I'm writing to strongly…

I'm writing to strongly oppose the Ontario Government's plan to amend the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act and the Town of Wasaga Beach's Tourism Enhancement Proposal.

Provincial Parks belong to us, the people of Ontario and must be protected forever. Our Provincial Parks are key public spaces for outdoor recreation, essential to Canada's commitment to protect 30% of nature by 2030 including key endangered species habitat, and important nature-based solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change! Removing, selling, privatizing and "developing" our provincial parks takes away the generational wealth of the Ontario public, putting our species, ecosystems, climate, communities and future generations at risk.

Wasaga Beach is the most visited Provincial Park. People come from the congested city and beyond to enjoy nature including the beaches, sand dunes, islands, wetlands and forests. They come to breathe fresh air, experience open, natural spaces, less noise and open sky. They come to surf, kiteboard, foil, kayak, paddle, swim, hike, walk, picnic and more. Removing protected provincial park area including public beaches and water access for private development won't enhance tourism in Wasaga Beach, it will reduce accessibility, increase crowding and devalue the natural outdoor recreation assets that Wasaga's local tourism industry is built upon.

Further, I oppose due to my concern about the dangerous precedent this would set in opening up other provincial park land to development, as well as the current government's track record for ill-conceived developments such as the Therme megaspa at Ontario Place and the TCE pumped storage facility on Georgian Bay.

In conclusion, I DO NOT support the proposed legislation amendments and further demand that Ontario's provincial parks remain public and protected forever.

Thank you for your careful consideration of this matter.

Auditor General reports found that previous plans by this Ontario Government to sell and develop public land and natural space, Ontario Place were done through a process that was "not fair, transparent or accountable"; the "social and environmental benefits and costs of redevelopment were not factored into the assessment", and "key environmental assessments will not be conducted even though many concerns were raised by the city council and regional conservation authority".