Rebellious eatery owner forced to sell after ON government demands pound of flesh
"We shouldn't be asking for people's private medical information. We shouldn't be segregating. People have a right to choose what was right for them."
Jackie Banas, the proprietor of the Wild Wing franchise in Belleville, Ontario, made a stand for medical privacy when she and her staff refused to check vaccine passports last fall. Banas, though overwhelmed with support from the public, found herself in an extended legal battle with the province.
Tamara Ugolini gets an update from Belleville, Ontario Wild Wing owner Jackie Banas, as she continues her fight against vaccine passports.https://t.co/3y79CpRNIs
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 26, 2021
Banas first made her opposition to health snooping when she joined the Rebel News "We Won't Ask" campaign for businesses who rejected vaccine passports last fall.
Now, repeated COVID shutdowns, $21,000 in fines, food inflation, and now $5000 in legal costs awarded by a judge to the province have forced her from the business she loves so much.
The local health authority mobilized the mechanisms of the state to try to bring Banas into compliance with health restrictions. Alcohol Gaming, Cannabis Ontario stripped Wild Wings of its liquor license, with the agency informing Banas they were making an example of her to discourage other businesses from doing the same. Wild Wing's liquor license was suspended for eight punitive months. Ultimately, the health authority sought and received a restraining order that forced Banas to check passports, move to take out or shut down altogether.
However, customers kept coming for the great food and respect for their privacy. Banas had powerful support from her crowdfunded legal team working with The Democracy Fund which helped her navigate the regulatory and health offences and launch a constitutional challenge.
But it wasn't enough.
Banas fought bravely for the rights of her customers. Still, in the end, the judge ruled against her and awarded limited costs to the same vindictive government that already used its infinite resources to crush her.
Banas is just one of the thousands of small business owners destroyed by the lockdowns and restrictions that ultimately did nothing to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the end. They were sacrificed on the altar of public health for no benefit whatsoever.
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