Papa Murphy's on Quance has closed.

https://i.redd.it/b9uooljmorbz.png

Too bad - prices were great (bonus: no GST), and everything was prepared in front of customers, just like a sub shop. I rarely experienced it being busy, but there seemed to be a consistent flow.

Hard to go up against local 'Regina-style' pizzas, though... and (like Yellow Submarine before it), Reginans don't seem to like the take & bake model - I heard more than once from friends & family "I have to bake it myself?!" Same people, after tasting it & finding out the price, seemed OK with taking 10-12mins of their time to bake it... but it still weirded them out.

We could order several family size pizzas for big events, they'd come in significantly under what Western, Houston, Trifons, etc would cost (50%), and we'd usually have left-overs.
(we still ordered ready-to-eat pizza - viewing the two as different models for different occasions)

This is not surprising at all. Since the PST was introduced to restaurant meals, Many small local shops have been struggling. My sales dropped 30% within the first 2 weeks of April. I'm not suggesting this was their only problem, but i'm sure it certainly didn't help them.

I'm quite certain the PST did not apply to Papa Murphy's pizzas - just as the GST doesn't (PST certainly wasn't singled out on my bills before/after the budget, and the pizza prices didn't change before/after).

It is deemed to be groceries just like the deli home bake pizzas at supermarkets

Ahhhhh oh really? Well then maybe I should have my customers start making their own meals here! lol

As soon as they are heated or "arranged" they are no longer exempt.

Did business bounce back or are you still down?

My food sales keep increasing. I thought we would take a hit with the PST, but didn't happen. The .04 has had the biggest impact on local restaurants and pubs, based on my clients (120 across the province).

Unfortunately not. Sales have picked up, but that's just based on the time of year. It's frustrating, because we have had to change some life plans, but that's running a business for ya.

Had your Lentil Cream Ale last night at Regina Beach. Still delicious! Not sure if boat police are enforcing .04 but I am still being careful of course.

Thanks, we appreciate everyone that has given us a chance!

The .04 law is what it is. My business absolutely supports responsible consumption.

However, in the urban areas, what we really need are more downtown residents, better transit, better taxi service, less downtown parking/more infill, and we need to change the laws in SK for Uber and Uber-like companies to operate here. If we dont act on these things, expect the downtowns to erode. I have been saying this for 2 years to every politician and govt official I come across. Sure would be nice to get some traction on these items. The City has a community plan that sets goals for downtown resident growth, and a transit plan that envisions less vehicles, but right now there are no action plans or funding to follow through on these plans.

Regarding über, it's basically entirely in the hands of the cities, and with them, you have to fight the powerful "lobby" the local cab companies have built up. Look at the "lottery system" Regina was going to do with temp licences in the next while. After the taxi companies made a fuss, it was almost entirely backed out of.

The province might need to adjust some regulations, but until the cities (mainly Saskatoon and Regina) change their bylaws, there's no need.

Uber is 100% with SGI. They won't insure Uber drivers

Yes, 2 city councillors have told me it is an SGI issue.

It's both a city and SGI issue. Each city is responsible for regulating taxis, and SGI is responsible for insuring them.

On the one hand, Uber is great for consumers. On the other, it's not that great for the Uber drivers (basically a minimum-wage job). I think there is a balance that can be achieved, however, if the city/province mandate certain insurance/liability requirements, and also classify Uber as the employer of the drivers (thus ensuring they meet labour standards). Right now Uber is arguing that they are not an employer, and so they don't need to meet these standards in other cities.

Government has to allow more competition (the taxi situation is ridiculous) but they also have to protect the employees and public. Unfortunately both sides seem to not want to compromise. Plus, Uber might be bankrupt in a few years anyway if it turns out that they did steal AI-driving tech from Google as has been alleged. Uber isn't sustainable at the moment unless they can switch to autonomous vehicles at some point, and their entire tech might be stolen (it looks that way with the evidence Google has shared).

The city issue comes first though. If the cities don't allow it, why would SGI have insurance for it? And technically if they allowed it, the taxi insurance rates would apply, so it exists, it would just be expensive to insure. It's also more in the government's court than SGI's regarding changes to the legislation that governs auto licensing, registration, and insurance. SGI can make proposals all they want, but if the government fails to enact them, nothing happens. ;)

Amazingly, other jurisdictions have figured out how to do it. There are lots of things we could do to improve transportation, but right now we are doing next to nothing.

https://www.sgi.sk.ca/individuals/re...sharetaxi.html

That is not really correct. Right now there is nothing stopping Uber from operating in Saskatchewan from SGI's perspective. If they wanted, you could start doing Uber outside of a city tomorrow. All you need is a Class 4 licence, 2 Million liability, and a taxi plate. All of these things SGI would assign no problem.

The thing stopping Uber from the cities is that they would need a taxi medallion/licence to operate too. Those go for well over 6 figures. There are also inspection requirements, criminal record checks etc that the big cities require.

Isn't that the point that Uber drivers don't have Class 4 licences and the extra insurance is supposed to be provided through Uber which doesn't work in SK.