The Freedom Convoy Cost Ottawa Over $36 Million & The City Wants The Feds To Fork Out

The 2022 Freedom Convoy protest cost the City of Ottawa around $36.3 million in police expenses and more — and now the capital is looking for federal aid to help cover it.

According to Ottawa City Councillor Theresa Kavanagh, the costs were mostly related to the increased police presence and operations in the city while the protests were ongoing.

Around $35 million went towards supporting the Ottawa Police Service and RCMP, with the money paying for things like compensation, vehicle expenses, food, accommodations and "operational supplies."

The City of Ottawa's response cost around $1.3 million, but that's excluding infrastructure damage and repair costs, as those are still under review.

Per CTV News, City Manager Steve Kanellakos said that, "City staff and OPS staff are communicating with senior officials at the federal and provincial governments to recover these costs."

He also mentioned that the city "will make a formal submission [to the federal government] for reimbursement of all costs associated with the response."

"They certainly are expecting that we would be submitting the cost of both the federal and provincial, and what I was told is they would work out what an appropriate cost-sharing agreement is to fund us," continued the city manager.

This is after the largest of Canada's Freedom Convoy protests took place in downtown Ottawa between January 29, 2022, and February 21, 2022.

It was a demonstration whose supporters included those who were against mandatory vaccines, lockdowns and other government-enforced COVID-19 restrictions.

Protestors gained national attention for their consistent horn-honking, as well as alleged disrespect to several national monuments.

The downtown Ottawa and Ambassador Bridge demonstrations were eventually brought to an end after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to aid in the official response.