No end to Sri Lanka demo

City may ask federal government to help foot bill

A massive downtown demonstration that has continued into the Easter long weekend and threatens to carry on indefinitely will leave Ottawa taxpayers on the hook for mounting emergency services costs.

Tamil supporters converged on the streets around Parliament Hill for a fifth-straight day yesterday to demand a ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger fighters.

With every day that passes, the cost of crowd control and standby medical services grows, so much so that the chairman of the police services board might soon ask his council colleagues to support a request to the federal government for additional funding to help foot the bill.

"It depends on the cost this time, but we may have to go to the federal government and again ask them to cover this," said Coun. Eli El-Chantiry.

Minister of Transport John Baird has said the federal government will honour a campaign pledge to give the city $2 million annually as compensation for policing costs associated with national events held in the city.

"Our government currently provides resources to assist local police for special events and situations -- including the services of the RCMP," Baird spokesman Chris Day said yesterday.

ADDITIONAL MONEY

"We also remain committed to providing additional money for the Ottawa Police, as promised by Minister Baird, for exceptional circumstances that arise from Ottawa's status as capital."

El-Chantiry is bracing for a large bill at the end of this demonstration, which protesters say won't end until they see action on the part of the Canadian government.

"As far as the costs, it is premature to say, but I can assure you it's going to be a big number when it comes to overtime and with Easter being a statutory holiday," he said.

RCMP officers have also been called in to work overtime and about 20 OPP officers have been brought in to assist.

The protesters have directed their message at the federal government, but their decision to plant their feet within municipal policing jurisdiction means much of the cost belongs to the city.

Mayor Larry O'Brien said he would support El-Chantiry's call for additional federal funding once council sees the final bill and if it exceeds the amount the Conservative government already pledged.

O'Brien says the protesters have the right to demonstrate peacefully, but he stressed that public safety is his foremost concern.

Estimates of the crowd numbers have fluctuated between several thousand and a couple hundred over the course of the five days.

Police would not confirm how many officers have been deployed, but Insp. Alain Bernard confirmed earlier this week that additional officers had been called in to manage the crowd.

El-Chantiry says the emergency workers and their families are making a sacrifice by working this religious and holiday long weekend.

By LAURA CZEKAJ, SUN MEDIA