Winnipeg greenhouse closes on busy weekend, citing discourteous customers

WINNIPEG (CITYNEWS) – The May long weekend is the unofficial kickoff of summer and usually one of the busiest times for garden centres and greenhouses.

But one Winnipeg greenhouse says chasing a buck – at the expense of health and safety – simply doesn’t make sense.

“We’ve made a decision to be closed until May 23,” said Dave Hanson, owner of Sage Garden Greenhouses. “Usually we’d be packed and selling all of this product. We plan for May long (weekend) for eight or nine months.

“Even if this does mean a financial hit… or it won’t be a banner year, at least we’ve focused on our longevity as a business and our great staff.”

Hanson and his staff were initially ready for the weekend. They put in place COVID-19 mitigation efforts as demanded by public health orders, such as reducing the number of people in store.

However, Hanson changed his mind based on the actions of some Winnipeggers last week in response to those measures. While most members of the public were courteous, others were not.

“We had people brushing up against our staff, touching our staff, blaming our staff for the situation,” he said. “And really kind of pushing the buttons of staff, creating a very deep sense of stress.”