David Menzies and Lincoln J examine a viral video of an OPP officer in Gravenhurst, Ontario, who violently pushed a 12-year-old off a scooter for refusing mask rules—despite COVID deaths targeting elderly long-term care residents. Alberta’s Nathan Zakuski faces fines for serving dine-in customers without local outbreaks, while Walmart and Costco remain open. David Menzies highlights LCBO’s refusal to honor his purchase after he filmed inside, despite lax social distancing enforcement. The inconsistency reveals enforcement prioritizing political control over public health, undermining trust in pandemic measures. [Automatically generated summary]
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Welcome to Rebel Roundup, ladies and gentlemen, and the rest of you, in which we look back at some of the very best commentaries of the week by your favorite rebels.
I'm your host, David Menzies.
You know, at Rebel News, we tend to back the blue, even though the action of certain members of law enforcement during this pandemic are making us question our support for law enforcement.
Officer Pushes Skateboard Kid00:13:24
The latest case in point, a Gravenhurst, Ontario OPP officer who thought it was a jolly good idea to push a 12-year-old boy off his skateboard.
It was for his own safety, you see.
Our ace videographer, Lincoln J has the scoop.
Sheila Gunreed recently paid a visit to the little chef in Pigeon Lake.
The owner, Nathan Zakuski, simply wants to earn a living, employ his staff, and serve his appreciative customers.
But there's a roadblock standing in his way, and that roadblock is the government, which is threatening to put Nathan out of business and maybe even relocate him into a jail cell.
Again, all in the name of safety.
Just wait till you hear all the nitty-gritty details.
And letters, we get your letters, we get them every minute of every day.
And you had plenty to say about my absolutely surreal visit to an LCBO store in Toronto that ended up with the manager locking down the store and then calling the police.
My sin, I merely wanted merchandise that had been bought and paid for.
But when you are dealing with a belligerent government monopoly, expecting not to get ripped off is apparently too much to ask.
Those are your rebels.
Now let's round them up.
Linky J for Rebel News here in Gravenhurst, Ontario.
Now the background behind me may look a little familiar to some of you.
There's a viral video going around right now of a OPP officer here in Gravenhurst shoving a 12-year-old kid to the ground.
Check it out.
So it seems that what escalated this altercation was the fact that the kid in the video did not give his ID to the officer.
He's 12 years older.
Police family to identify.
So yes, a 12-year-old boy does not give his identification to a police officer.
So the police officer responds by shoving the kid to the ground.
When I was 12 years old doing the exact same thing that this kid was doing behind me, I did not have ID.
I did not have a phone.
The only thing I had was a couple of dollars for my parents to get a Gatorade and a bag of chips.
This is just flat out bullying.
We're going to try and talk to some people who may have witnessed the altercation and get some general opinions on the matter.
In your own words, what happened?
Hey, so the first, the cops came, called us to put our masks up.
We did that.
A few people didn't because they didn't have a mask.
and then I can kind of, like, do a class, like, pull up here.
And, like, so I went to the back because, yeah, and then, and then so was, like, was saying, like, we have the right to breathe and everything.
And then they're asking for his ID.
And he's saying, I don't have that ID because, you know, he's 12.
And then they go down there and then they start asking for his parents' number.
And then they grab his skier and like shove him really aggressively.
It was like he was just coming around.
They didn't have a mask.
Cops started like pushing up on him, asking for ID.
He's a 12-year-old kid, you know.
He doesn't, he wouldn't have ID.
Right over right there as he's trying to leave, as he's trying to leave because he knows that he can't be there without a mask, stuff like that.
As he's leaving, the cop grabs a scooter, pulls it, and then pushes him, falls back, hits his head.
You've all seen the video, like pretty, pretty brutal stuff.
Definitely an excessive amount of force.
Well, there you have it, folks.
A 12-year-old boy on a skateboard at a skateboard park is somehow deemed to be Gravenhurst's public enemy number one.
Well, at least by one OPP cop who inexplicably thought it was a superb idea to get physical on a kid who wasn't causing anyone any trouble at all.
Geez, with the physicality and the arrogance and the ignorance on display by this cop, what was he trying to do here?
