Contronyms

More on last week's Human Rights Hearing.

Further to yesterday's post about "convenient" meaning "optimal to avoid food contamination" we have been alerted to another instance of Govspeak. In this case, the Government of Nova Scotia maintains that the inspection and licensing of restaurants is not a "service".

In the Food Safety Regulations, the word "service" is used in a straightforward and familiar manner:

Inspection services
17 (1) The Administrator may establish the frequency of inspections.

That simple declarative sentence is turned on its head in the province's argument:

"The Complainants cite no case law in support of the proposition that enforcement of regulations is a “service” within the meaning of the Act."

Come again?  The regulations say inspection is a service.

The government missed the grand opportunity to say "the inspection and licensing of restaurants is not a "service" because we do it incorrectly.  Therefore it is a "disservice"".

Now there's an argument I can accept!