I do not support development…

I do not support development of Wasaga beach.

Given the Ford government's record of environmental attacks and lack of transparency, I also question if this proposal provides all necessary information for the meaningful consultation. This proposal does not specify if developers will be involved, or what sections of the legislation will be changed. I would like to clearly understand what will happen to Wasage beach and future protected areas if this proposal goes through.

I do not support development primarily due to environmental concerns, which affect people too.

Firstly, Wasaga beach is habitat for the at-risk piping plover. Ontario, through Bill 5, is stripping environmental protections including the Endangered Species Act, putting at-risk species like the piping plover further at risk. Secondly, Wasaga beach is home to a fragile dune ecosystem. Part of the reason the beach was established was to protect this habitat.

Is this proposal going to lead to development that will endanger the piping plover even more, and degrade the public's right to protected natural spaces? I believe so.

Nature not only deserves to exist, but it protects humans. We have the right to a clean, healthy environment. That environment gives us clean water and air, supports pollinators and farmland that give us food, protects us and our homes from erosion and extreme climate events (e.g., flooding and wildfires), gives us jobs, and all of this benefits our health and our wallets. The further we degrade our environment, healthy ecosystems, and species, the worse we will make it for ourselves. E.g., Polluting the environment has health effects, which then increase our hospitalization rates, further costing us money. E.g., destroying wetlands means cities will flood, damage to infrastructure will need to be repaired at a cost, and insurance rates will go up. It's a viscious cycle that can be avoided if we simply protect nature.

Piping plovers need a very specific habitat, and countless others live here. Scientists have said that once dune systems are lost, they may take decades to recover. Plovers can’t wait that long. If plovers go, the entire beach ecosystem will collapse.

This proposal requires amending the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, which was designed to keep natural spaces safe from this type of development. It puts future natural spaces and species at risk. It will set a precedent: our natural spaces will no longer be guaranteed safe havens for nature. This proposal risks stripping integrity of our parks, laws, and responsibility to let wildlife and nature coexist.

If the Act is amended, cabinet could quietly remove parts of any provincial park in Ontario whenever they want without the public knowing and without the legislature voting on it. That's not right.

I have a hard time believing this proposal is solely to boost tourism. There are other ways to boost tourism that do not endanger nature and species.

Who will be responsible for managing the land? This proposal doesn't make it clear.

I vote to protect our parks, for species at risk, ecosystems, and the public. Public spaces should stay public, not be sold to developers who can keep profiting at the expense of the public and nature. I do not support this proposal as it stands and would like clarity and the government to seriously listen to the public and experts. Thank you