“Yes, the Shaw is great for NOTL. Lucky to have it. But ripping up the main street while taking such a financial gamble in dodgy economic times seems rash. So, a little scrutiny is not a bad thing,” writes Garth Turner.

“Is this still an artistic enterprise worthy of oodles of tax money, the sympathy of donors and exemption from all heritage rules? Or, has it become a non-tax-paying corporation heavy into real estate development?” writes Garth Turner.

“Given the level of public support, it would be good to know more about how this web of interests is being run. Is it sustainable? What happens in an economic downturn, with a half-built theatre complex?” writes Garth Turner.

“Eventually, everything made with oil — which is pretty much everything, like the plastic on the berries, plus the diesel and jetfuel that got them to the store — will become dearer,” writes Garth Turner.

“Turning us into a ‘burb of the Falls or the pointy part of a big region would likely be the beginning of the end of NOTL. For all the bad decisions that have impacted us, this place is unique,” writes Garth Turner.

“The next month will bring the collapse of the theatre, the erasure of the historic barber shop beside it … and geothermal drilling,” writes Garth Turner.

“This is a turning point for us,” veteran councillor and former mayor Gary Burroughs told Garth Turner, “and we’re not coming out of it well.”

“It turns out ‘heritage’ is, in fact, a hated word in the insurance biz, and that only a tiny sliver of companies (called “markets” by brokers) will even consider extending coverage,” writes Garth Turner.

“Old Town residents — on Victoria, Prideaux, Simcoe and Queen — can expect up to 50 trucks per day during various phases of the project. Dumps, flatbeds and tractor trailers,” writes Garth Turner.

“How will heavy construction be handled during the next three summers when Queen is shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists, cars are everywhere and festival season arrives?” writes Garth Turner.

“Soon the historic buildings behind the chain-link — some dating to the 1880s — will be razed. The excavators will move in. Then the erection of a 55,000-square foot complex with a six-storey height,” writes Garth Turner.

“NOTL may attract three million visitors a year, but at its heart are caring, decent people always finding time for a pet, a smile and a stroke of my incredibly handsome fur,” writes Cody the Chow, taking over for Garth Turner this week.

“People flock here (three million of them annually) because it’s authentic. It’s ancient. Historic. Quaint in a way Mississauga and Buffalo never will be. Not cute. Not fake,” writes Garth Turner.

“NOTL is one of the few burgs in the nation allowing (and encouraging) the conversion of residential housing into ‘unhosted’ short-term rentals,” writes Garth Turner.

“Some people believe our little lovenest of a town is lurching toward surveillance, confinement and control. Look at the official, shiny new draft official plan, they say,” writes Garth Turner.

“As I write this there are six (seriously, just six) rentals listed with realtors in the Old Town. The average rent being asked is $3,000 a month,” writes Garth Turner.