A local businessman is laying into Belleville City Council for its handling of the Pop Ups By the Bay situation and how it has treated the vendors involved.
In a video posted to Facebook on Wednesday, Doug’s Bicycle owner Tyler Allsopp responded to suggestions that the three business owners involved asked for refunds on the $900 rent they were to pay for the summer season, when in fact that recommendation came from a staff report.
Allsopp, who ran for council in the 2014 and 2018 municipal election says it’s wrong for councillors, especially ones who don’t own their own businesses, to lecture the group about how they run their businesses.
Allsopp says he tried to pay his rent out of principle but he wasn’t able to because the city mismanaged the entire situation.
The pop-up initiative struggled to get off the ground, with high water levels forcing organizers to have to change locations multiple times and Allsopp says he’ll now have to consider if he wants to be part of it again next summer.
He says councillors also criticized the vendors for not doing enough research on locations, or advertising themselves well enough, when they were forced to move.
You can see the full video below:
