What does it mean to be ‘County’?
Administrator | Jul 07, 2014 | Comments 68
Steve Campbell
The last column, and the two previous election columns, may not seem to have a direct connection. But they do.
As for the election outcome, all of us in rural Ontario will continue to be ‘back-benchers’ at Queen’s Park. The only thing worse than a dictator who removes the County’s right to determine its own future – is a dictator with a ‘mandate’. Make note that the only people who voted for this ‘mandate’ were the ones left in Ontario who hadn’t given up on following the process of democracy. The majority of Ontarians appear to have found the exercise pointless.
In the last column, I talked about how we define ourselves, because our ‘press’ paints us as a hip and jivin’ place, in order to lure our essential tourist trade.
And it’s true. We are a happenin’ place with lots to do, but that’s not all we are. Still, we have not defined ourselves to ourselves.
It’s easy to describe what we’re not. I drove to Toronto last week to deliver more Breakaway magazines, and it gets weirder every year, when I go ‘Downtown’ to Yonge and Edward.
The short version: Drivers are rude, aggressive and run a road like it’s a giant video game. (I can’t blame them – if you own a Ferrari in T.O., weaving in and out of eight lanes of traffic is about the only fun you’re allowed to have.)
My city buddy Ian warns me: “This is not the County! If you stop to wave someone in, you will be rear-ended.”
On Yonge itself, the drivers and the pedestrians alike are all obtuse and oblivious.
I’m not trying to engage in Toronto-bashing – it’s just so many people desperately trying to get where they want to go. It’s small wonder they drive 120 kph on County Road 12 to get to the Sandbanks. We’ve got the only civilized, unclogged roads east of Oshawa! Except for deer, turkey vultures, coons and kids, and turns and hills that city drivers know nothing about, and care even less.
So I came out of there (arrived home at 3 a.m. – over 3 hours in stopped traffic) knowing what we are not. But that’s the negative. So let’s take a shot at the positive – what we are.
We are still, very much, an agricultural area. Farming has changed, and small family farms have mostly (not completely) given way to mega-farms and the industry is now agribusiness on a large scale.
Asparagus, blueberries, apples and strawberries are still big time operations, in season. And yes, the wineries today are part of the County’s cyclical nature. As the Barley Days of the late 1800s boomed and died, and the canning industries of the 1940s and ‘50s brought new prosperity – vineyards are simply a continuation of using County land the way God planned it. And to call a difference between ‘commercial’ wineries versus ‘agricultural’ vineyards is as foolish as saying farmers can grow sweet corn and berries, but they can’t sell them.
We are proud to supply top quality products, but the urbanites don’t care. (The visitors do!) To the city folk, ‘Farmers Feed Families’ means nothing to them. Their food can come from China or Mexico, they don’t care. Food, to them, just magically appears in their supermarkets.
But we care, because it defines us, and that’s what’s important.
As agriculture was our base – right back to the County’s earliest settlers – so too was community. Because survival here – then and now – depends on your neighbours.
This isn’t to say that we all gather and link arms daily and sing ‘Kumbaya’. Far from it.
We are a diverse group of people, with varied interests, different skills and backgrounds. This could be said of Toronto as well, the the County of 1800. We don’t always agree, but we do interact with each other, on many levels, and our sense of community builds from that.
Do we have clashes? Sure we do. Sometimes neighbours and friends butt heads – it’s what we used to call a ‘fence dispute’, whether it involved a fence location or not.
Sadly, fence disputes used to be worked out, or even duked out, over the fence. Now everybody calls their lawyers and councillors and police and demands an OMB hearing. This is not the direction we want to go.
The County has always been something of an enclave. When the 401 passed us by, it took us out of the game as far as large industry was concerned. The wave of economic success that developed Belleville, Napanee and Quinte West (which had to increase the size of its name from ‘Trenton’ to accommodate its extra cash) created a pretty robust business atmosphere.
Frankly, I think we dodged the bullet on that one. It allowed us to be who we are – that thing that is so hard to define, yet is clearly understood by everyone who chooses the County as their home.
