I am commenting today in…

I am commenting today in opposition of removal of 4 beach areas from Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. If undertaken, this action would threaten both the ecosystems of these beach areas, and the integrity and reputation of the Ontario Parks system.
The inclusion of the beach along the shoreline in Wasaga Beach as part of the provincial park means that its management considers both recreational and ecological perspectives, which is critically important in our current climate and biodiversity crisis. Removing the 4 beach areas from the park would take away the attention given to protecting their ecosystem and thus imperil provincially significant ecosystems and species.
In particular, removal of these beach areas from the park directly threatens Piping Plover nesting habitat. The Piping Plover, a small shorebird, is designated as Endangered in Ontario under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) and Beach Areas 1, New Wasaga and Allenwood all host nesting Piping Plovers in the summer. These areas of Wasaga Beach represent one of only about 5 beaches where Piping Plovers nest on the Canadian Great Lakes each year. Park staff and collaborating scientists from organizations like Wildlife Services Canada monitor and protect Piping Plovers at Wasaga Beach throughout the nesting season to ensure that they are able to nest as successfully as possible. Keeping these beach areas as part of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is particularly critical now, since the recent Bill 5 significantly limits the protection from development they would be afforded by the ESA if removed from the park.
Additionally, the beaches within the park at Wasaga Beach contain dune habitat of a type which is today only found on 2-3% of Lake Huron’s shoreline and which is extremely sensitive to human impact. These fragile ecosystems are easily degraded by human use but provide a number of ecosystem services which benefit us, such as shoreline protection and water purification, as well as providing habitat for a variety of unique and important species. By including these beaches in the provincial park, their management takes into account the importance of maintaining the health of their dune ecosystems.
The park’s management of beach areas also takes into account ways to minimize the spread of or remove invasive species, like the widely invasive European Reed. Park staff have undertaken multiple projects with the goal of eradicating invasive species in the park and continue to integrate invasive species control into a variety of aspects of park management.
On another front, removing the 4 sections beach from the provincial park would endanger not only this park, but the integrity of the Ontario Parks system as a whole. It is stated in the very first sentence of the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 that the goal is to create a permanently protected system of provincial parks. The goal of this act specifies “permanently”. Removing such a large portion of Wasaga Beach from the provincial park sets a dangerous precedent and directly undermines the permanence of the protection that Ontario provincial parks offer. Even if procedures for such removal do already exist, this move would deal a serious blow to the reputation of our provincial parks as places that put combined conservation and recreational uses above development interests.
When it comes to their role as tourism destinations, Ontario’s provincial parks are visited and enjoyed by locals, Canadians from across the country, and even international visitors. Provincial parks provide a unique environment which emphasizes sustainable recreation. Many Ontarians, myself included, visit provincial parks specifically because they do maintain the ecological integrity of the environment of the environments within them. For visitors, removing lands from Wasaga Beach provincial park would call into question our government’s commitment to conservation and the relatively unique opportunities for sustainable recreation found in provincial parks. On the other hand, maintaining the beaches as part of an Ontario Park would show locals and visitors that the province values the ecological integrity of our lands along with their recreational use, both in Wasaga Beach and across the Ontario Parks system.
A degree of legitimate concern does exist about the attractiveness of the beaches in the park as a destination for tourists, which the Town of Wasaga Beach itself attributes to “lack of investment [deteriorating] the park's infrastructure and services” (from the 2024-2027 Tourism Destination Management Plan Refresh). However, the obvious solution to these issues would be better funding for Wasaga Beach Provincial Park to improve beach infrastructure, not removal of the beach from it. By underfunding the park, then using the consequences of that as an excuse to remove lands from it, the provincial government undermines the integrity of its own Ontario Parks and prioritizes private, unsustainable development interests over providing a space that balances great recreational experiences and ecological conservation for its citizens and visitors. Increased funding for the park would improve the tourism value of the beach, while continuing to protect Endangered species and maintaining the integrity of the Ontario Parks system that is so valuable to residents of this province.