“Unhosted short-term rentals are a bad idea. Period. Most municipalities in Canada have banned them. Having an Airbnb unit in your house is far different from buying a property and operating a ghost hotel with nobody living there full-time,” writes Garth Turner.
In response to editor-in-chief Richard Harley’s July 31 editorial, The Lake Report, writes Garth Turner, “embraces the size, the massing, the demolitions, the height, the truck bays, the big-box architecture, the gobbling-up of a residential street and the three or more years of construction chaos involved.”
The old Royal George may need to tumble and be rebuilt, but Old Towner and Tiktoker Sally Basmajian says, “there are right ways of doing things and just egregiously wrong ways of doing things.”
“This is the Niagara Warehouse of Hope. Mary and her squeeze, Ted, started in their garage almost 40 years ago. She now operates out of the big structure a crew of believers built in a single day and ships containers around the world with the help of at least 150 volunteers,” writes Garth Turner.
“The Royal George eruption has folks again asking that eternal question: is this a place to live or a theme park for the tourists?” writes Garth Turner.
“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.
“These days 43 per cent of the 11 million people that come into Niagara to spend money come from across the river. Before Trump, that was peachy. With Trump, we understand that for too long we’ve been milking the same cow,” writes Garth Turner.
“The 1832 white heritage Queenston gem may be lost. Damage is extensive and the fire marshal is poking around. But the fact folks opposite took quick action when they saw the flames lick says much about the relationship that’s existed for more than a century and a half,” 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.
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