It was our publicly expressed opinion at the beginning of the Ambassador Bridge blockade that there were existing laws that law enforcement on the ground could have enforced. Both the municipal and provincial law enforcement agencies that dealt with the roads leading to that bridge appeared paralyzed. We were in direct contact with officials at all three levels of government. We implored them.... We thought the Highway Traffic Act was in place and if it were enforced, it could have addressed this crisis right when it started.
After it closed the first day, we immediately went to court as lead plaintiff, joined by the City of Windsor, and then the attorney general's office in Ontario joined us as intervenors. I think this is a case study in what a one-day, two-day or three-day delay means in law enforcement. A delay in law enforcement of that time leads to a dynamic, but fragile, economy.
There are lessons to be learned by every single agency and level of government.