CORNWALL Ontario – As Robert Cadieux explains it, he was shocked to come home from taking the kids to La Ronde in Montreal to find a notice from the City of Cornwall threatening him with fines of $240 per day.
The infraction? His kids selling worms that they pluck out of their own and neighbors yards when it rains.
Kristopher (10) and Clayton (8) were the industrious tykes who are saving up for a bike. The Cadieux’s are trying to instill a good work ethic and teaching their children the value of money. Kristina (7) was told that she can’t sell lemonade either by the grinch like by law officer.
So far CFN is waiting to hear back from the City rep and council on this wormy issue.
Do you think the kids should be able to sell worms to raise money to buy a bike? Is Cornwall becoming less family friendly?
After the incident with the Vincent family ice rink you’d think City Hall would be more sensitive to the needs of the children of our community? That issue drew over 4,000 poll respondents and over 2,500 people from across Canada signed a petition after National attention was drawn to the idyllic ice rink on Monaco Crescent that the city forced to be taken down.
You can post your comments below and we’ll be updating our story as more details become available.
UPDATE
City Councilor Justin Towndale issued a statement on the subject:
“Earlier today I was made aware of an issue in which a By-Law notice was served to a local family advising that their three children could no longer sell worms from their property. I’ve since met with the family, have reached out to our By-Law supervisor, and contacted my Council colleagues. I’ve been advised that in the past, this same By-Law provision has been used to shut down lemonade stands that were also run by children. My goal is to remedy the current issue and fix it for all going forward. We should let kids be kids.“
Thanks,
Justin
its bad enough you had an issue about the ice rink .Now your telling kids they cant sell lemonade or worms Plz your embarrassing the city and yourself .The father has a good point tacjing kids the value of a dollard n how to earn it .Cant wait to hear what the city will reply to this idiotic excuse. good luck kids
Seriously??? Let’s not teach our kids how to earn money so that later in life our government can send our hard earned money back to them in a check!! Priorities r well in check here aren’t they!! O wait I know why they can’t earn it, it’s because the government isn’t making any money from them!!
Absolutely ridiculous. You have got to be kidding all of us… These kids are doing nothing wrong but trying to make a few dollars… In an honest way.. I must add !! Good luck kids.
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Jamie, Is this a joke ? Is it April Fools Day again ? This is beyond pathetic !
leave the kids learn stop being greedy not doing anything wrong but the city hall does it bunch of retards bad enough u guys ruin everything whats net use going to take
WOW .I guess this City had it right when they changed our slogan from the friendly city.You have to be kidding only in Cornwall can this even be an issue.Yet another black eye for our city.
Picking on the kids again.About 12 years ago i did the very same thing with my daughter.She asked me how she could make extra money to buy an organ which cost 600.00 plus dollars.I told her she could sell worms, she loved the idea.In about a month she picked and sold enought worms to buy that organ.But about a week into the worm buisness a mother and son approched me to buy all the worms she could pick .They would give her a dollar for every dozen which was what my daughter was selling them for.This way the women said, she wouldn,t have to sell them to anybody.I explain to her that i was teaching my young daugther how to work for something she wanted.and the worm buissness would be over when she reached her goal.Never had a problem with the city by law officer.WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS CITY NOW?
Oh bye the way the people who offered to buy all her worms sold worms too.Guess we were cutting into their buisness.
This is what I just sent to the Mayor and Council,
Dear Mayor, Council, and Staff,
On behalf of the residents of the City of Cornwall I am asking you to grant a 90 day Moritorium on the by law enforcement of any enterprise by children to raise a little money during the Summer.
I have initiated work on a proposed by law which I’m hoping some, if not all of you will champion.
My preliminary research shows that there are quite a few people in Cornwall that sell worms, lemonade, wild garlic, and produce to help survive our tough economic challenges.
I think if we put Cornwall and our people first we can come up with a solution rather than threatening kids and seniors.
Let’s all put Cornwall first and work together to have a happy ending to this strange and bizarre story.
Thanks,
Jamie
This is utterly crazy. Every kid has sold worms to make a buck. I think it might be rally time again I helped with the rink and I will help with this. The damn mayor and council had better address this issue.
Now I simply have heard everything, unreal, since this mayor has been elected…all I ever hear is children,s fun being ruined,does he hate kids,seriously
Me and my brother use to sell worms when we were a kids The price of buying worms now are so expensive if I had known they were selling worms I would have went to there place to buy them.
I guess they don’t want the stores who sells worm to lose money. The stores are ripping us off.
I wish the city would keep theirs nose in their own business instead bullying kids trying to make a buck because they are not old enough to get a real job.
