Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #491

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Justin Trudeau Finds Himself Deep In Doughnut Drama After Photo Takes Off Online
By Paul LeBlanc, CNN
Washington (CNN)A photo of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Winnipeg-based doughnut shop has proved to be a lightning rod among pastry-
enthusiastic onlookers online.
The confec- tionery controver- sy began when Trudeau tweeted a photo of him- self carrying boxes out of the Oh Doughnuts shop in Winnipeg.
"Picked up some of Winnipeg's best to keep us going through another full day of Cabinet meet- ings," the Prime Minister wrote. "Thanks for the fuel, @OhDoughnuts. #shoplocal"
The doughnut shop responded to Trudeau's post with its own tweet thanking him for his visit. "We can confirm he car- ried these out the door. Pretty sure Health Canada would agree everything is okay in modera- tion," the shop said.
Some rushed to praise the Prime Minister, celebrat- ing his support for a local busi- ness. Others criti- cized him for what they viewed as an overly "expensive" doughnut pur- chase.
Trudeau appeared to be carrying five large boxes of dough- nuts with two smaller boxes on top. According
to Oh Doughnuts' website, an assortment of 12 "regular dough- nuts" costs $35 Canadian ($26.61 in US
dollars), with assortments of 12 "specialty doughnuts" run- ning as high as $47 Canadian ($35.73 USD).
Those prices rat- tled some social media users, who chided the Prime Minister for not favoring a cheap- er alternative.
"I guess Tim's isn’t good enough at $10 a dozen," one Twitter user wrote in an apparent refer- ence to the Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons. "Nothing says I am middle class than $47 a dozen donuts. Just another elit- ist selfie moment."
Others pushed back.
Canadian come- dian Tommy Campbell thanked Trudeau on Twitter for
"buying local at a place that actual- ly makes donuts." In response to the flair-up, Oh Doughnuts launched a tweet thread outlining its business prac- tices and explain- ing its prices.
"We are locally owned; employ 30+ staff who enjoy breaks and have the option of joining a bene- fit plan; we use local butter, eggs and flour; our doughnuts are made fresh daily; we do our best to pay a living wage & never pay mini- mum wage," the company said.
"Our pricing reflects our respect for our employees, the environment and our commitment to quality, local goods. We are a small biz that really appreciated the sale on a cold Jan Mon."
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