Dear editor:

I agree with Bruce Gitelman that the only reason that we have a so-called parking problem in the Old Town is because we are encouraging the wrong type of visitor, the day-trippers and cone-lickers (“Letter: Stop manufacturing the parking problem,” Sept. 3).

There has been much said about making the town more attractive to the multiple-night guest but not much done about it. Instead we have increased the number of ice cream and snack stores and comfort food outlets. The restaurants on Queen Street are mainly tourist traps.

Has anyone not noticed that there is not enough room to walk on the sidewalks anymore during the peak tourist months? The locals all know this.

The town has the nerve to describe NOTL as the “culinary capital of Canada” — seriously? This is not a place for foodies. It is a place for tourists and day-trippers.

The stores are mainly chain stores that sell snacks and they are located in every similar tourist destination. The few locally owned stores cater to day-trippers, not locals anymore.

There is very little relevant shopping for locals to do here, so we have order everything and wait for it to be delivered.

And we don’t need another food store that sells the same thing as the others. We need a store that sells the things we can’t get at the others.

Even Cheese Secrets has closed as we steadily turn into Niagara Falls for tourists.

Jackie Bonic
NOTL