This proposal follows the…

This proposal follows the government announcement on May 27, 2025 that "Ontario will soon begin the process of transferring a portion of provincially owned beachfront in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park to the Town"

Note that this announcement was made prior to the posting of the proposal on the Environmental Registry. This proposal also follows several news articles from Wasaga Beach about the transfer of park land to the Town of Wasaga Beach.

Is this a proposal or is it done deal?

The Registry posting references the tourism development strategy for the Town. The strategy is not posted. What is contained in the strategy that prompts the need to deregulate 50% of the recreational area of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. Presumably, the tourism development strategy is the catalyst for the largest transfer of a provincial or national park for development purposes, in Canadian history.

This consultation process is flawed for the following reasons:

--the tourism development strategy which is a foundation for this proposal, is not included for public review
--posting on the Environmental Registry will never be noticed by millions of Ontario residents and park users
--the planning documents are not readily available for public review. The documents are located in London. The documents and maps should be located at the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park Office and in every Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) office in the area south of Wasaga Beach including the Greater Toronto Area
--there is nothing posted on the MECP website
--there is nothing posted on the Ontario Parks website
--there has been no attempt to reach the 2,000,000 visitors to Wasaga Beach Provincial Park (WBPP)
--there has been no attempt to reach the 10.5 million visitors to Ontario Provincial Parks
--the proposal states that following the sale, there will be consultation with First Nations. The Crown has a duty to consult before considering a sale to the Town of Wasaga Beach

The sale of land in Wasaga Beach is not mentioned in the 2025-26 Provincial Budget, which was tabled in the Legislature on May 15, 2025. The financial commitment to funding for Nancy Island Historic Site is mentioned and funding allocated. The deregulation, changes to the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (PPRCA) and the proposed sale of $300,000,000 of managed park property fronting on Georgian Bay in the most visited provincial park in Ontario, is not mentioned. As noted above, the Government of Ontario announced the process of transferring a portion of provincially owned beachfront in WBPP on May 27, 2025 in Wasaga Beach. Why was this not featured in the provincial budget for debate in the Legislature.

There has been a consistent and persistent media campaign to suggest that Wasaga Beach Provincial Park was largely created by expropriation, the core commercial area of the Town was taken over as part of the park, and the buildings were demolished. The "proposal" is intended to at least in part rectify this situation. In addition, the Town has stated that the land to be transferred is only 3% of the provincial park. This is disingenuous. The proposal is about 50% of the beachfront recreational area and over 5 kms of shoreline. The proposal includes lands which are heavily used, and it is the park beachfront and Georgian Bay that are the tourism attraction for 2 million visitors each year.

The park exists today because three townships and the Village of Wasaga Beach petitioned the Ontario Government to resolve problems that they could not handle. The problems generally were large crowds of tourists to the beach, lack of controlled parking, absence of washroom facilities and garbage collection, traffic gridlock, and excessive costs for the municipalities trying to manage the crowds.

In response, the Ontario Government regulated Wasaga Beach Provincial Park in 1959, and then for over 20 years prepared plans for the park and acquired key properties for washrooms, and parking, picnic areas and recreation. This all occurred with full public consultation with the Town, adjacent municipalities, local residents, cottage owners, business owners, and park visitors.

Following many drafts of the various plans and hundreds of meetings with the groups listed above,
the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park Management Plan was approved by the Minister of Natural Resources in 1978.

It is irresponsible to divest 50% of the most popular provincial park in Ontario, without a plan to justify the disposition. It is my understanding that this proposal was not discussed with Ontario Parks, and was an end run by the municipality for reasons they should explain. As there is a tourism development strategy, somewhere, the review of the strategy by the Ministry of Tourism, should be posted on the registry.

It is important to dispel any notion that the municipality was treated unfairly as the park was created, and that the park was largely responsible for the decline of the tourism sector in the Town.

Land for the provincial park was acquired on a willing buyer, willing seller basis. All purchases were based on market value as determined by accredited fee appraisers. There were some expropriations in Beach Area 1 (number cannot be confirmed with archival records). Most of the
buildings were frame structures, used seasonally, with fairly high density of development, and there were no municipal sewage or water services. Most would not be in operation today in the absence of park development.

