A Newfoundlander living in Ottawa says he’s never seen anything like the protests underway in the federal capital’s downtown, and he’s among the many area residents who are hopeful it all ends peacefully.

The protests are moving into their fourth weekend, and have disrupted the lives of people living and working in the area.

Glenn Nuotio has been living in Ottawa for the last 15 years and says the entire neighbourhood is basically on lock down as police take action to clear protesters from the area.

Nuotio says the impact on area residents cannot be understated.

He says the last three weeks “have not been fun.”

Nuotio tells VOCM News he wears his mask outside to show neighbours and families that he is not part of the convoy, but when he’s near the convoy, he takes his mask off so as not to be harassed, which has happened to others. He provided an example of a woman who was assaulted for wearing a mask in the last week or two.

He says the woman, who was Asian, was pushed to the ground as protestors tried to remove her mask at a local ice cream shop.

Nuotio adds people need to see it and live it in order to understand how bad the situation in Ottawa is, and area residents are relieved that some kind of action is finally being taken.

He says there is a sense that it’s coming to an end, he just hopes that it does so peacefully.