Downtown Ottawa streets quiet for first time in weeks

[Spazito]

Many police, few protesters in downtown Ottawa on Sunday morning

Behind a police fence and concrete barricades, Ottawa's snowy downtown woke to the first quiet morning since a convoy of vaccine mandate protesters rolled into the city more than three weeks ago.

Police vehicles and a significant police presence have replaced semi-truck trailers and protesters in the main downtown protest site on Wellington Street, within the police-secured area stretching from Bronson Avenue to the Rideau Canal, and from the Queensway to Parliament Hill.

Police fenced off the area immediately surrounding the Parliamentary Precinct, where protesters had been entrenched since late January, until a series of police advances throughout the day Saturday pushed the crowd first west, then south, away from Parliament Hill.

They continue to tell people to avoid the downtown core and warn residents who have vehicles parked between Metcalfe and Bay streets and Albert and Gloucester streets to move their vehicles or risk being towed.

more

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/downtown-ottawa-streets-protests-police-1.6358396

[Throck]

1. Local affected businesses?

I wonder if the local businesses affected by the attempted insurrection will be reimbursed for lost business?

[Spazito]

2. Yes, the Federal Government is contributing up to 20 million dollars...

Federal government will provide up to $20 million to Ottawa businesses shuttered by protests

Small businesses may be eligible for up to $10,000 in non-repayable funds

The federal government is funnelling $20 million to Ottawa businesses affected by three weeks of vaccine mandate protests in the downtown core.

Under the program, small businesses will be able to apply for up to $10,000 to help defray non-deferrable operational costs not covered by other federal programs. The initiative is being funded through the federal development agency for the region and run by Invest Ottawa, in collaboration with local business improvement associations.

"Businesses have been forced to drastically reduce their hours and, in many cases, they've had to close their doors entirely because they've been harassed and intimidated," said Helena Jaczek, the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-government-aid-ottawa-businesses-1.6358238

[gristy]

3. This is excellent.

Though they've frozen just a few million $$ in protesters' accounts. What with police overtime and lawsuits and payments such as these, this is going to be an expensive event for the Canadian govt.

[Spazito]

4. Yes, it has been very costly to Canadian and Ontario taxpayers...

it certainly won't be recouped by the freezing of the law-breakers' accounts as I suspect most of them will have their accounts unfrozen after they go to court.

The Mayor of Ottawa wants to be able to sell all the property (vehicles including the tractor/trailers) that were towed away and impounded in order to cover some of the costs incurred by the city. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

[SheltieLover]

5. Awesome!!!

[yaesu]

6. Canada will need to up its game when it comes to fascist insurgents, they will need to

stop it before it starts. Treat it like any other terrorist threat. It will be an ongoing war.