Audition for the Montreal Police Service.
And with more on this story is our ace videographer, Lincoln J, who recently traveled to Gravenhurst and was able to track down a couple of eyewitnesses to the actual event.
Well, welcome to Rebel Roundup, Lincoln.
Thank you for having me, dude.
You got it.
Now, I thought it was fantastic by a cosmic fluke.
You happened to go to the skateboard park and you actually found a couple of eyewitnesses there to the original event that happened, which was wonderful.
But before we get into that, you know, Lincoln, I'm scratching my head.
It's so difficult to see into the head of any one individual, but what in blue hell was this cop thinking doing that to that kid?
I don't know.
It's just crazy.
I was literally that, I was that kid, you know, at a skate park.
I was that kid before.
So, you know, just to see what there's no, there's really no excuse for that kind of enforcement.
No, there isn't.
And the ostensible reason is it's all in the name of public safety, public health.
But we know where the problem is with this virus.
The lion's share of the deaths are elderly people at long-term care facilities.
And then you have outbreaks at the Mississauga Canada Post sorting facility, the Brampton Amazon fulfillment warehouse.
Here's the question.
How does shutting down a skateboard park that appeals to kids in tiny little Gravenhurst, Ontario, affect the real places where the super spreader events are occurring?
There is no answer to that question because to add to your point, it's Gravenhurst.
It's a small town.
You know, there's not much to do as it is, right?
So I would love to know how many cases are actually in Gravenhurst right now.
So these kids, there's not many outlets in a small town like that, especially, it's basically wintertime.
Spring's coming out, the warm weather hasn't come, they don't have any outlets.
So to shut down something like that just doesn't make sense.
It's outside, too.
Yes.
Indeed, and we know, Lincoln, in Ontario, the stats are the number of people who have died.
And to me, the death rate is the only relevant stat that matters.
The positivity rates, I don't care about because you either get better, there's so many false positives, we know that, but it is those who die that that is the most important statistic.
And we know for under 20 in this province, two deaths in more than a year, and both of those people unfortunately had severe medical issues.
One had leukemia, I understand.
So really, the actual number is zero.
So why is it that the Stougford government, that members of law enforcement think it's a good idea to go out to playgrounds, to skateboard parks, and, you know, come down hard on a demographic that is invulnerable to this virus?
To be fair, like, as you saw in the video, I asked the two kids that I interviewed, I said, is this the case?
Did the police give you guys a tough time?
They truthfully answered no.
So I think it might stem down from a bad cop.
But at the end of the day, they're hearing these things from provincial legislation, right?
So where police can just ID kids, you know, they can ask them why they're out, why they're not at home.
So it kind of gives the police that overreach, right?
So there is some police that are, I feel like they're still going to act on it, even though police forces have come forward and said that they're not going to randomly pull people over, et cetera.
I feel like some police are still going to step over those boundaries.
You know what?
This is a very important point you brought up, Lincoln, because a couple months ago, I was at an Adam Skelly press conference and by chance I met a lady who is the wife of a Toronto police officer and we had a discussion.
They're both huge rebel news fans.
And she said that in his particular division, I won't name it, it's 50-50.
50% of the police say, this isn't what I signed up for.
I hate this rubbish of infringing on rights, breaking up protests, getting heavy-handed on kids.
Whereas the other 50% of the division actually believe that this is a way to promote health and safety.
And there's quite a little aggravation within that division of the two contrarian viewpoints.
I wonder if that's what we saw in Gravenhurst, that maybe the majority of the OPP police want no part of it, but this guy actually thinks he's doing God's work by pushing a kid off a skateboard.
Yeah, it seems that it's becoming more and more evident that officers don't exactly agree with what's happening.
We saw at Huff Gym, right?
We saw the sergeant for Peel Regional Police came and basically sided with the people.
Yeah.
So I feel like in any situation you're going to get, there's always going to be some bad cops.
And look where that got him, a suspension pretty quick.
And yeah, we're keeping our eyes on Huff Jim because unfortunately, I think it's only a matter of time before they shut that down.
To add to your point, at Huff Jim, there was a police officer working out there.
