Police arrest 18 people in relation to a public protest

**** HRP Media Release

Update: The number of people arrested in today’s incident was initially listed as 14. The number or persons has been corrected below.

Police have arrested 14 people in relation to a public protest in Dartmouth earlier today.

At approximately 7:35 a.m. a group of people gathered in the Macdonald Bridge toll plaza to raise awareness of environmental issues.

In the interest of public safety, the Macdonald Bridge, including the sidewalk and bicycle lane, was closed.

At 10:50 a.m., the group was directed to leave the premises and given time to leave the property.

Fourteen people were arrested under the Protection of Property Act for failing to leave the premises after being ordered to do so.

Halifax Regional Police would like to reiterate that we respect people’s right for peaceful protest, and that public safety has been our top consideration as we planned our response for the Macdonald Bridge protest.

Our deployment decisions were made in close consultation with partners, especially the Halifax Harbour Bridges, in the interest of safety of commuters, protestors and members of the public. We will continue to monitor the situation, and we thank the public for their patience.