I visited Tobermory with my family last summer, we came all the way from Montreal, not quite during the peak season but at the beginning.
The Parking situation: very predatory vibes. I don’t understand why every inch of that town and lots of the surrounding areas you cannot even stop your car without having to pay for parking. It is parasitic and is such a hostile environment for people visiting – constantly worrying if they’ve paid properly or are in a no parking zone.
The fact that [parking] requires you to have a smartphone to access the payment platform is just an added stress and discriminatory. As if we’re not allowed to have uncharged phones, or if you want to disconnect from technology and visit nature, you can’t.
Also, the fact that the number of visitors to natural sites is so limited and restricted and that you need to book months in advance just kills any kind of appreciation of said nature, again adding another level of discrimination and exclusivity. We’re talking about parks, forests, lakes, things that should be accessible to the public, not just a select few.
Not all the citizens of the town are on board, almost all the shops I visited had something to say about how it was hurtful to their business. As a tourist I did not feel welcomed. I felt drained, mostly of my money; it was exploitative. I don’t think the town is doing a good job managing funds if it has to resort to such methods to squeeze every penny out of potential visitors. There has to be a better way, more community oriented, and it makes me wonder if the community has a say in this at all.
I will remember Tobermory as a stressful place that has tolls everywhere and where having a car is a handicap.
Constance Opazo
