“Over the years we felt that our dream was slipping away as the town and council seemed to become more and more focused on tourists, and less so on the residents that chose to call NOTL home,” says a former resident who wrote to Garth Turner this week.

“Shaw says it has worked and planned harmoniously with neighbours. They say phooey,” writes Garth Turner.

“Dear Shaw Festival, we want you to stay and prosper. But there’s a reason you’re here in paradise, and not in Brampton,” writes Garth Turner.

“In all, four heritage buildings will be offed. The iconic Queen streetscape will be forever altered, the 120-year-old Royal George erased, trees sacrificed and apparently you have nothing to say about it,” writes Garth Turner.

“It’s never a good thing when normally docile folks believe councillors are in the pockets of developers, that the town’s government is anti-family or that public matters are shielded from, well, the public. But here we are,” writes Garth Turner.

“So the town has launched a race for business survival. Not only do we risk displacing people and houses with hotels and tourists, but life is a whole lot tougher — and more expensive — for the guys already in the hospitality biz,” writes Garth Turner.

“Apartment units should be reserved for long-term tenants, not thrown into the online tourist pool. And no place with a pool or a hot tub should be granted a short-term rental licence, since that’s just a recipe for neighbourhood noise, disruption and mayhem,” writes Garth Turner.

“Why did citizens have to protest outside town hall last year with signs and slurs just to be heard? And why wasn’t the mayor there the other night when the largest political mob in modern NOTL history packed the community centre, fully 500 days before a vote?” writes Garth Turner.

“It’s a tough gig for the house-sellers now. But those who do buy likely come from the urban east and move to NOTL with equity,” writes Garth Turner.

“Is this a good development for NOTL, or does it polarize us? Is endorsing candidates useful, or cause conflict and strife? Does the rebel movement suggest we need improvement in the way this place is run? And will you attend the meeting?” writes Garth Turner.

“The problem I see is the government is changing rules (strong mayor) and all we’re getting is more housing approved, not built,” says Niagara Foundation head Lyle Hall.

“Orange hair is the most powerful man on earth,” says Murray Weaver. “The only thing more powerful is the stock market. It has endured wars, financial crises, COVID-19 and many more. Cracks are already beginning to appear in this man-made crisis … The market will come back, I promise you.”

“Undoubtedly things will get worse in the next few weeks as layoffs happen, confidence wanes and the economy shrinks a little. Once the election’s over, serious talks can begin to try to resurrect Canada’s favoured trading status with the Americans. That will take time,” writes Garth Turner.

“Everything’s approved these days. Tract houses. Honking big hotels in Old Town. Condos. Towers. Heritage house mutilations. Meanwhile, the housing market’s gone icy. Sales are rare. Prices under pressure,” writes Garth Turner.

“Does Virgil need 150 more families? Can the developer even flog that many new homes from plans and a sales trailer? Now that we’ve got a new wave of job-sucking Trump tariffs coming on April 2, was the Great Pine Slaughter a tad premature?” writes Garth Turner.

“It’s gone too far. Every act of resistance is justified. Canada cannot be annexed, occupied or held. Americans made a grave error,” writes Garth Turner.

“On both sides of the border this is going to mean people losing their jobs,” says Kathy Weiss, head of the local Chamber of Commerce. “So, discretionary spending is going to drop, while Canadians are also boycotting American goods. It’s a dangerous combination.”

“It’s not a happy time to be an elected person in this bucolic burg. It seems that historic protest outside town hall last summer was more a harbinger than a one-off eruption,” writes Garth Turner.

Regular addicts may recall my encounter with NOTL Museum. It was a fine summer day. A heritage festival was in full swing out on the street. Perfect for a town that rose from

The house on the corner is still for sale. A year now. They got an offer the other day for 90 per cent of the asking price, but signed it back. Full price.

How do you wrestle an opinion out of someone? Simple. Insult them. Or at least try. Eben knows that. “Why so sheepish man?” he asked after reading last week’s pathetic posting (mostly about

“What’s worse than NOTL becoming a theme park? Why, turning into a cartel, of course. David Gilchrist says it’s already here, aided by the bandidos at town hall,” writes Garth Turner.