Another summer is over for the Lock 7 Viewing Centre, which closed its doors for the season on October 11. With a global pandemic keeping borders closed and restrictions in place, things have not gone back to normal for the centre just yet.
“I can’t compare it to pre-pandemic numbers because we don’t see the same number of people at all,” says Sue Morin, business development manager for Venture Niagara, which is in charge of tourism in Thorold.
“We saw 2500 people in 2021. When you look at other years, we’ve had about 7000 to 8000 people that come through the centre.”
Because of the borders being closed this past summer, most tourists to the viewing centre came from Quebec and Toronto. And of course there were also the people that came from Thorold.
“The minute we post ship times on social media people come. There are big ship enthusiasts. We have a couple that comes every year. They come from the US and love to watch the ships go up and down the canal.”
Morin notes that she hasn’t seen the couple in a few years because of the pandemic, which illustrates the kind of issues Covid-19 has created for the Lock 7 Viewing Centre.
"There’s no one allowed in the building, they can’t use the washrooms or get water. Those types of services are staple services people are looking for. The pandemic certainly made everything very complicated but I think the consistency of it being open was extremely important. For locals to know that we’re there, letting them know about our heritage buildings and our historic downtown with some great restaurants and retail outlets.”
Another issue the Lock 7 Viewing Centre faced was the construction surrounding the area.
“There was a week in particular where even our driveway was put out of commission. Cyclists were always able to get to us but it was just an inconvenience as far as the driveway and parking lot being torn up. I think we lost a few people that way.”
Even though it might have been a difficult season, Morin says she’s already looking forward to next summer.
“Next summer we’ll have Beaverdams Park, Front Street will be beautiful, Chapel Street will be done. To be able to come down to the downtown and see the beauty of the buildings, the restoration that has happened. It’s really a ta-dah factor. A couple of years ago there was such a vibe downtown, there was music. Let’s kick this pandemic out and let’s get back to that vibe.”
