Canadian police evacuate key border bridge as protest grows

WINDSOR, Canada: Canadian police on Saturday began clearing a key bridge of truckers protesting Covid-19 restrictions, even as authorities in Ottawa braced for renewed demonstrations expected to bring thousands to the federal capital.

The provincial supreme court in Ontario had ordered truckers to end their blockade of the strategic Ambassador Bridge, which links the city of Windsor in Canada to Detroit, Michigan in the US.

The protest has forced major automakers in both countries to halt or scale back production, and Washington on Friday urged Ottawa to use its federal powers to end the blockade.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised "an increasingly robust police intervention," adding that borders cannot remain closed and "this conflict must end."

Ontario province, heavily dependent on the auto industry, has declared a state of emergency.

But while Canadian police began the process of clearing the Ambassador Bridge -- tents erected in traffic lanes were taken down, and some trucks had left the scene by mid-morning Saturday -- protests continued, there and elsewhere.