Better to admit you’re wrong than hide behind a “can’t comment, that’s before the courts.”
The provincial NDP have finally seen the light of day on U-Vints and brewing on-premises. The planned court injunction by NSLC has been dropped and new legislation will be drawn lifting the ban, as announced Thursday after three weeks of putting a couple of small businesses – including New Glasgow’s Water N’ Wine – in legal turmoil.
That's not to mention the unneeded expense for these stores – and government back-flipping suddenly to admit the law is outdated.
It would be hard to argue common sense prevailed – the government had egg on their face. When the NDP unadvisedly drafted a law allowing NSLC strong-arm privilege over private businesses helping customers brew their own, they had no idea it would spark a flashpoint.
While they rightly surmised a small percentage of the population use such services, they didn’t guess the population would recognize the tactic as picking on small businesses.
The government’s take on this issue – and that of NSLC – was sadly out of touch from the start.
The Canadian Press earlier this week carried interviews with some of the players and highlighted salient points.
Terri Mosher, a spokeswoman for NSLC, referred to this as a safety issue – “manufacturing unregulated product in a retail environment.”
Really. Then we’d better have a swat team shut down any cooking sessions involving the public, given the ever-present potential for food contamination.
Mosher also said the corporation was upholding the interests of law-abiding businesses wanting action against U-vints. But that should be strictly a business decision. Stores feeling disadvantaged by one with extra services generally know what they can do.
For the public, it's encouraging. Sometimes a groundswell of support can turn around misbegotten government policy.
The business community described this as another instance of a government bent on regulation and in the face of small business.
Maybe the NDP can do some soul-searching and see where else it’s gone wrong. Hard to say whether it would help them in the next election, but in the meantime, a change of tune might help unstick the brakes on the province’s economy.
Really hate to burst your bubble, but this government is about to experiance what Brian Muldoon, Dithers Martin, and Mabou Rodney rightfully received. Maybe from where you sit you are immune to the ground swell of disaffection with this gang of pretenders, however the informed electorate are not. It does not matter if they were in office one, five, or ten years, they have added to the misery of the electorate, they have caved to the public sector unions, they have sucked up to the corporate sector, they have thrown to the wolves the poor ratepayers of N.S.P.I. they are toast, dry burnt toast at that. May they enjoy their time left, may that time be short.