Ontario Is Looking To Give Huge Fines & Prison Time To Those Who Block Border Crossings
The act would also grant police the power to suspend driver's licences on site.
The Ambassador Bridge that connects Ontario to Michigan, Right: Premier Doug Ford making an announcement.
The Ontario government just proposed a new act to prevent other serious trade disruptions, and if it gets passed, it could lead to some serious fines and even some jail time.
In a news release published on March 21, the provincial government introduced the Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act, 2022, which proposes measures that would allow law enforcement to get involved if, for example, more people decide to clog up Windsor's Ambassador Bridge.
This act would let Ontario immediately handle future disruptions at Canada-U.S. border crossings like bridges and airports, especially if it's impacting the economy and international trade as well as local residents' safety.
Among the proposed measures include major offences for anyone who would breach the new legislation.
Any individual can face a year of prison time or a fine of up to $100,000 (or both), while directors and officers of businesses can get fined up to $500,000 in fines. Corporations can get slammed with $10,000,000 in fines, too.
On top of the whopping fines, the act would also give police the power to seize and store objects, like vehicles, for 30 days, and would also grant officers the authority to hand-out roadside suspension of drivers' licences or licence plates for 14 days when a vehicle is used for an illegal blockade.
"Currently, police have a range of tools available to support enforcement where protest activities involve unsafe use of vehicles or blocking roadways. However, these need to be supplemented with additional tools to quickly address serious interference of infrastructure used in international trade," government officials wrote.
The Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act, 2022, would also suspend commercial motor vehicle permits and the like. It would also connect provincial courts to registrar's offices to suspend driver's licences if they are convicted under this legislation and don't pay their fines.
In order to put an end to the Freedom Convoy protest and bridge blockades, the Ford government declared a state of emergency.