Records at the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) show Ottawa business groups lobbied cabinet for subsidies with inflated claims of damage from the Freedom Convoy, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. .“We are being inundated with messages of panic asking what relief is available,” said Byward Market Business Improvement Area Executive Director Kalin McCluskey. .A $20 million Canadian government compensation fund saw one-third of the money left unclaimed. Local business improvement group directors petitioned Treasury Board President Mona Fortier for cash grants during the first week of the Freedom Convoy. .McCluskey described local business owners as “desperate,” “scared,” “uncertain,” and “losing patience.”.“Daily I am getting stories of fear and desperation,” she said. .“We have businesses on the brink of collapse.”.She stressed how much a grant-based funding mechanism is needed for the businesses and employees of areas affected by the Freedom Convoy. She said the Canadian government is “quickly running out of time.”.The Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas sought aid from Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi. .“Businesses and citizens of Ottawa need immediate action and support due to this protest,” said Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas Executive Director Michelle Groulx. .“The trucker convoy protest in Ottawa has seriously impacted businesses.” .A survey of members by the Coalition of Business Improvement Areas found most businesses affected by the protest remained open, but sales were poor or employees were frightened..Cabinet established a $20 million fund to compensate local businesses for losses attributed to the Freedom Convoy. Final payouts totalled $12.9 million, yet staff took unusual steps to encourage claims..Access to information and privacy requests show a deadline for grant applications was extended from April to May. Staff were reaching out by telephone to applicants who failed to finish paperwork to move their files along. .Government officials were instructed to go door to door to boost awareness and increase applications from business owners..Repeated grant application letters were mailed in English and French, but they were translated into languages such as Arabic, Vietnamese, and Mandarin to ensure those business owners, for whom English or French is not their first language, understood them. .The POEC to study Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoking the Emergencies Act (War Measures Act) to respond to the Freedom Convoy began on Oct. 13. .READ MORE: Convoy organizers, prime minister to testify before Public Order Emergency Commission.Cabinet ministers, City of Ottawa officials, Freedom Convoy organizers, and Trudeau will testify in front of the POEC. .The Emergencies Act’s invocation gave the Canadian government sweeping powers to end the protest. It enabled the government to freeze protestor bank accounts and force tow truck drivers to clear vehicles from Ottawa’s streets.
