Thrilled to have moved here from Hamilton
To the Expositor:
Hello, after reading the recent article about a negative tourist viewpoint, I’m new to living here and thought it would be refreshing to remind your readers how lucky Manitoulin residents are!
Why I love living in Manitoulin and why I’m so thrilled to move here from Southern Ontario:
1. Clean fresh air year round, none of that gross city pollution! I now feel like I need a mask when I go to Toronto.
2. You see deer on a daily basis, even fawns—it’s incredibly adorable.
3. Clean lakes to swim in minutes away from your house.
4. Amazing trails minutes away.
5. Nature and animals everywhere.
6. No traffic (minimal during tourist time).
7. No stoplights (one just outside of Little Current, which I don’t even count).
8. Minimal crime (if it happens you will know who did it).
9. Feeling of safety. I still can’t believe how safe I feel here even though that’s not to say bad things can’t happen here but coming from the GTA you definitely feel relaxed.
10. It’s incredibly easy to stay active (one of the reasons we love living in town as we can walk daily).
11. Licence renewal is half the price as your classified as ‘Northern Ontario.’ Woo hoo I was so happy this year when I found this out!
12. Lots of farmers around very easy to buy local!
13. Power goes out on occasion and you can pretend you are pioneers (this is a big hit at our house!).
14. Less instant materialism as there is remarkably fewer stores.
15. You can save lots of money since there are fewer stores.
16. Your family becomes healthier since you’re forced to cook 24/7 with the occasional restaurant meal.
17. No fast food chains on Island. Yay, no more Tim Hortons timbit temptations for kiddies; they have to eat homemade goodies.
18. It’s easy to have a happy dog here, there’s so much more nature for them.
19. Sports costs less money (especially the big things like hockey, or so I hear).
20. Beach weekends all the time in the summer with clean water and super cool fossils to find.
21. The best playground I’ve ever seen is at the Providence Bay beach. I mean seriously, fitness on the beach, wow!
22. House prices are way cheaper then southern Ontario.
23. Easy to get a job during the summer with the tourist demand (a perk for my future teens!).
24. You actually feel all four seasons and the summers aren’t nearly as hot as southern Ontario!
25. Island time—I need not say anymore.
Annie Ochel-Cook
Gore Bay (formerly Hamilton)
