The proposal to transfer…

The proposal to transfer Nancy Island makes sense, as the ministry in charge of culture and tourism should show the respect an important historical site deserves. The money saved in the Parks budget should be spent enhancing the beaches that remain under Provincial control. Paths are decaying, undafe playground equipment is from the seventies and picnic tables are rotten to their core. If the province is serious about improving tourism at the park, it must spend money to offer a clean, safe environment for all families.

However, I don't believe the leadership of the Town of Wasaga Beach has shown it would act responsibly with ownership of the beaches. Many town residents believe there is a tendency to trust private developers to act in the best public interest, and if the town owns the land, they could sell the land as part of a redevelopment. In most cases, the private development is never in the best interest of the public at large.

It's also not clear if this transfer would cost the town any money up front. Obviously, there would be ongoing maintenance and improvements that the town would be responsible for, hopefully that would not be a huge burden on taxpayers. However, the costs associated should not be paid by the town until ALL Beach 1 redevelopment is completed AND the province and town work together to bring back visitors who have largely disappeared this summer.

But...and it's a very big but...if the province is proposing a sale to the town, no thank you. The town does not have any spare change to purchase some 3-5 km of Prime Waterfront property. If they are purchasing the land, they will have to sell some - or even all - in the future. The money is just not there!

The money is also not available for maintenance. Does anyone living in the area actually believe the town will keep the beaches as clean as Ontario Parks? That they'll hire as many staff to maintain the beach?

I'd also fully expect the the Piping Plovers will be gone from the area within two years - they'll be in the way of some development, and money beats nature every day of the week here. Pretty ironic!

Many residents moved here knowing there was a provincially owned and maintained park, that would never be developed. Changing that would be wrong.

The province expropriated much of the land for the park, selling it now is also a breach of the trust that the land would be used for the enhancement of Ontarian's lives. This could even potentially result in former owners suing to get the land back - I certainly wouldn't blame them!

In short, the only way the land should be transferred is for no cost to the town, and a provincial law forbidding the town from selling ANY portion of the land for, say, 500 years. The provincial government has signed over publicly owned land on 100 year leases, Highway 407 and Ontario Place are prime examples. I think it's reasonable to sign an agreement that ensures the beaches that currently make up Wasaga Beach Provincial Park will remain public land for many generations to come.

This town has shown in the past, if it CAN sell public assets for development, it WILL. Please make sure this will never happen.