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Most of the action we’ve been seeing in Canada as part of Justin Trudeau’s almost unbelievable “Emergencies Act” declaration has come from the Prime Minister himself. He’s been ordering financial institutions to freeze people’s assets and block their transactions (or at least trying to) and allowing the arrest and confinement of people who have committed no acts of violence or property damage. But Trudeau isn’t the only one getting in on the emergency power game. As our Redstate colleague Madeline Leesman reported today, the Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, has clearly seen the benefits of exerting some totalitarian power of...

Ottawa's mayor says any vehicles seized during the police crackdown on the occupation of the downtown should be sold to cover costs incurred by the city. "We actually have the ability to confiscate those vehicles and sell them," Mayor Jim Watson said Saturday. "And I want to see them sold. I don't want the return to these people who've been causing such frustration and angst in our community." The mayor told CBC News that Ottawa has that power due to the Emergencies Act, which was invoked by the federal government last week. Watson said he's been pleased by the level...

The mayor of Canada’s capital, Jim Watson, has publicly thanked crowdfunding site GoFundMe for withholding CAD$10 million donated in support of the Freedom Convoy demonstration currently in Ottawa. “I want to sincerely thank the team at @gofundme for listening to the plea made by the City and the Ottawa Police to no longer provide funds to the convoy organizers,” Watson wrote in a Feb. 4 tweet. Despite the Freedom Convoy being organized around the trucking profession, Canadian authorities and mainstream mass media have accused the movement — which according to some estimates has gathered tens of thousands of participants —...

There are between 400 and 500 vehicles illegally parked downtown, and the the tow truck operators on contract to the city won't move them. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) The tow trucks operators on contract to the City of Ottawa are taking a hard pass on requests to haul vehicles out of protest areas, according to the city's top public servant. "I've contacted them all and they're all refusing, as of today, to provide heavy tow truck work," city manager Steve Kanellakos told reporters Monday evening after a six-hour special council meeting. "Right now we're reviewing their contracts or standing offer,...

For a while there, the far-left Canadian government contented itself with deplatforming and defunding the striking Canadian truckers who are in Ottawa protesting the country's vaccine mandate. That didn't work, so now they've gotten worse. According to Reuters: Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Sunday declared a state of emergency to help deal with an unprecedented 10-day occupation by protesting truckers that has shut down much of the core of the Canadian capital. "(This) reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions...

Jim Watson, the mayor of Ottawa, Canada, urged the Toronto Raptors to visit the Canadian Parliament instead of the White House after the team won the NBA Finals this week. Watson called on Prime Minister Trudeau to invite the team to the country’s Parliament in an online post on Friday. “Forget the White House for a victory lap. Come to Ottawa and Parliament Hill so Canada can congratulate you,” Watson wrote. It is unclear whether the White House plans to invite the championship team for visit to meet President Trump.