COVID-19 truck blockade in Canada shuts down Ford plant

By ROB GILLIES and TOM KRISHER
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — A blockade of the bridge between Canada and Detroit by protesters demanding an end to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions has forced the shutdown of a Ford plant and is beginning to have broader implications on the North American auto industry.  Canada has been beset in recent weeks by protests against COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Canada-bound traffic was halted at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, while U.S.-bound traffic was still moving. Ford says parts shortages forced it to shut down its engine plant in Windsor and to run an assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, on a reduced schedule. The blockade also disrupted operations at a General Motors factory near Lansing, Michigan.