Some traffic is flowing through to the border at Coutts, Alta., but it’s far from free-flowing and has been totally blocked intermittently by both protesters and police with no notice to travellers or commercial operators throughout the past week.
Two well-provisioned protest encampments have been set up as the blockade’s organizers remain encamped at Coutts and dozens — if not hundreds — of supporters are established outside Milk River.
The size of the Milk River protest site is expected to swell today.
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As of Saturday morning, Alberta Transportation’s traffic reporting site, 511Alberta, states: “Highway 4 at the junction with Highway 501, north of Coutts, is closed due to traffic congestion.
“At this time, motor vehicles are not able to access the border for entry/re-entry. Some local traffic is being permitted to access the town of Coutts via Highway 4.”
511Alberta says some U.S.-bound commercial traffic is being allowed through and motorists are being advised to use alternate routes.
Alberta’s cattle producer organizations along with the local MP Glen Motz and Conservative agriculture critic, MP John Barlow, are calling for protesters to end the blockade.
On Wednesday, Lethbridge Conservative MP Rachael Thomas released a statement saying she does not condone actions that impair critical infrastructure and that the Coutts blockade is having a negative impact on farmers and small businesses across the southern Alberta region.
“I am calling for the crossing to be re-opened so the transport of people and goods can resume,” read the statement from Wednesday.
“It is my understanding that organizers of the blockade have agreed to open one lane in both directions as a required measure to meet with several government MLAs.”
Protesters at the Coutts encampment appeared confident Friday that they were in direct communications with government MLAs despite Premier Jason Kenney’s remarks that politicians shouldn’t be cross threaded in police operations.
A request for comment Thursday by the Western Producer to the premier’s office to seek clarification on the issue on who is negotiating with protesters on behalf of the government was not responded to as of early this afternoon.
