The RCMP said it paid only $527 in overtime pay to officers during the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, according to an access to information and privacy request obtained by the Western Standard. .The ATIP request said the RCMP spent more than $1.6 million in security costs when it was deployed for the Freedom Convoy from January 23 to March 1. .The largest expense for the RCMP was travel at $1.6 million. This was followed by accommodations at $13,000 and food at $6,720. .These totals do not include regular salary payments and indirect costs. The amounts provided include costs remaining unrecovered. .RCMP spokesperson Robin Percival said the information provided was what was available in the system when the request was processed, and it does not reflect final costs. .“The RCMP is still in the process of determining the total costs for law enforcement support during Freedom Convoy,” said Percival. .“Once compiled, this information will be made publicly available.”.Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) federal director Franco Terrazzano said one of the costs associated with people protesting is security fees. .“We always want the government to spend money as prudent as possible, but in a democracy people have a right to peacefully protest,” said Terrazzano. .Public Works and Government Services said the Freedom Convoy cost millions in a work slowdown on Parliament Hill, but it acknowledged an unrelated carpenters’ strike was more significant..READ MORE: Carpenters strike was costlier than Freedom Convoy, public works department says.Cabinet has not detailed economic losses from the trucker protests..“The cost of the delay is estimated at $3 million,” said Public Works and Government Services. .The RCMP said in February it would be looking into leaked chat group messages allegedly showing officers boasting about use-of-force incidents against Freedom Convoy protesters. .READ MORE: RCMP ‘looking into’ leaked gleeful chat messages between officers in Ottawa.Screenshots of the group chat, titled Social Musical Ride 2022, were plastered across multiple social media platforms, sparking widespread outrage..“It looks like the RCMP has a leaky ship,” said the man who posted the screenshots on Telegram.
