Windsor West MP Brian Masse is starting a petition drive to encourage the federal government to reimburse the City of Windsor for costs of the illegal blockade.
The City of Windsor spent $5.7 million in policing and other costs to clear the blockade and keep Huron Church Road moving afterward.
“Up until today, the City of Windsor is still trying to recover the costs from the blockades ten months ago. With the upcoming City budget looming, it’s an amount that may have to be passed down to taxpayers. We did everything right and to date, there is still no funding reimbursement,” said Masse.
According to Masse, the City of Ottawa was reimbursed for $35 million in costs associated with policing during the truck convoy.
The City of Windsor has made a number of requests to the provincial and federal government but so far all have gone unanswered.
“The fact is our city taxpayers are footing this bill and the federal government does not want to pay their fair share. Not only was our west end inaccessible for weeks during and afterwards, but those residents and businesses not directly in the way of the blockade suffered immensely,” Masse stated. “This petition drive will demonstrate that we are all going to work to ensure fairness for the city and taxpayers. It’s time to reimburse Windsor like it did Ottawa.”
Masse will be sharing the petition with residents and delivering them to impacted neighbourhoods.
