Angels of Mercy

Sandwiches, burgers, and pizza would have made Jeff ill.

Jeff behind the wheel of his Western Star, with Sam the mechanic. Photo taken in Nova Scotia, July 2023.

Jeff, the Nova Scotia trucker about whom I wrote yesterday, was ready to leave Ottawa two weeks into the three-week Freedom Convoy protest. It was cold in his truck, two guys were sleeping in space meant for one, and it felt as though tall buildings were closing in on him.

Gratitude on the part of a young mother changed his mind. But that woman wasn’t the only angel of mercy Jeff remembers. He suffers from celiac disease - severe gluten intolerance. There was plenty of free food in Ottawa, he recalls. Members of the public routinely delivered store-bought as well as homemade meals to the trucks. But most of it would have made Jeff ill. Sandwiches, burgers, pizza, donuts were all off the menu.

He was forced to decline most of the food he was insistently offered - and found himself repeatedly explaining his allergy. At the best of times, he says, finding palatable gluten-free fare is challenging - never mind in an unfamiliar city in deep, darkest winter.

For the first few days, he ate peanuts and plain potato chips. Then kind souls began bringing him pricey, gluten-free snacks. In his words:

Some of it was actually good. Cuz normally, it tastes like shit. This one woman, I was sitting in the truck one day and it was 25 below. And I see this woman with two big grocery bags and she's looking around, looking and looking. She'd stop, and come back. I didn't want to open the door cuz it was cold out.

She says, ‘There you are.’

I’d met so many people, I didn't recognize her from the day before. She said, ‘I remember what you said. I went to the grocery store and got this. I've been walking for two hours. I couldn't remember which street you were on.’

Jeff has perfect clarity about one thing. Without the enthusiastic, ongoing support of the public - local residents as well as out-of-town visitors - there’s no way the truckers would have remained in Ottawa for three weeks.

“We couldn’t have stayed without them,” he says quietly.