This is an alarming,…

This is an alarming, wrongheaded proposal that needs to be quickly rejected. There are social, environmental and cultural impacts that have not been analysed, presented or considered in the proposal. These include: social impacts- loss of beach access and recreation, reduced quality of life, Wasaga Beach is an important place for families to find heat relief. Environmentally it may reduce habitat for a number of shore and nearshore species, including the piping plover, invertebrates and fish which use nearshore ares to spawn and feed. These are critical zones for shoreline resiliency, flood protection, and need the protection provided by provincial park status. The sand dunes provide important wind reduction protection and bird habitats.

It proposal is not consistent with the spirit or legally compliant with PPCRA, Great Lakes Protection Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, regulations and government statements supporting these critical Great Lakes shoreline areas, public ownership and park protection. Most jurisdictions are moving in the opposite direction, and putting more Great Lakes shorelines into public ownership.

This proposal also has a flawed process- with only 45 days to comment, ending right before the registry cannot accept comments due to shutdown, no rationale provided, no comprehensive analysis of impacts, just a brief statement, and no documents describing the proposal and its impacts in any depth. This is not a sufficient basis for public or government decision making on such an important proposal and area.

The recommendation is to reject this proposal and leave these lands as part of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. These lands are public treasures and should not be subject to additional development.