzzles, please subscribe with this special offer: |

Brandon senior hockey player files suit against opponent, league, Hockey Manitoba over serious injuries, lost income

Morgan Modjeski 3 minute read Preview

Brandon senior hockey player files suit against opponent, league, Hockey Manitoba over serious injuries, lost income

Morgan Modjeski 3 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

A Brandon man is taking a fellow hockey player and two sport organizations to court after he was seriously injured on the ice, alleging it caused him hardship and lost income.

In 2024, Devon Leblanc played for the Virden Oil Kings, a senior amateur team in the Tiger Hills Hockey League, which is a member of the Hockey Manitoba association.

Leblanc’s age is not made clear in the court filing, but an online roster suggests he’s 38.

Leblanc alleges Bryce Enns, a member of the Killarney Shamrocks, bodychecked and assaulted him during a game between the two teams on Nov. 28, 2024.

Read
2:01 AM CDT

RCMP clear protest blocking B.C. border crossing

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

RCMP clear protest blocking B.C. border crossing

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022

VANCOUVER - Traffic was moving again Tuesday through the main commercial truck crossing between British Columbia and Washington state, hours after RCMP made numerous arrests and ordered an end to a demonstration against COVID-19 mandates.

Officers ordered demonstrators out of the area just north of the border crossing at Pacific Highway late Monday, said Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha.

A statement released by RCMP says 12 people had been arrested, adding to the four taken into custody for mischief on Sunday.

Those arrested began blocking routes leading to the truck crossing last week, but police said there were concerns that some people may try to stay until all pandemic-related mandates were lifted.

Read
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022