On the matter of expropriation of property for park purposes, have the rights of those landowners been considered in light of Sections 41 and 42 of the Expropriations Act. These land owners may have first right to purchase the land expropriated.

As noted by the Town when they conducted expropriations for the traffic circle and public square, sometimes there are no other alternatives. The expropriation by the Town of the properties in the mall area for redevelopment, were part of a $14 million initiative for modernization, as existing structures had passed their useful lifetime. The same can be said for many of the structures acquired for park purposes.

For the area in Beach Areas 2-6 and the Dunes area, there were 8 expropriations. Four property owners disputed the land value. Four landowners disputed the need for their property for park purposes. Expropriation was a last resort and a step not taken lightly. To be clear, the provincial park was not created by mass expropriation.

The Province of Ontario initiated the Wasaga Park Community Project in the 1970's as plans were finalized. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Town of Wasaga Beach worked jointly to shape the park and the community. The Province of Ontario assumed the full cost of all land acquisition and development within the provincial park boundary.

Between 1979-84 the Wasaga Park Community Project involved building the infrastructure for the future of the Town and the park. Land was acquired and the sewage and water treatment systems were built. The Province paid 100% of the cost of land and road construction including extension of River Road East and the Schoonertown bridge over the Nottawasaga River. The Province paid 90% of the cost of the sewage and water systems, a rate which was unprecedented. A 50% subsidy was the norm. The Province was fair generous with its contribution to the project.

In addition to the financial support, land was transferred to the Town including 8 acres between 3rd and 6th Street, the land for the Wasaga Stars arena, about 100 acres along Zoo Park Road, the Park licensed land fill site, and a number of smaller properties which could be used for municipal purposes.
The land between 3rd and 6th Streets was considered a gem that would attract tourism investment.
However, it was never the role of the park to secure tourism investment or to modernize the tourism industry. This was a shared role between the Town and the Ministry of Tourism.

The Park Community concept was a success, as the Town grew from 4000 people in 1974 to 28,000 people today. The residents of Wasaga Beach make extensive use of the park. When looking to the future, the provincial park as it currently exists, will provide local recreation opportunities along a 16 kilometre corridor.

This entire process park planning and completion of the park community project took over 25 years. Based on the costs at the time, converted to today's costs, it represents hundreds of million dollars of provincial investment.

The proposal states that the parkland would be sold to the Town. Will this be at market value or a major discount. The parkland is worth at least $300,000,000 and should not be sold at a discount. The value should be confirmed by accredited fee appraisers, The are to be sold is unencumbered by other development inside the boundary of the park. That alone, makes the property worth more than the lands posted for sale along the Georgian Bay shoreline.

The reconstruction of Nancy Island Historic Site is included in the proposal. This is necessary and is supported. The transfer of Nancy Island Historic to the Ministry of Tourism takes it full circle as the Ministry Tourism transferred the site to the Ministry of Natural Resources/Wasaga Beach Provincial Park years ago.

There is nothing in the proposal for funding to upgrade, modernize, and invest in the park, which is the major tourist attraction for Wasaga Beach. It would take over $100 million to revitalize the park and prepare for the next 25 years. This should have been included along with the investment in Nancy Island.

In 1975 when the provincial park was substantially complete, the population of Ontario was 8.3 million people. Today, the population of the Greater Toronto Area is 8 million and the provincial population is 16.1 million. The provincial population is growing at a rate of 3.2% a year.

In 1975, the number of park visitors was estimated at 1 million. Today's estimate is 2 million.

If the park area is reduced by half, there will be the loss of 60 ha (150 acres) of recreational waterfront picnic and beach area and 1450 parking spaces. The tourism plan that we have not seen, that prompts the sale of parkland, will emphasize hotel, resort, commercial and residential development. The proposal states that only the Crown lake bed and Nottawasaga riverbed will be retained. Is this to the high water mark or to the waters edge at a point in time. In either case, the result is less available area for existing and future park visitors, and will place greater strain on other beach areas and adjacent private beaches. If this is all the public land that will be retained in these areas, there will be no space for picnic, beach activites, shaded sites, and day use public parking. In addition, there will be the loss of the boat launch in Beach Area 1 which will restrict access to the fishery in Southern Georgian Bay. This boat launch is the best available in the southern part of the Nottawasaga River.

