The owner of Calgary’s Bennys Breakfast Bar found out the hard way what happens when you fight city call..Last week, owner of the restaurant vowed to keep in-person dining open, despite a third round of lockdown orders imposed by the provincial government..That led to tense scenes on Saturday when AHS inspectors and police showed up at the 50s-style restaurant..“Get out! Get out!” chanted the dozens of people dining in at the restaurant as the authorities entered..The AHS then threatened to pull their licences if they continued to stay open, forcing the owner to close in-person dining..On April 6, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced that the province would be put back into lockdown under Phase 1 of the “Path Forward” plan, forbidding indoor dining..Bennys Breakfast Bar took to social media Saturday afternoon to express their discontentment with the province, who “graciously” allowed businesses to seat people on the patio..“Notice the flags blowing, and lack people outside. This is April in Alberta. How much would patio business today have brought?”.Restaurants can face fines for staying open in defiance of lockdowns, but many businesses in Edmonton and rural municipalities have chosen to remain open as well..“To all the ones who applaud this decision, I ask you this: Do you think it’s fitting that lineups and full parking lots are at a major chain, but small businesses are unfairly targeted?” .Kenney has faced considerable blowback from his party’s base and rural caucus over the return to Phase 1..“We believe, based on the current trajectory, that if we don’t slow down this curve that we are set to hit the maximum capacity of our system in mid-May,” said Premier Jason Kenney when he announced the province was going back to Phase 1..“We can only do this together to prevent a long situation, a huge wave that causes massive cancellations of surgeries in our hospitals, and hundreds of preventable deaths,” he said..Kenney warns that Alberta could average 2,000 daily cases by the end of April based on current transmission rates and reach 1,000 hospitalizations if defiance of restrictions continues..Dhaliwal is an Edmonton reporter for the Western Standard
The owner of Calgary’s Bennys Breakfast Bar found out the hard way what happens when you fight city call..Last week, owner of the restaurant vowed to keep in-person dining open, despite a third round of lockdown orders imposed by the provincial government..That led to tense scenes on Saturday when AHS inspectors and police showed up at the 50s-style restaurant..“Get out! Get out!” chanted the dozens of people dining in at the restaurant as the authorities entered..The AHS then threatened to pull their licences if they continued to stay open, forcing the owner to close in-person dining..On April 6, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced that the province would be put back into lockdown under Phase 1 of the “Path Forward” plan, forbidding indoor dining..Bennys Breakfast Bar took to social media Saturday afternoon to express their discontentment with the province, who “graciously” allowed businesses to seat people on the patio..“Notice the flags blowing, and lack people outside. This is April in Alberta. How much would patio business today have brought?”.Restaurants can face fines for staying open in defiance of lockdowns, but many businesses in Edmonton and rural municipalities have chosen to remain open as well..“To all the ones who applaud this decision, I ask you this: Do you think it’s fitting that lineups and full parking lots are at a major chain, but small businesses are unfairly targeted?” .Kenney has faced considerable blowback from his party’s base and rural caucus over the return to Phase 1..“We believe, based on the current trajectory, that if we don’t slow down this curve that we are set to hit the maximum capacity of our system in mid-May,” said Premier Jason Kenney when he announced the province was going back to Phase 1..“We can only do this together to prevent a long situation, a huge wave that causes massive cancellations of surgeries in our hospitals, and hundreds of preventable deaths,” he said..Kenney warns that Alberta could average 2,000 daily cases by the end of April based on current transmission rates and reach 1,000 hospitalizations if defiance of restrictions continues..Dhaliwal is an Edmonton reporter for the Western Standard
