Nova Scotia issues new order to keep protesters off roads, highways

The new directive will be in place for the duration of the provincial state of emergency

CBC News 

The Nova Scotia government is once again moving to stop protesters from blockading or disrupting traffic.

In a news release issued late Friday evening, the province announced it had issued a directive under the Emergency Management Act that prohibits protesters from impeding traffic or blocking any road, street or highway in Nova Scotia.

Fines for a summary conviction range from $3,000 to $10,000 for individuals and between $20,000 and $100,000 for a corporation.

This follows a similar directive issued last month, banning protesters from organizing a blockade at the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border. That protest was in support of the 2022 Freedom Convoy and the Atlantic Hold the Line event.

Demonstrators with the Freedom Convoy have been in Ottawa for a week, and this coming weekend is expected to bring hundreds more protesters and counter-protesters to the capital city’s downtown core.

There were further protests in support of the convoy planned in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, but the demonstration in Charlottetown has now been postponed due to the weather.

The Nova Scotia directive will remain in place for the duration of the provincial state of emergency, which has been in place since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. It currently runs until Feb. 20 but has been extended every two weeks.