Some Ottawa businesses unable to access convoy relief funds

For a month, Victoria Barbershop, at the corner of Wellington Street and O’Connor Street, was essentially inaccessible. 

"I did $640 for the month of February," Robin Seguin, owner of the barbershop said. 

"If it wasn’t for the GoFundMe and folks being so generous from the community, you know, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through the month," she added. 

Like many businesses in the downtown core, the impact of the Freedom Convoy nearly devastated her business. Thousands of dollars of revenues lost, Seguin now finds herself facing a new challenge: accessing the federal supports for affected businesses. 

"It’s sad to see that again, once again, some of us are falling through the cracks," she said.

Seguin has been unable to acquire a Canada Revenue Agency Business Number, making her ineligible for relief funding for COVID and the Freedom Convoy. 

Repeated efforts to correct the issue have been unsuccessful. 

"It’s frustrating for sure. It’s been a hard two years and then for us…to have the protestors show up and force us into another month of no business, it definitely doesn’t help," Seguin said. 

On nearby Sparks Street a handful of people mill about on a rainy Saturday morning, but businesses are mostly empty.  

"It has not been easy. Every month, every week, every day, it is uncertainty. We open the door and many days no one comes in," Anne Wallner, owner of Alyea’s Jewellers Limited said. 

The family-owned jewelry store has been a fixture of the downtown for six decades, but Wallner says the impact of the Freedom Convoy is unprecedented. 

"There are people who, knowing we’re still here, are reluctant to come downtown, not sure if it’s safe, and at this time I'm not sure what their fears are, but there’s a lingering effect,” she said. 

Wallner, like hundreds of other business owners, has applied for the Downtown Ottawa Business Relief Fund, a payout between $1,000 - $15,000 for businesses hurt by the downtown occupation. 

"We will definitely do whatever we can to take advantage of what’s on offer, but that’s still unknown," Wallner said. 

Applications for the fund, managed by Invest Ottawa, opened Tuesday; already more than 400 businesses have applied for the first-come, first-serve relief, and it’s expected hundreds more will continue to do so. 

"We’re trying to get to at least 1,900 companies during the process here, we have just under $30 million to work with, we do have time," Mike Tremblay, President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, said. 

Tremblay says the fund will work in cycles, the approval process taking roughly three weeks, with hopes that all funding will be distributed by June.

Already the fund has had to make several adjustments to ensure affected businesses are eligible for relief, and Tremblay says more could be on the way if needed. 

"Let’s make sure that the businesses that feel they are struggling to be able to be eligible in the process, have them reach out to us. There’s contact information on the Invest Ottawa Website," Tremblay added.  

Still, downtown businesses say the relief is a pittance compared to what was lost; some businesses were forced to close altogether.   

"We are still here and I know there are businesses that were open and since the trucker’s presence in town, they’re gone. They’re gone," Wallner said.  

Back on O’Connor, Seguin is adamant her barbershop will not join other businesses shuttered by the convoy. 

"It’s going to take a little bit of work, and I’m not shy of working hard," she said. 

Applications for the relief fund can be found on the Invest Ottawa website.