This proposal to sell the…

This proposal to sell the protected areas to the Town of Wasaga would be awful.

This would risk completely destroying the habitat for the piping plover, which is an extremely endangered species--and a very popular bird. Half of the entire population currently nests at this site, and this would remove the protections for this species. The whole claim is "tourism enhancement" but many people travel to places like this to enjoy the natural beauty that is threatened to be destroyed. This is extremely short-sighted. In the very short term it may "drive economic growth" but give it a few years and they will come to understand that the protected areas are a big part of the reason why many people travel to places like this. How many people flock to the shores of Sarnia for their summer beach vacation? Or any of the other countless Ontario city waterfronts that, years after development, become worse than ghost towns. Whereas smart development can occur alongside habitat protection, still bringing in lots of tourism revenue. The town of Wasaga should be focused on this kind of rational development that still maintains the natural beauty that is the whole reason people go there in the first place -- which includes protecting endangered species.

Beyond that, the government should end its unrelenting attacks on endangered species and wildlife. Come on -- is there no place left that this government doesn't want to just turn into the same strip malls that are now in every town? If that is the case, why travel anywhere for tourism?