I am passionate about…

I am passionate about provincial parks and their role in the protection of the ecological integrity or our resources in Ontario as well as the current natural and cultural heritage resources that make up the fabric of our province. We, as citizens of this great province, have a responsibility to pass on these protected elements to future generations.

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposal to transfer portions of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park to the Town of Wasaga Beach. The maintenance of ecological integrity is the first priority guiding the planning and management of Ontario’s system of provincial parks and conservation reserves. Proposing to transfer lands out of the provincial park system risks the ecological integrity of sensitive habitats and long-standing management approaches.

Nancy Island – Transfer to Historical Parks Act
I note the first component of this environmental posting is the transfer of Nancy Island from the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (PPCRA) to the Historical Parks Act (HPA). Given the historical importance of Nancy Island, I have no significant concerns with this component of the proposal, but note that unlike the PPCRA, the HPA contains no principles or objectives for the management of sites under its authority. I urge the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming to articulate clear policies and standards for how sites regulated under the authority of the HPA will be managed.

Amendments to the PPCRA – Removal of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park Lands
Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is more than a popular recreational and tourism destination; it is also a diverse and active ecosystem that has been stewarded by Ontario Parks and locals since 1959.
The provincial park is home to freshwater dunes held together by marram grass, an ecosystem so rare, that it is considered globally imperilled.

Areas of the beach that consist of piping plover habitat, such as Beach Area 1, New Wasaga and Allenwood Beaches have been maintained by Ontario Parks to preserve species at risk habitat as required by the Endangered Species Act, 2007. Beach Area 1 hosted 54 of the 57 piping plover nests in Wasaga Beach since 2008. Despite the government’s passing of Bill 5 to repeal the Endangered Species Act, 2007 and replace it with the Species Conservation Act these nesting sites would still need to be protected.

The parabolic dune system located in the interior of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is considered the largest and least disturbed parabolic dune system in Ontario. It is famous for its rare oak-pine savannah that features scattered trees surrounded by large open spaces filled with wildflowers, grasses and shrubs, including the vulnerable Hill’s Thistle (Cirsium pumilum var. hillii).

Ontario Parks has the necessary expertise to ensure the beach areas are maintained to protect the ecological integrity of Wasaga Beach while accommodating tourism – as currently done. The Town of Wasaga Beach lacks the capacity or expertise to maintain these sensitive habitat features and protect species at risk.

Furthermore, the proposal on the environmental registry provides no details on what the town’s objectives are with these lands or rationale on why this is necessary to enhance tourism in Wasaga Beach – an already popular destination. The vagueness of the proposal details prevents meaningful input on the potential impacts of a land transfer from provincial authority under the PPCRA to the Town of Wasaga Beach.

Importance of Provincial Parks
Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is often the most visited park in the province, receiving over 1.2 million visitors in 2023 and nearly 1.7 million in 2022. This generates significant revenue for Ontario Parks which enables it to carry out its mandate across the province. Transferring significant portions of this provincial park risks the long-term sustainability of the dune systems and sensitive habitats of this globally significant beach.

Given these tourism numbers, it is unclear why any of the beach needs to be transferred from Ontario Parks to the Town of Wasaga Beach without a clear plan or agreement to maintain the habitats and ecological integrity of the beach areas. Wasaga Beach already is a significant tourism location with Ontario Parks an important partner in that effort. There are enough suitable lands under the jurisdiction of the town to enhance tourism infrastructure without the areas currently administered by Ontario Parks.

Ontario’s protected areas network is still shy of 11% of the province’s total area, representing a significant gap from the 30% identified by conservation science that is needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The province’s appointed protected areas working group found that 86% of Ontarians support the expansion of protected areas in the province. Reducing the amount of area under the administration of the PPCRA, however small, runs counter to the wishes of the majority of Ontarians.

As demonstrated, Wasaga Beach Provincial Park already is managed with tourism in mind while balancing ecological needs. Transferring the lands to town ownership is incompatible with maintaining these provincially significant resources, potentially depriving the people of Ontario from an important natural asset.

I strongly urge the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to not proceed with removing all of Beach Areas 1, 2, New Wasaga and Allenwood Beach from authority under the PPCRA to the Town of Wasaga Beach.

I retired from a career with the Ontario provincial park system and more recently have volunteered with the Piping Plover, an endangered species. I am very disappointed in the fact that the provincial government would even consider the possibility of placing revenue generation ahead of environmental and species protection. Our role should be as protector and conservator of resources that cannot be replaced; protection is Ontario Parks primary mandate, revenue generation is secondary. This is how it should be.