Carriage Ride Protesters - They Love Attention!!

I'm from out of town, just outside of Buffalo ... the only reason I go to NOTL is because my wife drags me there.  I'm not a shopper, I have no room in my life for things that look nice and smell nice. I don't like anything "quaint", and I prefer the tacky, obnoxious tourist traps of Clifton Hill to the friendly people of your town and its tree-lined streets and relaxed atmosphere when I spend my Canadian tourism dollar.  I'm a typical boorish Western New Yorker - gimme a beer in a plastic cup and greasy cheeseburger, please.  Wanna see my Mack Truck tattoo?

That being said, I know that thousands of people love your community, and what it offers.  Last weekend I was really disappointed to see placard-carrying malcontents doing their best to intimidate your tourists/guests and annoy a group of hard-working business people - the folks who offer horse carriage rides through town. NOTL has many great attractions, this service/attraction is really is one of the best. The carriage drivers obviously care for your community, their customers and the animals that they love.  

I don't know anything about your village politics, and my guess is that this is not the first letter in this space about this subject, but I do know this - those protesting should cease.  The carriages rides are a legal business, they should be able to operate that business without impediment from a few miserable people that enjoy imposing their will on others. They love the attention they get as they carry their signs and video cameras/phones down the streets doing their best to block the sidewalks and ruin somebody's vacation.  Their goal seems to be to make NOTL a less desirable place to visit.

These intolerant protesters will not be easily shooed away - but your government leaders need to do it, for the sake of your community.  If you let them succeed here, they'll move on to another business sector - perhaps any restaurant that serves meat dishes, or ice cream shops that serve dairy products.  

Protesters like this only care about one thing - controlling the lifestyles, behaviors and beliefs of others. 

Good Luck, Niagara-on-the-Lake, I hope you are able to rid yourselves of this protester scourge (and open up a tavern that sells greasy cheeseburgers and beer in cheap plastic cups!).