Campers east of Ottawa face a rate hike of up to 57 per cent for next season

The new owners of a campground in Alfred, Ont. have shocked members, who have been told next season's rate would increase as much as 57 per cent. The proposed rate increase has left some unhappy campers, with little time to choose whether to stay or go.

The new owners of a campground in Alfred, Ont. have shocked members, who have been told next season's rate would increase as much as 57 per cent. The proposed rate increase has left some unhappy campers, with little time to choose whether to stay or go.

Bonnie Lacroix began camping in the summer of 2020 as a way to get away on weekends, and decompress from the pressure faced by her job in healthcare. 

"I purchased my trailer in July and moved into the campground at the end of the following month," Lacroix says. "At the time it was known as Evergreen Camping, I had found it and really loved what I saw. The campers were great and the activities that they had there is a swimming pool, there is a park they just installed and a community."

It’s a little piece of seasonal paradise which André Desjardins loves too. For more than three years, his family has been spending many summer days at the campground, about one hour east of Ottawa.

"It’s a family atmosphere," Desjardins says. "Anybody and everybody that comes over to our park says this is probably the nicest park they’ve seen in a long time. It’s well maintained and the campers take care of their lots."

From May to October, campers can enjoy all the amenities of the grounds. Many will also install decks around trailers, as well as gazebos and sheds on their property as campsites are rented year-round.

"Everything was great, the culture was great in that campground but in May of 2022 we were given a letter stating it had been purchased by Harmony Resorts," Lacroix says. "And that there would be some things that would be changing but for the most part things would be staying the same. But at the same time it made us all nervous."