Nearly Half of Businesses Not Compensated for G20

Small-business owners in Toronto complain of onerous paperwork and stingy bureaucrats in trying to recoup lost revenue.

The federal government is reimbursing about half of the downtown Toronto businesses that filed compensation claims for having to close during the G20 summit last year. Despite budgeting $10 million for compensation, the government has only approved about $2 million worth of claims, rejecting 161 of 367 claims outright. Even the 169 businesses that will receive some money (37 businesses are still awaiting review) aren't, for the most, part getting the full amount they've requested. The government is only compensating for revenue lost for having to close during the summit and not the costs of repairing the extensive property damage that many businesses along Queen Street incurred.