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Touring South Bruce-Grey with Branch Past President Henry Simpson last weekend, I saw string of under-utilized, empty and endangered heritage hotels, like this one in Paisley, photographed by Catherine Nasmith. They are such an important part of our history, almost always sitting at the main intersection of town. The former (now cured) real estate developer in me looks at them and thinks of all the boomers wanting to cash out of Toronto and wonders why they are not being renovated, converted, turned into wonderful apartments in these gorgeous, walkable small towns.
Everywhere I have gone in this province in the last two years as President of the ACO, I have seen nothing but opportunity. I just keep asking "why don't they do this?" and "why are they not addressing this market?"
And I keep hearing the same thing- the local gentry just like new stuff, they are not interested in preserving old buildings. They don't even like or want the artists and craftspeople who move in and then start complaining about the way they run things. It just splits the community between the pickups and the Priuses.
To paraphrase Abba Eban, our municipal politicians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. I wish I knew what we could do to change this. |
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