To the editor:
I've been visiting for 15 years and moved here 2 years ago. I remember the City as small, but somewhat sophisticated. It was delightful to walk downtown, with some interesting shops and nice restaurants. I remember my surprise when my son took me to lunch at a great Japanese place. Even the malls were livelier.
Fast forward. I have no desire to go downtown. There's nothing there.
With one or two nice stores and restaurants, Main St is now lined with vacant stores and social service agencies, not to mention the homeless. Walking a few blocks north, most of the lovely Victorian homes have become rooming houses. What was once a charming, early 20th-century town has become a holding area for those with mental health issues and drug addictions. Is it any wonder those nice stores and restaurants packed up and moved out?
So, I ask the Mayor and City Council, What is your plan? Obviously, you haven't had one. Or maybe you intended to turn this city into a run-down, decaying refuge for the homeless and crime. I guess you were looking at what happened to other cities that failed to have a plan.
But do not fret! All is not lost.
Why not turn your attention now to those places that have made a complete turnaround in less than the time it has taken you to cause the demise here?
Concentrate on reviving the downtown and making more of the waterfront accessible to people with cars; help hotels refurbish and restaurants flourish. Build it, and they will come!
As others have commented about the proposed arena...forget it. Of the people I know, only 5 per cent might use it. Spend your money on reviving our City. Tourists will come back, residents will shop downtown, and move into those Victorian homes. New homes and apartments will be built. Tax revenue will increase. And the homeless will move to another town. Without a feasible plan, we're on the slippery slope of decay.
And do something to attract more doctors and healthcare workers up here. The residents of Moosonee have better healthcare than we have here. I'm 79 years old and after 2 years, I'm still on the waiting list for a family physician. Listen guys....I don't have too much more time to wait!
Carolyn Peters
North Bay
