Protest continues at Wyman Road

Trains through the main line linking Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal have been at a standstill since Thursday and as of Tuesday, Tyendinaga Mohawks members are in it for the long haul.

Those at Wyman Road were open to starting discussions with OPP liaison officers but didn’t move from the tracks after being presented for a second time with a court order to remove themselves from the area.

An enforcement officer from the Ministry of the Attorney General read the court order and affixed it to an arm of the railway crossing.

An enforcement officer with the Ministry of the Attorney General reads the court order to protesters at Wymans Road on February 11, 2020. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

The court order affixed to CN Rail property at Wymans Road. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

The protesters, who haven’t set up on the tracks, are in close enough proximity to prompt Via Rail to cancel trains and CN Rail traffic to come to a standstill.

One Tyendinaga Mohawk member said they are a peaceful people and while they want to find a resolution they have protocols they need to follow.

They said the proper people need to be involved and there needs to be sensitivity in relation to what is actually happening.

Environmental concerns top the list of issues for those involved in the protest, along with showing their support for those in Wet’suwet’en territory in B.C. as the RCMP moved in on the anti-pipeline camp there and made several arrests.

Protesters at Wymans Road as a discussion begins between OPP liaison officers and the protesters begins. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

The door to further talks was left open but the protesters held firm at the tracks.

The Court order states the group is “trespassing on CN’s main line and they are restrained, either directly or indirectly from physically preventing, impeding, restricting or in any way physically interfering with CN’s carrying on of its business and their right to operate trains on the main line or by creating a nuisance by physically obstructing CN Rail from carrying on its railway operations.”

The court order further states the protesters remove any and all obstructions placed or created or imposed on CN’s land or premises, and any police officer is authorized to arrest and remove anyone with knowledge of the injunction who is contravening the order.

OPP officers were on scene a far distance back of the tracks to keep the peace but had not yet begun removing people from the Wyman Road crossing.

Since the blockade started, 11,157 trains have been cancelled, impacting at least 24,500 travellers, according to VIA Rail.

The Canadian National Railway says it will be forced to close “significant” parts of its national network unless blockades impeding its rail lines are removed.

A protester stands on the tracks at Wymans Road as OPP liaison officers approach on Tuesday, February 11, 2020. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)

Protesters at Wymans Road as a discussion begins between OPP liaison officers and the protesters begins. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)