Business-wise, small businesses are a mainstay in the County, and we encourage you to shop locally, even if it costs a few extra dimes. There are a number of small manufacturing businesses that are a perfect fit here. I always use Clearwater Design, the kayak people at Northport, as an example of a bustling, well-run, well-marketed employer of skilled local talent. And there are many more like them, some of them so quiet, they’re hard to find unless you need them.
As I mentioned in the last column, (First, Let’s Define Ourselves) young people are finding a place for business in the County. For generations of people like us, who were expected to be career-oriented and money-driven, it’s hard to see this new wave of workers, driven by lifestyle, technology and creativity. This is the next County Gen.
And, finally, let’s look at us demographically. We are largely middle-aged to senior in age. We have many retired people, and some newcomers who retired early. The young people are certainly here, especially those of school age, who are the children of the many families here. They are not in the numbers we saw in the 1960s Baby Boom, but that’s no surprise, due to the previously-mentioned career orientation.
The missing are the ones who do indeed leave the County to make their fortune, and many of them return to buy houses we can no longer afford. They roll easily into the first demographic, and help bolster the tax coffers of the County and, it is hoped, the income of local shops.
So that’s my perception of us, open for discussion. In 1967, we all found a way to express how we were truly Canadian – the same across the country, yet different from region to region.
If we can find a way to express how we are truly County, then we can wrest our lives and our future back into our hands. With or without anyone else.
Filed Under: News from Everywhere Else • Steve Campbell
The County has spent plenty to bring tourists to The County without recouping those costs and yes Sam raising taxes and reducing services is the answer but it is the Tax paying Citizens of The County that end up paying for these things so they DO have a right to complain and more power to them. Wolf you seem to have all the answers so I won’t even bother responding to you. Council needs to stop catering to the tourist industry and figure out a way to bring tax revenue in because it is not sustainable with tourism as the main generator. One more thing articles like this bring out the trolls and the name calling begins, we are all County People calling each other names and insulting each other isn’t good for anybody. I see lots of good folks here who’s main concern is Prince Edward County and that’s a great thing but lets do it without the insults and name calling
You make it sound easy Steve. Just play nice in the sandbox and the county will become one big happy family. I think that’s over-simplifying the situation. Be honest – in all of these slick county lifestyle magazines – and I am not referring to County Magazine – we see shots of county folks from Toronto at all sorts of galas and special events. When was the last time you saw a picture of Mr. and Mrs. John Doe playing darts at the Legion or Mrs. Smith playing bingo with her friends? The Thems have become the new face of the county and the people who have lived here since forever are berated as the whiney boring Us folks who are living in the past and wouldn’t know a good bottle of wine from a can of Mountain Dew.
Although you complain about driving in Belleville it tops trying to cope with tourists who can never seem to grasp the idea that they have the right of way when driving up the Town Hill and the really bright ones who apparently have never before seen a cross-walk. On my last trip to town I watched a tourist park in one of the handicapped slots on Main Street. I am pretty certain he was not handicapped because he had a lot of sports equipment strapped to his SUV.
Personally, I find it easier to drive in Belleville than in Picton during the summer months. There is always lots of parking at the mall and it’s free. It’s a pleasant drive on a summer’s day and the cost of my gas usually is absorbed by the savings I can make on some of the items I plan to buy.
Us and Them = We part II
Some of following is an annotation from a past comment with additions based on the current dialogue.
I grew up here and left to further my education and find employment but also missed my home and hoped to return and contribute in some way. By the way in past blog comments I see the derogatory term for those such as I is “Blow Back”. I’m not sure if this is applied to returnees who are perceived as being part of “the rich” and wonder if a person remained here and did well if there would be another demeaning term for them. It also concerns me that having grown up in the County and kept contact with it through my family I have experienced a few and I underscore “a few” who are inflicted with a distasteful xenophobia which in its worst form justifies taking advantage of newcomers by providing substandard/unreliable work or products and subjecting them to extortive billing (not to say longtime locals are immune). The newcomers who have come to me with these experiences are be no means “rich” and feel that in the way they were dealt with that they were treated as second class citizens which saddens me as a County person which in my time meant being supportive of others in our community.
