The Barber Who Went to Ottawa

Isaac from Alberta drove across the country to support the truckers.

On the first day of February 2022, Isaac - the owner of a barber shop in Medicine Hat, Alberta - announces on Facebook that he’s “heading to Ottawa tomorrow night. I want to cut the truckers hair. I believe in what they stand for and feel it is my duty to give them my gift.”

After advising customers they’ll be well taken care of by another stylist during his absence, he adds: “May we all be free and unified with love and peace and health…#freedomcuts.”

A few days later, in a video recorded on the road, Isaac says “I’m almost there.” Having just driven 3,000 kilometers solo, he says the journey has reminded him that trucking is a lonely life. “I knew this already, because my father was a trucker,” he explains.

Arriving in time for the second Saturday of the protest, Isaac takes some exceptional photos. There’s an evocative shot of a woman dressed in red and black Canadian hunter plaid, a flag, and a street sign (24 Sussex Drive is the official residence of the Prime Minister).

There’s a fun image of a hockey net in front of two trucks. The one on the right has mudflaps that mention Weyburn, Saskatchewan and Grand Prairie, Alberta.

Another shows us a protesting farmer, asleep in his tractor.

There’s a dense crowd shot. In Isaac’s estimation, at least 30,000 people are present that weekend.

Then there’s the photo of a truck’s bumper, bearing Quebec plates, making physical contact with the sign outside the building that houses the Prime Minister’s office.

I saw that sign later. It wasn’t damaged. The truckers knew the difference between peaceful protest and destruction of property.