The Freedom Convoy is long gone, so why is Wellington St. STILL closed to traffic?

The Freedom Convoy rolled into Ottawa in late January and was eventually dismantled by late February. Gone are the big rigs and the campers and the pickup trucks. Gone are the bouncy castles and the hot tub.

So, now that we are into the month of June, the question arises: why is Wellington Street between Bank and Elgin streets (in other words, the stretch of Wellington in front of Parliament) still closed to vehicular traffic?

Indeed, this piece of capital city asphalt will remain closed to vehicles until at least the end of 2022! In fact, there’s a possibility that this stretch might be closed permanently.

A CTV report notes that Ottawa city Councillor Catherine McKenney, whose ward includes Wellington Street, brought forward a motion that includes several provisions for the future of the street. One idea is putting Wellington Street under federal jurisdiction and closing it to vehicular traffic on a permanent basis.

But what is the real reason for restricting Wellington Street in such a fashion?

The convoy is long gone, and it’s very unlikely we shall ever witness a protest of this magnitude again. Indeed, just consider how law enforcement prevented most of the bikers who comprised Rolling Thunder from reaching downtown Ottawa back in April.

So, is this really all about Justin Trudeau’s obsessive thirst for control? Is this really all about preventing the prime minister from gazing upon passing pickup trucks displaying hockey stick-mounted Canadian flags or “F--- Trudeau” flags — apparently these displays are now considered examples of “hate speech” in certain circles.

In the final analysis, the ongoing closure of Wellington makes for yet another example of government overreach based on the proviso that the government is “protecting” the nation’s citizenry.

Only in Ottawa…