Thread by @pdmcleod

Quiet, cold, snowy morning in Ottawa. Waiting to see if this is the day police make their move.

At a downtown Tim Hortons, which I'm visiting for important journalism reasons, a group of protesters talk about what a hard week it's been. A man from Montreal says his guys trying to get in are being blocked by police. A woman advises to say they're staying at a downtown hotel.

Police say they're moving in and starting arrests. But first they'll have to find a way past this snow barrier on Rideau.

So this sidewalk plow was either stolen or abandoned. Police were here earlier but I guess decided they had bigger fish to fry. Now the protesters are using it to clear snow.

Despite overwhelming signs police are moving in any time, the truckers this morning are going through their by now mundane daily routines of waking up, clearing snow, having breakfast, setting up signs, etc. Feels both surreal and surprisingly normal.

To steal @Gray_Mackenzie's bit, Ottawa's hottest club is back in operation.

This guy calls himself "The Shaman of Canada."

Ok what even is this thing?

A wave of police has arrived. Protesters linking arms to form a barricade.

Staredown.

Second phalanx of cops has moved into position.

Police moving in.

A lot of pushing as protesters yell to hold the line.

Police still haven't arrested anyone yet as far as I have seen. Slow developing situation.

Horse cops have arrived.

Police moving forward. Many protesters retreating north to Wellington street. Others trying to hold the line.

Police will move ahead several feet and then stop. Another wave of police reinforcements coming in from the south. With this they look like they significantly outnumber the protesters here.

Shaman 2.0 is here.

Around the corner on Rideau, this camp's eastern flank, a smaller standoff with police. This whole area is essentially settled in.

I assumed police would at some point rush in and grab a bunch of people. But so far it's just been thinning the crowd arresting individuals or small groups at a time near the front. This could take a while if it stays like this.

Protesters are, uh, shovelling snow at the police.

Bit by bit police have pushed protesters back to the area where the trucks are parked and now they're moving through the vehicles.

Up the road at the Wellington St. camp, people are, again, turning to shovelling snow to build barriers to the police.

Every barricade has to start with something.

I left for about an hour to check out downtown and back at the Rideau Street camp things have barely moved. Police seem to be going car to car to remove people and apparently smashed windows to do so in at least one case (i didn't witness it)

I want to emphasize that the topless dancing guy is not Remi Royale

Some kids still here. Youngest I've seen is ~12 years old. Some teens with parents as well. And there are occasionally people with dogs coming and going.

At the other end of downtown over on Kent Street it feels closer to the normal street party vibe. Little, if any, uniformed police presence. But clearly their numbers are down though as people went over to Rideau to help hold the line.

Wow, as Rideau takes up all the oxygen, Bank Street has quietly almost entirely cleared out. Only two big rigs and a few smaller vehicles spanning about one block. A police officer told me the trucks left willingly, realizing they can get out now or drive home with no windows.

Just 45 minutes ago I thought "how are they possibly advancing so slowly, this is going to take a week." But walking the length of downtown it's clear there has been major, mostly voluntary, progress. Still a lot of trucks and people, no doubt, but way different from a week ago.

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Protesters had to clear their own barricades on Metcalfe to let a couple of their cars through.

Seems to be conflicting strategies at the protest front with police. Many want the people on Wellington to come down and give them reinforcements. But some are moving back to Wellington to try to entrench what they see as their home base.

I think buddy is lost.

Guy with an idea: "What if we all lie on our backs and do freedom angels. What are they going to run us over with horses?"

Other guy: "Yes!"

Several protesters have taken a knee and are chanting "Peace! Love!"

Kind of hard to convey the physical discomfort of all this. It's currently -12 Celsius / 10 Fahrenheit and has been windy all day. Have heard a couple protesters talk enviously about being arrested and getting to sleep indoors again.

Picking up an undercurrent of acceptance amidst the calls to hold the line. People talking into phones about returning in bigger numbers, or how they succeeded in exposing Trudeau.

"This isn't the end!" one guy nearby screams. He makes sure to specify "next time in the summer!"