Like · Reply · 2 mins
You got to be kidding me. So I guess the City of Cornwall would like the kids to stay inside and play games. They have to remember they were kids once or have they forgot. I know some are still kids with the fighting they do in council meetings.
What about the people who have yard sales regularly do they get fined or the person who has a fruit and vegetable stand every year in their front yard do they have to get a license?
Absolutely brutal, the city of Cornwall is a freakin joke, All these A- holes running the city I grew up in , into the ground. So glad I moved out.
As a kid I sold worms, lemonade and koolaid to raise money
It’s a joke , lighten up people, let the kids have fun and earn some of their own money
Love the comments guys. Let’s continue supporting this problem like many other problems. Voices are stronger by numbers. 🙂 Let’s spread the word!
Write to City Hall?… HA!! What a joke.
Don’t expect common sense from a Council that’s populated by spineless as worms representatives… the lot of them, ranging from a useless lawyer (in title only) vying to be a useless MPP, to a paranoid narcissistic delusional vying for pity (infamous for his own legal history), and every “phart” catcher in between. Are these the stuff of common sense?
Anyway, Thanks to the by-law enforcement cretins for putting us in the news again.
PS
K__i D___e, did you not think that maybe a chat with these ne’er-do-wells might have been more prudent?
Admin,
E-mail me, and — with the children’s permission — I will pay for a one month ad on CFN for their business.
to email council councillors@cornwall.ca
No way, you have to be kidding me, this is down right crazy, so you cannot earn money,
selling worms, lemonade, garlic…etc
What about the adults that sell Avon, Candles, Jewelry from their home. So much for cottage industries, what next, Garage sales.
City squashing kids efforts to raise Some summer cash…
Why doesn’t the city issue summer business licences for kids, let say $10.00 for the season, this way the city makes some cash and the kids are set up for business.
This is ridiculous for kids not to be able to do the things WE used to do as kids like how messed up is the city becoming. I lived in Cornwall for a awhile, loved the community but the bi-laws are messed up. I left Cornwall and moved to Ottawa.
Now I have heard of everything shutting down lemonade stands. What is this city coming too. I think City Council should focus more on the e-bikes not following the Highway Traffic Regulations – Like the one that ran the stop sign in front of me today. They are not insurance and if they hit me – who will pay for this damage. I think City Council must be bored.
Absolutely ludicrous !!!
I guess your city can’t advertise yard sales either ????
What are you teaching the children of the city by doing this.
Stupidity
What next for the City of Cornwall lol thats right LOL for Cornwall
Glad this good family called CFN. Awful what they’re going through over entrepreneurism while other parents and public servants/politicians start or join hate groups and are ignored.
Cornwalls finest at work again …….. what a shame !!!!!!!!
This is so sad, young entrepreneurs are stifled my bureaucratic bullshit, no child under 16 selling worms, lemonade or arts and crafts… if they are not making $100 or more a week leave them alone, problem is if children learn how to manage money and show fiscal responsibility, then politicians are afraid it will be expected of them!
ya know how to beat that,,, tell them to give the worms away per dozen and if anyone wants to leave a 2.50 tip please feel free.. then city hall can’t do nothing,,, city hall has to leave the kids alone,,, go after thiefs ,, people who don’t earn anything but take from others,,, these kids are trying to be honest and respectfull…
The kids could make way more money by selling weed.
I’m glad I don’t live in Cornwall!!!
I guess the police in Cornwall don’t have much to do, maybe we should reduce the number of policemen, it would reduce our taxes and reduce stupidity.
{MODERATED}
Are these the officials we elected to look out for the best interests of ourselves and our families ? Typical govt bs ,
This is a VERY poorly written (and quite frankly unprofessional) article, it is not illigal to have a lemonade stand or to sell worms as a child. Although it, is illigal to advertise a business located at the adress of a residential property, because it is required via zoning laws to be on a commercial (or a residential-commercial) property, therefore paying business taxes ect. Although it seems extreme to extend the law as far as children selling worms, the law is the law and nobody is above it. The fine is written to the father (the homeowner) which would also happen if someone opened up a 7-11 out of the residential home, the only difference is that people are focusing on the fact that it was kids that were selling it, but it was the father’s “business” because his name is on the boards and he owns the house, it really doesn’t matter what your selling money to save up for if it’s improperly zoned your going to get fined.
They should not have put signs up to advertise the product. If you look at the picture of the proposed fine it clearly states about the advertisement, but yet the article made no reference to that or the zoning laws; making it seem as if the local by law officer was “out to get the kids” which is a typical tactic seeing as they did absolutely no internal research as to why the fine was given in the first place. No they just took the “out to get the kids” theme and ran with it, giving the wrong impression.
