All County, All the Time Since 2010 MAKE THIS YOUR PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY HOME...PAGE!  Saturday, November 9th, 2024

Let’s all get really angry

Steve Campbell

Ordinarily, in a pre-COVID world, we all had issues of concern, and we tended to express them to our social group, and sometimes in Letters to the Editor, or often to countylive.ca, where you can anonymously vent any concern, such as how your neighbour’s dog doesn’t understand the boundaries of human-defined property lines.

We have always had issues like this. I like to call them ‘fence disputes’ since I grew up on a farm. Neighbours would often contest the property line, and become irate if they thought they were losing one foot (along a 20-acre lot) where they could grow pumpkins, but you’ve stolen that so you can grow peas. So you are getting filthy rich (as if) by stealing their foot of land. Long-timers in the County will understand this.
We have also been faced with numerous issues which affect us County-wide. The battle against industrial wind turbines on the south shore is a perfect example, not that I want to open old wounds.
It was a County-sized civil war, but it taught us a lot, in retrospect. First: Everyone on both sides fought for what they thought was best for the County. This is a good thing. Second: As in all arguments, both sides were flailing around with misinformation and questionable facts. Neither side ended up being factually right, or indisputably wrong.
Third: This battle showed us that there’s a lot of County ‘newcomers’, with impressive backgrounds, who love the County enough to fight for it, and invest their time and money into what they believe. Also good.
This was a stressful time, often pitting neighbour against neighbour, and I worried whether we could recover from the animosity of the event. But we did.
That issue was in the ‘long ago’, but it leads me to observations of our current County psychology.
Yes, COVID changed everything, blah, blah, blah. But this I’ve never seen before, and I can sum it up in one sentence: There’s a lot of anger out there.
COVID had a lot of unexpected repercussions but, worse than the virus itself, it locked us in our homes for a few months, where we could spend our time watching all of the horrors of the world unfold, every day, all day.
And, no big surprise, the world is messed up. It’s always been messed up, but now we can see how messed up we are. Every moment of every day.
And that makes us angry. And sometimes too angry. Like you, I follow the world happenings but eventually I say, “That’s enough.” I will do a ‘Trump-free holiday’ for three weeks, because I just hit my saturation point. In that time, I don’t care what’s happening in Iran, Iraq, Great Britain, China, North Korea. I just can’t take it anymore.
But most people are not like me. They watch the news like it’s a soap opera, and they can’t wait to find out whether Melania will beg to be deported, or whether Attorney General Bill Barr actually sleeps with the President. This is not information. It’s a disease. And we’re hooked on it.
For me, when I come back from my TV holiday? Nothing has changed. Different day, same ol’ thing.
I was once on deadline for three weeks, then went to a party. Everyone was talking about ‘the war’. I asked, “What war?” Apparently the U.S. had invaded Grenada, fought a war, and left. While on deadline, I missed an entire war! Did it make a difference? No.
Remember when you would get up in the morning, shower and shave, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat supper, watch a TV show or movie, go to bed and have amazing sex (sorry, that’s just something I wish for you), and then repeat the cycle the next day? (Except for the sex, because two nights in a row is pushing it.)
But, with time on your hands, you now get to see just about everything we, as humans, have done wrong. And this is frustrating, and disorienting. But constant exposure to a world we can’t control is damaging to the soul.
Let me list some of the things that worry us, and add stress with every viewing: Trump’s Twitters and his cavalier attitude to the virus, which has spiralled the U.S. into a ‘no-go zone’; Korea’s insane posturing with nuclear warheads; the endless war in Iraq; the political face-slappings with Iran; Trudeau’s bungling of dispensing funds … whew! And there’s not a damn thing we can do about any of it. Yet it stresses us, more than usual.
Because we are connected. Not that we’re knowledgeable on any of these topics. Not that we have control over any of these things, or even have enough facts to understand them. But they just sit and burn inside us. Even if you woke some morning, and had a brilliant solution to all of it, it would never be heard. It would just join the buzzing sound of the thousands of voices in the hive, battling it out to push their misinformation to the forefront.
Here in the County, that anger can present itself in ugly ways. We’ve always been free to express our opinions, but now it seems they have an underlying anger. “I disagree, and here’s why …” has been replaced with, “Dammit, I’m right, and you’re an idiot!”
The anti-tourist movement is an example of this. I know you hate the visitors. We all do, for one reason or another. But make no mistake, if you think tourist money doesn’t drive our economy, you’re wrong. I have 100 clients … ask any of them. COVID without outsiders is killing businesses. Literally. Only people who don’t own County businesses are unaware of that.
Tourists clog our roads, and some of them are jerks … the jerks are few in number, but are much more visible than the large numbers who are freeing themselves from the confines of the city and trying to get a break. They’re just fine. No-one says, “I met 20 great tourists today.” But we’re quick to say, “I met one colossal a****e today.”
Annoyance has turned to anger, and then hatred, because we’re all bottled up inside. Tourists are impatient. They often don’t know what they’re doing, or where they’re going, but they’ll lean on the horn at a stoplight to get there. It’s just city vs. country.
Everyone pretends this kind of summer overload is a horrendous new development, blamed on the marketing of the County. Wrong again. It was the same way, with the same frustration, and the same arguments in 1980. That was 40 years ago, and Picton Main Street was clogged. I suspect some of them are still stuck on Main now, since no-one will let them into traffic.
This is not new. We need to tolerate visitors in the same way that we are trained to respect a tractor with two hay-wagons, with a 20-car train behind. I would hope no-one in the County would say, “Let’s get rid of the farmers. They don’t anything for our economy, they just block the roads and get in my way!”
Lose the anger. It doesn’t do anyone any good.
Consider summer visitors to be like a hurricane. You didn’t ask for it. You didn’t want it. But there it is. It comes, it goes. It creates chaos and leaves devastation behind. Nothing to get angry about. It’s like an Act of God … like locusts, and boils, and world-engulfing floods.
In my experience, anger has never led to a proper conclusion … in any facet of life. We are all, and County Council too, suddenly aware of our vulnerabilities, and the winter months will likely be used to address how we deal with success. Like the Woodstock Festival, we have planned for 1,000, and got a whole damn city of people. What we do with them is the Big Question.
* Steve Campbell is editor and publisher of County Magazine, and the author of several books, including The County Handbook: How to Survive in Prince Edward County.

Filed Under: News from Everywhere ElseSteve Campbell

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  1. Marie Powell says:

    Quality of life is about more than money. It’s about family, friends, a sense of community and belonging. It’s about natural spaces and protecting them from being developed. It’s about enjoying wildlife and protecting them from being killed and displaced. It’s about feeling safe, and being able to have peace and enjoyment of your home. It’s about freedom of movement without sitting in traffic for ages and being harassed in stores. It’s about having some faith that your voice matters. We who remember the County the way it was have watched these things disappear, and those who don’t understand what we had are making all the decisions at our expense. In the words of my step-daughter when she last visited us: “Oh my God, they’re ruining this place!” I couldn’t agree more.

  2. angela says:

    Apparently Great Lakes cruise ships will be permitted to dock at Port Picton next year. Add to that the new visitors we are sure to receive when the Royal opens its doors and the resulting chaos is unimaginable.

  3. Mark says:

    I don’t see what developing new neighborhoods has to do with the tourist frenzy. We need more people living here, a larger tax base and adding more connects to our water/wastewater system to try to manage the skyrocketing costs.

  4. angela says:

    I smile when I read those ads urging us to support our merchants and “shop local”. How are we supposed to do that with our county overrun with tourists? There is nowhere to park. It is far easier to drive to Belleville for groceries and other items. There was a mob scene on Main Street yesterday for ice cream. Who wants to be bothered with dodging through a crowd of unmasked tourists to get to a store or business place? Belleville is beginning to look better all the time. I love the county but it has changed so much that now I would be quite happy to live somewhere else. This does not feel like home any longer. It is just a tourist trap.

  5. JennyD says:

    Aside from all of the out of province license plates I see on my small narrow side street, using it as a short cut, or otherwise lost, are Texas license plates. Texas plates pulling trailers, clearly on vacation, despite the border restrictions. This is the final blow for me, on top of all of the other issues from tourists and visitors. But it won’t end there, so long as developers keep building new neighborhoods, all of PEC will become SUBURBIA.

