Trucker protests snarl border crossings, shut down production in car plants
CTV
Blockades of two Canada-U.S. border crossings continue, severely hampering trade and halting production at some auto plants, while a core group of protesters carries on its efforts in the Ottawa downtown core.
The protest and blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., which connects Canada and the U.S. via Detroit, has continued since it started on Monday, prompting Windsor city officials and local police to request provincial and federal assistance.
The Ambassador Bridge usually handles 8,000 trucks a day, about 25 per cent of all cross-border trade, or about US$500 million per day.
Due to parts shortages caused by the border blockade, General Motors cancelled two shifts Thursday at a Lansing, Mich. plant due to the protest on the bridge.
Ford said late Wednesday that it was forced to shut down its engine plant in Windsor and to run an assembly plant in Oakville, Ont., on a reduced schedule.
