A federal agency mandated to give out $20 million in subsidies to downtown Ottawa businesses that it said suffered losses due to the truckers’ Freedom Convoy protest earlier this year struggled to find applicants for the money, Access to Information records show.
The records show that the final payment given out by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) was $12.9 million—36 percent under budget—according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
The subsidy allowed small businesses in downtown Ottawa to apply for “non-repayable contributions of up to $10,000 for non-deferrable operational costs not covered by other federal programs,” said a Feb. 19 FedDev Ontario statement….