A return to office life is on the horizon, as infections from the Omicron variant of COVID-19 decline, big businesses are preparing to welcome back their employees in the national capital region in the coming months.
Conservative Saskatchewan Sen. Denise Batters defended anti-vaccine mandate protesters in a speech late Tuesday, saying these "friendly" and "patriotic" demonstrators have been unfairly maligned by the "chattering classes."
Under the initiative announced last weekend, downtown businesses will be eligible for up to $10,000 to cover non-deferrable operational costs not covered by other federal programs.
The Rideau Centre and several small businesses and restaurants have been closed since Jan. 29, when vehicles began blocking downtown streets to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health measures.