Police have shared the expected route that hundreds of motorcyclists will take Saturday as one part of the unsanctioned weekend "Rolling Thunder Ottawa" rally.
The rally has drawn comparisons to the disruptive Freedom Convoy protest, which took over downtown Ottawa for several weeks in January and February and has been described many times as an illegal occupation.
Its schedule includes Friday evening and Saturday afternoon rallies on Parliament Hill, a Saturday event at the National War Memorial, a Saturday ride through the city's streets and a Sunday morning church service in Vanier.
Ottawa police have called on other services for help and say they will not allow protest vehicles in an "exclusion zone" made up of dozens of downtown blocks. Special no-parking zones are also being set up in nearby neighbourhoods.
At a news conference Thursday morning, acting police chief Steve Bell said riders are expected to gather Saturday morning at an unspecified site on Coventry Road before departing around 10:45 a.m.
The entire route will be a no-stopping, no-parking zone, and Bell said officers will monitor the ride to ensure participants make their way through the city "safely and expeditiously" with "as little impact as possible on residents."
Saturday's National War Memorial event is expected to coincide with the ride, but bikers will not be allowed to pause at the monument as they pass by, Bell said. The entire route would skirt the boundaries of the exclusion zone, he noted.
Rally organizers have now indicated up to 400 motorcyclists will take part, Bell said, fewer than the 500 to 1,000 the acting chief estimated earlier this week.
Many would stay in downtown hotels, he said. He would not estimate how many more protesters would arrive on foot, but said the plan in place would account for those numbers.
Organizers have also said the demonstrators will depart Ottawa on Sunday, Bell said.
The involvement of vehicles, along with its ties to the recent Freedom Convoy have left many downtown residents on edge, after they went through weeks of harassment, noise, and road and business closures earlier this year.
Several of the people charged in connection with the Freedom Convoy have conditions prohibiting them from being in Ottawa, and Bell said if they ignore those conditions and appear at the rally they'd face arrest.
Ottawa police have already said they'll fan out across central neighbourhoods to try to keep the protest lawful and hate-free, with officers from the OPP, the RCMP and other forces pitching in to help.
"We've heard the community, and take seriously the concerns raised. You will see that in all elements of our planning," Bell said.
The city has also announced a bylaw crackdown, with its officers expected to be out enforcing parking rules, limiting vehicle noise and preventing litter.