I am writing as a concerned…

I am writing as a concerned Wasaga Beach resident to express my strong opposition to the proposed legislative amendments to the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 (PPCRA) and the Historical Parks Act (HPA) that would result in the removal and sale of significant portions of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.

These proposed changes, including the transfer of Nancy Island and the removal and sale of Beach Areas 1, 2, New Wasaga, and Allenwood Beach, are deeply troubling. Public parks are not real estate opportunities, they are protected lands held in trust for the people of Ontario and for future generations. They should not be parceled off for short-term tourism ventures, development schemes, or for the benefit of private developers, corporations, or political insiders.

The current PPCRA requires that any significant removal of provincial park land must be approved by elected MPPs. Rather than complying with this democratic and transparent process, the government is now proposing unspecified legislative amendments to the PPCRA itself - apparently to avoid the scrutiny and oversight the Act was designed to ensure. This undermines public trust and raises serious concerns about weakening park protections across the province.

Selling off parts of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is not necessary to support tourism. In fact, maintaining these lands under the protections of the PPCRA is essential to ensuring that any tourism development is responsible, sustainable, and respectful of the area’s unique natural and cultural heritage — including its dunes, wetlands, and the habitat of vulnerable shorebird species.

Removing these lands from the Provincial Park system sets a dangerous precedent. It threatens the integrity of all provincial parks in Ontario and opens the door to future selloffs wherever development pressures arise. Once these lands are gone, they are gone for good.

I urge the government to uphold the original intent of the PPCRA, protect Wasaga Beach Provincial Park in its entirety, and reject any legislative changes that would weaken protections for Ontario’s public lands. This land belongs to the people of Ontario — not to private interests.