Months after G20, restaurants still not compensated

TORONTO, Nov. 4 /CNW/ - The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) demanded fair compensation for Toronto restaurants that suffered losses during the G20 Summit in an appearance today before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. Months after the July summit, restaurants have yet to receive any compensation for lost sales.

Using its G20 Summit survey results - revealing more than 90 per cent of downtown respondents saw a significant sales decrease and over half closed due to safety concerns for patrons and staff - CRFA demanded:

• fast and fair processing of compensation applications;
• expansion of the city zone eligible for compensation to reflect actual losses; and
• compensation for restaurants forced to close due to safety risks.

"The G20 Summit's impact on restaurants was sudden and severe," says Joyce Reynolds, CRFA Executive Vice President Government Affairs. "However, four months later, the federal government is yet to give them a dime in compensation."

"As the Committee reviews security expenditures for the G20, they need to recognize that Toronto's restaurants deserve immediate and fair compensation for their losses," adds Justin Taylor, CRFA Vice President Labour and Supply.

Current guidelines do not compensate restaurants that closed during the G20 Summit and limit compensation to a few areas of the city, even though the impact stretched far beyond those areas.

For further information:

Contact:Justin Taylor 416-550-3458 (cell) or [email protected]; Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or [email protected]