Niagara Falls, which expected to receive a million tourists during the eclipse, welcomed only 200,000 people on Monday. Mayor Jim Diodati blames the state of emergency, declared by the region “without consultation” when “there was no emergency”.
“We never reached the million mark for several reasons,” Mr. Diodati admitted Monday evening in an interview with CBC, firstly citing poor weather conditions. The Niagara Regional Police Service and the Niagara Parks Police Service counted more than 200,000 people, the mayor added, still making it the city’s “largest single-day event.” has known.
The forecast of a million tourists was made “before the region declared a state of emergency,” recalled Mr. Diodati, affirming “without a doubt” that this declaration scared away many tourists. “As soon as it was announced, people panicked. They didn’t ask questions, they just canceled [leurs réservations] “.
“It was a little frustrating. […] We were not consulted, and there was no urgency,” he added. “I understand the thinking carried out out of an abundance of caution. […] But unfortunately, when people learn that there is a state of emergency, they stay away. »
The Canadian Constitutional Foundation, an Ontario human rights group, attempted last Friday, by filing a notice of application for review, to sue the Niagara region, saying it was “deeply concerned by the proliferation of statements emergency in situations where there is no real emergency. Asked about it, Jim Diodati said he “didn’t disagree.” “I think the state of emergency is intended for actual emergencies, not possible emergencies. »
He nevertheless affirms that the enthusiasm around the eclipse made it possible to talk about Niagara Falls, and to revive international tourism slowed by the pandemic, saying he met Americans, but also people from Australia and Amsterdam.
At the time of writing, Niagara Region had not responded to questions from Duty. In a press release published Monday evening announcing the lifting of the state of emergency, she nevertheless indicated that “this proactive declaration facilitated the coordination of dozens of organizations, a certain number of ministries and provincial agencies and thousands of volunteers.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.