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害羞草研究所檚 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.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 bringing the community together,害羞草研究所� Bancroft told the Langley Advance Times.

害羞草研究所淛ust getting everyone shaking hands again and talking. Once we get that going, it will all fix itself.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 completely separate [from that],害羞草研究所� said Bancroft.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 my personal thing.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淚 had a gut feeling,害羞草研究所� he recalled.

His memories of the Ottawa event were positive.

害羞草研究所淢y experience was nothing but community coming together,害羞草研究所� 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 害羞草研究所淯nity Cup,害羞草研究所� an improvised replica of the Stanley Cup created by convoy participants, to the event.

Fortin explained the cup was created from a 害羞草研究所済arbage can and a mop bucket害羞草研究所� after he and fellow convoy participant Ron Rotzetter decided to put an an empty stretch of street to use.

害羞草研究所淚 said, let害羞草研究所檚 start some hockey, here,害羞草研究所� Fortin recalled.

害羞草研究所淔or about two and half, three weeks, we went down every day with it and played hockey and got people to sign it,害羞草研究所� Fortin related.

The cup was completely covered with names.

害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 know how many signatures are on there, but there害羞草研究所檚 a few,害羞草研究所� Fortin said.

害羞草研究所淎 small fringe minority, let害羞草研究所檚 go with that.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淚 wanted to leave with that experience of the unity. That害羞草研究所檚 what I saw, the whole time I was there, the unity.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淧eople use our parking lots for meetings all the time,害羞草研究所� Froese said.

- with files from Matthew Claxton