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含羞草研究社檚 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.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 bringing the community together,含羞草研究社� Bancroft told the Langley Advance Times.

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

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

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 completely separate [from that],含羞草研究社� said Bancroft.

含羞草研究社淭hat含羞草研究社檚 my personal thing.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淚 had a gut feeling,含羞草研究社� he recalled.

His memories of the Ottawa event were positive.

含羞草研究社淢y experience was nothing but community coming together,含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社淯nity Cup,含羞草研究社� an improvised replica of the Stanley Cup created by convoy participants, to the event.

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

含羞草研究社淚 said, let含羞草研究社檚 start some hockey, here,含羞草研究社� Fortin recalled.

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

The cup was completely covered with names.

含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 know how many signatures are on there, but there含羞草研究社檚 a few,含羞草研究社� Fortin said.

含羞草研究社淎 small fringe minority, let含羞草研究社檚 go with that.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淚 wanted to leave with that experience of the unity. That含羞草研究社檚 what I saw, the whole time I was there, the unity.含羞草研究社�

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

含羞草研究社淧eople use our parking lots for meetings all the time,含羞草研究社� Froese said.

- with files from Matthew Claxton