Yes.
He went on leave as soon as the pandemic hit because he simply said he couldn't enforce the regulations.
He could kind of foreshadow what was to come, and he just wanted no part of that.
And he said that when police officers come in, a lot of them they aren't checking the new regulations.
They are.
They're basically clocking in and clocking out.
Well, you know, I hope he doesn't get arrested.
We saw just a few days ago in Elmer uh two Toronto police officers being uh ticketed by two Elmer police officers.
So now we have this perverse situation of police uh going after other police um Lincoln, what do you think?
Uh, you've been uh covering these shenanigans uh for almost a year now.
Um, do you think the police are gonna ramp up?
Uh going after kids just being kids in playgrounds?
Uh, or are they gonna say no, this isn't law enforcement?
The idea of pushing a kid off a skateboard in the name of safety makes no sense.
How do you think it's gonna go in the weeks and months ahead?
I honestly think that this was just.
It was just kind of a bad luck situation for the kid dealing with a bad police officer.
If you want my honest opinion, it's.
It's like in in my neighborhood, where I grew up, there's kids out everywhere, there's people out at the park.
So I don't, I don't and I don't see police officers uh, kicking the kids off the property, right.
So I feel like there's just little pockets where police are going to kind of overstep their boundaries and and sadly, do what they're told, kick kids off a park, whatever the case may be.
The sad thing is that they're following orders, they're technically doing their job by by kicking the kids off the park, whatever the case may be.
So it's just a tough situation for everybody.
Yes and no, because I mean that particular police officer.
He's now assigned to desk duty, so he's not out in the community and there is an investigation underway.
Um, if you were part of that uh investigation uh, what kind of penalty would you give that police officer?
He would be uh, fired from the force immediately, just like the guy said in uh in my video.
There's no excuse for that.
You don't.
You don't grab a kid scooter and no matter he.
He failed to identify himself.
Yeah, he's 12 years old.
I know who has id at 12.
Unbelievable.
Well Lincoln, it was a great piece and was so fortunate.
I'm so happy that you were on the scene when you got to speak to the eyewitnesses who actually saw what happened.
So great piece and there you go, folks.
I mean think of the perversity of that, a police officer that is practically twice the size of the kid and weighs maybe four times more, pushes him violently off his skateboard in the name of safety, when that kid, you know, could have broke his wrist or his arm or something like that, on impact of the ground.
Yeah, that makes sense to me too.
Keep it here.
more of rebel roundup to come right after this so did you get a closer closure notice lockdown ticket or just they came to tell you you better close doors or we're coming to take your liquor license?
This morning there was a call was from the AGLC.
They said they gave me a cautionary and they said the next step was a suspension or a fine and a suspension of my license.
And then AHS as well has given us, you know, the warnings.
They taped that.
I'm sure people have seen my video on Open for Survival of when they came and they taped the order on the window.
Enough Is Enough00:14:13
I'm here to serve an order to you, Nathan, regarding the closing of the dining services.
Okay.
And I need to post this up on your window.
Okay.
And why are the police officers here?
They're here to assist me.
Okay.
Okay.
All right.
Sorry, I have to do this.
Can I get to the window, please?
Absolutely.
The window's right there.
Well, I don't want to block any of your stuff.
Okay.
There you are, sir.
I have to go.
I'll get it out of here.
So if I take that down, what's going to happen?
There is an offense against the public health business.
Okay.
And prisonment.
Depends what the judge determines.
Yeah, Mr. Gordwatch, I know you don't like doing that.
I know you don't like doing that.
I know you're just doing your job.
It's the current law of the land.
That's what we'll be off the bike with.
Yeah.
It is what it is.
So I appreciate your cooperation.
So, like, with this part of it, I would like to.
What's the next step?
Well, I gave you that warning letter on Friday.
So that outlines the additional steps that can take place.
Okay.
So if you continue with the dine-in services, I'll be back and the enforcement will step up.
Okay.
Okay.
There's too much at stake, so I had to.
I'm going to wear the brown shirt and obey what I have to do.
Yeah, that's the thing about this third lockdown is the enforcement is a lot different than the first two.
