Lemon aid: NCC permit in hand, lemonade stand sisters raise money for kids' camp
Kids raising money for Camp Quality week after being shut down by NCC for failing to have permit
Two young Ottawa sisters are back in business selling lemonade, a week after the National Capital Commission shut them down for failing to have a permit — sparking a wave of public criticism, an apology and, ultimately, a compromise resolution.
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Eliza Andrews, 7, and her sister Adela, 5, had originally set up the stand to raise money to go to summer camp but are donating their proceeds this week to Camp Quality, a non-profit organization for children with cancer and their families.
"We like going to camp," Eliza told CBC News. "The kids that have cancer, they need help so we decided to raise money for that."
Mayor Jim Watson was among the girls' customers.
Lemon Aid | Sisters fundraising for cancer week after stand shut down after getting permit from NCC <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottnews?src=hash">#ottnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/eUso1MW8sa">pic.twitter.com/eUso1MW8sa</a>
—@CBCOttawaThe girls had set up their stand last Sunday along Colonel By Drive near the Rideau Canal, where the road was shut down to traffic in favour of pedestrians, cyclists and rollerbladers, as the temperature was set to hit near 30 C.
More than 50 kilometres of NCC parkways are shut down to traffic on Sundays from May to September for Sunday Bikedays.
But an officer with the federal agency responsible for developing the national capital region asked the girls to shut down their pint-sized venture because a permit is required for any sales on NCC property. On Monday, the federal agency apologized for how it handled the situation, and later issued a special permit for the girls to operate.
Kurtis Andrews said he helped his daughters set up the stand so they could learn about business and raise money to go to camp.
The girls gained national attention after being shut down, and received several offers to help cover the cost of camp. Andrews said he turned down the offers because the family can afford to pay for it.
The story inspired a Vancouver woman to make a $1,500 donation to Camp Quality, which is enough to send one child to camp for a week. The camp director said the woman made the donation directly to the camp.
with files from Hillary Johnstone