A “freedom line” took shape on the shoulder of Highway 11 on Saturday afternoon around 1 p.m.
Organizers estimated more than 600 people of all ages formed a line on the side of the busy provincial highway in front of Webers, an iconic hamburger restaurant. They were holding Canadian flags, signs, and even hockey sticks to show unity and to stand up against division.
Jacqueline Perras, from Barrie, coordinated traffic for the rally, which was inspired by the “trucker convoy” that made its way to Ottawa last month.
“We are joining hands for freedom to protest the mandates,” she said. “Everybody wants the freedom to make their own choices.”
Perras was equipped with a microphone during the protest and was telling people to back up away from the road, acknowledging the potential danger.
“The MTO is here watching us already making sure everybody is safe,” she said. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt. I’m the traffic coordinator and my job is to make sure everybody is off the road and standing back where it’s safe.”
Perras hopes the protest spreads love, freedom, and togetherness among all Canadians.
“This is all about beautiful Canadians peacefully protesting as is our right in Canada,” she said.
Tracy, who refused to give her last name, made the trip from Lake Erie. She said she joined the protest because she believes in the freedom of choice.
“I’m here to wake more people up,” she said. “This is about losing freedoms, your basic freedoms.”
Tracy says the protest is still necessary despite the easing of restrictions and mandates that began on March 1.
“It’s about control in my opinion,” she said. “I’m personally vaccinated, not necessarily by choice. I felt forced because I’m moving to the east coast, and you couldn’t transfer between provinces if you weren’t.”
Matt Nimeth, from Midland, says he joined the protest to stand up for freedoms.
“We want to be seen and heard,” he said. “It’s the forced medicine and digital I.D. and everything. It’s about standing up for old Canada.”
Nanaura Soul, one of the provincial organizers for the Freedom Chain, explained the goal of the protest in an email to OrilliaMatters after the event.
"This unity chain was across Canada coast to coast along the Trans Canada Hwy and was to unify Canada and show that we are united and will not be divided into sides," Soul said.
The protest broke up after about 30 minutes. Perras says 633 people formed the line. The only police presence seen by OrilliaMatters was three cruisers about two minutes south of Webers at a much smaller protest.
Next up on the agenda for protesters is going to local courthouses on Monday to stand in unity for convoy organizer, Tamara Lich, who remains in jail in Ottawa after being denied bail.
