Ottawa throws Toronto a bone by upping businesses’ compensation for the G20

Downtown businesses ravaged during the G20 have been griping for a while now about how much money they lost on that fateful weekend. To date, the federal government’s compensation for businesses has been restricted to those within the security perimeter, but now Ottawa has declared an External Affected Area that can claim compensation. The federal funds won’t cover vandalism (sorry, Starbucks), but rather costs related to security measures, protests and the difficulty of getting downtown. The expanded area includes Queen West, Bay Street and areas near Queen’s Park. City councillor Adam Vaughan says the zone isn’t nearly large enough. “There are huge swaths that aren’t covered,” he told the Globe. “Those businesses, for the better part of a week and a half—nobody went near them.” Businesses have until November 17 to file claims.

• G20 compensation zone expanded [Globe and Mail] • Federal government expands G20 business compensation zone [CP24]