THE VIEW FROM THE RIDGE

Re: Antiquated (Feb. 14). Your editorial struck a cord with me. Since our retirement, my wife Linda and I have made many trips to Europe searching for our roots. Hers in the Netherlands (Peck being originally Peeck and still there). Dulmage is what the Irish did to Dolmetsch,  although the pronunciation is so similar it makes your heart leap. 

        On one such excursion we were in Regensburg, Germany. Being a musician I had just visited a music store up near the grain market. The high-end guitars on display were Norman guitars made here in Canada. Even though each had a big red tag on it with a large maple leaf, I discovered no one in the store knew they were from Canada. I wondered why? 

         Even in my own root Dolmetsch family, only one member had ever been to Canada and then only to Vancouver. It just so happened that right next door to the music store was a travel agent. I went in and looked at all the brochures. I asked about information on travel to Canada. Zip, nada, nicht. There was nothing available in the store about anything anywere in Canada.

        Why? Germans love to travel. So I wondered, why are we as Canadians and more specifically County Folk not promoting our area over there? A large number of people in the County even speak German. We live in one of the most interesting places on earth. Full of history with a variety of landscapes from the Sandbanks to the view from the rock cliffs at Lake on the Mountain, just to name two. We need to promote this area abroad. Not just to our southern neighbours or people nearby. 

         We have had folks visit us from both the Netherlands and Germany and had no trouble finding something different to do everyday for a week. We need to extend the reach of our promotion. Not really too hard to do. I still can feel the shock and disgust to find no information of any kind in that travel agent’s shop. Time to reach a bit further then we have been. You might disagree but that is “The View From The Ridge” for today.

Don Dulmage, Prince Edward County

CHATBOTS AT COUNCIL

Re: Visit the County (Feb. 14). Ms. Mackenzie’s statement stopped me cold. Was she an AI event?  Who is talking without communicating? Book clubs flourish here. Our Picton bookstore has sold books, magazines and newspapers for many, many years. There is a collaboration with the Regent Theatre providing movies and a newly created book club.

Bedrock community

A friend who owns a successful branding agency in Toronto ran the media campaign for the nurses’ union fighting bill 121, capping pay at 1%.  He used TV, radio and newspapers. I asked him, why not social media?  His response was that social media cannot be monitored for outcome.

I found out via the Gazette that nurses were picketing in Belleville.  I contacted my Toronto friend. He sent a photographer and the head union office, also in Toronto, contacted the picketers in a gesture of thanks and solidarity.

Community at large.

The towns of PEC are filled with shop owners, restaurant owners, staff, artisans, places to stay and more. These are the people who welcome and interact with tourists.  Their success is created by their warmth of welcome and service.  People return because they enjoyed their time here.

Community…large and small.

I suspect Ms. Mackenzie has been programmed by social media to leave out human contact, as unnecessary to  human gatherings.

I  learned  about this “AI event” via  the Gazette.  A wifi signal is not yet available where I live.

Barbara Dahlman, Prince Edward County

SPIN DOCTORS

Re: Visit The County and Antiquated (Feb. 14). I read with interest your articles on Visit the County. Rebecca Mackenzie grew up “here” but now spends her time “there” — in Toronto and in the Cloud.  She has forgotten the lesson learned here  — that the County has a “show me the facts” attitude.  As an accountant I look to concrete facts behind the smoke and mirrors. These are totally missing in the VTC presentation and their marketing. 

        StayPEC, with its 100K budget, is more effective at bringing tourists and their dollars to the County as they are “boots on the ground:” they deal with the people who actually visit here and who do the spending. They have the data to show who spends the money – fishermen, families, wine lovers who want depth and concrete experiences in life…..not fluff.

         VTC seems to spend most of its money on the salaries of “spin doctors,” who are not that effective at bringing the money here. 

        I believe in substance over smoke and mirrors.

Sandy Murray, CA, CPA, Prince Edward County