I am writing in opposition…

I am writing in opposition to the private development of close to 1/3 of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.

One of the reasons I keep coming back to this beach and spending money in the town is that I come for the annual nesting of the endangered piping plover. I don't support any interference with the beach, as it is, that would interfere with this important nesting site. They nest at Area 1, which has been designated an area of Natural and Scientific Interest.

I think part of the reason this beach is under park management, as well, is it is a mature sand dune, a sensitive environment that requires the knowledge and maintenance of ecologists to avoid damage. One needs look no further than the earlier 20th century to see the effect of tampering with habitats like this - the sand was lifted by winds and interfered with local farms and homes in places like what is currently Sandbanks Provincial Park. It took expensive and time consuming management to repair the damage. Some areas need to be left as they are for the benefit of those who live there.

Given this government's attitude to development - to develop first, and worry about the impacts on the environment later, as per changes in Bill 5 and the use of MZOs, and given their track record at Ontario Place, they have demonstrated that they are unable to responsibly develop or to choose someone to responsibly develop an area of this importance.

So many areas of the Canadian shores of our Great Lakes (particularly Lake Ontario on the south shore) are closed to the public because of private ownership. This is one thing that makes Wasaga such a jewel and I'm sure important for tourism - everyone can enjoy it.

Please don't ruin this by handing sections of the park over to resorts that the average person in this province will not have access to.