It was no act. Premier Jason Kenney was genuinely angry at a press conference where he called rebel restaurant owners “irresponsible and selfish.”. The rage on Kenney’s part wasn’t so much that these rogue Albertan small business owners had put people at risk of COVID-19 infections with their restaurant openings, as it was that the act of rebellion forced the government’s hand. Yet again, the UCP government was found to be reactive and floundering when issues break, rather than decisive and proactive..A prairie fire of rebel-restaurants was starting to take off last week. It began with Chris Scott who defiantly dared to allow patrons to sit and eat burgers in his cafe in the hamlet of Mirror, Alberta and the conflagration spread quickly. Desperate for their livelihoods and emboldened by Scott’s example, rural restaurants began flaunting AHS lockdown restrictions and opened for in-house dining throughout the province. Even the typically slow-acting UCP had to realize that they needed to do something quickly before this revolution of restaurants got completely out of their control..At Friday’s press conference Premier Kenney gave Albertan business owners what they should have had all along; a timeline for re-opening. Somebody within the government realized that their bizarre and selective re-openings of businesses from massage studios to hairstylists while leaving restaurants behind had put restaurant owners into a state of dejection leading to rebellion. With bankruptcy looming and no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel, restaurant owners felt that they no longer had anything to lose in flaunting the law and trying to save their financial lives..Scenes of small business owners being arrested or fined for trying not to lose everything they have worked for doesn’t make for good press for a government that styles itself the champions of small business. Unless they were willing to send men with guns to shut these restaurants down, they had no choice but to capitulate. Some solid timelines for opening should quell that sense of desperation for now..I suspect that the UCP government already had this reopening plan ready to go, but they had it scheduled to come out later when they could choose the timing of the conference and try to show themselves as heroes who have knocked COVID-19 down to the point where they could now start re-opening the province. Due to the growing number of restaurants defiantly opening up, the Kenney government’s hand was forced. They had to do a hasty Friday press conference and release their plans prematurely, and lost whatever political capital they had hoped to gain from this issue. No wonder the premier was grumpy..In scolding the restaurant owners who dared to feed customers in their establishments, Premier Kenney cost himself even more of his dwindling support among the small business community. Most restaurant owners see the rebel restaurant owners as heroes who took a chance which led to them all benefiting. While I can see why Premier Kenney is upset, he had best remember to treat Alberta’s increasingly desperate small business people with respect right now. It is clear that they are tired of the government and ready to push back..There has been no evidence that restaurants with socially distanced seating contribute any more to COVID-19 infections than any other businesses which are open today. Is it really that much more dangerous to sit down and eat a cheeseburger than it is to stand shoulder to shoulder with people in a crowded Walmart or Costco? The arbitrary nature of the restrictions was absurd and restaurant owners knew it..The Alberta government has proven itself to be wildly out of touch with the challenges and stresses that COVID-19 restrictions are putting on citizens without privileged government jobs. How could they not see this rebellion coming as thousands of businesses face bankruptcy while the re-opening goalposts keep moving? How could they not realize the desperation they were creating? It took a small revolution of restaurant owners standing up for themselves to give the government a much-needed reality-check..It is refreshing to see an act of civil disobedience that not only worked, but didn’t involve rioting, violence, and property damage as the professional complainers so often do. We all benefit when the state is put in its place now and then..Cory Morgan is the Podcast Editor and a columnist for the Western Standard
It was no act. Premier Jason Kenney was genuinely angry at a press conference where he called rebel restaurant owners “irresponsible and selfish.”. The rage on Kenney’s part wasn’t so much that these rogue Albertan small business owners had put people at risk of COVID-19 infections with their restaurant openings, as it was that the act of rebellion forced the government’s hand. Yet again, the UCP government was found to be reactive and floundering when issues break, rather than decisive and proactive..A prairie fire of rebel-restaurants was starting to take off last week. It began with Chris Scott who defiantly dared to allow patrons to sit and eat burgers in his cafe in the hamlet of Mirror, Alberta and the conflagration spread quickly. Desperate for their livelihoods and emboldened by Scott’s example, rural restaurants began flaunting AHS lockdown restrictions and opened for in-house dining throughout the province. Even the typically slow-acting UCP had to realize that they needed to do something quickly before this revolution of restaurants got completely out of their control..At Friday’s press conference Premier Kenney gave Albertan business owners what they should have had all along; a timeline for re-opening. Somebody within the government realized that their bizarre and selective re-openings of businesses from massage studios to hairstylists while leaving restaurants behind had put restaurant owners into a state of dejection leading to rebellion. With bankruptcy looming and no light to be seen at the end of the tunnel, restaurant owners felt that they no longer had anything to lose in flaunting the law and trying to save their financial lives..Scenes of small business owners being arrested or fined for trying not to lose everything they have worked for doesn’t make for good press for a government that styles itself the champions of small business. Unless they were willing to send men with guns to shut these restaurants down, they had no choice but to capitulate. Some solid timelines for opening should quell that sense of desperation for now..I suspect that the UCP government already had this reopening plan ready to go, but they had it scheduled to come out later when they could choose the timing of the conference and try to show themselves as heroes who have knocked COVID-19 down to the point where they could now start re-opening the province. Due to the growing number of restaurants defiantly opening up, the Kenney government’s hand was forced. They had to do a hasty Friday press conference and release their plans prematurely, and lost whatever political capital they had hoped to gain from this issue. No wonder the premier was grumpy..In scolding the restaurant owners who dared to feed customers in their establishments, Premier Kenney cost himself even more of his dwindling support among the small business community. Most restaurant owners see the rebel restaurant owners as heroes who took a chance which led to them all benefiting. While I can see why Premier Kenney is upset, he had best remember to treat Alberta’s increasingly desperate small business people with respect right now. It is clear that they are tired of the government and ready to push back..There has been no evidence that restaurants with socially distanced seating contribute any more to COVID-19 infections than any other businesses which are open today. Is it really that much more dangerous to sit down and eat a cheeseburger than it is to stand shoulder to shoulder with people in a crowded Walmart or Costco? The arbitrary nature of the restrictions was absurd and restaurant owners knew it..The Alberta government has proven itself to be wildly out of touch with the challenges and stresses that COVID-19 restrictions are putting on citizens without privileged government jobs. How could they not see this rebellion coming as thousands of businesses face bankruptcy while the re-opening goalposts keep moving? How could they not realize the desperation they were creating? It took a small revolution of restaurant owners standing up for themselves to give the government a much-needed reality-check..It is refreshing to see an act of civil disobedience that not only worked, but didn’t involve rioting, violence, and property damage as the professional complainers so often do. We all benefit when the state is put in its place now and then..Cory Morgan is the Podcast Editor and a columnist for the Western Standard