On my visits here I saw changes in the County some bad but in my opinion mostly good with some things that have not changed both good and bad. I remember in the County both open minded sages and close minded chauvinists, in fact my own family had some of both! Our family on both sides were turn of the century immigrants who were accepted such that they could integrate and establish farms and businesses but also had on occasion experienced bigoted hazing. In my past here there were community team players and self-seekers.
Yes we have seen newcomers come in and take the risk to establish new tax contributing, local employing businesses and agricultural enterprises. They didn’t edge old business out, they were closing when I was a teenager e.g.. Teds, Frasers, Hicks and Masons to name a few. Why did they leave? Perhaps they did not have the range of stock or their costs were high and our business went elsewhere or there was no one to takeover. Lets us not forget the number of main street fires that gutted businesses which never returned. I lived in a large urban centre its downtown of small merchants was decimated by big box stores which can sell reasonable quality furniture and clothing at a discount based on volume you know the them there found in those strip malls on the outskirts of Belleville and Kingston. The other contributing factor was the ability to buy on-line which for some is more convenient.
Thank God for the professionals (e.g.. doctors, dentists, lawyers, educators and accountants) who filled the gaps left when there weren’t the locals County people to fill these positions, their contributions can not be understated. I see my former classmates in a variety of professional, technical, service and business enterprises which in this integrated County has allowed them to form alliances with those from away with different perspectives allowing them to use and expand their talents. Newcomers have saved some important local landmarks and agricultural lands which could not or would not have been saved locally. I am impressed by the range of experienced, talented yet modest newcomers who are willing to help fight our good fights against those outside agencies who are trying to re-engineer our lives.
When we entertain visitors from away they without exception remark on the County’s beauty and uniqueness. They comment that its has both rural charm and sophistication with an impressive tenacity to preserve what’s best without limiting its future potential. The County has been chosen as one of the top fifteen destinations in the world for 2014 by Air Canada’s EnRoute magazine as well as one of MacLean’s magazine’s top ten Canadian destinations for 2014 no doubt for its natural beauty but also its people both oldtimers and newcomers. We have been a resilient community as evidenced in the many socio-economic phases we have undergone in our history. A significant factor in remaining resilient is recognizing, accepting and capitalizing on our diversity which includes our history and traditions. We need a vision for this community that reflect this and serves as a bulwark against the economic, social and political forces which threaten our integrity.
“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.” — Max de Pree
It’s ok Steve, life will go on with disagreement or not. Just remember that you may be the subject of a study being 7th generation. Perhaps being observed for odd behavior and thoughts. Allbeit the note taking of such would be done in private! Lol
Steve:
I appreciate your thoughts, and in the final paragraph of your comments you have touched on the core of problem, and the point that I was making.
“If we continue this Hatfield and McCoy feud, we will indeed never again see the County we once had.”
The County that we once had is gone. It will not return. It cannot return (and it probably wasn’t really as good as we remember it). Resenting the tourists and blaming the newcomers with money will not change the situation. Complaints are not solutions. If people will not accept the current and changing reality of The County then what do they suggest?
My Shopping is limited to Grocery Stores(all of them)and Giant Tiger–Can’t think of anything I need in Belleville
Oh I forgot CT.
As far as the new things that are here that were not here 50 years ago my vote goes to the wineries.
How lucky we are to have such a selection and our restaurants are better than Bellville .
The new people who have come to live in “The County” have brought a lot of expertise with them as well as employment
for a lot of our trades.
Sure I loved the County 70 years ago but nothing in the world is the same as 70 years ago. What will it be like in 70 years time?
Yikes! I rarely step into the blog responses, but you guys are driving me crazy!
I was actually making a call for cohesiveness amongst County residents, before the next column appears. And I resent having my thoughts being called ‘garbage’.
Instead I have re-activated the us and them battle, as I expected would happen. But Jeez, you guys are all resorting to name-calling and wild assumptions – based on people you probably don’t even know!
This is not good for anybody.
I have 7 generations too, but that means sweet dickall to me. I’ve always lived in the County that is NOW, though I also loved the County of my youth.
Seriously, we need to come to grips with this, and drawing lines in the sand, studying and resenting is not the pathway to the County we want.
Shopping in Belleville? I hate to make necessary trips there because, not only is the traffic a mess, the drivers are horrible. Getting deals at Quinte Mall? Come on, really? At Walmart, sure, but I’d rather go to No Frills in Picton, or even the few more minutes to go to Metro or Sobey’s or GT, than spend an hour pacing a square quarter-mile of floor.
But, people being people, they will choose a one-hour drive (accounting for traffic and stoplights), rather than 15 minutes in the tourist frenzy of Picton. Makes no sense to me.
If we continue this Hatfield and McCoy feud, we will indeed never again see the County we once had. There’s more peace in war-torn Iraq than the old/new civil war we have going here. Can’t we please just end it and move on?
Marnie:
Tourists and traffic jams are not a problem for me because I know enough to stay out of Picton on the weekend, or if I do have to go in then just stay off Main St.
Also, I don’t think that I have ever talked to a tourist who was silly enough to comment that my Hyundai was built in Japan. Hyundai is South Korean.
Sam – Yes, there are a few stores left that offer what I want and yes, county people patronize them. A couple of them are located in Stirling and there are others in Belleville. At one time we were lucky enough to have them in Picton too. I have pretty much given up on shopping locally for any purchases of consequence. Too much summer traffic and too many stores selling high-priced `stuff`. I now understand why you do not object to the traffic. The tourists see you coming in that vintage Hyundai and exclaim `Look and antique Japanese motor car. Make way, make way`.`You`re probably more fun on the road than a rickshaw.
Marnie:
You can’t find the quality of items for a price that is suitable to you in PEC? What about Belleville, Trenton, Napanee or Kingston? Is there is a store out there somewhere that suits your needs. Does such a place exist? Can it exist in a modern economy? If it exists and profits elsewhere then would it work here? We are in a market economy of supply and demand. You suggest that there is great demand, yet there is a lack of supply. With all of the empty storefronts in Picton, you would think that somebody would open a store as you describe.
Then your only problem would be fighting your way through tourist traffic to get to it in the summer.
Marnie:
First you accuse me of being “a relative newcomer parked in a McMansion” and now you suggest that I am engaging in “reverse snobbery” because I own a 10 year old Hyundai.
I actually had to look that one up in the dictionary.
urbandictionary. com / define.php?term=Reverse%20Snobbery
“The practice of distrusting or disliking those of a perceived higher social class than oneself. Therefore, a hick who hates rich people would be a reverse snob.”
Nope, not me.
What would I like to have happen Sam? For starters I;d like you to get real. The stores are catering to the newcomers who can afford the high-priced merchandise that they sell and no one can blame them for that. But there are a lot more locals who would appreciate less expensive goods. I’m willing to bet that your 10-year-old Hyundai is reverse snobbery. What do I want? Merchandise of reasonable quality at a reasonable price. I do not expect to get something for nothing but when I read the price tags on some of the items in the town’s high-end stores today it makes me laugh out loud. Those who buy them are not necessarily purchasing clothing/housewares of outstanding quality – they are just gullible enough to think that if it costs a week’s salary and has an upper-end brand it befits their station in life. And BTW a lot of those pricey clothes originate in China, too. Scott Fitzgerald had it right – the rich are different.
What do I want? – certainly not big box store clothing that costs a lot less but blows apart in the washing machine the first time its laundered. To put your mind at ease I do not have a single item of clothing from one of these stores in my closet. Forgive me, but I do buy the occasional household item from Dollarama.
What’s wrong with wanting clothing or anything else with a mid-range price tag and reasonable quality? That’s what those of us middle-class folks want. I am not looking for high quality at a low price – just value for my money. That’s a bad habit that we locals have. Working for minimum wage and all we have to spend carefully.
You remind me a lot of Marie Antoinette and that famous “let them eat cake” line. Only your zinger is “Let the natives shop at Wal-Mart”.
Marnie: “Maybe if you followed one of them some Saturday?”
Your comment is really uncalled for.
I’ve not advocated following people. Merely observing. There is a disconnect between the two, but then you like to stretch things so that you can cling to the past… despite all evidence.
Clinging to the past does not create innovation. Innovation is what helps to create jobs. Without jobs and better services you end up with a dysfunctional society.
Paul:
I don’t disagree with your statements. What is the answer? Ban tourism? Raise taxes? Reduce services?
I know that every time somebody suggests raising taxes or reducing services, the same people who complain about the status-quo get up in arms about the proposed changes.
Paul: “Tourism and the fact that our County is operating in the red says that model is not sustainable Sam. Hell the Town can’t even afford to paints lines on the streets of Picton…”
This isn’t unique to PEC and Picton, name a government at any level in Canada (other than Alberta and Sask) that is running in the black.
Deficits and fewer services are due to the way our governments and bureaucrats spend. That’s a different conversation. Steve’s question in this blog was about “finding a way to express how we are a County” so that we can return our future (including the purpose and principles of government) back into our hands – in other words returning democracy back to the people where it belongs.
Tourism and the fact that our County is operating in the red says that model is not sustainable Sam. Hell the Town can’t even afford to paints lines on the streets of Picton…
Marnie:
So, the problem is that the stores that once sold the less expensive merchandise have mostly closed and now stores that sell more expensive merchandise have taken their place.
Obviously, if there wasn’t a demand for the more expensive items then the retailers would not stock those items. Do you blame the retailers for selling items that are not within your budget? What is it that you want, a Walmart in downtown Picton?
It is Walmart, Dollarama, and to some extent Giant Tiger that provide inexpensive and typically low quality items from China.
Which brings me to your comments on the quality of items. You are looking for high quality at a low price. It doesn’t work like that. You get what you pay for. You can’t expect to buy Bentley on a Hyundai budget (before you start ranting about my obvious affluence, I own a 10 year old Hyundai).
You complain that there are only minimum wage jobs and then you complain that you have to pay for quality items (presumably not form China). If you want good quality, made-in-Canada merchandise manufactured by people making more than minimum wage then it is going to cost more than the items at the Chinese importers.
The clock can’t be turned back. The 60s and 70s are gone. Tourism and traffic are here to stay. Market demands will determine the quality, price and type of items that are sold in stores.
So, what is it exactly that you would like to have happen?
Mark – Picton’s Main Street is a traffic nightmare and on the surface it points to prosperity but if you take a closer look it’s not the case. Most of today`s stores are stocked with giftware and high-end merchandise. A lot of household items and reasonably priced clothing of good quality are no longer available here. The old department stores such as Lipson`s and Mason`s are gone. There are stores that sell top of the line but locals on minimum wage cannot afford these shops. Some of the dirt cheap items that can be sourced in other stores are of inferior quality and don`t last. There are quite a few empty store fronts and an empty mini-plaza on the Town Hill. Sad when you think of how Picton used to be, only a few years ago.
Thx Chris…. makes sense.
Well exactly Marnie! If you are trying to raise a young family in Picton you do not head downtown other than for GT. You can take that advice to the bank. You don’t have to survey and go home and quietly take notes after observing the County residents suffering.
An excellent point Mark. Many locals work for minimum wage or very little more. They simply cannot afford the merchandise sold in the trendy stores that cater essentially to the affluent. It is no accident that Picton’s two thrift shops are always busy – far busier than in earlier years. People have to save where they can and if it means driving to Belleville to get better prices and a bigger selection who can blame them? Picton has lost many of its stores in recent years and the ones that have taken their places sell mostly high end goods.
A vast majority of folks shop in Belleville. They do so for much more selection and price advantage. Boutiques don’t cut it for couples raising a family. Picton has little to offer a family of 4 on a tight, stretched income. Many commenting here have never had to live under the present circumstances. They don’t get it. They live in wealth and are somewhat removed from the everyday struggles. They could perhaps research theses issues and quietly make their notes in private at home. Lol.
