A B.C. participant in the Ottawa convoy protest organized a pot luck barbecue and some parking lot hockey games for kids in a Langley recreation centre parking lot on Saturday, Feb. 26.

John Bancroft, an excavator operator who lives in Langley香蕉视频直播檚 Brookswood neighbourhood, said he would like the event to lead to other, similar in-person meet-ups, to start a process of reconciliation and help heal divisions in the country.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 bringing the community together,香蕉视频直播� Bancroft told the Langley Advance Times.

香蕉视频直播淛ust getting everyone shaking hands again and talking. Once we get that going, it will all fix itself.香蕉视频直播�

The George Preston get-together was not, he stressed, about the anti-vaccine-mandate protest that he took part in.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 completely separate [from that],香蕉视频直播� said Bancroft.

香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 my personal thing.香蕉视频直播�

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Bancroft said he left Ottawa before the police moved in and began making widespread arrests.

香蕉视频直播淚 had a gut feeling,香蕉视频直播� he recalled.

His memories of the Ottawa event were positive.

香蕉视频直播淢y experience was nothing but community coming together,香蕉视频直播� Bancroft remarked, adding he did not personally witness any of the reported incidents of bad behavior while he was in Ottawa.

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Another convoy participant, , drove in to bring the 香蕉视频直播淯nity Cup,香蕉视频直播� an improvised replica of the Stanley Cup created by convoy participants, to the event.

Fortin explained the cup was created from a 香蕉视频直播済arbage can and a mop bucket香蕉视频直播� after he and fellow convoy participant Ron Rotzetter decided to put an an empty stretch of street to use.

香蕉视频直播淚 said, let香蕉视频直播檚 start some hockey, here,香蕉视频直播� Fortin recalled.

香蕉视频直播淔or about two and half, three weeks, we went down every day with it and played hockey and got people to sign it,香蕉视频直播� Fortin related.

The cup was completely covered with names.

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 know how many signatures are on there, but there香蕉视频直播檚 a few,香蕉视频直播� Fortin said.

香蕉视频直播淎 small fringe minority, let香蕉视频直播檚 go with that.香蕉视频直播�

Like Bancroft, Fortin left Ottawa before police began making wholesale arrests.

香蕉视频直播淚 wanted to leave with that experience of the unity. That香蕉视频直播檚 what I saw, the whole time I was there, the unity.香蕉视频直播�

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The event was held without permission from Langley Township, but Mayor Jack Froese noted that while the municipality generally doesn香蕉视频直播檛 rent out parking lots, they also don香蕉视频直播檛 prevent people from meeting up in an empty lot, as long as there are no violations of laws or regulations, such as liquor laws.

香蕉视频直播淧eople use our parking lots for meetings all the time,香蕉视频直播� Froese said.

- with files from Matthew Claxton