COVID-19 restrictions meant an unprecedented level of privacy for float home residents at Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria.
But with restrictions loosened, now with tourism season kicking into high gear, the community says travelers need to keep their distance.
Since the onset of the pandemic, safety measure were implemented at Fisherman’s Wharf, including gates which block off access to some docks that lead to float homes in the area, but some in the community want to keep those dock closures long-term.
For resident Natalie Munro, the hates have helped with preventing trespassers from entering her home.
“I know personally in the four years that I’ve lived here on at least two occasions, I’ve had people walk into our house and that’s really disturbing,” she said.
“It’s a sense of safety and security that is missing when there are hundreds of people up and down this dock at all hours of the day,” she continued.
Another resident, Melanie Sibbitt, shared a similar experience and said it’s been more peaceful and quiet with fewer people around, but with more tourists flocking to the area, she said the gates are more necessary than ever before.
“We love tourists. We wouldn’t have moved here if we didn’t like people. That’s for sure,” she said. “We’d just like them to be respectful that if it was them living in our home, how would they feel? Would they like someone looking in their window?”
And some travelers agree and said it makes sense to keep the gates up as it can get pretty busy at Fisherman’s Wharf.
“I get it. I’m a tourist, too. I love travelling to other places and sometimes we just don’t pay attention to the locals,” said Sibbitt, who wants the gates to stay up for good.
But the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) said that’s yet to be determined.
In a statement to CHEK News, GVHA said, “With the BC Restart Plan now in Phase 3, we continue to adjust the measures at the facility toward full resumption.”
While residents understand the fascination of their float homes, they said they just want people to be respectful and admire from afar.
Tahmina Aziz
