OTTAWA — As the Tamil-Canadian vigil on Parliament Hill enters its third week, with a fresh wave of demonstrators expected on Tuesday, area politicians are calling on the federal government to cover the extra costs of patrolling the protest.“As a clear and pragmatic point, the federal government should be paying for these services that are provided from the City of Ottawa,” Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar said Sunday.
The price tag for the Ottawa police’s involvement has not yet been tallied, but councillor Eli El-Chantiry, chairman of the Ottawa Police Services Board, said he has asked for a breakdown of expenses to be presented later this month.
“I have asked staff to get a detailed report for every dime and nickel spent from Day 1, and I can imagine the number is not going to be pretty,” said El-Chantiry. “But I can assure you I will be requesting assistance from the federal government whenever we have the number.”
Protest organizers have indicated that as many as 25,000 Tamil supporters are expected on the Hill Tuesday. While police say they are prepared to handle a large crowd, they don’t expect a repeat of what happened during the early days of the demonstration, when downtown traffic was ensnared and buses were rerouted, creating commuter havoc.
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Ottawa police move in to remove picket signs from protesting Sri Lankan Canadians in support of the Tamil Tigers as they continue the third day of protests in front of Parliament Hill on April 9. (Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington, Ottawa Citizen)
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