Considering how our B.C. government is attempting to take over more and more control of the things they make a lot of tax revenue from (examples: tobacco, motor vehicle fuel and lottery sales), and are hurting local retailers in the Shuswap by making them pay for what needs to be done in order to accomodate these new, unfair and costly laws on products the stores presently make almost no profit on, isn’t it about time that the businesses protest by forcing local town and district governments to implement bylaws prohibiting the sale of tobacco, vehicle insurance and lottery tickets by any non-government-owned retailer that allows people under the age of 19 to enter the premises or property?

Such a bylaw will not only cut costs and headaches for businesses, but will also make the B.C. government fully accountable for the things that only they seem to profit from, and make them have to pay all expenses for the sale of these products themselves – because it will essentially make it so that only B.C. government liquor stores can sell them.

In addition, such a by-law will do all of the following positive things for the communities who implement it:

1: Cut down the number of underage tobacco smokers – because they won’t even be able to get in the door of the only place that sells it.

2: Cut down on the ever increasing – and sometimes deadly – childish road racing/reckless driving that teens seem to enjoy – because they can’t get in the door of the only place that sells auto insurance until they’re 19 (and hopefully a little more sensible/mature about using a vehicle than they are at 16).

3: Cut down on the number of tobacco smokers that everyone apparently loves to hate – because they will smoke less (or maybe even quit) due to the fact that it is not avaliable everywhere.

4: Force the B.C. government to take full responsibility for its lottery operations and ensure only those eligible can buy tickets – because they will be only sold by government-run stores that prohibit entry to anyone under 19.

5: Free up space for businesses in their stores to sell products that actually make a profit – because the lotto and tobacco stuff that nets them nothing (and costs them more than it’s worth for them to sell) will be removed.

6. The B.C. government will have to fork out a lot more money to be allowed to sell these products in our communities, will have to take full responsibility for the sale of them, and will undoubtedly end up making less tax revenue off them because where these products are avaliable will be limited to one location only – B.C. government-owned liquor stores.

Now that’s justice for all.

Jerry Hobbs