Echoes of last February Saturday on the 417.
If you were headed from Western Renfrew County into the city just after 10AM Saturday morning you no doubt encountered the “Slow Roll” convoy into Ottawa occupying the highway’s right-hand lane.
The event was organized by “Freedom Fighters Canada” and was inspired by Dutch farmers protesting a ban on nitrates in fertilizers used in the Netherlands as proposed by that country’s government.
Vehicles in the row were festooned with a combination of Canadian flags, and the Dutch tri-colour, and John Q Public was free to pass the entourage in the left-hand lane.
Multiple media sources say similar protests were organized in cities across Canada.
Once in Ottawa, the estimated 250 individuals participating rallied in from of the Dutch Embassy, then posed for a group photo outside Parliament Hill.
CTV reports a temporary no-stopping zone had been established by Ottawa Police beforehand, with a number of vehicles towed and one person arrested for obstruction.
By Rick Stow
