‘Freedom Rally’ convoy has withdrawn $1 million from once-frozen viral fundraiser: GoFundMe

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This article was published 26/01/2022 (967 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A trucker convoy winding its way on Thursday through the GTA has accessed $1 million of the funds it has raised through a viral online fundraiser that was previously frozen by the platform GoFundMe.

The fund, initially set up by Alberta woman Tamara Lich, and raised $30,000 on its first live day, Jan. 15, with the stated goal of reimbursing Canadians for gas and food expenses incurred while participating in a “Freedom Convoy” protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The fundraising page says any excess funds will be donated to a veterans’ organization. As of Thursday afternoon, the page had raised more than $6.3 million from more than 80,000 sources.

GoFundMe froze the funds on Tuesday, saying it needed to see a plan for where the funds would go. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the fund said at least some of the funds — $1 million so far — have been released.

“Our goal is to protect the generosity of donors and ensure that all donations go to those intended,” reads a portion of the statement from GoFundMe. “As part of our verification process, we require full transparency from the organizer about the flow of funds to ensure there’s a clear plan and donors are informed on how the funds will be spent.”

GoFundMe said the organizer of the fundraiser has handed over a distribution plan for covering participants’ fuel costs, and that the platform will continue to work with the organizers after everyone has been reimbursed on which charities will receive the remaining funds.

Alex McKeen is a Vancouver-based reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @alex_mckeen