Updated 5am, Wednesday April 28:
A 37-year-old Toronto native, as well as one person from Thunder Bay, have been arrested following a rally in Thunder Bay protesting COVID-19 health measures.
Thunder Bay police say they were picked up for breaking Ontario’s Stay at Home order, but released after with future court dates.
Chris “Sky” Saccoccia, from King City, brought the “Freedom Convoy” from western Canada to Thunder Bay, protesting health measures and vaccines.
It started with a few hundred people showing up at Waverley Park Tuesday night.
The crowd eventually moved to Hillcrest Park, where Saccoccia spoke against health restrictions.
“The business owners are the first group, they need to be open. The second group is the concerned parents. Why are you not all storming the region in one big group with a lawyer behind you, and saying ‘Take the mask off my kids’?” he says.
Organizers said there is a gag order against him so he is not allowed to speak in Ontario.
He also voiced concern about vaccines. “This is a very valid concern… is the government just changed the law to allow your employer to fire you, if you do not take a vaccine.”
There were a few tense moments between people with masks and those without, but police at the gathering did not step in.
A number of speakers addressed the crowd at Waverley Park.
One woman, identifying herself as Ava, was among several people calling wearing masks “the first step to subjugation.”
“If we wait one week longer, it’s going to be too late,” she said, speaking from the Waverley Park Pavilion.
Ava offered the microphone to anyone who wished to speak, and a woman who didn’t give her name told the crowd to encourage their families to stop wearing masks.
“If you’re too scared to send your kids to school or these other places and you put a mask on out of fear, just know there’s people like me who don’t give a s*** anymore. My kids haven’t worn a mask since day one,” she said.
A group of counter-protesters at Waverley Park, April 27, 2021. (Staff Photo)
Counter-protesters tried to drown out the demonstrators, as dozens of vehicles near the park sounded their horns when organizers spoke. One car loudly played music from a large speaker for a portion of the event.
A brief altercation broke out after a person used a cane to knock the speaker down.
The vehicle left a short time later after a Thunder Bay Police officer approached it.
A man who identified himself as a former union official at the Thunder Bay Ship Yard claimed the COVID-19 vaccine is causing “over 4,000 deaths per week,” but went on to say he had no proof of that claim.