They are moving to pull business licenses, pull liquor licenses, things that are completely unrelated to the health issues they say are the reason that they need to shut your business.
Yes, absolutely.
It seems way stronger.
Now, I did follow the lockdowns before.
I kind of wish I didn't because the rules weren't as strong.
And I would have been able to make some extra money and be able to have my employees still working.
But it is what it is, and we're in the situation that we are in.
And yeah, we're all in this together, except when we're not.
Nathan Zakuski just wants to earn a living.
He just wants to employ his staff.
He just wants to serve an appreciative clientele.
Just one hitch.
The government won't let him do so.
And it's all in the name of public safety.
Sorry, that just doesn't ring true when the little chef and pigeon lake is shut down while big box stores like Costco and Walmart are jammed to the gills.
And joining me now with more on the plight of Nathan is Sheila Gunread.
How you doing there, Sheila?
I'm great, David.
Thanks for having me on the show.
It is always a pleasure.
You know, Sheila, in a different life for several years, I covered the hospitality and food service industries.
And what I know from that tour of duty is that the restaurant biz is perhaps the hardest business to earn a living for a multitude of reasons.
And I can tell you this, the last thing that an operator needs is a visit from some government dweeb threatening to shut him down permanently and throw the guy in jail.
Sheila, what is Premier Jason Kenny thinking here?
I have no idea, and we haven't seen any data to support closing indoor dining to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
And I'm hearing the restaurant rebellion, again, it's coming from not like fly-by-night restaurateurs, people who just got into the business.
These are long-term restaurateurs who followed the rules, did their best.
In the case of Nathan, he gives back to the community because like so many fire departments in Alberta, the local fire department at Pigeon Lake is volunteer.
So he donates a pile of money to the volunteer fire department.
He gives back to local organizations.
He makes it a point to source his products from local producers, which, I mean, it's not difficult.
He's in rural Alberta.
You've got producers in every direction.
But he is willing to spend a little more money to support his community.
And those are the guys being shut down by Jason Kenney.
He hasn't had a problem with health inspectors before.
He's willing to follow all the rules.
He runs a clean, friendly shop.
But because the coronavirus is spreading in government-controlled long-term care facilities and other things that the government specifically manages, he's the guy living with the consequences of the government's rash decisions to close down an entire industry to dine in service.
And I just want to point out that this week in Alberta, again, we had snow, and on Thursday, it was zero degrees.
Actually, I woke up and it was minus seven.
How are you going to run a patio and make a living at minus seven?
Unbelievable.
You know, and Shelly, here's the thing.
If there's any industry that's well-versed in hygiene and sanitation, it's the food service business.
I mean, back in the day when health board inspectors came to inspect your restaurant for cleanliness, as opposed to delivering a notice they were going to scotch tape to your window warning you to shut down or else fail a race or else face a jail sentence, they would be looking for things like insects, vermin, that sort of thing.
So the operators know this.
They know they have to maintain hygiene and sanitation standards.
I would argue, far, far greater than a big box door.
Oh, for sure.
I mean, when Alberta went through our very first shutdown, you know who was hammered first?
It was the restaurants and the tattoo and personal care industry.
Those industries are the ones that deal with infectious diseases like hepatitis A and then in the instance of the personal care and tattoo artist, the entire alphabet of hepatitis.
And, you know, these are industries that have managed pandemics before, the AIDS epidemic, tuberculosis.
They know what to do.
And yet they are the ones being scapegoated while Walmart has an outbreak and Costco has an outbreak and the long-term care facilities have outbreak after outbreak after outbreak.
And as you've seen in Ontario, if an essential place has an outbreak, essential meaning Walmart, Best Buy, Costco, if they have an outbreak, they don't have to close.
But if a smaller establishment doing curbside pickup has an outbreak, they do have to close.
So, what's going on here?
You know, and Sheila, I've always said that, you know, when we look across the country, there are ones and twos of restaurants and barbershops opening up.
And typically, it's inevitable that the government comes down with a mallet, case in point, Adam Skelly of the great Canadian barbecue revolution or rebellion in late November.
