CBC journalist complains about parking ticket while snitching on Adamson BBQ

November 25, 2020

Fight The Fines

Reporting on and fighting the pandemic fines.

Adamson Barbecue, a family-owned restaurant in Etobicoke, Ontario, has flared up the tempers of some mainstream media outlets.

The small business chose to defy Public Health orders this week, opening its doors to diners despite the region entering a stage 1 lockdown. The owner, Adam Skelly, says he is just trying to provide for his family and community.

But Skelly's exercise in civil disobedience has left some mainstream media journalists seething. After continued negative coverage and mischaracterisation from some outlets, Skelly banned the mainstream media from his property, while allowing independent outlets like Rebel News to continue to cover his dine-in protests.

Today, Linda Ward, a journalist with the CBC, received a ticket after illegally parking her vehicle in an undesignated zone off of Skelly's property.

Ward complained that Skelly and his patrons were not being arrested or given fines by police, but were issuing tickets to journalists.

(There was nowhere else to park btw, as they would not allow us on the property)
— Linda Ward (@LindaWardCBC) November 25, 2020

Twitter users weren't particularly sympathetic with Ward, pointing out the irony of media demanding a pass at breaking the law, while rallying for the police to crackdown on lawbreakers.