- Canadian authorities met in court Friday to discuss breaking up the bridge blockade by truckers protesting COVID-19 restrictions.
- U.S. officials are calling to resolve the standoff quickly, as several auto plants, including Ford and General Motors, closed and supply chain disruptions continue.
- The owner of the Ambassador Bridge said the protests “cannot continue any longer” due to the “devastating impact” to both the U.S. and Canada’s economies.
- Protesters said they will open one lane of traffic on the bridge, CBC’s Chris Ensing reported.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to make an announcement regarding the blockade Friday morning.
Follow Newsweek’s live blog for all the latest updates.
JEFF KOWALSKY/AP Photo
Toyota plants feel impact of blockade
Car manufacturer Toyota is feeling the impact of the Canadian trucker protests at its engine plants in West Virginia and Alabama.
“Due to a number of supply chain, severe weather and COVID related challenges, Toyota continues to face shortages affecting production at our North American plants,” Toyota said in a statement. “Our teams are closely monitoring the situation and working diligently to minimize the impact on production.”
Manufacturing in Ontario, Canada and Kentucky have also been impacted “due to issues related to the Ambassador Bridge blockade.”
The company said they expect disruptions through the weekend and will “continue to make adjustments as needed.”
“While the situation is fluid and changes frequently, we do not anticipate any impact to employment at this time,” the company said.
New: @Toyota seeing impacts to production at engine plants in West Virginia and Alabama because of Canadian border protests — after previously announcing Kentucky and Ontario pic.twitter.com/sI4O7hYzb2
— davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) February 11, 2022
Protesters open one lane on Ambassador bridge
Protesters in Windsor are clearing one lane for Canada-bound traffic from the Ambassador Bridge.
This comes after protesters initially blocked traffic on the bridge, causing it to be closed for traffic coming from the U.S. all week.
According to CBC News, protesters say the move is a show of their good faith ahead of an expected announcement on the blockade by the Ontario premier and a court hearing on an injunction application.
