I am no fan of the draconian, un-appealable ‘human rights commissions’ that exist currently in Canada. They’re a wee bit too Orwellian for me. But this latest case in Ontario takes the, uh, brownie?
From the Toronto Star comes the tale of a family restaurant owner who asked a medical marijuana smoker to please stop blocking the door while puffing away. The pot-smoker took his case to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which ruled that restaurant owner Ted Kindos had discriminated against a disabled person. So he was about to relent, when…
Kindos was about to pay the fine and post obligatory signs saying, “We accommodate medicinal marijuana smokers,” when a different government agency told him he could lose his liquor licence. Serving anybody possessing a controlled substance – prescribed or not – is against the law.
“Heads I win, tails you lose,” Kindos said.
Sigh. Orwell, meet Kafka.
Grant Hamilton
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Colin Corneau