Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” aired a segment this week that examines Burlington’s initiatives to attract disgruntled Canadian tourists to see what, if anything, can convince travelers from the north to overcome their hard feelings about the United States.
Correspondent Jordan Klepper spoke to business owners, city boosters, some residents and few Canadian visitors for the lighthearted, five-minute bit. He asked Outdoor Gear Exchange co-founder Marc Sherman if Sherman is a prostitute, poured maple syrup into beers at the Vermont Brewers Festival and bantered with Burlington Business Association executive director Kelly Devine about whether the city’s tolerance for the occasional nude pedestrian hinders tourism.
Klepper poked fun at some of the local efforts and compared them to a laundry list of American policies and postures that the average Canadian is likely to find unsavory.
“What about our naked person thing?” Devine asked the correspondent during an interview on “Rue Canada,” the boulevard formerly known as Church Street before city councilors voted earlier this year to temporarily change the name.
Klepper joked in the segment that Burlington had put “country over God” by renaming the street.
Anyway, the naked people: “In this town, you can walk around naked,” Devine explained, referring to a longstanding ordinance that bars disrobing in public but not being in public without robe.
“Yeah, do you think maybe the naked people is a reason that Canadians don’t visit as much?” Klepper offered.
“People come here on vacation specifically for the opportunity to walk around naked,” Devine maintained.
As it were, Burlington city officials may soon ban public nudity outright in the city, one of the steps municipal leaders are taking amid pressure to address antisocial behavior downtown. A committee last week approved the draft of a ban that would create fines of $50 for the first offense and up to $500 for serial offenders; the city council is expected to grapple with the proposal soon.
Somebody better let the Canadians know.
Watch the full segment below:
