A group of people on Facebook is organizing a “slow roll” vehicle convoy through Peterborough on Saturday (February 19).
According to a Facebook event, the convoy intends to gather at the Dobbin Road parking lot at Fleming College at 11 a.m., and then proceed east on Lansdowne Street to Ashburnham Road, north on Ashburnham to Parkhill Road, and then south into downtown Peterborough.
“All vehicles welcome. Big rigs, tractors and more,” writes one of the event organizers on the Peterborough Freedom Rally Convoy Facebook group, which was created on February 13 and is described as “A friendly and safe protest convoy threw (sic) the city of Peterborough.” The group has over 200 members.
Fleming College is aware of the convoy’s plan to gather in the Dobbin Ross parking lot and tweeted on Tuesday (February 15) that it has not been asked for permission to use its property and does not intend to give it.
Fleming is aware of a plan to organize a convoy of protestors on our property this weekend. We have not been asked for permission & permission will not be granted. For the safety our students, including those living on campus, we ask organizers to find an alternate location.
— Fleming College (@FlemingCollege) February 15, 2022
Both the City of Peterborough and Peterborough police have been made aware of the planned convoy.
On Wednesday (February 16), the Peterborough Police Service issued a statement about “upcoming events in our community,” without specifically mentioning the planned convoy.
“Peterborough Police is committed to the safety and security of all residents,” the statement reads. “When we become aware of a situation, we look into it and resource it as necessary. The Peterborough Police Service would like to remind the public that unsanctioned events have a high probability for personal injury and property damage, and a police response is not an endorsement, but a commitment to public safety.”
While unnecessary slow driving is already illegal under section 132 of Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, with fines between $150 and $1,000 upon conviction, it is unclear whether new powers given to police under Ontario’s state of emergency declared last Friday (February 11) will apply to a “slow roll” convoy through Peterborough streets.
The new regulation, which is intended to protect critical infrastructure and highways, makes it illegal to block any highway, including municipally owned roadways, that causes a “serious interference with the safety, health, or well-being of members of the public” among other things.
However, the regulation excludes any impediment “that is trivial, transient, or minor in nature” or where users “can easily avoid the impediment.”
It is also unclear whether the new regulation under the federal Emergencies Act applies to all “slow rolls.” The regulation prohibits any “public assembly” that leads to a breach of the peace by seriously disrupting the movement of persons or goods or the serious interference with trade, interferes with the functioning of critical infrastructure, or supports the threat or use of acts of serious violence against persons or property.
As news of the planned convoy spread on social media, some Peterborough residents are already expressing both concern and anger.
#Ptbo community safety alert:
Two groups are trying to organize convoys through the city within the coming weeks, starting this Saturday. #ptbo #ptbokawartha #Peterborough
— Johnny Fondue (@EatsFood2) February 15, 2022
Here, @mferreriptbokaw
These are your constituents telling you they do not want these rolling blockades in our city. #NotInOurCity
Shouldn't be in anyone's.@kawarthaNOW @PtboExaminer @PtboPolice @OPP https://t.co/81ZwOyWvMV— Bringer of Context (@ItsMe_Context) February 15, 2022
This story has been updated to include a statement from the Peterborough police.
