ஒட்டாவா சன் செய்தி!!

No end to Sri Lanka demo
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.
LAURA.CZEKAJ@SUNMEDIA.CA
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TIMELINE
- MONDAY The Sri Lankan government rules out a ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels who are pinned down in a portion of the south Asian country shared with tens of thousands of civilians.
- TUESDAY Rush-hour traffic is brought to a standstill around Parliament Hill as hundreds of Tamil-Canadian protesters converge on the capital to demand government action against what they say is the genocide of the Tamil people.
- WEDNESDAY The peaceful protest enters its second day by shutting down a section of Wellington St.
- THURSDAY City police warn motorists to expect more delays as the protest continues even after the crowd of a couple hundred protesters agree to leave the road clear. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said the government has asked for an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
- FRIDAY Crowds swell into the thousands as busloads of Tamils arrive in Ottawa from Toronto, Montreal and across the country.
- SATURDAY A small group of protesters remains on Wellington St., but police keep traffic flowing and reopen Metcalfe St. at Wellington St.


ஒட்டாவா சன் செய்திப் பத்திரிகையில்இன்று வெளியான கருத்துக்கணிப்பு இது:
Should the government be doing more to press for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka?