The federal government is providing $2.5 million to support businesses impacted by a near week-long blockade along Huron Church Road in Windsor.
Irek Kusmierczyk, Windsor-Tecumseh Liberal M-P, announced Friday that eligible businesses will be able to access non-repayable contributions of up to $10,000 for costs not covered by other federal programs.
Eligible applicants impacted by the demonstrations will need to meet the following criteria: be located along and near the Huron Church Road corridor; have been unable to operate their business at normal levels during the blockade; have fewer than 100 employees; have intended to provide in-person client services during the demonstrations and could not transition to virtual services in the short-term; and be fully open, operating and providing in-person services at the time of application.
Rob Hindi
On Feb. 7, a group of people stopped along Huron Church Road heading to the Ambassador Bridge, protesting COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, halting traffic until police officers moved them off the route on Feb. 13.
In the aftermath of the protest, barriers were put in place along Huron Church Road for several weeks to maintain the flow of traffic, but those barriers restricted access to a number of businesses along both sides of the busy route.
The federal funding is to help businesses recover costs such as utilities, insurance, bank charges, loss of inventory (e.g., spoiled food), wages, rent, and other extraordinary costs related to the repair or protection of a business due to the demonstrations.
Additional details on eligibility criteria are available on the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre website.
With files from Rob Hindi