Special meeting called; city council to discuss next steps to deal with truckers protest

A special meeting of Winnipeg's City Council is set to be held this morning to discuss the next steps the city can take to deal with the ongoing truckers protest.

A special meeting of Winnipeg's City Council is set to be held this morning to discuss the next steps the city can take to deal with the ongoing truckers protest.

The meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., will focus on options the city has to deal with unlawful elements of the protest disrupting the lives of the general public, including restricting access to public streets, noise and harassment, the meeting’s agenda says.

CTV News will live stream the meeting.

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman formally called the meeting Wednesday, saying he has heard concerns from residents about the protests.

"I do think it is an unlawful occupation of our public streets," the mayor told reporters on Tuesday.

Protest organizers released a statement in response to Bowman's call for a special meeting, saying they have requested trucks and drivers limit noise between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. They said they are also asking protesters to honk for only two minutes at the top of every hour, along with short intermittent honking.

Bowman said he wants the protest to end before it escalates, and said he would like to see police enforce all laws.