BARRIE, ONT. Despite having their typical gathering place blocked off, hundreds still turned out in downtown Barrie Saturday to protest the provincial government s COVID-19 restrictions. One man was led away by four police officers from the protest, which started near the city s waterfront. There was one arrest in a crowd of mostly peaceful people, said Inspector Rich Johnston of the Barrie Police Service. There was an individual causing a disturbance to the point there were some concerns for everyone around. The protestors first gathered at the fenced-off Meridian place beginning at noon Saturday. The city closed the site earlier in the week to prevent public gatherings.
BARRIE, ONT. The City of Barrie s mayor issued an emergency order to immediately close and fence off Meridian Place to stop the ongoing gatherings in the city s downtown. Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman called the measure necessary following more than a month of protests. Earlier this week, the city said it was determined to develop a plan to put an end to the Barrie Freedom Rally that draws hundreds of people to Meridian Place to protest the government s strict lockdown measures. In a release Thursday, Lehman said, The gatherings that put people s lives at risk need to stop. I want to thank residents of Barrie who have stayed home to keep each other safe at this critical point in the pandemic. The city will continue to pursue additional steps to stop illegal gatherings and hold those responsible accountable.
BARRIE, ONT. Metal fencing now surrounds downtown Barrie s Meridian Place, which has been the location of recurring anti-lockdown protests every Saturday. On Thursday, Mayor Jeff Lehman issued an emergency order to close the public square in the interest of public safety. The gatherings that put people s lives at risk need to stop, Lehman said in a statement. The mayor added that the city would pursue other steps to stop illegal gatherings and hold those responsible for them accountable. Organized public events and social gatherings are not permitted under the provincial stay-at-home order, which is in effect until May 20. Barrie Police issued 23 tickets in recent weeks, as hundreds of people defied the order and piled into Meridian Place.
Lockdown protesters literally stood and sat upon names of the COVID-19 dead during Saturday’s ‘freedom rally’ in downtown Barrie.
Earlier that morning, someone chalked the names and ages of 100 people who have died from the virus on all levels of cement at Meridian Place, located just below Memorial Square, which honours Barrie’s war dead.
Along with the names were a number of chalked messages to the rally organizers and supporters ‘Wear a mask’, ‘Don’t Erase Them! (Their Lives Mattered)’ and ‘You are killing our downtown community’. Other messages said there were 23,756 deaths in Canada from COVID, including 7,789 in Ontario alone.