It’s pretty sad and pathetic that the city of Cornwall would tell it’s kids that they can’t sell lemonade or sell worms to earn money to buy a bike and learn the value of a dollar. They’re too young to get a job to earn money and now they not allowed to do a time honored tradition to make a little money. Next you’ll be telling ppl that they can’t have a yard sale! How about you go after real problem makers instead of wasting our taxpayers money on the time and paper it cost to write and deliver that notice!
If you read the notice of inspection the box marked “responding to complaint” is ticked. Obviously a neighbour with too much time on their hands does not like their little red signs and seen it fit to complain to the bylaw officer. I think they should be allowed to sell their worms but don’t blame the city as they must adhere to the city bylaws.
I think that this is crazy . I live in Brockville and kids here also have lemonade stands here. No one bothers them they are only trying to make a little money . what is becoming of our cities if they have come down on kids .does our government want blood.
This is absolutely ridiculous. The bylaw enforcement officer should be fired for this. The city council cannot be aware that their employees are doing this to children. If they are aware of this then not one of them should be EVER voted back in to city office. Honestly can they be this rude, ignorant, and downright stupid?!?!?!?
in most town’s and cities you need to have a permit to sell anything.juice,yard sale’s and even worm’s.and it is just for one day.you could buy extra day’s.but sometime’s youdon’t even make what the permit cost you.it is pathetic what the government is doing to little kid’s.it is so sad.these people in office where kid’s to one day.don’t they remember what it was like.probably not
I think that this is crazy . I live in Brockville and kids here also have lemonade stands here. No one bothers them they are only trying to make a little money . what is becoming of our cities if they have come down on kids .does our government want blood. these kids are not hurting big stores or bankrupting anyone . totally insane leave them alone Some day these kids could run this country . They probably run it better then it is to day .Cornwall and other places grow up .
So this is what our tax dollars ar policing? Selling lemonade and worms is now deemed illegal. Cornwall is a retirement community and seems like more and more our city hall wants to push families with young children away from here instead of having a growing community.
Are we living in a democratic country or are we sliding into communism? We need the Federal and provincial governments to come together and pass a free enterprise system like they have in the states. After all more great things and business’s have started in the homes and garages than from the research and development departments of industry. It’s a sad day when the farmers of Canada do not own their own milk, have to buy their own equipment an then are dictated to by the government. Maybe we the citizens need to march on parliament and demand our country back.
if your going to in force that law than enforce the laws which protects consumers from corner store owners going to wall mart and dollars stores buying their products abd reselling them at a higher price.
Honestly kids are just trying to make a few bucks whats wrong with that . Next time do not put a sign up just pass the word around . the word of mouth is better anyway. Good luck kids !!
This iz Bullshit … Canada is becoming just like the States!! Cant sell lemonade or worms … what is this world coming 2??!!!
should take some of those worms stick them up his ass how stupid can people really be my god
Well,I gotta tell you,this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read off this site. What the Hell is wrong with our council?? How can they support this S^&%? I can give you a answer on that. This has had to come from corner store owners. I mean,,drive any where around this city,(Town,really ) and all you see at local stores are Lucky Worms signs. Stores pay them for their worms,,and then they need to sell them at their outrageous price hike.Now,I am not knocking Lucky Worms ,,they too are trying to make a living. So here is what I propose. Talk to the Lucky Worm people,,buy their worms at their price,,sell them for ,,Oh,I don’t know, .a buck above their price,,and just advertise on FB. You will probably get lots of business,,and a lot less work. And that way,you can be just like our city council,, not do much of anything,,but rake in the profits because,,” Its the way to do business” Just saying.
Aren’t there more pertinent issues to be taken care of in Cornwall???
no wonder we have such high crime rate here, our city is to busy taking innocent pleasure’s away from our children instead of going after the real law breakers,such a joke the way issues are dealt with here.
My property is zoned commercial and would offer them to sell here right in between 2 boat launches, 2 blocks from the river but bet that the City would require them to have a permit! There is something more to this story in where I would bet that someone who sells to stores (won’t mention the name but you most likely know) probably made a complaint to the city? Just a guess?
Lemonade I could see as I is a product to be consumed but worms, there has to have been a complaint.
@ Marc Tessier. That would be awesome to allow them to do that. And don’t be afraid to mention “who sells to store”.Its no secret,,advertising is all over for that. Dont be afraid to tell it like it is.Like I had mentioned in my earlier comment,,its not knocking Lucky Worms,,its probably the stores that are complaining.
Wild and only a few days ago Standard Freeholder had huge headline and photo about who the rules were broken to get Timmies up and running again..with former alderman Gerald Samson standing their looking pretty pleased.
If I covered up my walls with gyproc before inspection…they would force me to take it down
It is MY understanding that didn’t happen in this case so RULES WERE BROKEN