OTTAWA, ON – Brew Donkey, a beer delivery and tour company based in Ottawa, has announced that its bus tours to local breweries are being offered free of charge for the foreseeable future due to a threat of legal action from the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO).
According to a post on the Brew Donkey website, TICO served notice to the company in late April indicating that it is “providing travel services without prior registration as a travel agent and therefore contravening the provincial legislation governing the travel industry in Ontario,” and that if it continued accepting payment for bus tours after May 19th, it would face legal action.
Brew Donkey feels that it is exempt from the legislation under a clause that specifically promotes local tourism initiatives. But as the legal threat from TICO is not yet resolved, the tours that normally cost around $85 are being offered for free for the time being.
To assist in covering the costs of the tours and legal fees, Brew Donkey has launched a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGogo, with an aim to raise $15,000. The company is also encouraging Ontario residents to contact their local MPP to express support while it investigates its options.
For more details, see the full post on the Brew Donkey blog.