The pace of change is wicked. Beer and wine in the supermarket, cannabis at a corner store and now your transit card at the drug store where you can pick up the headache tablets and the Viagra you need to get through the week.

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

February 9th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

At some point it looks as if we are going to be able to get everything at one location.

Loblaws owns Shoppers Drug Mart, they also owe the citizens of Ontario a bit of cash for the price fixing they were doing for 14 years – but that is another story.

PRESTO Web Banner 2Shoppers Drug Mart is about to become the place where you can get your Presto transit card and have it loaded with the funds you need to get around town – when there is a transit service that will actually get you around town – but we digress.

Metrolinx, the people that operate the GO service – buses and trains – is entering into an agreement with the Presto service, that Burlington is required to use, that will provide some convenience for people who don’t manage their Presto card on line.

wine-group

Wine and beer in supermarkets – can the hard stuff be far behind?

We can now purchase beer and wine in supermarkets. Cannabis is going to be sold in government operated retail outlets. The chance to get really stoned to celebrate the country’s 151st birthday has to be put on hold – the regulations for the selling of the weed won’t be in place in time.

cannabis retail outlet

Cannabis won’t be sold at independent retail outlets – it will in in a provincially operated retail outlet – where in Burlington has yet to be determined.

The politician who is overseeing the introduction of the public sale of cannabis is a former Toronto Chief of Police. The argument for having the government sell cannabis is to keep the business out of the hands of the criminals.

Get out of jail free card

Loblaws got to stay out of jail – we get a $25 gift card.

The people who sold us overpriced bread for 14 years have slipped around being found guilty because they confessed which got them one of those Get Out of Jail Free cards.

If Loblaws, which owns Shoppers Drug Mart, is going to be giving anyone who asks a $25 gift card – there must be some way for a citizen to have that $25 applied to their Presto card

Will there be a candidate for public office in Burlington making that their campaign platform

Interesting how the federal government can defer plans but Burlington can’t find a way to defer the approval of a new Official Plan when there are so many people opposed to the pace at which the plan is being put forward.

The late Jane Irwin once told city Council that Burlington is called BORINGTON by many people – wonder what dear Jane would say today?

Salt with Pepper is an opinion and observations  column written by the publisher of the Burlington Gazette

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