This is an expanded version of the story that appeared in the print version of the March 2022 BUZZ.
Alayne McGregor
Small businesses forced to close by the trucker convoy were finally able to apply for government relief funding this week, more than three weeks after the trucks were towed out of downtown.
But questions still remain as to whether this funding will cover enough lost revenue, and what will be done for those workers who were laid off because of the closures.
The federal and Ontario governments announced grants of up to $10,000 (federal) and $5,000 (Ontario) to eligible downtown Ottawa businesses to cover non-deferrable operating costs not covered by other government programs. Invest Ottawa, which is administering the grants, opened applications March 15.
Businesses must be located in central Ottawa districts; employ one to 100 employees; were unable to operate their business at normal levels from January 22 into February; were planning to provide in-person services and could not transition to virtual; and have now reopened fully.
The federal government has allocated $10 million to this program, but a preliminary estimate of losses for local businesses is much higher – $44.5 million to $61.3 million. The analysis, by Toronto chartered accountant Larry Andrade of Deloitte Canada, was commissioned by lawyer Paul Champ as part of the Zexi Li class action against the convoy protest organizers.
Only a drop in the bucket?
Jason Komendat owns the Ottawa Bike Cafe/Retro-Rides.ca store on Sparks Street. He said he had to keep its doors locked during the occupation – and that $10,000 will only be a “drop in the bucket” compared to his losses. The cafe, which had already been forced to close by the Omicron COVID-19 wave, could not reopen; his customers could not get to the bike shop, meaning a loss of thousands of dollars in bike repairs and overhauls.
Komendat said he was particularly worried about long-term effects: that the occupation might have given the area “a bad rep and that people will feel uncomfortable coming down and bringing their families down.”
He hoped the opposite would be true: that people come out to support Sparks Street, and that it would get a higher profile from all the occupation footage. “I hope people will have some curiosity and want to come down and see what happened.”
No specific program for laid-off employees
Many employees were laid off for most or all of the 23-day occupation. Andrade’s analysis estimated they would have lost $105.7 million to $145.6 million in wages and employer social contributions – even more than the businesses.
Employment insurance requires a 14-day waiting period and only covers 55 percent of wages. In a press conference on February 19, Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi recommended workers apply to the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit which paid $300/week. He also said that “my colleagues and I are working closely together to seek further measures that will provide support during this difficult time.”
Alex Harris is a cook at the Milestones restaurant at 700 Sussex Drive at Rideau, which was completely surrounded by the occupation and forced to close. The hourly-waged employee was laid off one day into the occupation until the Monday after it finished. He ended up depleting his savings and receiving help from his family in order to pay for rent, food, student loan payments, cellphone, and Internet. “These are just basic necessities – not privileges.”
He said he did apply for government assistance, but the little he received didn’t even cover his rent. He felt there was “an abdication of duty from all three levels of government,” which should have given more immediate aid, even if it was short-term.
Harris felt helpless and was constantly on edge, wondering each day if the occupation would end and he could go back to work. “That just spikes your anxiety. It’s going to make the tension even worse because you don’t know. You’re just hoping.”
“This was not a protest: a protest should never affect people in the way that this did.”