Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian…

Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith said that “Wasaga Beach and Nancy Island are unique in the world," and he is correct, as the longest freshwater beach in the world it is an incredibly unique habitat and ecological wonder in need of unique protection. Wasaga Beach, specifically Beach Area 1 and New Wasaga, provide vital habitat and nesting areas for at risk and endangered species, most notably the piping plover, a small shorebird. The Great Lakes population of piping plovers are endangered, and they even disappeared in Ontario in the 70s as a result of habitat destruction, not returning here until 2008, as a result of habitat restoration and conservation efforts. Since 2008, there have been 57 piping plover nests at Wasaga Beach, mostly in Beach Area 1 and New Wasaga. This year there were four piping plover nests recorded in Ontario, and two of them were at Wasaga Beach in Beach Area 1. It is critically important that this habitat is protected or the species may disappear from Ontario again.

If this sale does continue, steps would need to be taken to ensure that the beach and dunes that provide nesting habitat for the piping plovers are maintained. Bulldozing of the dunes, grading or grooming of the beach would be disastrous for the piping plovers, as the dunes, grasses, and driftwood provide them shelter for their nests and young, and the wrack line provides them with food. As well, Birds Canada does an amazing job with their piping plover monitoring program, which I have personally volunteered for. As part of the program they put up symbolic fencing to keep beachgoers at a safe distance, set up exclosures to protect the nests from predators, and monitor the breeding behaviours, nest progress, and fledgeling rearing of the birds. If the sale goes through it would be incredibly important for the town of Wasaga Beach to continue this relationship with Birds Canada and continue this monitoring program.

This sale brings with it a lot of uncertainty about the future of Wasaga Beach as the critical habitat it is, Ontario Parks have done an incredible job protecting the natural beauty of Beach Area 1 and the species that inhabit it, with dune restoration efforts, enforcement of protective rules (such as no vehicles on the beach), doing community outreach to raise awareness of the endangered birds, and working closely with Birds Canada on the monitoring program. Their incredible stewardship of the land is a major factor in the return of piping plovers to Ontario after a 30 year absence, and their hard work is why Wasaga Beach has repeatedly been a preferred nesting site for these birds year after year.

This is why I believe that this sale should not continue, and at a minimum Beach Area 1 should remain part of Wasaga Beach Provincial park. While the town's proposal portal makes vague promises of "green infrastructure" and "nature-based solutions", it does not promise any direct protections of the dunes, the rare grasses that grow on them or the endangered birds that nest in them. As the portal says, they plan to "create a world-class destination from scratch" directly on top of a fragile ecosystem that has been carefully and successfully managed for years. This wording signals a disregard for the natural beauty and habitat of the area, the phrasing "scratch" implies that they see the area as having nothing there, and if this how the project is approached it will be nothing short of an ecological disaster, no matter how much "green infrastructure" is built. If you destroy a critical habitat to make a resort, but then put solar panels on the roof, that is not a "green" project.

Wasaga Beach is unique and therefore must be uniquely protected, this sale represents an erosion of the protection of endangered species in our province and sets a dangerous precedent. The natural beauty of our province is what makes it so incredible and I do not believe that it should be for sale. That however is my opinion and ultimately the protection of Ontario's endangered piping plovers is the most important consideration, so if the sale continues, it is necessary that the town of Wasaga Beach continues Ontario Parks' legacy of protecting them and their habitat.

Wasaga Beach is our "summer playground" as Mayor Brian Smith puts it, but it is the piping plovers' home.