To the editor,
It's time for council to remove paid parking at the Thunder Bay marina. Worse, the cost of installing the parking system and policing it by providing security probably exceeds any revenues. Questionably, the citizenry needs to know what were the nefarious business interests on council in bringing paid parking, anyway?
Could it be that a very few councillors bamboozled the rest of council into bringing in fees where there weren't supposed to have been any? Let's say you're a competitive business person and you could force the few existing businesses out then reopen your own business in that location.
Since the parking fees are unpopular then the same councillors could have them removed and – voila! The councillor (and business persons) becomes heroes and end up gaining the vacated business locations. Could this really be happening?
In the same vein, council should also examine the high venue fees for caterers at Marina Park.
These exorbitant rates discourage new immigrants from trying to sell ethnic cuisine and handicrafts at public events. The waterfront should be flourishing. Instead council is killing nascent entrepreneurs. There was at least a thousand new arrivals to Thunder Bay attending the July 1, Canada Day event and very few booths there to service the large crowd. Likewise, there was a lack of booths for the very popular “Summer in the Parks”.
It's time for the Chamber of Commerce and economic and tourism development committees to join the citizenry and speak out against these outrageous parking and venue fees. Let our Marina Park flourish and be enjoyed by all.
Paul Filteau
