Ottawa police planning for return of Rolling Thunder rally

Police Chief Eric Stubbs said the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) has a "robust plan" in place to ensure the return of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally remains peaceful.

In April 2022, hundreds of motorcycles rolled through downtown Ottawa as part of the weekend-long rally. It was organized and attended by several people who took part in the self-described "Freedom Convoy" two winters ago and have continued to protest against the federal government for a variety of reasons.

This year, the convoy of motorcycles is set to arrive in Ottawa on Aug. 5.

"We are planning for it to ensure that event goes well," Stubbs said at a news conference Monday. He added that OPS has already made contact with the organizers of the rally in an attempt to "secure some cooperation from them."

It is expected that part of the planning for this year's rally will centre around Wellington Street, which was closed for months following the convoy protests but has since reopened.

"When we work with organizers of events, we look for them to be peaceful, to be safe and to be lawful," Stubbs said. "That's our goal with this particular [rally]."

He said the police force is currently in the process of making staffing arrangements for the day of the event.

OPS members will be managing the event without support from other out-of-town public safety agencies, Stubbs noted, and the plan to do so will be "scalable to shrink or expand as necessary during that day."

Objective unclear

Neil Sheard, one of the organizers of the original Rolling Thunder rally, is also in charge of this year's iteration of the event.

Sheard gained prominence among convoy supporters in 2022 after he appeared on a social media video stream calling for bikers to come to Ottawa's National War Memorial for an event organized by Veterans 4 Freedom.

Veterans 4 Freedom is planning to set up at this year's Rolling Thunder event. The group says it is made up of "proud members of the global veterans coalition and the Canadian veteran's network."

The group's website lists several other organizations associated with the convoy protests as its partners.

Last year, Sheard said the Rolling Thunder event has "always been about the veterans," and is meant to "give back dignity" to veterans.

Posters advertising this year's rally say it is "a salute to those who went before us." The objective of this iteration of the event remains unclear.