New Brunswick — Mere days before Thanksgiving weekend, the provincial government announced a new wave of COVID-19 restrictions. Most notably, the province will be returning to single-household bubbles for the holiday.
Due in part to the blow-back, the province has since amended these regulations.
“While families were always free to partake in their Thanksgiving festivities, so long as they were held at Boston Pizza or some other fine dining establishment, we have heard your complaints, and have adjusted accordingly,” said Premier Blaine Higgs.
Under the new regulations, friends and families from separate households can now gather so long as each member exchanges at least $50 in taxable income. The province has already mailed out of tax forms to each household to record these transactions.
Tax write-offs and credits are available for some. Specifically, there is an exemption for families who produce common Thanksgiving foodstuffs, and those whose last names begin with and “I” and end with a “G,” for complex legal reasons officials didn’t want to get into at this time.
“Think of it as something like a Thanksgiving potluck,” Higgs suggested. “But, rather than bringing beloved family recipes to the table, you bring large sums of money that we can then tax and funnel into our hobbled, mismanaged economy.”
The premier encouraged families to not look at this new policy not as a burden, but as something to celebrate.
“We hope that this will become something of a new, valued tradition for New Brunswickers,” said Higgs.