Thread by @OttawaPolice

Weekend Demonstration Update: youtube.com/user/cityottaw…

Mise à jour sur la manifestation de la fin de semaine : youtube.com/villedottawa/l…

As you all know, there is a major demonstration taking place over the next several days here in the Nation's capital.

In fact, demonstrators have already arrived, and we have already started to manage a series of pop-up demonstrators in the core over the last 24 hours.

Many concerns have been expressed in the community, and many questions have been raised about what we can expect.

Here is what we know so far about the core Freedom Convoy demonstration organizers. They have advised us that this will be a peaceful demonstration.

They have confirmed that there will be a large number of trucks and participants and the main planned demonstrations will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

With demonstrations of this scale, there are significant risks to be mitigated but that we can not eliminate.

For instance, we have a major traffic plan to ensure that emergency lanes are kept open, but with thousands of trucks demonstrating in the downtown core for days, we know there will be major traffic safety issues.

Starting today and increasing over the weekend, Ottawa residents and visitors can expect to see a large police and emergency services presence in the downtown core and on major highways and roads.

As the demonstrators arrive in larger numbers today, major traffic delays and congestion will occur.

Throughout the weekend, there will be gridlock in the core, and it will impact road usage on a large scale city-wide.

We will do everything possible to maintain emergency routes in the core, but we ask everyone NOT to visit or travel in the downtown core if you don't need to.

The OPS and our partners will do our very best to keep all people healthy and safe. That said, we have a collective responsibility to keep the community healthy and safe.

We have to work together to enable everyone - demonstrators, visitors and residents - to get home safely to their families and loved ones.

We remain in regular contact with the convoy organizers to understand their plan and ensure they have information relative to safe driving routes and appropriate locations to park in the city.

We want to ensure demonstrators can arrive and leave as efficiently and safely as possible.

Nous demeurons en communication avec les organisateurs du convoi afin de comprendre leur plan et faire en sorte qu'ils disposent de toute l'information pertinente quant aux voies de conduite sécuritaires et aux endroits appropriés pour se stationner en ville.

Nous tenons à veiller à ce que les manifestants puissent arriver et repartir le plus efficacement et le plus sécuritairement possible.

The truck convoy will be directed to these specific areas as they arrive in Ottawa. City staff have been making sure appropriate signage is visible, including no-stopping or prohibited parking zones.

Le convoi de camions sera dirigé vers ces endroits particuliers au fur et à mesure de leur arrivée à Ottawa. Le personnel municipal a veillé à ce que la signalisation pertinente soit bien visible, notamment celle indiquant les zones de stationnement et d'arrêt interdits.

We have identified and will maintain open lanes of traffic for our first responders in emergencies throughout the demonstrations.

Nous avons identifié et garderons ouvertes des voies de circulation à l'intention de nos premiers intervenants en cas d'urgence tout au long des manifestations.

Our officers are here to protect the rights of individuals to demonstrate peacefully and in accordance with the law. We are also entrusted to intervene when violence and laws are broken and restore peace.

Our focus will be to preserve the safety of everyone involved; this includes Ottawa residents, demonstrators and police members.

Nos agents sont là pour protéger le droit individuel de manifester pacifiquement et dans le respect de la loi. Nous sommes aussi chargés d'intervenir et de rétablir la paix lorsque la violence éclate et que des lois sont enfreintes.

Nous allons miser sur le maintien de la sûreté de chacun, ce qui comprend les résidents d'Ottawa, manifestants et membres de la police.

Residents, visitors and demonstrators will see a very large police presence over the weekend. We will have officers on foot, in plain clothes, and using various methods to conduct evidence gathering and observation of crowds.

Demonstrators and residents can expect to see our members in different uniforms, with various equipment on their person and in different vehicles.

Au cours de la fin de semaine, les résidents, les visiteurs et les manifestants constateront une forte présence policière. Nous aurons des agents à pied, en civil, et ayant recours à une gamme de méthodes pour recueillir des éléments de preuve et observer les foules.

Les manifestants et résidents peuvent s'attendre à voir nos membres vêtus de divers uniformes, munis d'un éventail de matériel et à bord de différents véhicules.

To our fellow citizens of Ottawa, we appreciate that area businesses and residents are concerned, particularly about the information they see online. We want to assure them we are taking every action possible to mitigate the impacts of this event on daily life in the city.

Chers concitoyens d'Ottawa, nous sommes conscients de l'inquiétude que ressentent les commerçants et les résidents, particulièrement à la lumière de l'information qu'ils rencontrent en ligne.

Nous tenons à leur assurer que nous prenons toutes les mesures possibles pour atténuer les répercussions de ces événements sur le quotidien de la ville.

Even with those efforts, this will have a significant impact on traffic. The stated goal of demonstrators is to disrupt traffic to bring attention to their cause.

It is simple. Avoid the area if you don’t need to be downtown this weekend.

Malgré ces efforts, la circulation sera sérieusement affectée. L'objectif déclaré des manifestants est de perturber la circulation pour attirer l'attention vers leur cause.

C'est tout simple. S'il ne vous est pas nécessaire de vous trouver au centre-ville en fin de semaine, évitez le secteur.

For those of you who live downtown, expect delays and major traffic disruptions.

Make adjustments to schedules, whether for groceries, shopping, work, medical appointments or deliveries.

It will be more difficult to move around, especially by vehicle.

Quant à ceux d'entre vous qui habitent au centre-ville, attendez-vous à des retards et à de considérables perturbations de la circulation.

Ajustez votre horaire en conséquence, qu'il s'agisse de faire l'épicerie, de magasiner, d'aller au travail, à un rendez-vous médical ou d'effectuer des livraisons.

Il sera plus difficile de se déplacer, surtout pour les véhicules.

We will work to keep you updated.

We ask that you rely on trusted sources like our Twitter feed (@OttawaPolice) and the City of Ottawa’s feed @Ottawa_Traffic.

Nous tâcherons de vous tenir au fait des événements.

Nous vous prions de vous renseigner auprès de sources fiables, notamment notre fil Twitter (@OttawaPolice) et le fil circulation de la Ville d'Ottawa, @Ottawa_Circule.

This is Canada, and we truly believe the vast majority of people involved in any aspect of this will do so peacefully and lawfully.