The federal body responsible for developing Canada’s capital region is apologizing for how it handled the issue of a child-run lemonade stand being run in Ottawa without a permit over the long weekend.
Representatives of the National Capital Commission met with seven-year-old Eliza Andrews, her five-year-old sister Adela and their father, Kurtis Andrews on Monday.
“Pretty cool, that lemonade stand. Very cool,” an NCC staffer told the girls. “Sorry you guys had to close down early.”
“It’s all right, we understood,” Kurtis Andrews replied. “There’s rules for these things, so, yeah.”
‘Could have been handled differently’
The NCC said in a news release Monday that it reviewed how one of their junior conservation officers handled the situation and found that, while the officer was acting in good faith to enforce the rules, “it could have been handled differently.”
“Children’s lemonade stands are a time-honoured summer tradition that contributes to a lively capital and the NCC wants to encourage these activities whenever possible,” the NCC wrote.
“In recent years, we have made great efforts to animate [capital region] green spaces and shorelines, and we will continue … to encourage these entrepreneurial activities in the future.”