Interior Truckers Join ‘Massive and Incredible’ 2022 Freedom Convoy

The trucks haven’t even started rolling yet and already Freedom Convoy 2022 has “massive and incredible” momentum, according to northern BC organizer Art Meise of Prince George.

Freedom Convoy is the grassroots truckers’ event that will see big trucks leaving Vancouver on Sunday and heading to Ottawa, with other truckers and their trucks joining and converging, for a spectacular arrival on January 29.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we had 150,000 trucks and truckers and a total of 700,000 people by the time we get to Ottawa,” said Meise, who drives heavy equipment in Prince George.

For Freedom Convoy, he will drive a pickup truck and trailer that will also serve as an office for participating truckers in northern British Columbia.

“It’s not just about truckers anymore, it’s about everyone,” Meise said.

“We want an end to discrimination. We want the lifting of mandates and restrictions (COVID). We want the right to choose and to work.”

With such a crowd of trucks and people expected to surround Parliament Hill, Meise said Freedom Convoy would “shut down Ottawa until they do something.”

</who>The 2022 Freedom Convoy leaves Vancouver on Sunday and truckers from across the country join and converge to arrive in Ottawa on January 29 to demand an end to COVID warrants and restrictions.” class=”img-responsive” src=”https ://www.kelownanow.com/files/files/images/convoy%20higher%20rez.jpg” style=”margin: 5px;”/></p> <p>The Freedom Convoy idea began after new rules came into effect on January 15 requiring any Canadian trucker crossing into Canada from the United States to be fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID result from a PCR test in order to avoid mandatory quarantine.</p> <p>Prior to Jan. 15, truckers were exempt from these mandates to keep the supply chain running smoothly.</p> <p>An estimated 20% of truckers are unvaccinated, which could mean a 20% disruption to the supply chain, on top of the difficulties already faced due to flood damage to BC roads and landslides.</p> <p>Sean Tiessen, a cross-border lumber hauler from Grand Forks, will join Freedom Convoy as it passes through Salmon Arm on Sunday.</p> <p>“I’m not anti-vax, but I’m against the loss of my freedoms,” Tiessen said.</p> <p>“The discrimination and division that the COVID mandates have created has torn families, employers and workers apart.”</p> <p>Initially, Tiessen said he did not want to disclose his vaccination status.</p> <p>But then he revealed he was fired from his job hauling cross-border lumber due to new rules requiring truckers to be vaccinated to enter and exit the United States.</p> <p>“The outpouring of support for truckers and those who want to end discrimination, mandates and restrictions is overwhelming. It blew my mind,” Tiessen said.</p> <p>“People want to go back to work and they want to live in a country that is back to normal.”</p> </p> <p>Initially, Dave Earle, president of the BC Trucking Association, said the association was not involved and had no say.</p> <p>But Earle pointed us to Freedom Convoy’s GoFundMe page affiliated with Canada-Unity.com/bearhug as an indication of who is really organizing the convoy.</p> <p>The GoFundMe reached its goal of $1.1 million from more than 13,000 donors.</p> <p>The money will be used to help participating truckers pay for fuel, food and accommodation.</p> <p>The narrative in Canada is changing.</p> <p>As COVID becomes the weaker variant of Omicron resembling a cold or flu, many people are beginning to demand the lifting of mandates and strict restrictions.</p> <p>England, Ireland, Scotland and many US states are lifting restrictions so society can get back to normal.</p> <p> </div> <p style=

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Betty K. Park

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