A Kamloops restaurant along the Trans-Canada highway claims that it is owed almost $40,000 from the provincial government.
Harold’s Restaurant provided free meals to evacuees that fled to the region at the height of the wildfire crisis a few months ago, with the Provincial Government of BC promising to pay the establishment back.
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CBC reported that the restaurant owners have yet to receive any sort of compensation to this day.
Kamloops MLA Todd Stone brought up the restaurant’s tab in the legislature on Monday, arguing that small businesses in the region are “suffering because of the government’s disorganization.”
“Now, this business is struggling because this government is not paying who they owe,” Stone said.
Stone also mentioned that Harold’s Restaurant is removing itself from the province’s emergency vendors list.
Forest Minister Doug Donaldson retorted, saying that the province’s priority is public safety and the protection of infrastructure.
“The fire season is not over yet and it was an unprecedented fire season as the member well knows,” Donaldson explained. “Our ministry has been dealing with the backlogs that have arisen because of the focus on public safety, and they’re taking that backlog up as it presents itself.”
To this, Stone replied that “ensuring public safety and fighting the fires should have nothing to do with the government’s obligation to pay its bills.”
The provincial government in August announced an emergency grant for small businesses, First Nations and non-profits affected by the wildfires. The Canadian Red Cross-administered $1,500 emergency grant is for qualified parties in areas under evacuation order of alerts due to wildfire. The grant is separate from compensation for small businesses registered as emergency vendors,
CBC noted.
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