The Night Before Ottawa

'It’s like we’re some kind of big movie stars.'

read Part 1 of this series here: Fireworks & Applause
previous installment: Rolling Through Northern Ontario

Highway junction on the outskirts of North Bay, Ontario. Screen capture from a video taken by Sally on the evening of January 28, 2022.

AUTHOR NOTE: When I initially published this material about Jake & Lynnette, trucker & wife from Saskatoon, they were out-of-the-country. I wasn’t certain if the videos on which I was basing my research were backed up, and worried they might get censored by Facebook. I therefore assigned this couple the pseudonyms Ted & Sally. After they returned, they backed up their videos & consented to the use of their real names.

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The night before Saturday’s planned massive demonstration on Parliament Hill, Saskatoon residents Ted and Sally break off from the Freedom Convoy. A friend has prearranged a place for them to stay near North Bay, and they choose to keep that appointment rather than continuing down the highway to Arnprior. Their plan is to rise early and catch up the next morning.

By now the trucks in the Convoy are so covered with salt and grime, from a distance it’s difficult to tell what colour they are. Sporadic attempts have been made to locate truck-sized car washes en route, but it remains unclear how many of these big rigs will show up in Ottawa looking their best.

The days have been jam-packed since Ted and Sally left home Monday. While using the ladies’ room in service stations along the way, she says she can tell who’s a Convoy participant “because they all look tired. We’re up early, we’re down late.” Still, there’s no question this experience has far exceeded their expectations. “It’s like we’re some kind of big movie stars,” she says.

Can you even imagine when we pull into Ottawa tomorrow? We have people that run right up to the truck. Like you really have to watch because they’re so excited that they almost forget about their own safety. It’s intense…If I had a dollar for every ‘Thank you,’ we’d be rich.

Before they part from the Convoy that evening, the quality of the video Sally records is less-than-optimal. Both road signs and protest signs are difficult to read. The images are impressionistic rather than crisp. But the excitement of the crowds gathered along the highway as the truckers pass through is electric. People are hooting and hollering. They’re waving, crying, smiling, blowing kisses, jumping up and down.

Below are a few screen captures from Sally’s video taken near North Bay. This is Friday, January 28th, 2022. There’s still 360 kilometers (225 miles) to go before they reach the nation’s capital:

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next installment: Making an Entrance
read Part 1 of this series here: Fireworks & Applause