Kusmierczyk insists Ottawa covered all eligible Windsor blockade costs

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A local member of Parliament is adamant that the federal government reimbursed the City of Windsor for more than its fair share of costs stemming from the 2022 Ambassador Bridge blockade — costs that are now at the heart of a city-filed $900,000 lawsuit.

Reacting to news the municipality is taking Ottawa to court over remaining blockade expenses, mostly legal fees, Irek Kusmierczyk (L — Windsor-Tecumseh) told the Star legal fees were not deemed an eligible expense. But his government did send the city nearly $6.1 million for its response to the “extraordinary situation” that shut down the busiest border crossing in North America for a week.

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“You have a federal government that stepped up to the plate and covered all eligible expenses, including policing,” Kusmierczyk told the Star in a phone call from Ottawa.

The province, which is responsible for policing and roads, “has provided exactly zero (dollars),” he said. “We are a very strong partner for this community. We’ve been there every step of the way.

“The province needs to step up as well and be a partner,” Kusmierczyk said in defence of the federal Liberals.

Even though lawyers’ fees were ineligible for reimbursement, he said he “pushed hard” and had Ottawa cover half of those fees anyway.

The city said it spent $1,780,982 on legal fees, which included the successful pursuit of a court-ordered injunction to end the February 2022 occupation, as well as participation in related Public Order Emergency Commission hearings later that year.

On Monday, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, standing with all 10 city councillors, announced a lawsuit had been filed against the Government of Canada for the rest of the costs it incurred in response to the blockade. The lawsuit also seeks a formal declaration of federal responsibility for policing and securing federal border crossings, and compensation for ongoing expenses related to protecting Windsor’s international border crossings.

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The city said it spent nearly $7 million responding to the blockade, which was comprised of protesters angry about COVID-19 mandates. Most of those expenses stemmed from policing and legal fees. The rest came from public works, Transit Windsor, emergency medical services, fire and rescue services, parks and facilities, and communications.

The city wants the federal government to cover the remaining $900,491 it spent on legal fees and incurred in foregone transit revenue.

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“This is the last place we want to be standing in front of you, having to announce this. We’ve been left no other choice,” Dilkens told reporters at city hall on Monday.

“We will always stand up for Windsor residents and for what’s right. If there was another event in the city where we had to respond, you can rest assured that we’re going to respond appropriately.

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“But we expect to work with partners who will also do the right thing at the right time.”

The federal Ministry of Public Safety did not provide a response to the Star’s request for comment ahead of print deadline.

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Kusmierczyk noted the federal government also provided an additional $2.7 million for businesses in Windsor’s west end that were impacted by the blockade.

As for the city’s request to establish an inter-jurisdictional framework for sharing costs associated with policing and securing Windsor’s border crossings, Kusmierczyk said he’s ready to sit down with the mayor and the province “any time.”

tcampbell@postmedia.com

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