And literally, all the king's horses and all the king's men were sent in to shut him down, I think, ostensibly to send a signal to others.
But that is the point.
We need critical mass.
I would argue that back in November, if hundreds, if I dare dream, thousands of restaurants and shops and boutiques opened up, then the city would be put in a headlock.
There's simply not enough resources to shut them down, and they'd still be open today.
In Alberta, do you get the sense of people coming to the end of their rope and saying, that's it, I'm opening, and I want all of you in this business to open as well?
Because I think that's the only way this will be ultimately successful, Sheila.
You know, that's how it was successful last time with Chris Scott at the Whistle Stop.
He was in a staring contest with the government, and the government blanked.
And, you know, he faced the potential of jail time on the Friday, and he managed to force the government into opening the doors to dine-in service on the Monday.
He was willing to take it right to the wire.
And he's doing the same thing again.
He's received closure notices.
He's had his food handling permit revoked.
He's put up a fence around the whistle stop to keep the government out.
So he's basically done what they've done at Grace Life, but it's not to keep the people out.
It's to keep the government out.
So he's doing what he can.
But here's the thing with what the government learned from last time is that they are utilizing the full weight of the government across all bureaucracies now to squash these restaurants as quickly as they pop up.
These are desperate people.
These are rule followers who are saying, enough is enough.
I'm going to literally lose everything, including my house, if I don't do something.
And they make this desperate act.
And the government doesn't just come with inspectors and closure notices.
Then the government says, okay, we're also yanking your food handling permit.
And we're also yanking your liquor license, which makes it very difficult to get back.
And some of these bars and pubs, normally they have VLTs.
And if you lose your liquor license, you can't have those.
And then they yank their business license, which puts them in default with their landlords, which terminates their lease, which basically euthanizes the business.
So the government has started this cascade of cross-bureaucracy enforcement to put these restaurants back in their place.
And it's one of the most authoritarian, cruel things that I've seen during this pandemic, especially in places like Pigeon Lake, where they don't have an outbreak, where you don't have to go there if you don't want to.
And yet, still, I mean, this is the heavy hand of a so-called conservative government coming along and, you know, smothering these restaurants, putting a pillow over their face while they lay in their deathbeds.
And Sheila, one last question to wrap this.
When it comes to the politics of what's going on, the heavy-handedness, as you just said, yanking a liquor license, yanking a business license, which can be a death sentence.
And actually, surely it is a death sentence for so many operators.
Does Premier Kenny think this is a political win?
In other words, Sheila, I'm asking you to get into the heads of Albertans.
And are they at their home right now, nodding, going, hey, that's right, Premier Kenny?
It's all about health and safety.
Shut down those potential super spreader events.
Or are most Albertans going, this is an outrageous attack on our freedoms and our charter rights and basically a fix for a problem that doesn't exist.
Well, it's bad enough that over a dozen, I think it's up to 17 or 19 MLAs within Jason Kenney's own caucus have said, we can't abide these lockdowns.
Now they're saying it, you know, for conventionally safe conservative things like, you know, we support small businesses and job creators.
And so they are saying this is enough.
And if they are saying it, they are definitely hearing it from their constituents.
But you have to remember that this is a government that has done nothing after Alberta Health Services and the RCMP moved in on a church nearly three weeks ago.
It could be three weeks ago today.
And they've been completely silent about the drastic infringement on these are charter rights.
This isn't just a right to, you know, earn a living and run a business.
This is a fundamental freedom to practice your religion as you see fit.
And that's coming from this government.
So, I mean, the polls are reflecting how Albertans feel about Jason Kenney's management of the pandemic.
His popularity is plummeting.
Rachel Notley is surging.
And I think it's not that she is surging in popularity.
This is conservatives saying, I'm just going to stay home or I'm going to vote for a Western separatist party.
And Jason Kenney is running out of time to turn this around.
That's my concern here.
He's running out of time, Sheila, and I think he's playing with fire, setting again the perfect storm for a possible return of the NDP to power.
I can't even believe I'm saying that.
I don't have the energy to do that again.
I don't.
Oh, my goodness.
Hopefully he'll wake up to the situation.
