The Editor,
Re: "Get your twoonies out," News, July 27.
Open letter to: Bob Baziuk and the Board of Directors of the Steveston Harbour Authority:
I have just learned that the Steveston Harbour Authority is proposing to introduce pay parking into Steveston Village; specifically in the free parking lot - P1 located at Chatham and Fourth behind the Gulf of Georgia Cannery.
In my opinion, this is going to be detrimental not only to my business but also to all the Steveston businesses.
For the past 13 years I have operated a thriving whale watch business in the Steveston community.
Approximately five to seven of my staff members use this lot on a daily basis.
Guests coming from all over the world use this lot to park while they enjoy the amenities of Steveston Village before and after their whale watch tour.
Passengers come early and stay longer in the village to eat in the restaurants, shop in the boutiques and galleries, visit the Gulf of Georgia Cannery or rent bikes to explore the dyke.
My staff and I promote the free parking and encourage guests to take advantage of this benefit when they are going whale watching from Steveston.
Let me be clear, people are coming here and spending money here and the free all-day parking is a big reason.
The two whale watching companies located in Steveston attract more than 20,000 visitors combined to Steveston per year and at least half of these visitors choose our companies over our competitor's business located in Granville Island because we have been able to provide free parking.
In my office, we promote this advantage in all of our literature, both locally and internationally, in our brochure, on our website and in many print and online publications.
A recent article (in the News) referenced the "growing pains" that White Rock went through when they did something similar.
Steveston has such a short tourist season we cannot afford to experience "growing pains." In the winter months, Steveston business see a drop in business and many of the merchants suffer through the winter, knowing the people that come in the summer months are the most important to their success.
Many smaller communities that introduced pay parking are now realizing traffic to their local business has slowed down and are now going back to offering free parking.
Three or four years ago when the City of Richmond proposed metered parking in Steveston Village, the restaurateurs, business and shop owners gathered thousands of signatures via petition against this suggestion and were able to stop this from happening.
The Steveston merchants have been working very hard over the years to draw people to the village through initiatives such as the Santa Claus parade, the Halloween Trick or Treat, the Easter Egg Hunt and the Scarecrow Crawl.
The introduction of pay parking in the village is going to be a huge step away from these efforts.
Pay parking will deter people from spending time and money in Steveston; I cannot stress enough that this is a very bad idea.
Cedric Towers
Vancouver Whale Watch
