The minister says he is ‘open to working with’ Windsor after the city sued over convoy costs

Canada’s Public Safety Minister says he is open to “working with” Windsor after the mayor announced the city is suing for costs related to the 2022 Ambassador Bridge blockade.

Dominic LeBlanc was questioned about the issue in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

He did not directly address the question of whether the government would provide additional compensation, but he did not rule it out either.

“I was happy to have the opportunity to talk to the mayor of Windsor a few months ago,” he said. “My colleagues on this side of the House have also spoken to me about what we can do to support the City of Windsor. And Mr. Chairman, we are always open to working with the City of Windsor. valuable partner for our government.”

The city announced Monday it would file a lawsuit over money it says is owed to get an order to remove protesters. A group called the Freedom Convoy blocked the bridge for several days in protest of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Windsor West MP Brian Masse (NDP) pressed the government on the issue on Tuesday. He accused the Liberals of taking the city for granted.

“Rather than forcing Windsor to fight in court, will this government reimburse the city and finally take responsibility for federal border costs, as it should?”

The federal government has raised $6.1 million to the city for expenses related to the February 2022 protest at the border due to pandemic mandates.

However, the city and Ottawa are at odds over $900,491 in outstanding legal fees. The city says it spent $1.8 million in costs related to obtaining an injunction to remove the protesters.

Windsor Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk, who represents Windsor-Tecumseh, said he has been fighting to get 50 per cent of the city’s legal costs covered, which are generally not eligible for reimbursement.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Monday he believes the expenses are eligible. Dilkens says the lawsuit is about “justice and fairness” for Windsor taxpayers.

In addition to the reimbursement, the city is also seeking a formal declaration of federal responsibility for overseeing and securing federal border crossings and compensation for ongoing costs associated with protecting Windsor’s international border crossings.

Meanwhile, Kusmierczyk also points the finger at the province.

“What is important here is that the provincial government has so far put forward exactly $0 to help cover the costs of the City of Windsor and its residents,” he said. “The question I have is, where is the premier and where is the provincial government on this issue, especially considering that policing is 100 percent entirely the responsibility of the provincial government?”

In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the provincial government’s attorney general’s office noted that the OPP was deployed to Windsor and the city was not charged.

“We support the City of Windsor and it is up to the federal government to step in and support the outstanding costs,” the spokesperson said.