LETTER: WHY IS GRAVENHRST SELF-DESTRUCTING? FIRST THE DOWNTOWN, SECOND THE TRAIN STATION — NOW ANOTHER CORE STORE. CAN’T WAIT FOR ELECTION
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Ed. note: Bob Barnes led losing battle for Northlander Train to stop at Train Station.
Another nail in our coffin.
“We have a problem, Houston” is a useful and appropriate quote.
I ask: What do you think our problem is?
I have my own opinion.
Under the watch of our present council, mayor and Staff, we have seen all this disintegration happen. Is that a clue?
We are self-destructing.
Listen to what Penny Varney said about closing Arts at the Albion: She tried so hard. What did this town staff do for her? They made her take down her advertising flags from the front of her business.
Ask the members of the now defunct Business Improvement Association (BIA) why it folded.
Another business owner recently told me “Nobody (read the Town) listened to my problems or recommendations.”
A Gravenhurst shopper told one of our councillors at Christmas that they were going to do their shopping that year in Bracebridge. Why? Because they could not climb over the snow banks on the Gravenhurst’s main street. Shocked by that claim, the councillor said they negotiated with the town’s snow clearing staff to find the money to do a main street snow cleanup.
We are fortunate to host a lot of summer events. Great business for the town and a chance to show to visitors what our town can offer.
So what do we do? We give them parking tickets!
Now that our store vacancies cannot be passed off as “post-COVID” or something all small town are suffering from, what do we do? We call for town staff to prepare a “report” to tell us what is obvious, and “consider” reintroducing back the BIA to be told what they have already been told and we hire a “consultant” to tell us what we already know.
While we watch our neighbouring municipalities and District of Muskoka introduce exciting initiatives, I’m afraid we have a town governance that lacks the necessary VISION to pull us out of this death spiral. And to use a sports analogy – that has got too comfortable with just showing up and losing.
I am struggling to keep my comments civil so I will stop.
Thank God we have an election coming — if we can survive that long.
Bob Barnes,
Gravenhurst
See yesterday’s Arts at the Albion Gallery closing story link below:
‘SAD DAY’ SUNDAY AS ARTS AT THE ALBION CLOSES SHOP — AFTER 12 YEARS — IN ANOTHER BIG BLOW TO DOWNTOWN GRAVENHURST https://muskokatoday.com/2026/03/sad-day-sunday-as-arts-at-the-albion-closes-shop-after-12-years-in-another-big-blow-to-downtown-gravenhurst/
March 26, 2026 @ 7:19 am
I agree that the town is suffering from neglect – by the province and by the local politicians who don’t realize what a gem Gravenhurst is.
I now live in Milford Bay and I refuse to shop in Bracebridge in the winter because of the lack of snowbank removal on the main street.
It’s not just Gravenhurst that has this problem; all Muskoka towns have this winter problem.
All the while Doug Ford is spending the province’s money in Toronto, with tunnels under the 401, a failing Ontario Place and the like, there is little financial support for small towns.