A Maple Ridge restaurant that hosted Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and about 40 local Conservatives suffered harassment afterward.
“This was scary for me, it was very bad,” said Veronica Reale of Ronny’s Bistro.
She explained the harassment went from one-star reviews and slanderous comments on Google, to online talk about boycotting her business. She was afraid of the damage that could be done to a good reputation she has been building for about 14 years.
Poilievre did an under-the-radar stop in Maple Ridge, and Maple Ridge East MP Marc Dalton hosted him at the diner in the industrial park on River Road on Friday evening, Jan. 9.
Reale said she is not active politically. As a single mother of two running her own restaurant, she was simply glad for the business, and the party members paid for all the food and beverages they ordered.
Afterward, Reale made a social media post about hosting one of Canada’s most prominent politicians. Immediately there were a lot of negative responses to the post.
“After 40 minutes, I had to delete it.”
The vitriol surprised her. Originally from Italy, Reale admits she has more to learn about Canadian politics.
“I’m not political, and I didn’t know it could be so bad, just hosting a meeting.”
Asserting that a business hosting politicians shouldn’t see them being denigrated, Dalton took a swipe at the trolls who harassed Ronny’s Bistro.
“Cancel culture has real and devastating impacts. When businesses are harassed or threatened over political disagreement, livelihoods are put at risk and communities are harmed,” Dalton said. “Small businesses should never become collateral damage for someone else’s outrage. Hosting a meeting does not justify intimidation or online abuse.”
Having worked hard for 14 years to make her restaurant a success, she could not afford to see it damaged, and Reale spent three days communicating with Google. The bistro’s reviews and rating are back to where they were before the sabotage – at 4.6 out of five, and reviews that say things like “true hidden gem,” and “a charming spot with a friendly atmosphere.”