
N.B. spa can have topless event without exotic entertainment licence, province apologizes
Hope-Wellness Eco-Resort, located in Edgett's Landing, N.B., had originally scheduled the event for last week. It had hosted similar events twice before without issue.
But after advertising its latest event, it was contacted by the province's gaming control and licensing services department and informed that there had been complaints filed.
It was told the event violated its liquor licence regulations and the spa would have to apply for an entertainment/exotic licence, which is typically used for strip clubs. There was also no guarantee the application, which costs $750, would be accepted.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The co-owners, Katie Carson and Ashley Ward, had already cancelled the event before speaking with Global News on Thursday.
Story continues below advertisement
The provincial government didn't provide a comment Thursday, but in a Friday update, a spokesperson said they now believed the event, 'as planned,' was 'within the conditions of their licence.'
'We have extended an apology to the owner of Hope Wellness Resort for the unintended stress and concern caused by the cancelation of the original event.'
View image in full screen
Katie Carson and Ashley Ward are co-owners of Hope-Wellness Eco-Resort in New Brunswick. They are taken aback by the backlash over an event they had scheduled for last week, and the province's labelling of it as exotic entertainment. Suzanne Lapointe/Global News
Body positivity
Ward and Carson described the event as a positive experience where a community can gather.
'It's just very liberating. You don't care about what your bathing suit looks like. There's no judgment. Everyone in the community that comes is very much on the same page,' Ward said.
Carson said the fact the event was deemed 'entertainment' was the most upsetting part of their discussions with the provincial department, because it unfairly portrayed what the women were trying to achieve.
Story continues below advertisement
'We honestly felt as if it was very sexist because we don't need a specific licence here at the spa for men to take their tops off. But in this case, we could potentially get fined for women having that option,' she said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Pediatric care in Kelowna lags behind other health jurisdictions: KGH department head
A department head at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) is highlighting what he says are the serious gaps in pediatric health care delivery in the wake of the ongoing pediatric ward closures at the hospital. 'This is an unprecedented situation,' said Dr. Duncan de Souza, head of KGH's anesthesia department. 'We do not know of anything similar that has ever happened in British Columbia, where a major hospital has lost such a key component of its services.' De Souza, who provides care to pediatric patients, spoke at Wednesday's town hall meeting, which was organized in the wake of the pediatric crisis at KGH. He provided comparisons in pediatric services between Interior health (IH) and Vancouver Island Health (VIH) as an example of how much IH is lagging behind. 'Vancouver Island Health Authority has 900,000 people. So does IHA. Victoria is their major referral centre, as is Kelowna and their level of pediatric care is vastly superior to ours,' de Souza told the roughly 100 people in attendance. Story continues below advertisement The advanced pediatric care, as outlined by de Souza, is offered at Victoria General Hospital (VGH). 'They have a higher level newborn ICU. They have a pediatric ICU, which we don't have,' de Souza said. 'They have dedicated services for children in the emergency room. They have a much, much more robust and active pediatric surgical program.' De Souza said he believes the stark difference in pediatric care in the two health authorities boils down to advocacy efforts. 'What we have now is the result of whatever level of advocacy and push for pediatrics that existed in IHA and we see the effects of what's going on now,' de Souza said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy KGH's 10-bed pediatric unit closed on May 26 with the closure now approaching the six-week mark. It's not known when it will re-open. According to IH, 19 pediatric patients who needed a hospital admission had to be transferred to other hospitals across the IH region, including Vernon, Penticton and Kamloops. 2:09 Interior Health executive compensation despite ongoing issues at KGH Pediatricians have been calling for changes to the staffing and health care delivery model for years but they have said their concerns were not taken seriously enough. Story continues below advertisement It prompted many of them to resign from the hospital, leaving KGH with a severe shortage of pediatricians — which resulted in the ward closure. The unit's closure has impacted other departments, including the emergency room (ER). 'We're holding those children in our department for longer,' said Dr. Matthew Petrie, an ER physician. 'If they're sick enough to require transfer right then, that usually means one of our physicians and at least one or two of our nurses are dedicated to dealing with that sick child and that just pulls resources away from a system that's already under-resourced.' De Souza believes a model similar to that in Victoria should be seriously considered. 'When we look for a solution for a sustainable model for Kelowna General and for IHA, we don't have to look far and wide,' de Souza said. 'We only have to look in our own province to find something that works.' The ministry of health stated it is aware of calls for Kelowna to receive services comparable to those in other communities. It added, 'the ministry is currently reviewing a related proposal that was recently submitted from Interior Health.' It's not known, however, what that proposal entails. In an email to Global News, IH cautioned about making comparisons between two health jurisdictions, in this case stating, 'to make a direct comparison of Kelowna to Victoria does not factor in significant differences in geography, transportation routes or population disbursement of these two regions.' Story continues below advertisement IH also stated that population growth in recent years has required the health authority to focus on a review of service delivery models, adding it has expanded the neonatal intensive care unit at KGH. Medical staff on the front lines however, have said a lot more needs to be done to keep up with the growing demand. 'We are at an inflection point. I hope things improve,' de Souza said. 'I hope that we can follow the model that's out there in Victoria for a better level of pediatric care.' 2:42 Health care addressed at Kelowna townhall


Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