He'll stop turning on his base and he'll do the right thing.
And as far as Nathan is concerned, how that man came across in your piece, Sheila, he seemed like such a great guy.
So kind.
You know, he funds charitable initiatives in his community.
It looks like he has a great operation going.
It's heartbreaking to see these notices of potential jail time being affixed to his window.
No one, especially him, no one deserves that.
Sheila, thank you so much, and you have a great weekend, my friend.
I will, you too, David.
Okay, and that was Sheila Gunread somewhere in the northern hinterland of Alberta.
Keep it here, folks.
More of Rebel Roundup to come right after this.
David Menzies for Rebel News here in Toronto.
Well, folks, riddle me this.
Buy Three, Get Two Promotion Fiasco00:09:14
What is worse than a monopoly?
The answer?
A government-run monopoly.
You are not going to believe what happened to me last week at this Leaside LCBO location.
Well, folks, as I mentioned, I visited this LCBO location last week, and it was to pick up what is now one of my favorite scotches.
It's the Glenn Farkless 105.
And the problem began when I came here to this cabinet.
As you can see, it's locked.
And maybe it's because it is $110 a bottle.
And it's only stocked in three LCBOs in the province, as far as I can tell.
So I came down here to buy three bottles.
Well, my issue began when I went to customer service to have them open up the liquor cabinet here because I wasn't wearing my mask properly.
In other words, it was below my nose.
And the COVID Karen I dealt with was very offended by that.
So things didn't get off on a good foot.
But she opened the case and when I went to take my bottles, she refused to give them to me.
Instead, she brought them to the cashier, who was a very friendly woman, thank goodness.
And I was on my way.
And then when I got home, this is what greeted my eyes.
Three, I had three canisters of the 105.
Two of the cylinders had bottles of scotch in them, but the third one empty.
So I was very surprised by that because the only time I actually got to put my hands on the bottles individually was when I got home.
I couldn't tell by the weight of the bag going to the car whether I had two bottles or three.
Oh, sorry, how you doing there?
I'm doing well.
Okay, then.
I'm supposed to ask you guys to leave just because we're not allowed to film in the store.
Oh, yeah, I know.
I'm not trying to give you some aggro, but I'm here to pick up my bottle, actually, sir.
I bought three bottles last week and I only got two.
This is an empty canister, as you can see.
So I'm just doing, you know, a chronicling of my story.
So we'll be gone soon.
Okay.
Oh, sorry.
Who are you, ma'am?
I'm the store manager, and you're going to have to.
Oh, are you, Ashley?
I am, Ashley.
Oh, okay, then.
Well, I'm...
I'm going to ask you to leave the story.
I'm going to phone the police.
Okay.
Phone the police because then I can file a complaint of fraud against you, Ashley.
So as you can see, folks, that is the manager, Ashley.
She's one of the players in this story.
The following day, I phoned the store and told them about my predicament that I had bought three bottles but received only two.
And I spoke to a Deanna and she was a nice lady who told me that the policy of the store is when they're selling booze in a canister or a cylinder or a box is for the cashier to open it up and make sure it is the right product.
That's done so that you don't have an empty bottle or an empty canister going out the doors and to make sure that it's...
Oh, no, I don't think so.
I think you, please, we're just asking you politely to leave.
Oh, no, and I'm politely saying I'm waiting for my merchandise, by the way.
You're still waiting for your merchandise.
Then I'm sure the manager will be glad to help you.
Yeah, it's on her desk, and I think she's calling the police right now.
But, you know, if you can just let me do my job, I'll be out of here quicker.
You're welcome to do your job out front of the store, but inside the store, we have a policy that there's no cameras allowed.
Yeah, there's cameras everywhere, sir, on the roof.
Yes.
You're here on behalf of security.
No, but I am a stakeholder of the LCU Bill, being a citizen of the province of Ontario.
I do, sir, but you're just not allowed to film inside the store.
OK, well, noted.
So after I spoke.
No.
Okay, this is Nick, by the looks of things.
He's a customer service representative, which is kind of an odd title given that he's not providing much customer service.
