Submitted by Alexa Hoyt
I am writing to express my concern regarding the new camping reservations policy for our provincial parks. We used to be able to call the park of our choice directly and make a reservation. All that was necessary was for us to give out our credit card number. Now we have to pay a $6.00 reservation fee, and if it is necessary for us to cancel, even if the cancellation is due to circumstances beyond our control, such as the weather, we have to pay an additional $4.00 cancellation fee. That is a total of $10.00, even if we never leave the house. I do not feel this is any way to encourage people, either local or from away to camp in our parks.
I am also very disappointed in the provincial government for having these reservations handled by a call centre in Ontario, and not at the local level. The people at the park have been more than capable of taking reservations by phone in the past, and I don't see any need for them to stop doing so now. If this is too much for the present park employees to manage, I'm sure there are any number of Nova Scotians who would welcome the work.