Posted By GARY HOWARD
The Daily Observer
A story on these pages by Sun Media columnist Christina Blizzard regarding the plight of the Maid of the Mist operation in Niagara Falls caught my eye recently.
In her column, Blizzard delved into questionable practices on the part of the Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) in extending the lease of the Maid of the Mist without exploring interest from other competitors in a bidding process. After several reviews, the upshot was that there were no improprieties on the part of NPC although it was concluded that a more transparent
approach could have been used before granting a 25-year extension, which is still to be approved by the provincial cabinet.
It was also pointed out that the NPC is losing money and should have looked for the best deal possible. Many of us who have been to Niagara Falls will greet this revelation with some surprise, since it was always assumed that attractions in and around the falls were natural money makers. In fact, there are many cash cows in ‘The Falls.’
On a recent trip, we found everything in the city to be quite pricey. And while we’ve been there, done that in the past, on this visit we were scrambling to buy an affordable t-shirt.
Niagara Falls is one of those cities we all keep going back to and it’s become apparent that each return visit doesn’t get any cheaper. But it’s a recyclable vacation spot insofar as you may have spent your honeymoon there, returned a decade later with the kids and several decades later with some of the grandkids. Seems no one ever gets tired of visiting the falls or trudging through Marineland.
But it also seems you’re constantly digging into your purse (my wife’s) or your wallet (mine) as you make your way through the city. And while it has a world class attraction, it is far from being a world class city. But everything comes with a hefty price tag today, especially if you’re a tourist.
If you think there is an overemphasis on paid parking in our city, you should spend a few days in the Niagara area to get a reality check on the joys of feeding money to ever-present parking meters.
One-legged bandits sprout up like bad weeds wherever you go and there are very few places where you can park for free. Certainly not close to the falls, where parking in a lot will cost you $18 or a little less elsewhere at a considerable distance from the cascading water.
Parking at the major hotels close to The Falls will run you $20 per day and if you want to breakfast in a hotel dining room overlooking the falls, expect to pay at least $38 and that doesn’t include steak with your eggs.
The Falls has held an attraction for many visitors for a lifetime. Even Hollywood got into the act in the 1950s with a potboiler titled Niagara with Marilyn Monroe. Then there are those foolhardy souls who they keep fishing out of the Niagara River after some stunt or another has gone awry. The brave and foolhardy have even tried going over the falls in a barrel, many unsuccessful.
But at one time or another we’ve all been put over a barrel with hefty prices and now with two casinos in town, it’s a whole new adventure. Even if you outfox those one-legged bandits on the street you’re not likely to enjoy much success with the one-armed bandits in the casinos. The city is now a gambling hotbed catering to those who prefer the click of the slots to the roar of the falls.
While it’s not difficult to get around in city traffic, if you prefer leaving your car at the hotel, $9 will get you passage on a shuttle to the key locations for the duration of your stay. I should point out that an adventure pass for multiple attractions will save you a few dollars.
It doesn’t get any cheaper if you head for Niagara-on-the- Lake. Remember that old Goldie Hawn movie, Butterflies Are Free? Not so at the Butterfly Conservatory, where paid admission is required to view thousands of tropical butterflies in a rain forest setting. Even a relaxing tour of the wineries will cost you a few bucks but if you want to come home with some ice wine, remember to bring your credit card as a bottle or two will run you into the hundreds of dollars.
Parking meters surround Niagara- on-the-Lake like the walls encompass Fort George, and it’s an adventure in itself to find a place to park for free and go to one of the theatres at the Shaw Festival.
Meanwhile back in the city, money is flowing like the majestic falls. One Conservative MPP noted that if the Niagara Parks Commission is losing money, it was all the more reason to engage in a competitive bidding process to get the best possible deal for the service now offered by Maid of the Mist. Sounds like good advice to me, especially coming from a politician.
We also used some financial discretion as we skipped the magic show in the downtown core on this visit. We concluded that our money was disappearing fast enough into the magical mist of the thundering falls.
