A group of campers at the Port Elgin Tourist Camp have signed a petition and sent it to Council saying they want money back because they couldn't access the camp early this season due to COVID-19 closures.
Campgrounds were among the majority of services and businesses ordered closed by the Province because of the pandemic. The Ontario Government allowed them to reopen June 12th.
The petitioners say their camping permit covers May 1st to October 31st, but says campers lost four weeks of access due to COVID-19 closures.
The petition says they don't have access to washrooms. (The Town has announced as of July 31st the Ball Diamond washrooms and showers are now reopened)
It declares, “We should be entitled to a fee credit of $500 for the time we were not provided camping availability and services. There was no use of our sites, we used no power, water or sewers in this period. We understand the reasoning for the (closure), but you have to understand what it means to us to have to pay for services that were not available to us.”
The petition goes on to say in its conclusion, “Therefore we the following campers will be withholding $500.00 from our final payment.” It adds those signatories who paid in full want $500 credit. In the petition submitted to council at the July 13th meeting, there were 12 campers, (eight campsites) whose names were on it.
The Town's website says a seasonal site rental is $2,789 plus tax. There are about 334 seasonal campsites at the Port Elgin Tourist Camp.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau says, “We've referred it to our staff to take a look at and to see what we might do.”
He explains, “I think for me at least, the bottom line is making sure that we're in line with what our colleague or competitor campgrounds are doing. Particularly private sector campgrounds and making sure that we don't undercut them or do something that would make it difficult for them. I think we want to be in line with what the industry is doing, so we're paying close attention to that.”
Charbonneau says, “I think we provide a good service to our campers,” noting the closure was a Provincial order.
He notes the Town provides the year-round service for campers store their trailers onsite, “So we really have what is, in effect a year round arrangement with our campers, so that's an important thing to recognize as well.”
Charbonneau says, as for a rebate or credit, “As we go through the season, we can assess that and see what the right thing to do is in terms of how to ensure that we're providing a good service to our customers, our campers and doing that at a fair price.”
For now, he says Town staff are looking into it and Council expects to hear more in the future.
Meanwhile, the petition also notes, the possibility of adding two weeks of access onto the end of the season isn't what petitioners want because many aren't there after Thanksgiving weekend, and they say the weather isn't considered suitable for living in trailers.
The petition adds, some campers, like many people have lost out on income due to the pandemic.
Charbonneau says, “I think one thing that's important to remember when it comes to the pandemic is that everybody has had to sacrifice and it's cost everybody something and some people an awful lot more than others.”