A local resident and business owner is making his way back west after joining the United We Roll convoy to Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Kyle Wollenhaupt attended the Ag & Oil Forum in Kindersley earlier this month and joined the convoy as a way to show his support for the opposition of Bill C-69, Bill C-48 and the federally imposed carbon tax. His wife Amanda and one daughter, Brittany, joined him on the trip that he said, “has been exhausting but very worth it”.

It was popular opinion that the convoy may not receive the same level of support in Ontario that they had felt in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, however, Wollenhaupt said they were overwhelmed with support and encouragement across all provinces, including Ontario.

“There was support all the way, there were people standing out in the cold waving flags, kids were there, one Native reserve we went through, they shot off fireworks for us, it was amazing support we got all the way through,” said Wollenhaput.

There were approximately 169 trucks participating throughout the entire trip from the west with more joining the convoy from the eastern provinces to have a total of approximately 200 people forming the crowd on Parliament Hill.

It was reported that Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, was in Parliament during the first day of their visit but did not address the crowd, however, Wollenhaupt said they did hear from many political figures who shared their message, including Conservative leader, Andrew Scheer.

Although Wollenhaupt said they did what they set out to do, to unite Canada and to have their voices heard, he mentioned some of the media, he felt, was misinterpreting the situation.

“A lot of it has been misinterpreted in the news, we’ve been censored, everything has been cut and paste. They were trying to show these yellow vests that travelled with us as racist, it wasn’t that way. The yellow vest movement that came with us were respectful, it was never racially charged. It was peaceful, we just wanted to get everybody together and unite Canada,” said Wollenhaupt.

Additionally, he stated that another large misconception was the GoFundMe page that was set up to receive funds to help pay for the convoy.

Many were accusing the page on not being true to where the money was going and Wollenhaupt proclaimed that could not be farther from the truth. He added that one of the organizers for the convoy, currently had spent $30,000 out of his own pocket to ensure the travellers were getting what they needed. Wollenhaupt said these funds would be refunded to him through the GoFundMe page once they are released but reiterated how it showed the level of selflessness on the part of the organizers.

Wollenhaupt and his family are now making the long drive back to Saskatchewan where he says he will continue to show his support to the cause anyway he can.