I do believe that…

I do believe that transferring Nancy Island from provincial park to historical/tourism site makes some sense as I believe it will improve access to the site, support critical infrastructure investments and better support local tourism needs. I believe that Nancy Island as a historic site versus Nancy Island as a provincial park better aligns with the mandate of Nancy Island and would further better connect with some of the educational opportunities offered in that portfolio. I also believe that the town has the local context and connections to community groups and agencies (for example schools, friends of Nancy Island, archives) that could support enhanced programming and fundraising for the site.

However I do not feel the same way in regards to the beach front. These lands are far too valuable from a property development standpoint and giving control the municipality means that at some point the temptation to develop them will be realized. One only has to look to our neighbours in Tiny to see how private development of waterfront lands has negatively impacted access to said lands. The town can achieve its vision of downtown redevelopment and revitalization as well as beachfront development without taking on ownership of these lands. It’s also not clear to me how the town will fund the maintenance, upkeep and preservation of these lands given the current budget constraints.

I do feel that the town and province need to work together more to support economic development opportunities while still achieving the mandate of public access for all. For instance, the province and the town could partner to offer business leases within provincial Park lands for businesses, such as restaurants, bars, equipment, rentals, etc.. This would allow the town, the province, and local business people to better capitalize on tourist visits to the beach while also offering an expanded range of services that further draw tourists in. Currently visitors to the beach bring everything they need with them for the day. Most drive up from the GTA and bring with them food drinks and supplies purchased outside of our town. Giving visitors the option to purchase food and drinks, rent water, equipment, beach, chairs, and umbrellas would provide valuable pathways for economic development for local residence and revenue sources for the town and province in managing leases and space.