An Ottawa lemonade stand operated by two little girls was shut down on Sunday for not having the proper permits.
The lemonade stand, where seven-year-old Eliza Andrews and her five-year-old sister Adela were selling lemonade on Sunday, was shut down by an official from the National Capital Commission, according to a report by CBC News.
The girls were selling lemonade to passing cyclists on a median next to NCC-operated Colonel By Drive, a road that is closed to motorists on Sundays during the summer for “Sunday Bikedays”.
The girls’ father, Kurtis Andrews, told CBC that although the NCC officer was polite, “I think that they need to relax a bit. I understand that they have to manage their properties but at the same time we’re talking about a five and seven-year-old raising money for camp.”
According to the National Capital Commission Traffic and Property Regulations, “no person shall sell or offer or expose for sale any drink, goods or wares,” without written permission from the NCC.
In an emailed statement, the NCC said it apologizes to the Andrews family for the inconvenience and met with them Monday “to see how we can support these two young entrepreneurs going forward.”
“Given the location of the lemonade stand, the Conservation Officer acted in good faith in applying the federal land use rules in place,” wrote the NCC. “However, we believe the situation 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.”