  6. Emily says:

    The breaking point has arrived starkly. This is not what residents want or ever expected. It cannot continue in a small community.

  7. Janice says:

    Angela and Mike Rodger’s comments are right on the money. The County can survive nicely with minimal tourism. The despicable behaviour of tourists trespassing, defecating, urinating, and cursing at locals when they tell them to leave their private property is totally unacceptable. The County has promoted tourism to the extreme for years. Now it has come back to bite all of us. Even one of the local wineries has been complaining about their customer base. That’s laughable and sad at the same time. It’s time the County shifted from tourism to encouraging businesses that can pay a living wage to our residents especially with the exorbitant cost of living expenses. Property taxes are ridiculous as is the cost of water and sewage. Why was Hastings County able to reduce their municipal property taxes this year while ours skyrocketed? It’s called mismanagement.
    It’s certainly worthy of noting that over 6600 people signed Jordan McCormack’s petition to get tourism reduced in the County. This seems like our last gasp chance to turn things around. County people want change which does not mean flood us with tourism. As for that ridiculous idea of a Bill of Rights, no one will take that seriously. The tourists have proven they don’t care about the locals. Im sure they would have a good laugh at that. We need to support Jordan and give him concrete ideas and suggestions to present to Council ASAP.

  8. WS says:

    I personally have had enough. To minimize what is happening is insulting. First we are in the middle of a pandemic. Tourists are coming from cities that still have active cases and I have seen many who refuse to wear a mask. In the last week alone, my husband was pushed off the road while on his motorcycle, I had a someone (Quebec plate) so close to my bike I could have touched his hood, last night I had a person (again, Quebec plate) drive so close to my car I couldn’t see his headlights and then pass me at high speed in front of Metro during heavy traffic. Then he stopped and tried to get me to pull over. I’ve stopped at Main Stop and see a few tourists going to the bathroom on the side of the building. I’ve seen them drop their garbage where they stand. That’s just the last week. At this point I could write a novel. Empty shelves when I attempt to grocery shop here. Most of the time I have to drive to Belleville to buy groceries. So out of control that Rockin Rogers considered closing on Saturdays. Unable to enjoy County spots. I don’t even remember the last time I was able to get by the water. Housing prices are so ridiculous that all three of my children have moved away and we finally decided in the next year or two, we will sell and get away from here. All of this is just scratching the surface. Am I angry and frustrated? H*LL yeah. Stop minimizing legitimate reasons for people being upset or making it sound like it’s simply because we have been in the house too long.

  9. Linda says:

    My children have a short term rental. Before you make judgement know that they spend many dollars having a local construction company renovate, make that rebuild, their family home. None of them can afford to give up their good jobs to live here but value their home. We live next door and are the onsite people.
    In the five years we have been providing accommodations we have never had a bad experience. There have been a few minor annoyances but no damage. Our neighbours who know us well enough to complain if needed never have. People come, use the house for their home base and head out to beaches, wineries and other attractions. They leave the house immaculate in most cases and we have never had any real damage. The money earned is invested in continuing to improve the house.
    I know it is worse in the south part of the County and I will admit to avoiding Main Street in Wellington as much as possible but I just wanted to share our positive experience with tourism in our beloved Country. Incidentally my kids grew up here and I know that at least one will return when he retires. The County continues to be a most wonderful place for us to live.

  10. angela says:

    The county has long been known for its hospitality. It offers many attractions to outsiders, chief among them Sandbanks Park. However, the county is not an amusement park. It is our home and this summer tourists are treating it with great disrespect. The locals cannot be blamed for how they feel. For the vast majority of them tourism offers no real benefits. Laura, visitors like you are always welcome but it is necessary to realize that there are many who come to the county with total disregard for those of us who live here. It is them you should identify as the culprits if you feel the need to justify your presence here.

  11. Dennis Fox says:

    I think to get the latest info on how tourist have treated the locals, I suggest reading Scott Johnston’s letter in this week’s Gazette. It describes the frustration level on several key issues.

  12. Laura says:

    Old local and LB, thank you for your kind comments. What I meant by my last sentence was not a reflection on an overloaded community by an influx of people, so let me try again. There are amenities and attractions that exist all over, and people travel to enjoy them. I am just getting a little tired of feeling guilty any time I leave the GTA and feeling like I have to justify why I’m there. If you were to travel to Toronto for any of the things I mentioned I doubt you would feel an unspoken need to justify it to anyone. That’s all. Just a different perspective. Thanks for reading.

  13. LB says:

    To Laura – there has been some very negative views expressed on this site about tourism, visitors from away, Torontonians, Quebec’ers (Ottawa strangely not so much) and people in general who seemingly have too much wealth. And that was before Coviid! Don’t misinterpret these dozen or so comments as representative as the voice of the County. Instead, I believe the comment from Old Local below fairly represents the current situation and the local frustration without the laden undertones.

    The County is a great community and the first thing we fell in love was the warm and welcoming locals. I would suggest you continue to discover all the County has to Offer.

  14. old local says:

    Laura you are exactly the kind of people we are looking for. Leaving the place a little better then when you arrived is all we’re asking. As for your last comment. What if 25 million people showed up at the same time ? Would you not bat an eye ? Over 4 times our normal population arrives each summer week-end. Imagine 5 times as many cars on the Don Valley pkwy or the 401. Eye’s would be batted , trust me.

  15. Laura says:

    I’m so glad I stumbled on this article and the resulting comments. I’m a long-time tourist to your beautiful county from the GTA. I can’t apologize for the despicable behavior you describe here. It saddens me. I’m reading about this kind of behavior this summer in many other destinations in Ontario so please don’t feel singled out. We are travelers, campers and lovers of nature. We are not short-term renters. We were brought up long enough ago to respect others and their property, and to leave things just a little bit better than when we arrived. We like wine and visiting wineries to support them. We spend our money in communities where we visit. Being in the service business myself (and having my business be decimated for 3 months this year) I understand the importance of supporting a local economy. Perhaps you do not need our support and that is fine. We planned to retire in PEC and we are looking elsewhere now. I’m sure you won’t miss us but I hope you figure this mess out because it sounds pretty toxic. I’m pretty sure the next time you catch a flight out of Toronto Pearson, visit the ROM or AGO, watch a Mirvish musical, see your favourite NHL, NBA or MLB team play at home or even a concert by your favourite musician at Scotiabank Arena or Rogers Centre, nobody in town will bat an eye at your out-of-town license plate holder.

  16. Marie Powell says:

    It seems like some folks aren’t getting the picture here. As a community, we have issues of safety that need to be addressed. I’m referring to things like being awakened in the middle of the night by an STA tenant who has wandered into my yard in a drunken stupor, yelling obscenities outside my bedroom window. I’m talking about going into my yard in the morning and finding broken beer bottles on the ground. I’m talking about coming home and finding my patio furniture in pieces, or finding strangers camped out on my property. I’m talking about feeling unsafe in my own home.

    Our law enforcement officers are often too busy in places like the provincial park to attend to issues at private residences. What do we do in those situations?

    I resent being told that I’m “bitching” when my safety is being compromised. I’m sharing my experiences and encouraging others to do the same, so that Council and the community at large will have an understanding of what many of us have been dealing with over a period of not just weeks, but years. How can we develop solutions to problems if we don’t know the nature or the extent of those problems?

    To those who seem to be focused on the increased property values in the area, I would like to ask: When word gets around that people don’t feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and our community can’t handle issues like trespassing, vandalism and harrassment, how do you think that will affect your prospects for selling your home? I would think that most folks want a safe place where they can enjoy their family life or their retirement. Prospective buyers aren’t usually attracted to places where safety, peace and a healthy environment are no longer possible.

    As a footnote, I want to say thanks to Diane for the support. I don’t find it easy to ‘put myself out there’, but I do it because I still have hope that we can re-establish our sense of safety and community and protect what’s left of this beautiful place.

  17. olmnonthemtn says:

    Angela that’s the point the bill of rights should tell what we expect and how we can support pro/con the expected behaviour but must be supported/enforced within our community (official county and by us its residents) This approach has been used in Europe

  18. kb says:

    At the very core is the fact that most locals only have one home. We are not visiting here. We will be returning to our homes in this county at the end of the day. Visitors and tourists have another place they call home. They get to go home at the end of their holiday.
    PEC is where they come to play and treat everyone like jerks.
    I have one home and nowhere else to do, even if I tried. Next step for me is the cemetery and it appears I’ll have the same issues there, as here.

  19. Andre says:

    Good article and good perspective. However since moving here 5 years ago, it is obvious that this community is in complete transition. From the “way it was before” , to this current and future state which is still quite unclear. And that is not abnormal, it’s’ part of change and transformation. Tourism is what it is…..and will likely be with this community for sometime to come. What does need to occur is a plan on how to make both the very positive past things come together with the future of where this place needs to land. I suspect part of the frustration is (put COVID and the last several months aside) is that we have a community trying to figure out it’s vision and direction; a recent event that has thrust a significantly larger group of people at our community because there is just no where else to go; and a community that is ill prepared to handle the influx and behaviours that we are seeing. I have said this before and will again, although there is apparently a strategic plan for this community not sure it’s well enough understood, and or managed with the accountability that it needs. Council needs to help position the vision and make attempts to achieve that objective, and at the same time, residents need to adapt to their ever changing environment without loosing site of what this place has to offer.

  20. Mike Rodgers says:

    I woke up this morning. There were no more waves of tourists, just a small manageable amount that shopped in a couple of shops and rented a few cottages. No traffic to speak of on the Main Streets, no litter. There were no fancy restaurants owned by ex city folks, there were no art gallery’s or cafes. There were just a couple of family style dinners,a couple of department stores. The local people were happy with there lot in life. They farmed or worked at a cement plant or making toasters etc. The local businesses supplying merchandise and service,s flourished, not making millions just a living like every one else. Tourism was a minor nuisance they put up with. It was not what drove their community.
    This is the county of yester year.
    I do not believe that if the tourist disappeared tomorrow we would starve. We still have a base of business that doesn’t rely on tourism.

  21. Jean says:

    Nice words and beautifully written. However many many (did I say many 😳) people have worked tirelessly during this crazy time in our community, caring, catering and servicing others. Not everyone was locked up in their homes watching tv.
    It’s a sad situation to be met with such unkind humans. This community has a very high senior population and those of you that don’t need help yet will down the road. Just saying.
    So think about every step we take maneuvering the traffic, crosswalks, parking and pedestrian congestion etc. Then think of yourself doing it as a senior.
    My hope is that our esteemed council will think forward and outside of the box for our future.

  22. Diane says:

    Thank you Marie Powell for speaking up so intelligently and speaking the truth so well! I believe most of us who live here, and are completely fed up with this overtourism, will agree with every word.

  23. Matthew says:

    I’ve travelled extensively in Central, north and south America, the Caribbean,Indonesia, Europe etc.

    We actually have very little to complain about regarding trash, drunkenness, disorderly conduct and the like compared to so many tourist destinations I’ve seen.

    Maybe it is time we started focusing on our tremendous blessings as Canadians. The cleanliness, safety, financial opportunity,free health care and fresh clean food we have are all part of the plethora of benefits we have as first world people, so often missing in the lives of ‘locals’ dependent on tourist dollars.
    We are some of the richest and most fortunate people in the world to live here, and yet as canadians we complain incessantly and often treat our bodies and as though they are trash cans (Tim hortons etc.) And treat our neighbors poorly (yet only behind their backs and on Facebook as good ole passive aggressive canadians 😉

    I live in picton and meet heaps of new people and locals through my work. We also have some of the nicest and most genuinely humble people I’ve ever met.

    Please, for your own benefit, consider giving thanks and bitching less. Its good for the soul and will bring into focus what a blessed life you have.

    Maybe, when you decide to watch the news,look in horror at the state of most of the world and pray…pray for the starving and war torn countries,pray that your heart may be softened towards the desperation so many are facing…and pray that you may be truly moved by how absurdly wealthy you are to have clean running water, indoor plumbing, affordable groceries and the opportunity to work and walk safely in your street without having to lock your windows with bars like so many countries I’ve seen.

    Give thanks.

  24. Gary says:

    Tourists are relieving themselves all over the place. It is really disgusting behavior.

  25. angela says:

    People who leave bags of garbage behind, park in no parking zones, trespass on private property, make rude gestures, and ignore the rule of social distancing are not going to respect a County Residents’ Bill of Rights.They would laugh at it. We should let them know there is zero tolerance for such behaviour.

  26. Michelle says:

    I think as courteous as most County folk tend to be, they have reached the point where they are tired of being nice and are mad as hell. As the Dixie Chicks put it.

  27. Dave says:

    Steve you are right on the money. The anger towards any outsiders has been there for a long time. In our case the 1960s. The locals burnt down our barn, put sugar in the gas tank of our car twice, drove through our fences, and unleashed their dogs to chase our cows.

    The county has been in a depression for a long time and it only got better in the 2000s. There were NO jobs. You could buy waterfront for $100k.

    The local economy has benefited from increased investment from the foreigners. The Provincial government has put millions into starting the wineries. Now people have jobs, the value of property has gone up, contractors have made a lot etc.

    People we can go back to 1980s value of your houses if you want and get rid of all the jobs. And lets all blame the STAs for this situation.

  28. ADJ says:

    Steve is an old hippy flower child of the 60s who tries to see some good in everyone. I’m guessing he doesn’t get the daily harassment from rude people who walk, park and trespass wherever they want. Location is a big factor and one has only to sit, watch and listen for an extended length of time to understand what these people(posts) are trying to drive home. This is a place to vent and your hearing it first hand. Take some of our OPP out of the cruiser and put them undercover on bikes, shorts and flip flops and let them do their job.

  29. olmnonthemtn says:

    We could transform what causes our anger into a positive expression of what we as County residents deserve. We could create a County Residents Bill of Rights that could be posted in prominent places eg. businesses and public services. We could also state how we will uphold our rights when faced either with complimentary behaviour (recognizing , rewarding good behaviour or negative behaviour (stating what we consider appropriate behavior, withdrawing our service)

    I’ve listed a few

    COUNTY RESIDENTS BILL OF RIGHTS

    We have the right to live in a clean and healthy natural and neighbourhood environment

    We have the right to interact publicly with one another in a kind and respectful way

    We have the right to travel as motorists and pedestrians without worry of discourteous and or dangerous drivers

    We have the right to the sanctity of our own property

    We have the right to use our own good and services to meet our needs

  30. Marie Powell says:

    Steve, I think (with all due respect) you’ve missed the mark on this one. There’s an implication in the first part of your article that all or most of this anger is the result of COVID19 and the isolation and frustration that many have experienced. From my perspective, the sources for people’s anger have been here for years, and have only grown by leaps and bounds since the early 2000s. I would say that in the past decade, in particular, things have spiraled way out of control. Perhaps COVID19 is the proverbial straw that broke us, but that is because we were teetering on the verge of being broken for a long time.

    You mentioned Trump a couple of times, so let’s go there for a moment. I think most would agree that Trump has wreaked havoc to the level that he has, because his malignant narcissism has gone unchecked. It’s been allowed to flourish beyond the scope of what most people could have imagined. He’s a bully; an arrogant, entitled bully with no capacity for the empathy that is required to find common ground and get along with others. On a much smaller scale, I would say that ‘bullying behaviour’ is what we’re dealing with in the County. While I would never say that we should stop all visitors from coming here, and I would admit that I’ve met some nice folks over the years who have enjoyed what we have to offer without damaging it in the process, I can’t agree with you that the good guys outweigh the trouble makers. That has not been my experience at all. I lived beside a short-term rental for a number of years, and endured all kinds of damage to my property, and had my safety threatened on more than one occasion. The local authorities were not helpful to me in any of those situations, which is something I’ll be commenting on in the near future.

    I see bullying behaviour in our community all the time. Just take a look at some of the comments in County Live or on social media, and you will statements from visitors such as, “We have more money than you, so you have to put up with us”, and “we’re just better than you”…..”smarter than you”…..”have more influence than you”….and my personal favourite, “you would be nothing without us!” (gee, I wonder where they got that idea?). By putting up with this attitude, and, more importantly, the behaviour which evolves from this attitude (garbage dumping, vandalism, public defecation, verbal abuse, stealing from local stores and restaurants, harassment of both the people and the wildlife who call this place home), we are enabling narcissistic behaviour, and allowing it to flourish right here in the County.

