The Canadian Brewhouse did not wake up one morning looking to become a political symbol. It pours beer, serves wings, and rents out space like thousands of businesses across the country. That is it. And yet, after a political event was almost held at one of its locations, it found itself on the receiving end of a very modern Canadian punishment. Online outrage. Coordinated pile-ons. One-star Google reviews from people who had or never eaten the food, met the staff, or paid a bill.
We have seen this before. Maple Ridge saw it when a local restaurant hosted a private political dinner and then posted about it online. The response was not debate or disagreement. It was retaliation. Fake reviews. Personal attacks. A small business owner forced to spend days repairing digital damage instead of doing what she actually does for a living.
This isn’t about restaurants or breweries. It is about what happens when politics leaks into everything and turns ordinary businesses into stand-ins for national rage. These businesses include hotels, event venues, community halls, and coworking spaces. Any place that provides a room and a microphone is now expected to pass an ideological purity test before unlocking the door.
This is a bad road to go down.
Businesses are not political parties. Renting space is not an endorsement. Serving food is not a declaration of values. These places host weddings, charity fundraisers, retirement parties, sports banquets, union meetings, faith groups, and community events of every stripe. Politics is just one more thing that passes through the front door. Or at least it used to be.
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