Jay, the Trucker Who Brought the Shed

Fighting criminal charges this week in an Ottawa courtroom.

Photo posted by Jay on Facebook 25 January 2022

In a recent interview, Jason VanderWier describes how he became an iconic part of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa:

I was sitting in an excavator one day and I actually think it was the Holy Spirit, maybe, that knocked on my shoulder and said, 'I think you should go. You should go to this protest.’ I had never been to a protest other than standing, you know, for an hour or two a year with a pro-life sign. But I felt that I had to go.

Known to his friends as Jay, this truck driver and beef farmer who resides 30 minutes west of Niagara Falls, told interviewer Derek Sloan a coworker suggested he bring along his own accommodations:

'Why don't you take the Freightliner and put an ice-fishing hut on the back.’ And so I took that truck. And my brother sells Amish-built sheds. And we threw one on the back, and my mom and dad helped me put a bathroom onto it - like a little port-a-potty. That became actually very well used during the Convoy, because the cops wouldn't allow actual port-a-potties to be brought in or cleaned up daily.

On his arrival in Ottawa, he says police officers directing traffic offered him two parking options. If he was prepared to stay for a while, he should turn right. If he thought he might need to leave in a hurry, he should turn left:

I got parked by the police…I said ‘Well, sure, I'll stay.’ And the cops told me where to park and I was right there in front of Parliament. It was pretty exciting. Canadians of all stripes came out. And for the first time in two years we were just able to hug each other and high-five.

All we wanted was for Mr Trudeau to come out and talk to us. And just say, 'Maybe I did overreach a little bit here, maybe I should dial it back.' And that never happened.

Jay is in an Ottawa courtroom all this week facing charges police laid against him after he peacefully climbed down out of that Freightliner two years ago. His lawyer, David Anber, is providing updates via X/Twitter.

The Shed, parked on Wellington Street, as seen from the back. Signs read: ‘Since when is freedom an unacceptable view?’ and ‘My body! My choice! Right Mr. Feminist? Follow the money!’ Early in his tenure as Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau was considered a feminist. Photo taken by me on 8 February 2022.

The loo in The Shed. Photo posted by Jay on Facebook, January 2022.

next installment: The Shed Spreads Its Wings