There are few if any affordable options within the Southern Georgian Bay-Lake Simcoe region for more beachfront recreational opportunities. There is a move afoot by property owners fronting Georgian Bay and popular beach areas beyond, to assert their right to private ownership and control of what were once public beaches. Wasaga Beach Provincial Park provides 70% of the supply of bathing beaches in all of the provincial parks in the Greater Toronto area. In summary, there is a shortage of public beachfront park property in Southern Ontario, and this will simply make things worse.

The proposal follows a concerted campaign by the Town of Wasaga Beach to offer more tourism opportunities in a manner similar to Collingwood. This was part of the pitch to the Government of Ontario.

There are more than subtle differences between the two communities.

Collingwood has 5 ski resorts including Blue Mountain, a premier ski resort complex which is part of Alterra, an international ski consortium with membership privileges with other premier ski resorts in Quebec, Colorado, Utah and beyond. Collingwood has 3 large protected marinas/harbours, 6 nearby golf courses, hiking on the Niagara Escarpment, and over 100 kms of biking trails. With all of this, Collingwood had 624,000 tourist visitors in 2024. By comparison, Wasaga Beach had 2 million visitors.

This proposal is not only ill conceived, it is based on a trumped up need for half of the recreational area of the provincial park...an area that provides affordable day use recreation for the many Ontario residents who cannot afford expensive alternatives.

I commend the Town for wanting to offer a different type of recreational experience, especially a four season experience. It's important to note that for the past 50 years, not one branded hotel has been built in Wasaga Beach, and there are reasons for this. The 8 acres between 3rd and 6th street which was part of the land transfer to jump start tourism development is currently used for parking. Past attempts to attract hotels and a timeshare resort and a casino were unsuccessful.

The Town is embarking on a process of revitalization of the mall area. After a $14 million land acquisition, and tear down of the remaining dated commercial properties, there have been a number of announcements of new resort/commercial/residential development. As an alternative to taking parkland from the provincial park, why not prepare a plan using 3rd to 6th street, various parking lots, and the land acquired in the mall area.

If the park land is sold, and resold, and developed, any commitment for protection of ecological features, habitat for piping plover, commitments for access and outdoor recreation will be eroded over time.

This proposal should be reviewed by the Provincial Auditor. The Provincial Auditor is responsible for compliance with relevant legislation, provides independent oversight, and reports to the legislature.
The Provincial Auditor also reviews compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights.

The Minister of MECP should be excused from his various roles with this proposal.

The Minister is responsible for the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (PPCRA). Among the objectives for the provincial parks system are to "provide opportunities for ecologically sustainable outdoor recreation and encourage associated benefits." The Minister would be responsible for the proposed sale of provincial park land...an unprecedented proposal of selling land for development purposes. The Minister is responsible for protection of species at risk. The piping plover is listed as an endangered species and is located within the area to be sold. The Minister is responsible for the posting of this proposal on the Environmental Registry and for the summary of comments on the proposal. The Minister is also responsible for a decision on whether or not there should be an environmental assessment of the proposal. This proposal is major, it is not a candidate for a class assessment. The Minister of MECP cannot escape the perception of a conflict of interest.

It is imperative to note that if there is no environmental assessment by MECP of the proposal, and a decision is made to sell the land to the Town of Wasaga Beach, there is no requirement for a provincial government environmental assessment.

For comparison, The Metro Region Conservation Authority will undertake an Environmental Assessment for the Scarborough Waterfront Project. This project pales in comparison to the sale of part of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park for development purposes.

Provincial Parks are a sacred public trust. If there is any justification for a sale of park land to the Town of Wasaga Beach, it has not been demonstrated. I do not support the proposal and I consider it to be a betrayal of all those who work in the parks system and those who use, appreciate and value provincial parks.

This proposal should be rejected.