Sparks Streets BIA executive director says biker convoy less impactful
Posted May 2, 2022 04:19:00 PM.
Although there were concerns of how this past weekend's 'Rolling Thunder' convoy would affect businesses and residents in Ottawa's downtown core, Kevin McHale, the executive director of the Sparks Street Business Improvement Area (BIA), says there wasn't as big of an impact as anticipated.
Speaking with The Rob Snow Show on Monday, May 2, McHale explains his observations over the weekend.
“It was a little bit more like a regular protest I think, (than) certainly what we had to experience in February,” he said, adding the convoy may have been disorganized, and it's something he's grown accustomed to.
McHale was also worried about the potential of another long-term occupation, adding that he observed on Friday, April 28 the amount of vehicles attempting to park in certain parts of the downtown core.
Although there were growing concerns over the weekend, McHale calls the convoy's outcome the “best-case scenario”—at least for residents and businesses—saying that the amount of protesters this time around may have been a contributing factor.
“There was definitely less protesters here,” he said. “I'd say anywhere from a thousand to two-thousand [protesters] in and around Sparks and Wellington and Elgin and such,” he said.
He adds the lack of organization from participants made the convoy seem bigger than it actually was, which left certain parts of the core more affected.
The road closures did cause some frustration over the weekend. McHale was the one of the many people trying to make their way into the city, but ultimately couldn't because of the many highway off-ramps that were closed.
Listen to Kevin McHale's full conversation with The Rob Snow Show below:
