(Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: No kudos to Liquor Branch for reversing its ill-advised Red Kettle ban

Dec 6, 2022 | 5:14 AM

BC LIQUOR DISTRIBUTION should be embarrassed with its decision not to allow Red Shield kettles at any of its locations during this year’s Christmas season.

Sure, the liquor branch reversed that decision yesterday based on an acknowledgement of “the potential for short-notice hardship” on the Salvation Army (affectionately nicknamed the Sally Ann).

It’s certainly true that there was almost no advance notice of the ban, which the liquor branch originally said was to avoid “overwhelming” its customers with donation campaigns.

Government liquor stores already support their own annual Share-a-Bear fundraiser as well as food banks. The teddy bear campaign — in which customers can pay $12.70 plus tax (it used to be $11 but that’s inflation for you) and have a teddy donated to charity — has been around for over 30 years.

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Last year, more than 25,000 teddy bears were bought in B.C. so it was hard to figure why the Red Kettle volunteers were suddenly a problem.

As for food banks, the liquor branch has raised $2.75 million for them since 2020, so clearly they haven’t been negatively impacted by the Sally Ann’s kettles either.

It’s worth noting that the Sally Ann has been collecting donations at liquor stores almost as long as the Bear campaign and much longer than food banks.

The liquor branch is to be commended for helping boost the coffers of the food banks and other charities but its reasoning on the kettles was — to say the least — weak, especially its rationale that it had already committed to the other two charities before receiving this year’s application from the Salvation Army.

Excuse us, the public, if we don’t suddenly get the warm fuzzies toward the liquor distribution branch for changing its mind on what was a really bad decision.

When the branch apologizes and confirms the kettles will be welcome back not just this year but next year and the years after that, it can shed its Scrooge clothes.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.