Thousands in lost revenue, wages as protest hits one-week mark

Employees and businesses in and around Ottawa’s downtown core are reeling from a week of financial losses, and some say they won’t be able to recover from the lost revenue as an anti-pandemic rule protest continues near Parliament Hill. 

Abby Wright said she hasn’t been able to work at Magpie Jewellery in the Rideau Centre since closing the store early Saturday. The store has lost thousands of dollars in revenue — and for Wright, hundreds in wages — as the city’s largest mall remains closed until at least Feb. 7.

“I’m now getting money from the government, which isn’t ideal,” said Wright, the store’s assistant manager, who had to apply to a federal COVID-19 relief benefit this week.

Friday marks a week since a convoy of truckers and protesters began flowing into the nation’s capital. Ottawans who live and work downtown are bracing for another weekend of protesting against COVID-19 public health mandates, which has led to several businesses closing.

Some of its organizers maintain they won’t leave until all COVID-19 rules across Canada end. Ottawa’s police chief said Wednesday all options are being considered to bring an end to the protest, though he’s “increasingly concerned there is no policing solution to this.”

Wright says she’s attended many protests in Ottawa and considers herself an active community member, but she called the demonstration “quite aggressive.”

“Peaceful protests shouldn’t stop people from going to work,” she said.

Tim DeVries, a barista at Nordstrom, said he had to deal with aggressive protesters during his shift Saturday. Now closed, Nordstorm is luckily paying him for lost shifts.

“I’m very, very, very thankful for that because otherwise I would definitely be struggling,” DeVries said. “I know most other people working at the mall have not been that lucky though.”

‘It can’t get worse,’ warns business group

According to a survey of more than 200 downtown businesses Monday, about 40 per cent say they closed due to disruptions over the weekend.

A majority of those businesses — which range from salons to dental offices to retailers — say they’ve lost revenue directly due to the protest, according to Michelle Groulx, executive director of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas.

“Businesses have been going through so much … over the last almost two years,” said Groulx. “Any chance of making that up, through revenue generated within a day, is critical given the amount of debt they’ve accumulated [during the pandemic].”

Half of the businesses who responded to the survey said they won’t be able to recover any lost income.

“It tells a story that this cannot be recovered. And even as the protest continues, that it can’t get worse, it has to get better [for them to survive].”

Snow Goose Gallery on Sparks Street has remained closed for the past week for the safety of staff, according to owner Ian Wright.

“We were nervous,” he said. “We could be losing between $500 and $1,000 a day because of this.”

Wright says he’s trying to pay his employees a little bit during the closure. He worries for his daughters who live blocks away from the protest.

“I don’t know whether to be angry or to be embarrassed for our city having to deal with this kind of thing.”

Stewart Cattroll, co-owner of Freshii on Bank Street, estimates the restaurant lost around $3,500 in the past week. It closed over the weekend, but has remained open since Monday on an “extremely limited” basis.

“We were looking forward to and planning to open up for indoor dining,” said Cattroll, referring to the loosening of some restrictions in Ontario on Monday.

The restaurant will stick to takeout for now, he said.

“This security situation on Bank Street. It looks very unstable. It’s one more blow on top of many,” Cattroll said.

“We’re hanging on by a thread to begin with. So any day we can’t … carry on business, it has a disproportionate impact.”

CBC