Gee, Wolf, pardon me while I conduct a door-to-door survey. Or perhaps you should do it since you thrive so on statistics. I have talked to a number of people in the past couple of years who have told me that,like myself, they drive to Belleville in the summer to buy groceries. While they are there I suspect that, also like myself, they go to the mall and browse. I cannot tell you exactly what they buy. You are the one who advocates spying and note-taking. From my point of view, what they buy is their business not mine. They could visit a tattoo parlor for all I know. Maybe if you followed one of them some Saturday? And while we are on the subject please provide your carefully researched statistics which prove hardly anyone from the county shops in Belleville. Local merchants have complained about it for years. Were they fibbing?
Wolf, I think there’s a one word answer to one of your questions – Walmart!
So Marnie wrote: “You get a lot of locals who shop in Belleville rather than brave the summer traffic here so where is the big gain? ”
Please quantify “a lot of locals”. Also please quantify what is it they shop for in Belleville. Are the locals only from Picton or are they from the entire County?
It’s already been quantified that residents from the north part of the County take their business to Belleville and Trenton.
So what is the significant number of locals that you are referring to? And just what is it they are buying? What does that represent as a percent of total?
Let’s not forget that the first cottagers on the County’s lake shore, decades ago, were residents of Picton and Bloomfield who built them on lots severed by the farmers! The idea of the County as a vacation location was entirely theirs. Those who have discovered the County since owe them a debt of gratitude.
Wolf, I did not say that more tourists shop in Belleville and buy their groceries there. I said that in the summer months I often shop there, as do some others, to avoid the traffic congestion in Picton. I may also have mentioned that a number of tourists bring their groceries with them.
How do you equate the observation that tourists do not always buy their groceries locally with “sick”?? You’re the one who is advising newcomers to run around with note pads and telling them to be suspicious of the locals. Now if that’s not sick it is seriously nauseated.
Sam, I am touched that you are concerned about my happiness but please don’t give it another thought. If you think that I am the only county resident unhappy with the current situation you are mistaken. If you believe that mocking our postage stamp lots (it’s my guess that you are a relative newcomer parked in a McMansion) is your idea of showing us the light you are on the wrong track. Our taxes on those Lilliputian real estate holdings paid for a lot of those public places over which you say we have no right to have any input. We are the local taxpayers who keep the county open the other nine months of the year. The merchants may love those tourists but where would they be without us?
Wilson, the locals who shop in Belleville to avoid the traffic congestion in Picton probably are not selling anything. They do not stand to make any money from the tourists as you do. It’s easy to pronounce all of that traffic a wonderful thing if your cash register is ringing. Exactly who is prospering? The merchants. Surely those working in the minimum wage jobs most of them offer are not prosperous. When the tourists go home it is the locals who ensure prosperity for the merchants.
“Research locals, do it quietly, interpret the differences, the way they think, that they may purposely say something to throw you off, and be careful to note this in private. That sounds like Alfred Hitchcock. Certainly not warming and inspiring to locals. Actually I find it distasteful and bordering upon sick”
Yet you and Marnie throw out what you think are differences about “us” and “them” … where do you get your research data from. How do you both know that more tourists shop and stock up in Belleville and not in Picton? Are your observations / assumptions about “them” less less sick.
If you did some reading about how communities create a culture culture for themselves you’d recognize some of the principles of achieving that culture. Those principles were have been around for centuries. Yet you consider them sick.
Marnie, I wasn’t really expecting that you would leave, but it does lead to the practical question; As you have no control over the external situation of tourism, parking and road usage, and you don’t appear to have any intention to address the internal situation of your own happiness based upon your perception of the The County in its current state, what are you going to do? Will you choose to seek serenity in a situation that you cannot change? Or are you happier being unhappy?
Wilson; If someone opens an art shop in Waupoos paying $1200 taxes and 100,000 people come to the business, do you think that pays for the stress on our infrastructure? Have you traveled the road to Waupoos lately? It is a disgrace. A few thousand Picton residents are being bled dry to pay for a 30 million dollar shit plant that pumps sewage uphill at enormous power costs. Does tourism help that? The bigger picture tells us the local middle class or working poor that live here 12 months a year cannot sustain it.
