A week after they confiscated its beer, Alberta RCMP officers and Alberta Health inspectors raided the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, AB. early Wednesday morning, and changed the locks on the property..The Mounties showed up at 6:30 a.m. MST on owner Chris Scott’s day off. Four police cars blocked entrances into the building. There was only one staff member working at the time..“This is disgusting,” Scott said to the RCMP officers and AHS officials on the scene as he drove into the parking lot.. Screen-Shot-2021-05-05-at-12.13.33-PMThe padlocked Whistle Stop .“How can any of you sleep at night? This is my property and I have the right to enjoy it..“If you think this is gonna stop me, you have another thing coming.”.The AHS officer on the scene said they “are going to seize the building.”.After locking up the building, AHS officials got out of Dodge..“We don’t need to be around when everybody rolls out of bed,” said one..And moments after the authorities left, the Whistle Stop was back in business at their outdoor patio..“We’re not closing,” said Scott..Scott invited customers down to enjoy a “Freedom Burger” and enjoy it in the “Freedom Park.”. Screen-Shot-2021-05-05-at-12.15.11-PMWhistle Stop’s Freedom Park .He said he has received several offers from people offering to destroy the lock “but that’s not an appropriate measure” at this time..Scott said he had $75,000 worth of inventory, now “being held hostage by the AHS.”.RCMP officers, along with Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) inspectors, also raided the establishment last week – one of the first places in Alberta to defy the provincial COVID-19 lockdown order in January..The AGLC had previously taken away its liquor licence and the Whistle Stop ceased beer sales. However, the establishment was raided for its beer supply later..In scenes that looked like something from the prohibition era, an RCMP officer packed up all Whistle Stop’s beer without the owner’s consent and carted it away..Scott decided to defy provincial lockdown orders and restrictions introduced by the UCP government and opened his restaurant on Jan. 21. He said he has received overwhelming support, and daily visits from the Mounties..Scott is the only gas station/cafe in the town of about 500, 50-km northeast of Red Deer, and now he’s seeing people from all over the province stopping in..“The law is garbage – it”s doing more harm than good,” said Scott in an earlier interview with the Western Standard.. Screen-Shot-2021-05-05-at-12.16.08-PMChris Scott .“It’s also a financial issue, my sister and I were just sitting back and watching our savings dwindle.”.“If they want to throw me in jail for trying to earn a living, go ahead,” said Scott, who could face a raft of penalties from fines, loss of his liquor licence and even jail..Scott has owned the cafe since July 2019, but it has been a fixture in town since 1967..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
A week after they confiscated its beer, Alberta RCMP officers and Alberta Health inspectors raided the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, AB. early Wednesday morning, and changed the locks on the property..The Mounties showed up at 6:30 a.m. MST on owner Chris Scott’s day off. Four police cars blocked entrances into the building. There was only one staff member working at the time..“This is disgusting,” Scott said to the RCMP officers and AHS officials on the scene as he drove into the parking lot.. Screen-Shot-2021-05-05-at-12.13.33-PMThe padlocked Whistle Stop .“How can any of you sleep at night? This is my property and I have the right to enjoy it..“If you think this is gonna stop me, you have another thing coming.”.The AHS officer on the scene said they “are going to seize the building.”.After locking up the building, AHS officials got out of Dodge..“We don’t need to be around when everybody rolls out of bed,” said one..And moments after the authorities left, the Whistle Stop was back in business at their outdoor patio..“We’re not closing,” said Scott..Scott invited customers down to enjoy a “Freedom Burger” and enjoy it in the “Freedom Park.”. Screen-Shot-2021-05-05-at-12.15.11-PMWhistle Stop’s Freedom Park .He said he has received several offers from people offering to destroy the lock “but that’s not an appropriate measure” at this time..Scott said he had $75,000 worth of inventory, now “being held hostage by the AHS.”.RCMP officers, along with Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) inspectors, also raided the establishment last week – one of the first places in Alberta to defy the provincial COVID-19 lockdown order in January..The AGLC had previously taken away its liquor licence and the Whistle Stop ceased beer sales. However, the establishment was raided for its beer supply later..In scenes that looked like something from the prohibition era, an RCMP officer packed up all Whistle Stop’s beer without the owner’s consent and carted it away..Scott decided to defy provincial lockdown orders and restrictions introduced by the UCP government and opened his restaurant on Jan. 21. He said he has received overwhelming support, and daily visits from the Mounties..Scott is the only gas station/cafe in the town of about 500, 50-km northeast of Red Deer, and now he’s seeing people from all over the province stopping in..“The law is garbage – it”s doing more harm than good,” said Scott in an earlier interview with the Western Standard.. Screen-Shot-2021-05-05-at-12.16.08-PMChris Scott .“It’s also a financial issue, my sister and I were just sitting back and watching our savings dwindle.”.“If they want to throw me in jail for trying to earn a living, go ahead,” said Scott, who could face a raft of penalties from fines, loss of his liquor licence and even jail..Scott has owned the cafe since July 2019, but it has been a fixture in town since 1967..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
