To the Expositor:
Manitoulin Island means many things to those of us who either live here by choice or those who were lucky enough to have been born here; things such as its beauty, serenity, history, calmness, originality and uniqueness, to name a few.
Those of us who have chosen to live on this beautiful, unique island permanently are very proud to be a part of it and its originality and uniqueness.
My husband and I chose to move to the Island many years ago. My husband was first introduced to the Island back in 1962. He fell in love with it from then on and continued to come here annually until he retired in 1994 when we bought some property and he finally lived his dream (I was long sold on the dream by this time), which was to build a home and live out his retirement in “heaven,” which he called his home on Manitoulin Island.
I’m sure this is a common story for many who have made Manitoulin Island their home.
What is it, other than beauty, that make the Island so attractive? Well, in my opinion, I believe its uniqueness and its originality are the reasons, especially in the quaint towns that you find throughout the Island.
I’ve heard many people say, “It’s the calmness they feel once they cross the bridge.”
Take Little Current, the town where I now live. It has much to offer its residents with lots of businesses that are owned and operated by people who also live on the Island. Some businesses have been part of this community for many years.
It has a downtown that is pretty well laid out along the waterfront and has a wonderful docking set up that attracts a lot of tourists that come here who depend upon our local businesses to be here for them when they visit. It’s up to us, the residents, to support these local businesses as much as we can in order to help keep them operating. Do not abandon them when a new kid comes to town. Do not let the new kid take over, support our local businesses as well.
Let’s keep those tourists coming here to enjoy what they come to the Island to see, our unique, quaint towns and their local businesses that the Island has to offer.
Keep the Island unique!
Janet Johnstone
Little Current