N.B. spa can have topless event without exotic entertainment licence, province apologizes
The New Brunswick government has backtracked on its previous position and now says a Nordic spa in a rural part of the province can go ahead with a women-only private event where guests are allowed to be topless. Hope-Wellness Eco-Resort, located in Edgett's Landing, N.B., had originally scheduled the event for last week. It had hosted similar events twice before without issue. But after advertising its latest event, it was contacted by the province's gaming control and licensing services department and informed that there had been complaints filed. It was told the event violated its liquor licence regulations and the spa would have to apply for an entertainment/exotic licence, which is typically used for strip clubs. There was also no guarantee the application, which costs $750, would be accepted. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The co-owners, Katie Carson and Ashley Ward, had already cancelled the event before speaking with Global News on Thursday. Story continues below advertisement The provincial government didn't provide a comment Thursday, but in a Friday update, a spokesperson said they now believed the event, 'as planned,' was 'within the conditions of their licence.' 'We have extended an apology to the owner of Hope Wellness Resort for the unintended stress and concern caused by the cancelation of the original event.' View image in full screen Katie Carson and Ashley Ward are co-owners of Hope-Wellness Eco-Resort in New Brunswick. They are taken aback by the backlash over an event they had scheduled for last week, and the province's labelling of it as exotic entertainment. Suzanne Lapointe/Global News Body positivity Ward and Carson described the event as a positive experience where a community can gather. 'It's just very liberating. You don't care about what your bathing suit looks like. There's no judgment. Everyone in the community that comes is very much on the same page,' Ward said. Carson said the fact the event was deemed 'entertainment' was the most upsetting part of their discussions with the provincial department, because it unfairly portrayed what the women were trying to achieve. Story continues below advertisement 'We honestly felt as if it was very sexist because we don't need a specific licence here at the spa for men to take their tops off. But in this case, we could potentially get fined for women having that option,' she said.


Global News
19 hours ago
- Global News
N.B. spa that wanted to host body positivity event told they need exotic entertainment licence
The co-owners of a Nordic spa in rural New Brunswick are taken aback by backlash over an event they had scheduled for last week, and the province's labelling of it as 'exotic entertainment.' Hope-Wellness Eco-Resort, located in Edgett's Landing, N.B., has hosted private events twice before where a small number of women enjoy the spa's facilities topless — and had no issues. 'It's just very liberating. You don't care about what your bathing suit looks like. There's no judgment. Everyone in the community that comes is very much on the same page,' said co-owner Ashley Ward. Ward and co-owner Katie Carson were surprised to see negative online responses to this latest event but were undeterred until they received a call from the province's gaming control and licensing services department, which handles liquor licences. Carson says a week before the event, an employee from the department informed them they had received complaints about the event and asked them to confirm whether women would be allowed to go topless. Story continues below advertisement 'He basically said, 'This does not fall in the regulations of your liquor licensing. If you move forward with the event, there will be repercussions,'' she recalled. Carson requested an email outlining the rules so she and Ward could make an informed decision on how to proceed. They decided to cancel the event two days prior since they still hadn't received clarification from the province, which they say was disappointing for those who had bought tickets. View image in full screen The owners of Hope-Wellness Eco-Resort, located in Edgett's Landing, N.B., say they've hosted private events twice before where a small number of women enjoy the spa's facilities topless. Suzanne Lapointe/Global News The day before the now-cancelled event was set to take place, Carson and Ward received an email that further clarified they would be violating regulations if they went ahead. They were told they could apply for an exotic entertainment licence — the same kind that is required for strip clubs. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Under the province's liquor licensing regulations, an entertainment/exotic licence is required for live entertainment within an existing liquor-licensed establishment. Story continues below advertisement The fee for an exotic entertainment licence is $750. Carson says paying for that licence would be a form of 'backing down' at this point, because they don't feel their event is an 'exotic experience.' As well, she says it feels as if applying for the licence is a 'trap' because they were told it's unlikely to be approved. 'They just said nothing's been done like this before and typically, it would not be approved,' she said. The owners say they offered to close the bar for the day of the event, but were told that was insufficient. A further email from the department said they could cancel their existing liquor licence if they didn't feel it met their business needs. Carson says the fact the event was deemed 'entertainment' was the most upsetting part of their discussions, because it unfairly portrayed what the women were trying to achieve. 'We honestly felt as if it was very sexist because we don't need a specific licence here at the spa for men to take their tops off. But in this case, we could potentially get fined for women having that option,' she said. 'This kind of moved beyond our little event. It became so much more than that. We're here to try to make changes so that other spas or other places (can be where) women can feel comfortable without thinking that this is exotic.' Story continues below advertisement Under the Criminal Code, it is not illegal for women to be topless in Canada, unless they are involved in an 'indecent act.' When the co-owners posted a video to social media explaining why they cancelled the event, they received supportive messages from around the world. 'We want things to be reviewed so that the government and (department of justice and public safety) can take into account that not every woman with their top off is exotic,' said Carson. 'That it's very natural, that it is completely within our rights.' Global News reached out to the provincial government for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.