PEMBINA — A protest that started last week in Canada’s national capital city Ottawa, is now directly impacting commerce in North Dakota.
Multiple social media sources reported Thursday the port of entry at Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina had been blockaded to southbound traffic at 11 p.m., Wednesday night. By 7 a.m., Thursday, both southbound and both northbound lanes were blockaded.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed the blockade in both directions and are urging motorists to use alternative ports of entry. Pembina/Emerson is one of three 24-hour ports of entry on the North Dakota border with Canada.
The Pembina port, which can see as many as 1,000 trucks pass through in a day, links Winnipeg and Grand Forks by Manitoba Provincial Highway 75 and I-29. The other two 24-hour ports are at Dunseith and Portal.
The southbound port going into the United States was the first to be sealed off with semi-trailers. The northbound port followed several hours later with semis, farm machinery and other vehicles. The RCMP hasn’t disclosed how many vehicles are sitting idle on Provincial 75, but drone footage showed approximately 50 rigs at 7 a.m. on Thursday.
Witnesses, however, posted to social media the convoy is about a mile long. The RCMP stated about 50 semis are at the port.
The RCMP didn’t respond to a request for comment, but did issue a statement. Apparently, the main blockade north of Pembina was also blocking some secondary roads and residents in the area didn’t immediately have access to emergency services.
“The situation is completely and utterly unacceptable, and it cannot be repeated.”Royal Canadian Mounted Police statement
“The situation is completely and utterly unacceptable, and it cannot be repeated,” the RCMP stated. “The Manitoba RCMP will continue to closely monitor these demonstrations and will not tolerate any blocking of roads or highways leading to hospitals.”
An earlier tweet by the RCMP indicated they recognize the right to peacefully protest, but it’s not a right when it prevents Manitoban from obtaining emergency services.
The port at Emerson/Pembina is now the third major port of entry leading into the United States that has been blocked. After the protests began in Ottawa, a group of truckers in western Canada blockaded the Coutts, Alberta/Sweetgrass, Mont., port connecting Alberta Provincial Highway 4 and I-15. It is a major trade link between Calgary and Salt Lake City.
It’s unclear what’s going to happen at the Emerson port, but RCMP officers have moved in and begun arresting people at the Coutts port of entry. The local RCMP indicated the situation is stable and both the police and protestors know what each other wants.
Pembina County Sheriff Terry Meidinger didn’t return phone calls seeking comment about the Pembina port. However, Cavalier Chronicle editor Lynn Schroeder said he wasn’t aware of any activity on the North Dakota side of the border.
In the past couple of days, the Ambassador Bridge at Windsor/Detroit was also blocked. That is the busiest land port between the United States and Canada. Emerson/Pembina is the fifth busiest port of entry for Canadian goods entering the United States. It is a major arterial from Winnipeg to numerous U.S. destinations including Minneapolis and Kansas City.
Canadian truckers are protesting federal government COVID 19 vaccine mandates. Spokespersons for the demonstrators in Ottawa say they are staying put until all mandates across Canada are lifted.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is currently in isolation because he has COVID, says the government isn’t backing down. Thus the stalemate continues.
There is no known activity at the North Portal/Portal port of entry north of Bowbells. Burke County Tribune editor Lyann Olson said Thursday afternoon, she hasn’t heard of any activity at North Portal.
The portal port of entry is the major route between Regina and Minot and links Saskatchewan Provincial Highway 39 to U.S. Highway 52 at Portal. Several Canadian truckers from the three prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba were seen on U.S. 52 Thursday afternoon between Kenmare and Minot, although it appeared there were fewer than normal and most of them were grain trucks.
