Quebec City Man Loses Job For Videoing Himself Coughing on Restaurant Equipment

File under: very bad ideas

Quebec City police spent part of the weekend tracking down a man who deliberately coughed on an Interac terminal before handing it back to a fast food restaurant employee. On top of that, the incident was filmed and posted to social media (TVA has reposted it) — apparently intended as a joke, the video also features a second person laughing in the background (both people were in a car waiting in the drive-thru of the unnamed fast food restaurants).

Given the ongoing concerns about coronavirus, the “joke” was understandably poorly received — it was posted on a Facebook group named Spotted: Repentigny, and drew scores of negative comments, and soon drew the attention of local law enforcement, although it eventually ended up in the hands of Quebec City police (SPVQ). The SPVQ haven’t yet decided whether to charge the man in the video, but he has already faced other consequences: the video was also seen by his employer, and TVA reports that they fired him from his job as a result.

And in other news...

• Three McDonald’s locations have been forced to close in Montreal after employees tested positive for COVID-19 — all were on Sherbrooke East, one in Hochelaga (near Prefontaine metro), another in Longue-Pointe (near Langelier metro), and a third in Pointe-aux-Trembles. McDonald’s Canada has stated that all three locations are expected to reopen once given the all-clear from public health authorities. [Journal de Montréal]
• Bars and clubs will be relieved to know that they will now qualify for assistance from the federally-owned Business Development Bank of Canada. The bank drew criticism two weeks ago for excluding a small set of businesses (such as bars and sex shops) from financing that would help them survive a long shutdown due to the novel coronavirus. The bank made a new announcement that all legal businesses would now potentially qualify for its assistance. [BDC]
• The people behind Montreal’s only two Indigenous restaurants (MikMak Catering Indigenous Kitchen in Pierrefonds and Café de la Maison Ronde downtown) are worried for the future of their establishments due to the ongoing shut-down. [Radio-Canada]
• MTY Group, the Montreal-based company that owns Thai Express, Sushi Shop, Jugo Juice, and many other chains, says it has had to temporarily lay off half of its workforce due to COVID-19. [CBC]
• Montreal gin and vodka distiller Cirka has pivoted to producing hand sanitizer (using 85 percent alcohol). It’s not looking to make a buck out of it: the distillery is instead donating some 10,000 bottles per week of sanitizer to the city. [CTV]
• It’s not all bad news out there: last week, Montreal Canadiens defenceman Jeff Petry and wife Julie opened up $2,500 tabs at two restaurants to give free meals to hospital workers. [CTV]
• Also doing good is South Shore restaurant Portovino which reopened its kitchen to prepare 200 meals for staff at CHU Sainte-Justine in Côte-des-Neiges. [EaterWire]

• Service au volant: le «tousseur» perd son boulot [TVA]
• Recherché par la police pour avoir toussé sur un terminal [TVA]
• A Key Federal Bank Will Offer COVID-19 Aid to Almost Any Business — Except Bars [EMTL]