We now interrupt our pandemic coverage to bring you a slice of surreal humor, much of it unintentional humor, courtesy of Ontario's Drunk with Power Booze Monopoly, aka the liquor corruption bureaucracy of Ontario.
What you just saw there, folks, was about a four-minute snippet of a 27-minute video in which the level of surrealness would make the cast members of Monty Python blush.
In fact, this was never meant to even be a Rebel News video.
I was just doing some shopping a few weeks ago and I took umbrage to the LCBO's apparent new whiz-bang promotion of buy three bottles, get two.
All I wanted was to get the merchandise that I paid for.
And at first, the lovely manager, Ashley, agreed that I had indeed been ripped off.
And she had set aside a bottle on her desk for me to pick up.
But then she changed her mind for reasons I still don't understand.
It's also staggering.
In any event, you had plenty to say about a customer service nightmare courtesy of a government monopoly.
Yeah, who would have thunk it?
Juice Moose writes, worked retail for 27 years in the private sector from lowest position to assistant store manager.
I can say this, if any management staff in the places I worked acted the way this store manager did, they would be unemployed the next day.
Only the government protects this kind of incompetence.
Well, Juice Moose, this egregious behavior is the direct result of a Crown Corporation monopoly.
It is in Ontario quite literally the LCBO's way or the highway, i.e. if I don't buy my scotch from the only shop in town, I literally have to drive the buffalo.
And of course, that's not even an option today thanks to the border closures.
So your liquor choice in Ontario is now it's the LCBO's way or it's the LCBO's way.
And the only way to cure that kind of hangover is privatization.
Bob Tram writes, David, you must give lessons on how to stay so calm in situations where most people would crack.
Why government owns and operates a liquor store is beyond reasonable expectations for a government, but that is another discussion.
Well, Bob Trem, I think I was so calm because I literally couldn't believe the comedy of errors that was unfolding in front of my eyes.
As for why government runs the liquor racket in Ontario, well, this booze monopoly is justified via the ostensible policy reason of social responsibility.
You see, if the private sector were entrusted to run the booze biz, well, we'd have 12-year-old kids getting hammered on Colt 45 out in the parking lot.
So only government can be entrusted to warehouse and retail such a potentially dangerous substance.
Yeah, and if you believe that one, I also have a bridge for sale in a certain New York borough.
GHTL writes, this is why I buy liquor in the black market.
GHTL, please, please, please pass along any details regarding how I too can purchase booze via the black market.
I'm betting the customer service provided by the mob would be superior to what the LCBO delivers.
Bloom here writes, quote, we have a potential super spreader event in the office, end quote.
Thank you for the best laugh I've had this week.
Well, thank you for your kind words, Bloom here.
And folks, what Bloom here is referring to is the segment of the video when we ventured over to Ashley's office.
We notice a sign on the door stating that due to COVID, social distancing rules and whatnot, only two people are allowed in the office at any one time.
Well, on multiple occasions, we noticed three and even four people in the office.
So so much for social distancing and yet again, another example of one rule for thee, one rule for me.
FamMan2016 writes, what in the world are the store employees trying to pull here?
The amount of ignorance and lies being told is angering.
The footage shows something.
I'm sure that they want to hide it.
I can almost swear that employees discriminate against anti-maskers.
An employee sees someone walk in the store wearing a mask but wearing it improperly.
They will make you wait or just flat out ignore you.
This has been my observation since doing away with the chin diapers.
Well, there is supposedly video evidence, my friend, but they won't let me see it or it has been erased or both.
I mean, that's what Ashley actually told me.
It just gets worse and worse, doesn't it?
Discrimination at the Mask-Free Store00:00:38
And finally, King Richard the Lionheart writes, wow, all this for your health and safety.
Liquor store is open, but it steals from you.
Grace Life Church, singing songs, listening to the Bible, teaching people not to steal, gets barricaded up for your health and safety.
You are so right, King Richard.
Welcome to the Twilight Zone.
That is 2021.
The only thing missing is Rod Serling narrating in the background.
Well, that wraps up another edition of Rebel Roundup.
Thanks so much for joining us.
See you next week.
And hey, folks, never forget, without risk, there can be no glory.