tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23948057.post7293386679474148289..comments2008-09-15T13:11:13.753-04:00Ben Burdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372169478978720740ben@eagle.caBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23948057.post-67079739504506177372008-09-15T08:10:00.000-04:002008-09-15T08:10:00.000-04:00Art's letter is quite accurate. The previous summer in Cobourg, I received comments about the park situation and the comments always pertained about the colour of the folks in the park and what they were doing - hogging the tables, leaving litter, etc.<BR/><BR/>It seemed to me that the real problem with the park is Spooner's incompetent. He is fully aware of the increased volume of traffic in the park but has done a highly inadequate job of preparing for it -- more table, more hiring of students parttime to keep things clean, etc. <BR/><BR/>I mixed often with immigrants in Toronto, and would sometimes admonish them for staying with "their own kind". While I understood the comfort level they were seeking, I also told them that their new country is great big big and that it was all theirs. I encouraged them to get out of the city to enjoy smaller communities, the north, etc.<BR/><BR/>They were reticent to do so because of valid fears of how "local folks" receive them. Some Cobourg folk seem to be reinforcing this fear.Wally Keelerhttp://cobourgtown.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23948057.post-69052403822969571832008-09-14T12:45:00.000-04:002008-09-14T12:45:00.000-04:00Ben, I seem to smell the same stink as you do about the situation in Vic Park. I was trying to locate Art's letter, but couldn;t locate a copy of it. CDS keeps things on its web site for only a week -- other newspapers keep it up longer. If you obtain a copy, please let me know. <BR/><BR/>When I visited Cobourg last summer, acquaintances told me some off-colour stuff about the park "abuse". I'm white, so they felt they could confide their inner bigotry to me. <BR/><BR/>If there is any fault, it lies with Spooner and his incompetent management of the park. He knows that large numbers of people come to the park but does bugger all to alleviate it.<BR/><BR/>And of course, the whiner don't have the moral spine to actually identify the problem with its real name.Wally Keelerhttp://cobourgtown.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com