The City of Ottawa declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon in response to ongoing protests in the downtown core, while Mayor Jim Watson described the situation in Canada’s capital as the "the most serious emergency our city has ever faced," CBC reported.

Watson said the declaration will help Ottawa Police get the supplies and equipment they need faster.

"The state of emergency gives our staff and our city a few extra tools to speed up things like procurement," he said in an interview with CBC News Network on Sunday evening.

"We're in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced, and we need to cut the red tape to get these supplies available to our police officers and to our public works staff."

Earlier in the afternoon, Ottawa police announced they would ramp up enforcement on protesters in the city's downtown core, handing out tickets and announcing that anyone looking to bring "material aid," such as fuel, to protesters could be arrested.

Ottawa Police issued a statement late Sunday saying that seven people had been arrested and more than 100 tickets had been issued. The force said 60 criminal investigations were underway, mostly for mischief, theft, hate crimes and property damage.

The truckers’ convoy began as a protest against a Canadian federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, but it has developed into a larger demonstration against public health measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.