The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
I'm a law and order kind of guy. I respect the rules society has put in place, even the few with which I disagree. I often dismiss those engaged in civil disobedience as whiners who need to get a life. But none of my usual feelings apply to Mr. Chuck Laderoute. Last week, on the front page of this newspaper, the entrepreneur behind Chucky D's Meal Mobile announced he would defy city orders to vacate a location he felt appropriate for his business. That location is the paved area off the south end of Main Street, sandwiched between Super K Convenience Store and Neighbours of the North Park. City council's main beef was that the Meal Mobile Ð a renovated old bus Ð would detract from the developments in the area, including the lovely metal flower display. But Mr. Laderoute's many customers don't think so. Just driving by at various times last week, I counted more people enjoying that area in a matter of days than I had spotted in the preceding years. That's by no means a scientific survey, but it's pretty persuasive to me. Residents and visitors alike had been going to this spot before, often to snap a quick photo or two of the flower sculptures, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say it was a brief event. With a fast food truck nearby, people stay longer and enjoy their experience more. If the public was so devastated by Mr. Laderoute's chosen location, would they support his business? Of course not. He'd be out of there faster than New Coke was pulled off the shelves. In fact, in an era in which business competition has never been more fierce, Mr. Laderoute, though a fair distance from the Main Street business sector, is an asset to the uptown area. As I recently dined on a cheeseburger outside the Meal Mobile, a fellow customer mentioned he'd driven uptown solely to visit the establishment. This young man was now uptown, and therefore more likely to pay a visit to our uptown businesses. Surely he's not the only such person. Might Mr. Laderoute be "stealing" other burger or fast food business? There's no such thing. Consumers are big boys and girls. They can decide for themselves with whom they want to conduct business. Besides, Mr. Laderoute's presence gives the consumer more choice, and shouldn't that be the goal in trying to lure more people uptown? Even if one agrees that Mr. Laderoute's business is an unwelcome visual, does that warrant booting out two young entrepreneurs trying to earn an honest living? Does it have to be, "We don't like the look of this, therefore you must go"? Not everything in Flin Flon and area is aesthetically perfect. Is Mr. Laderoute's the only business in town that some might consider less than attractive? No, but we all somehow manage. Think of it as a trade-off. At Tuesday's city council meeting, Mayor Dennis Ballard expressed optimism that an arrangement could be worked out with Mr. Laderoute, be it at the paved area or somewhere else. At press time, nothing further was known about the situation. My hope is that Chucky D's Meal Mobile stays put at its owner's preferred location. It just seems like a perfect fit. Local Angle runs Fridays.
