Some businesses losing millions of dollars per week due to protest in downtown Ottawa

Protesters and Police on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa’s economy has lost tens of millions of dollars in three weeks because of the ongoing demonstration in the downtown core.

The hardest hit areas include the Rideau Centre and the Byward Market.

Friday in the Byward Market is usually bustling. Instead, it’s nearly empty.

John Borsten owns multiple restaurants downtown and says he needs this protest to end.

"I own several restaurants in the Byward Market area," says Borsten. "One, The Metropolitan right at the corner of Rideau and Sussex, which is surrounded by trucks that have been honking for three weeks. That’s not an inviting customer experience."

What hurts even more is that capacity limits from COVID-19 have just been lifted. As of Feb. 17, restaurants in Ontario can return to 100 per cent capacity.

These businesses now have to watch and wait for the police operation to end.

"It’s the Family Day weekend,” says Borsten. "It’s one of the top weekends of the year. I’m talking hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales. Which means tens of thousands of lost tips and wages for all the staff who have to pay their rent."

Johnny Bonney is the assistant general manager at The King Eddy in the Byward Market. He hopes the end of the blockade will get customers back into the habit of enjoying a restaurant meal.

"I mean, the walk-in business is very little, to none," says Bonney. "Hopefully, this stuff will get resolved and things will get back to normal. There’s a lot to look forward to. I think spring and summer are going to be great. So we just have to hold on for a couple more days, I guess."

The Rideau Centre is one of Canada’s largest malls. It’s also a major transit hub. And it’s been closed for three weeks.

City councillor for the area, Mathieu Fleury, says tens of millions of dollars in sales are lost per week.

"It’s important to understand, the Rideau Centre is open 363 days a year," says Fleury. "To regain our city, it’s going to take time. And we have to be aware of that. We have to be intentional about the investments and efforts relating to supporting our city’s core."

Officials say it might take days to clear protesters out of the downtown core, but for business owners, it can't come soon enough.

"This is the worst it’s been in two years," says Borsten. “This is worse than any lockdown. At least everybody was in the same boat before. They were funding us. But this, when does it end? You’re going to see some serious devastation in the business community. It is very difficult right now. Very difficult."