Local businesses in Ottawa’s downtown core are trying to stand on their feet again after having been shut down for three weeks because of the ‘Freedom Convoy.’
The convoy saw thousands travel across Canada to Ottawa to protest COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. As the convoy grew, many local businesses had to close due to safety concerns.
Joe Thottungal is a local chef and business owner who manages Coconut Lagoon on St. Laurent Boulevard and Thali on O’Connor Street. He said he could only describe his experience over the last three weeks as “miserable and unexpected.”
“It was uncertain and unpredictable and very miserable for a business owner in downtown Ottawa,” Thottungal said. “Trying to get to work was a hassle, employees trying to come down was a hassle and even if you were somehow able to get in, there weren’t too many people coming into the restaurant.”
He added that as the protests continued, he had to completely close “because it was like a zoo.”
Another factor that contributed to a lack of business, according to Thottungal, was the municipal government sending out alerts telling people to avoid the downtown core when possible.
The federal government is currently investing $20 million to support affected businesses. Businesses will be able to apply for contributions upwards of $10,000 for non-deferrable operational costs that are not covered by other federal programs.
But some owners claim the relief is not enough to cover their losses, like Scott May, owner of Bar Robo, a café on Queen Street.
May said his business had to close its doors on Jan. 31, just as health restrictions were loosening and the café was set to reopen for indoor dining.
May said the convoy closures added additional financial issues on top of the money he was spending to keep his business healthy and prepare for reopening.
For May, the money being spent on the business itself, including old food, a broken freezer and cleaning keg lines, already surpasses that which is being given out by the
An underlying issue with the government programs is their “one-size-fits-all” approach, May said.
“It’s not even close enough. Our out-of-pocket expenses alone are $6,000, let alone everything else. We lost revenue while our costs remained the same,” May said. “Not all businesses are created equal, so bigger businesses with bigger costs require more support.”
Despite the closures, some business owners like Sarah Chown, managing partner of the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant on Sussex Drive, said that they’ve seen a rebound in customers.
Chown said the Brasserie reopened on Feb. 21 and had a “great night.” Since then, she said that “tons of people” have come to show support, which she expects to continue.
“Ever since, it’s been really busy. Ottawa is a great community and they’re coming out and supporting the businesses in the downtown core, so I anticipate that it will continue. We’re still not where we want to be but for the first week, we did really well.”
Ottawa city council has also passed a number of motions to help affected businesses recover, including by waiving parking fees in certain parking lots in the ByWard Market and downtown area until Mar. 31.
Chown said she believes that after experiencing an event of this magnitude, the likelihood of a similar instance repeating itself is unlikely.
“I have to have faith that all the different levels of government are going to work towards making sure this never happens again,” she said.
When describing his reopening process, Thottungal described the support from the community as “tremendous” and “positive.”
“The [reopening] has been very good and as an optimist, I believe that the last three weeks have shined some light on the downtown businesses who have felt neglected these last two years.”
Featured image by Spencer Colby