Typical narrow sighted responses, that if you don’t like it leave. I think not. Some are quick to write off long term residents that their disagreement with how the County is changing is positive. And if you re read Wolf’s disparaging, I do not know what to call it! It is eery and most concerning. Research locals, do it quietly, interpret the differences, the way they think, that they may purposely say something to throw you off, and be careful to note this in private. That sounds like Alfred Hitchcock. Certainly not warming and inspiring to locals. Actually I find it distasteful and bordering upon sick.
Marnie, you say ” a lot of locals shop in Belleville so where is the gain”? Well Marnie I think a lot more locals dont have time to shop in Belleville because they are too busy selling their goods to the tourists here in the County and make a damm good living from it!! You also claim that we survived before tourism reached its pitch. Do you mean survived or prospered? I welcome tourists with open arms and wish they could stay longer and spend more $$$$$$$.
Not leaving Sam. Those of us parked on those postage stamp lots which you so gleefully deride are the descendants of the men and women who built this county that the newcomers now love so much. Whether you like it or not they made it what it is or was until folks like you decided that it needed to be remodelled according to your specifications. I don’t think we plan to leave anytime soon, so don’t hold your breath.
A lot of people own land in PEC. Ownership of that postage-stamp of property gives the owner some say of what happens on that piece of land. It does not afford any of us the right to say who can use the public areas, the streets, the beaches, the public parking spaces, etc. You are now living in a tourist area (and have been for decades). If you don’t like what the county has become then the options are obvious; decide that the benefits outweigh the inconveniences and continue to live here and make the best of it, or leave. The largest benefit that I see to having newcomers in PEC is that they don’t complain that ‘The County just isn’t what it used to be 70 years ago’. They see it for what it is now and they still want to be here.
How does tourists buying groceries help the town? It helps the owner but none of that extra return goes to the tax base. If anything tourists inflate food costs for locals. There is not much on Main St. to interest locals shopping wise. Boutiques for tourists is nice but we live here and it isn’t a shopping experience for everyday needs. I think the jury is still out on the perceived benefits of tourism when balanced with inconveniences and the stress it places on infrastructure. The roads cannot take the pressure and needed repairs are through the roof. Hwy 49 that the province dumped on us is being patched nearly everyday.
I don’t buy it Wilson. We survived long before tourism reached this pitch. You get a lot of locals who shop in Belleville rather than brave the summer traffic here so where is the big gain? Besides, many of our stores sell items not needed by tourists. We are starting to look a lot like Alexandria Bay – nice place to visit but I would not want to live there.
Marnie, you are correct when you say that Picton traffic is a circus BUT thank God that circus has come to town!! Drives me insane when people complain about the traffic!! Just where the hell do you think they are buying their gas, groceries, food,hotels, B&Bs,camping supplies,wine??? Without tourism (circus) Prince Edward County could not survive!
No, Ken there were no slots in the free parking lots and nothing much off-street either. Try telling a lot of Picton seniors that it is no big deal to walk a few blocks on a hot day in order to run their errands. A couple of them were hit in the crosswalk on Thursday afternoon – luckily no serious injuries. Picton traffic is a circus these days. It’s a lot more convenient to shop elsewhere. And FYI I enjoy walking but not when I have errands that require me to carry a number of parcels to my car.
There was no parking in the two town free parking lots? Or on any of the side streets? God forbid for a few months of the year you might have to walk a block or two in the nice weather.
Wolf – I did not say that the newcomers arrive here paranoid. I did suggest that you are making them that way with all your talk of note-taking and not believing all that locals tell them because some locals have an agenda.
If you know as much about county folks as you claim you never would have suggested that newcomers be wary of them and take notes in private. I respect your right to your opinions and I do not expect you to agree with mine but I really cannot imagine most of the county people that I know feeding a line to a newcomer just to serve their own interests. BTW I hope you plan to drive into Picton today to enjoy all that traffic that you think is such a positive sign for our county. What a pleasure to circle Main Street three times without being able to find a parking spot.
