Hospitals, police prepare for planned protest outside Ontario legislature as Ottawa demonstrations continue

Toronto–Three hospitals near Ontario's legislature have postponed a small number of appointments and Toronto police are shutting down nearby roads in anticipation of Saturday's planned protest against COVID-19 measures. Mount Sinai Hospital said it recommended its ambulatory clinics review appointments and reschedule non-urgent care, while Women's College Hospital said its urgent care clinic would not offer in-person appointments Saturday, though it opened an additional clinic on Friday. Read: Ottawa police deploy 'surge' in bid to control, end 'increasingly volatile' protest The Hospital for Sick Children also rescheduled some appointments, it said. "The majority of postponed appointments are for non-urgent ultrasounds. Appointments that can't be postponed due to medical reasons will proceed,'' said Jessamine Luck, a spokeswoman for SickKids. "Our care teams will be reaching out to any patients and families whose appointments may be affected. Plans are in place to help ensure staffing levels are maintained and any disruptions to patient care are minimized.'' Several other hospitals along the stretch known as "hospital row'' did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Toronto police closed two busy stretches of the downtown core to "normal traffic and any convoys'' on Friday morning. The force warned that the stretch of University Avenue between College and Queen streets, and the portion of College Street from University to Yonge Street, could be shuttered all weekend. "Hospital staff, workers, patients, family and people collecting patients will have access,'' the police service tweeted. Toronto police and the city's mayor are set to provide an update this afternoon on operational plans to deal with the protest. It's not yet clear how many people will show up to the Toronto protest. Online, organizers have said the planned rally is in support of a convoy that travelled to the nation's capital last Saturday. Ottawa police said that at the height of that protest, thousands of people were in attendance, but it has since dwindled to a rowdy few hundred. The protest against pandemic measures, which has immobilized the city's downtown with scores of large trucks, is an "increasingly volatile and increasingly dangerous demonstration,'' Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said at a news conference Friday. Police in that city expect as many as 400 more trucks and up to 2,000 people on foot will arrive this weekend for the protest. In addition, as many as 1,000 people could join counter-demonstrations downtown Ottawa. Read: Poll: How much do you charge to fill in insurance forms?

Hospitals, police prepare for planned protest outside Ontario legislature as Ottawa demonstrations continue

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics