OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). The following letter is in response to an article about the scaling back of the See You on the Patio program, published April 14 and subsequent letters to the editor.
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I am a nurse at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital who works shift work. I live downtown with my two-year-old son and husband.
This past summer, having the patio program was terrible for us as a family. We live above a very busy restaurant at the bottom of Mississaga Street. The noise that comes from the restaurant on a normal day is extremely loud, then add tourists drinking right out front of our apartment, it's a nightmare!
Every weekend party buses would drop off tourists at the restaurant and we would cringe. Listening to them yell, curse, and sometimes fist fight from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m., waking up our son was exhausting. Not to mention being kept awake ourselves from this.
We love downtown Orillia and were also disappointed to see the Downtown Orillia Management Board scale back this program, but with no security during the program and little accountability for tourists, maybe it's time to reassess the program.
Mel Hutchinson
Orillia
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