Dear Smart Mouth Mark – There is definitely an us and a them which if you are as clever as you purport to be you might have noticed. The Thems are generally affluent and many of the us folks are not. What the Thems spend on dinner out would feed the Us family and their kids for a week. Many of the Us people are forced to deal with a lot of unpleasant realities i.e soaring oil and hydro bills that have grave implications for our finances while the Thems coast along complaining about it but not impacted by it in a frightening way. The Thems no doubt worked hard for their money and no one begrudges it to them but don’t try to say that most county people are just like them and we are one big blended happy family. Life is not the same for them. It’s wonderful that your family has graced our county since God was in knee pants. Did all of them have your charm and good manners?
Marnie: “you know little or nothing about county folks. Stop encouraging paranoia among our new residents.”
What is it that you think I no nothing about? I was married to a County girl and her family for 32 years. I think I learned some things, but perhaps not. I’m open to what you have to day.
As to paranoia in the new residents…. sorry, I don’t know anyone new to the County who is! Please give some examples of what you mean.
Marnie, don’t come on here all high and mighty and act like you don’t make generalizations about people on these boards.
I sound like a broken record every time I have to comment on one of these clickbait “columns”.
I’m 33. 7th Generation County. That doesn’t make me think that I am better than someone who just moved here yesterday. That doesn’t mean that my way of life, my beliefs, my way of doing things is better than anyone else’s. To be honest, I’m ashamed of people that are from here that take the stance that they are entitled to anything in this place (or any place).
You know what? Steve’s garbage feeds this idea that there has to be an “us versus them” mentality and the fact of the matter is, its simply unnecessary. LIVE YOUR OWN DAMN LIFE. Bunch of whiny, entitled, against progress, chicken little, sky is falling blowhards.
You make us sound like a breed apart Wolf. Mark is correct in his observations. I am beginning to believe that although you have lived here for some time you know little or nothing about county folks. Stop encouraging paranoia among our new residents.
LOL… seems to that “studying” works both ways. Tell me it ain’t so.
So us Real County folk are such a rare species we deserve to be studied and any writings should be done in private! My God what a crock. And you wonder why we might question the motives of a Newby. Welcome to the County Wolf, me thinks!
When the Drake Hotel first announced the purchase of the Devonshire Inn (Wellington) they ran a PR campaign announcing the purchase. Most of the headlines were about how the Drake was going to bring some “culture to the community”. I have yet to find anyone who has lived here or is just visiting who thinks that that was smart communication.
So how should anyone relocating to The County go about understanding and describing this community. Here’s a few basic principles that I’ve learned since first coming here in the late 1960’s….
Be prepared to learn from the community. Assume that you have a lot to learn, and approach the process with an open mind. Listen to what people have to say. Observe carefully.
Be aware that people’s speech, thoughts, and actions are not always rational. Their attitudes and behavior are often best understood in the context of their history, social relations, and culture.
Don’t assume that the information people give you is necessarily accurate. There are a number of reasons why informants may tell you things that are inaccurate. People’s perceptions don’t always reflect reality, but are colored instead by what they think or what they think they know. In addition, some may intentionally exaggerate or downplay particular conditions or issues for their own purposes or for what they see as the greater good. As time goes on, you’ll learn who the always-reliable sources are.
Beware of activities that may change people’s behavior. It’s well known that people (and animals as well) can change their normal behavior as a result of knowing they’re being studied. That usually means being as unobtrusive as possible. Make mental notes. If you have to write things down, do it privately… at home.
Take advantage of the information and facilities that help shape the world of those who have lived in the community for a long time. Read the local newspaper, listen to local radio, watch local TV, listen to conversation in cafes and bars, in barbershops and beauty shops. You can learn a great deal about a community by immersing yourself in its internal communication. I have neighbours who have been here a quarter of a century but still don’t read the local papers to find out what’s happening. It drives me nuts when they say “I didn’t know that was happening last night”. 🙂
I think a lot of County Folk and when I say County Folk I refer to lifers, Folks who’s families go back generations here. These Folks are struggling to maintain what it means to be County in the midst of the influx of people wanting well not wanting but inadvertently changing those things that brought them here in the first place…I believe People who relocate here don’t intentionally want to change things but rather attempt to in their minds make things better. While County Folk be figurin if n it ain’t broke it don’t need fixin. Either way Steve I think your right The County has an identity crisis lets just hope a happy median is found…