    People have every right to be angry. No one likes a bully, and being victimized by one is a pretty terrible experience. Bullies thrive when people cower in the corner and say, “okay, I guess I’m dependent on you, so I’d better not push back”. I think a far more effective approach is to react with some backbone, and let bullies know that you are standing your ground, and will not allow their behaviour to continue. We need to set some boundaries, and enforce those boundaries. People are suffering in this community, and they are not being adequately supported by the law makers or the local law enforcement. There is strength in numbers, and the people who pay taxes here are entitled to voice their anger and to be supported by those who are employed to serve them and protect them.

    Anger has its purpose and its benefits. In my own life, I’ve seen it promote positive and effective change. I think it’s human nature that many of us avoid making a fuss and we avoid asking for change, until we become so angry and uncomfortable in our daily existence that we speak out and demand that change. When people are abused – let’s call it what it is – they have every right to give a voice to their suffering and ask for help. I won’t be silenced, shamed, or have my head patted with a whisper of, “my dear, getting upset won’t do any good”. We’re not talking about an act of God; we are talking about acts of destruction, and we have every right to tell our stories and do what we can to put a stop to it.

  31. Jason says:

    Yep, I was thinking the same thing the other day…”there’s a lot of anger out there”. I live on Main St. in Bloomfield, you have to be patient and not in a hurry or you’ll drive yourself crazy, and use your horn as a stress ball. After being stuck at home for months not knowing what was going to happen, I’ve also had enough of the issues both worldwide and local, and just want to pay attention to my own mental health.

  32. angela says:

    This is not like 1980 or any other summer in the county. We are overrun with rude visitors who have taken over. We have a right to be angry and it is that anger that may at last be getting council off its duff to act. Exactly who makes the big bucks from tourism? It would seem it is essential newcomers with a ton of cash who arrived here and renovated a string of old buildings making them high class restaurants which most locals cannot easily afford. It is not good old county business people who are starting up these businesses and reaping the rewards.The tourists buy a lot of ice cream but not much else. Many do not respect social distancing (I was shopping at No Frills yesterday when one of them, a man the size of Godzilla) kept pushing his cart right beside me. Another one of these lovely vacations drove into my driveway last weekend and announced she was planning to have a panic attack in my yard. When I tried to find a parking space beside the post office yesterday there was an SYV with Quebec plates taking a spot. I guess they get their mail in Ontario. And you are telling us not to get angry? We are just the simple-minded souls who pay sky high taxes to live here. We are the ones who keep the stores going when the tourists leave, the locals who cannot use the beaches in their own county. And you tell us not to be angry? Your suggestion that we turn the other cheek is difficult to understand. Many of us are as mad as hell and we are not going to take it any more.

  33. Kevin says:

    Gaslighting won’t help the locals. Give them some peace. Get the cops to respond to complaints. Get the county to make some serious decisions – the kind that have teeth in them – otherwise they are ineffective. Make all the rules you want, but you need to enforce them. Start pushing back, gently and respectfully. Let’s not lower ourselves to the same level of those who make us angry.

  34. JennyD says:

    I’m allowed to be angry about the state of the county – which is my only home by the way. Angry about my street; vomit, drunks wandering into my yard; litter, pedestrian traffic comprised of tourists and visitors – all who don’t seem to care. If you run into a really fantastic tourist, perhaps you can point him/her towards Delhi and just maybe he could hang out with campers in the park and cemetery. The same ones using this area as their personal toilets. Where my kids play, where I walk my dogs, where my family members are buried. So, yes, I am angry, and entitled to be angry.

  35. kb says:

    You have this only partially right. The tourists being obvious a-holes outweigh the vast number who are completely indifferent to rules and respect. Those are the ones who are oblivious to traffic signs, drop litter and even ignore the social distancing and mask requirements. They smile, they look away, they ignore the rules, without having to be a obvious ahole, it’s in all their other behaviors. I’m sorry but I disagree, the numbers are the opposite in my experiences. The majority just don’t care, and very few are exceptional human beings.
    I wish it was more as you described it, however it sounds like issues are being minimized by a describing it as just a “few”.

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