CHAT News file photo

By Darren Rathwell

Trucker protest to Ottawa to pass through Medicine Hat

Jan 21, 2022 | 4:56 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Expect to see a big convoy of semi trailers on Highway One soon – as part of a protest of vaccine mandates for truckers.

Organizers say up to a thousand trucks will pass through Medicine Hat Monday morning.

“We do not want to specifically block roads, we’re just gonna continue down the right hand lane doin’ our thing,” protest organizer Colin Valentim told supporters on Facebook this week.

Truckers will be travelling to Ottawa saying they want to vocally protest Ottawa’s new vaccine rule. And support for Monday’s convoy is strong, say organizers.

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“My email and phone is blowing up, because of people like you who have simply had enough of this government,” Valentim said.

As part of the new mandate, truck drivers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or face a two week quarantine when crossing into Canada, however the trucking industry is facing challenges including supply chain disruptions and a driver shortage.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance estimates the vaccine mandate could result in a loss of up to 16 thousand cross border drivers.

Meanwhile, the protest organizers are a pro-freedom group who say they want to support trucker’s rights,

“To say ‘hey we’re going to force you to take a vaccine’ when (truckers) don’t even hardly go out to public at all, they sit in a truck 16 hours a day, y’know, they go out for five minutes for a coffee and pee break, that’s it,” Jason LaFace of Canada Unity said.

As well, a Go Fund Me page has raised over a million dollars for the protest’s meals, fuel and lodging.

And truck drivers in Medicine Hat Friday had strong views on the event, and on vaccines.

“No one cares about drivers.. even the government. So I think this is a good thing if they’re going to Parliament.”

Another trucker driver told CHAT News, “a lot of drivers are going to leave the industry so, i think the government needs to back off on that, and realize there’s already a shortage of goods in stores right now. It’s going to get a lot worse.”

However, one driver said he’s urging his peers to get vaccinated.

“My mother’s 85 years old she’s had three of the shots, y’know never got sick. No problems whatsoever. So I said if an 85 year old woman can get the vaccine, you can get the vaccine.”

Protest organizers plan to have thousands of trucks from various regions converge on Ottawa Jan. 29.

The convoy will stop at Trukkers’ restaurant in Redcliff Monday morning.