Canada freezes financial assets of those involved in ongoing COVID-19 protests

Ottawa: As hundreds of anti-vaccination protesters continue to get arrested, Canadian authorities have frozen the finances associated with individuals and companies for being involved in the demonstrations.

Canadian authorities froze the finances associated with certain individuals and companies believed to be involved in the ongoing protests in Ottawa, CNN quoted Mike Duheme, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) deputy commissioner of federal policing, as saying.

"We continue to work at collecting relevant information on persons, vehicles and companies and remain in daily communication with the financial institution to assist them," he said.

Speaking at a press conference, he said, the RCMP has frozen 206 financial products, including bank and corporate accounts.

The Ontario authorities on Sunday said, "The province's Special Investigations Unit is investigating two police-involved incidents that occurred at the demonstrations in Ottawa on Saturday and is urging anyone who has information, including video, to come forward."

According to preliminary reports, a 49-year-old woman had received serious injuries during an interaction with Toronto Police Service officer.

In another incident, Vancouver Police Department officers discharged Anti-Riot Weapon Enfields at individuals in the area of Sparks Street and Bank Street, CNN reported.

The protesters had been blockading Ottawa streets since January 29 with the truck drivers protesting against the new rules forcing the Canadian truckers crossing the US-Canadian border to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or face quarantine in their homes for two weeks when they return.

On February 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time to control the impact of continued protests across the country over Covid-19 health measures. (UNI)