No drinks or popcorn allowed when Ottawa movie theatres reopen on Jan. 31
Movie theatres in Ottawa will be among businesses allowed to reopen to 50 per cent capacity on Jan. 31, but when they do, food and drinks will not be part of the show.
Movies and popcorn -- a duo that usually go hand in hand, but the province confirmed to CTV News Ottawa on Friday that serving food and drinks won't be allowed when restrictions ease.
"For us, that's a killer," said Josh Stafford, co-owner of the Mayfair Theatre.
"It's been a joke with cinemas since they began, everyone knows we're not really making profit providing entertainment, we're a popcorn dispensary."
In a statement to CTV News, Cineplex called the move "disappointing."
"We’ll keep our poppers warm so we are ready for when these unwarranted restrictions lift," said Ellis Jacob, President and CEO of Cineplex.
At the Mayfair Theatre, they can't understand how movie theatre popcorn and candy make people more vulnerable to an airborne virus.
"I don't want to throw any restaurants under a bus but it's strange they can serve food to people seated around a table but we can't serve food to people sitting social distanced all facing the same way," said Stafford.
"It's a big deal to have to shut that down," said Daniel Demois, co-owner of the Bytowne Cinema.
It puts the Bytowne in an awkward position; they've been selling take-out popcorn through the lockdown. When they reopen, they won't be able to sell it to customers at the theatre.
"It's been great, people have been very supportive of it, we will be doing that again this weekend and we're still deciding if we want to keep it open as take-out only once we open for screenings," said Demois
In a statement to CTV News, Landmark Cinemas said, "We are disappointed that we will not be able to serve food and beverage on re-opening."
Meanwhile, sports franchises like the Senators and the Ottawa 67's, who also won't be able to serve food or drinks, are pushing back against another month of just 500 fans in the stands.
"It's not ideal and not what we were hoping would happen but it is what it is," said Mark Goudie, CEO of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.
"Financially I think it doesn't really make sense for us to do it but operationally I think it does."
So while some are celebrating the cautious and gradual reopening, others are simply asking why the government is doing it this way.
"Since the pandemic started there's been inconsistencies with the rules, it's never really made sense," said Demois.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.