A small but vocal group gathered in the parking lot of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library on Sunday afternoon, for a ‘Freedom Rally’ against mask and vaccine mandates.
The crowd of about 24 people, including several children, carried home-made signs and Canadian flags, as they marched to the intersection of Holland Street West and West Park Avenue.
Organizer Christian Delaney, shouting through a bullhorn, invited bystanders to join the rally and summed up the demands of protesters: “Say no to the medical tyranny, the discrimination, the segregation… Let’s say no to these vaccine mandates, these mask mandates. They are unconstitutional.”
As protesters cheered and blew whistles, some passing vehicles honked in sympathy.
“We stand with our truckers. No more discrimination. No more segregation,” Delaney shouted. “We want our freedoms back.
“Let’s march for our freedoms, people. No more mandates.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Ontario has seen just over 1 million confirmed cases, with approximately 11,350 deaths attributed to the disease.
Both case numbers and hospitalizations have been declining in recent days, although there are still 587 people in intensive care, due to the illness.
