Protesters at the Coutts border positioned trucks to again block both north and southbound lanes Monday night, according to Alberta RCMP..“Alberta RCMP report that both north and southbound lanes at the Coutts border have now been blocked by the unlawful blockade on Hwy. 4,” said RCMP in a tweet..RCMP is advising motorists to avoid the area and to expect delays..But Marko Van Huigenbos, one of the protest organizers, confirmed truckers did block north and southbound lanes last night between 10 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., but said they are now open..“We’ve been trying to negotiate with RCMP all this time and have been meeting their demands but every request we have is taking hours,” Van Huigenbos told the Western Standard..“We are no longer blocking lanes, it is the RCMP blocking lanes now at two checkpoints.”.Van Huigenbos said supplies, food and needed essentials have been slow to arrive to the Coutts protest site due to RCMP controlling access and diverting most deliveries to an alternate route that requires supplies to be walked in approximately 300 metres..“It has been very inconvenient and unnecessary,” said Van Huigenbos..The Western Standard reached out to the RCMP, but no comment was received in time for publishing..More to come….Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
Protesters at the Coutts border positioned trucks to again block both north and southbound lanes Monday night, according to Alberta RCMP..“Alberta RCMP report that both north and southbound lanes at the Coutts border have now been blocked by the unlawful blockade on Hwy. 4,” said RCMP in a tweet..RCMP is advising motorists to avoid the area and to expect delays..But Marko Van Huigenbos, one of the protest organizers, confirmed truckers did block north and southbound lanes last night between 10 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., but said they are now open..“We’ve been trying to negotiate with RCMP all this time and have been meeting their demands but every request we have is taking hours,” Van Huigenbos told the Western Standard..“We are no longer blocking lanes, it is the RCMP blocking lanes now at two checkpoints.”.Van Huigenbos said supplies, food and needed essentials have been slow to arrive to the Coutts protest site due to RCMP controlling access and diverting most deliveries to an alternate route that requires supplies to be walked in approximately 300 metres..“It has been very inconvenient and unnecessary,” said Van Huigenbos..The Western Standard reached out to the RCMP, but no comment was received in time for publishing..More to come….Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
