Peaceful protest in Fort Erie while other borders were shut down by the Idle No More protests
610 CKTB News
1/6/2013
It was a peaceful protest at the Peace Bridge.
No arrests were made after an Idle No More Protest took place at the Fort Erie border crossing Saturday afternoon.
Hundreds of protestors rallied on one Canadian lane of the border crossing.
There were no border delays due to the protest.
Other communities were affected by the national Idle No More protests.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in several cities across Canada on Saturday, disrupting vehicle traffic.
First Nations protesters also blocked the main rail line between Toronto and Montreal, disrupting Via rail passenger trains serving the two cities and Ottawa.
More than 1,000 Via passengers were negatively impacted by the blockade, but added Via Rail service would be back
on scheduled during what was expected to be a busy Sunday providing there were no further blockades on the tracks.
A protest at the Seaway International Bridge near Cornwall, Ont. prompted police to close the border crossing as a public safety precaution.
The usually-busy crossing, which connects the southeastern Ontario city and Akwesasne, Ont., to Massena, N.Y., was closed for more than three hours as demonstrators marched across the toll bridge.
Meanwhile, the border crossing between Sarnia, Ont., and Port Huron, Mich., and a stretch of Highway 403 in Hamilton, Ont., were also temporarily shut down for Idle No More protests.
The Idle No More actions were also organized to show support for Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, who has been on a liquid diet since Dec. 11.
Spence has vowed that she will not eat until she can get an audience with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Governor General and other First Nations chiefs to discuss more revenue sharing and economic development for reserves.
A spokesman for Stephen Harper says the prime minister agreed Friday to a meeting with a delegation of leaders from the Assembly of First Nations.
Spence has said she intends to be at the meeting, which has been set for Jan. 11.
(with files from the Canadian Press)