In anticipation of demonstrations near Queen’s Park this weekend, U of T Campus Safety has released a service advisory warning about road restrictions and traffic delays due to public safety operations around Queen’s Park.
The university has also restricted access to many of the downtown campus buildings and will close both Gerstein and Robarts Libraries at 5:00 pm. Students, faculty, and staff are still able to access buildings with keys or security fobs and both the UTM and UTSC campuses will remain open, though both shuttle buses will not run.
“This decision was taken out of an abundance of caution. Members of our community are advised to remain vigilant on and around the St. George campus today and over the weekend. You will likely notice an increased police presence in the immediate area around Queen’s Park to the east of campus,” reads an email from the Office of the Provost.
Toronto Police Service (TPS) wrote in a statement that a large protest at Queen’s Park is expected this Saturday, as part of the “Convoy for Freedom” protests against vaccine mandates for truckers and COVID-19 lockdown measures. Protestors descended on Ottawa last week, taking over streets throughout the downtown area and blocking off businesses, and frustrating many Ottawa residents.
Streets near UTSG will be closed throughout the weekend, including University Avenue between College Street and Queen Street, as well as College Street from University Avenue to Yonge Street. In a tweet, TPS asked that people avoid demonstration areas. “These closures could remain in place all weekend. We will continue to assess the situation and make any adjustments where needed. We will continue to update the public,” reads the tweet.
Campus Safety will continue to post updates on the demonstrations on its Twitter account, and important updates from the university will be shared through the UTAlert emergency alerts system
