The premier of Ontario declared a state of emergency for the entire province ahead of a weekend when law enforcement officials expect thousands of people to join the renegade truckers paralyzing the Canadian and American economies, the New York Times reports.
Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, said that the move will provide additional law enforcement to the scene, where police have been preventing the truckers from resupplying or bringing in replacement protestors for those that had to leave.
“Some guys had to go back to work, and the police wouldn’t let us refill those spots,” said Johnny Neufeld, 39, a long-haul trucker from Windsor. The truckers have not received any support from Canadian groups, with the Teamsters denouncing the protest, saying it “hurt workers and negatively impact our economy.”