Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung is facing a highly-caffeinated barrage from critics for keeping his coffee shop open in the midst of a water shortage that has prompted other business owners to voluntarily close their doors until things improve.
Genung is part owner of Coffee Traders, a downtown Cochrane establishment that has remained open throughout the State of Local Emergency (SOLE) this week, even as Starbucks, some restaurants, a laundromat and two car washes voluntarily closed their doors.
The mayor attended daily news conferences where he joined town officials in appealing to residents to conserve water.
Tim Horton’s restaurants in town and Good Earth coffee shop remained open.
At the Wednesday conference, Genung defended his decision to keep selling coffee, even as the message was going out to the rest of the town to conserve water.
Critics of Genung took to social media denouncing him for setting a bad example.
Genung said his business was using bottled water for coffee and for washing dishes, and were using paper products to further reduce the need for water.
“I’ve been following the same restrictions as every other business in our community,” Genung said.
His opponents online say he should do better.
“We’ve gone to disposable items only – coffee cups, dishes. We’ve purchased potable water that we’re using for handwashing, washing dishes behind the scene,” he said. “It may not be apparent to people but that’s what we’re doing.”
Genung added that he believed he was modelling the behaviour he was asking of the community at the news conferences, by restricting use.
“We’re hardly using any water whatsoever.”
He pointed out the bathrooms use low flow toilets, and that they were “doing everything we can to do our part in this.”
The social media criticism centred around the fact that he should have closed, like some businesses have, until the shortage is declared over.
On Thursday the Town announced the water pipe leak had been repaired and reservoir levels had stabilized, but the SOLE remained in effect, and they were still asking residents to conserve.
