Nicole Grigorov feels caught in a “horrible position” when it comes to keeping the Mattawa River Resort afloat during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She’s gone beyond the minimum when it comes to safety protocols to protect her staff, guests, and family as well as the community of Mattawa.
But the outbreaks in southern Ontario, where many customers live, are fuelling concern from within the Mattawa community and potential guests who fear she’s inviting trouble to a green zone.
Emails and trolls on Facebook and Instagram, she said, are bringing her down at a time she’s already traumatized by the economic pressure putting her business into the red.
“If I don’t take customers then I can’t feed my family,” Grigorov said during a multi-task telephone interview Thursday. She was juggling directions to a staff member and, as a director with the Northeastern Ontario Tourism Association, preparing for a board meeting.
Like many other businesses depending on tourists, “I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t,” she said, adding they’re focused on mitigating the risks while dealing with increased costs and decreased revenue.
Guests are vetted, she said, with a list of questions and cottages are sterilized wall to wall by staff and fogged with a virus-killing mist after they leave.
Before they even come, Grigorov said she warns them that they shouldn’t expect things to be normal at the resort or in the community.
“What I asked my guests is to please stay away from the other guests, you know, ‘You’re not here to make friends, you’re here to get away and have fun,’” she said, adding they’re also advised to bring their own groceries to reduce their exposure in the community.
“It’s a really hard thing to tell people but I’m trying to keep everyone safe, right? And so, in doing that, we had no issues all summer. We had no issues in the fall,” she said, noting they have plenty of space on their 147 acres to socially distance.
Compared to a crowded box store, Grigorov said there is no comparison when it comes to reduced risk.
“So why are people freaking out on places like me? What they should be doing is supporting places like mine so we don’t go under,” she said.
She had heard enough negative sentiment to post a message about it on her social media account asking for a bit of understanding of the situation.
“I would like to be one of the small businesses who survived (this) horrible global disaster and live to tell people how we got through this together,” she states.
“I am exhausted mentally but have to keep going so if you have negative comments because you don’t agree with what we are doing, I respect your opinion, however, I also have the right to mine and ask for kindness not hate,” she wrote. “Please, let’s be respectful toward each other.”
Dave Dale is a Local Journalism Reporter with BayToday.ca. LJI is funded by the Government of Canada.
