Ford plant forced to close due to bridge blockade amidst Covid protests in Canada –

The protest, mostly of people in pickup trucks, entered its third day at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Traffic to the United States is still moving, while traffic to Canada is blocked.

The bridge carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, and Canadian officials have expressed growing concern about the economic impact.

Ford said shortages of parts forced him to close his engine plant in Windsor and operate an assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, with a smaller schedule.

“This disruption of the Detroit-Windsor bridge is harming customers, auto workers, suppliers, communities and businesses on both sides of the border,” Ford said in a statement. “We hope this situation is resolved quickly as it could have a widespread impact on all automakers in the United States and Canada.”

The shortage of locks also forced General Motors to cancel the second shift of the day at its midsize SUV plant near Lansing, Michigan. Spokesman Dan Flores said it would resume on Thursday and no further effects are expected at the moment.

Toyota spokesman Scott Vazin said the company will not be able to produce anything at its three Canadian plants for the remainder of the week due to a shortage of parts. A statement attributed the problem to difficulties with the supply chain, the weather and the pandemic, but the closures came a few days after the lockdown began on Monday.

“Our teams are working diligently to minimize the impact on production,” the company said.

“We are watching it very closely,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said of the bridge blockade.

“The lockdown poses a risk to the automotive industry supply chains, as the bridge is a critical conduit for motor vehicles, components and parts, delaying the risk of disrupting automotive production.”

A growing number of Canadian provinces have moved to remove some of their measures as the Omicron wave stabilizes, but Trudeau has supported the measures that the federal government is responsible for, including one that has angered many truckers – an entry rule. into effect January 15 and requires truck drivers to pass completely into Canada to enter to be vaccinated.

“The reality is that vaccination requirements and the fact that about 90 percent of Canadians have taken steps to get vaccinated means that this epidemic hasn’t hit Canada as hard as anywhere in the world,” Trudeau told Parliament. he said.

About 90% of truckers in Canada are vaccinated, and trucker associations and many major truck operators have condemned the protests. The United States has the same vaccination rule for drivers entering the country, so it wouldn’t make any difference if Mr. Trudeau lifted the restriction.

Protesters also blocked the border crossing in Coutts, Alta, for a week and a half, and about 50 trucks remained there until Wednesday. And during a protest that began late last month, more than 400 trucks paralyzed downtown Ottawa, the Canadian capital.

While the protesters called for Mr. Trudeau’s removal from office, most of the restrictive measures across the country were implemented by state governments. These include requiring people to show their vaccination “passports” to enter restaurants, gyms, cinemas and sporting events.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia announced plans to cancel some or all of their measures this week. Canada’s most conservative province, Alberta, immediately withdrew its vaccination passport and plans to lift the mask requirement by the end of the month.

To avoid entering Canada through the blockade, Detroit area truckers had to drive 70 miles north to Port Huron, Michigan, and cross the Blue Water Bridge, where exiting the United States was delayed. four hours.