The emergency measures brought on by crippling protests have been lifted across Canada, but local officials have called on the federal government to help businesses affected by a blockade that brought a border crossing to a standstill.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens published on Thursday, via Twitter, a letter addressed to Helena Jaczek, the minister overseeing FedDev Ontario, the federal agency supporting economic development in southern Ontario. The letter calls on the federal government to provide financial assistance for businesses in the Huron Church Road area, which are still affected by the aftermath of a trucker blockade that halted U.S.-bound traffic on the Ambassador Bridge.
The letter was signed by Dilkens, Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rakesh Naidu, and Tourism Windsor-Essex-Pelee Island (TWEPI) CEO Gordon Orr.
"We were disappointed to learn, recently, that the program established by your ministry and administered by Invest Ottawa, was limited to downtown Ottawa businesses, and expressly excluded those businesses which continue to see impacts in west Windsor," read the letter.
After emergency measures were proclaimed at the federal and provincial levels two weeks ago, multiple law enforcement agencies helped clear protestors from the blockade area over the course of two days. However, Windsor police continue to maintain a presence along Huron Church Road and access to the thoroughfare remains limited to U.S.-bound traffic.
"Windsor police and their partners in law enforcement have done an exemplary job in quickly clearing the illegal occupation and maintaining the security of Huron Church Road for over $400-million in goods that travel this crossing every day," read the letter. "Unfortunately, the price of that economic security has meant a significant and sustained loss for the small and medium-sized businesses who operate along Huron Church Road."
The letter formally requests that Windsor be provided with the same financial consideration currently being given to small businesses in Ottawa, many of which were forced to close due to three weeks' worth of often-disruptive protests.
"To not offer comparable support sends a clear signal from your government that businesses in Windsor are second-class to those in the shadow of Parliament Hill," read the letter.
The letter can be read in its entirety on Twitter.
