My ancestors and family have…

My ancestors and family have been cottage owners in Wasaga Beach since the 1940's.

In my opinion the proposal to transform Provincial Park land to city managed land threatens the numerous positive benefits have resulted from Wasaga Beach's Provincial Park management program that has been ongoing since its inception in1959.

In the past, like in the present, the interests of greedy developers have resulted in poorly planned, ecologically damaging and unaesthetically appealing development decisions to be made. Although the mayor claims to be on the side of sustainable development, the proof is not always to be seen. Recently, an ugly casino has taken the place of a once vibrant and beautiful forest at the far end of the beach, near the intersection of highway 26 and Mosley St. This is an area outside of Provincial Park protected area and without ecological development constraints. Closer to the Main Beach area, large parking lot developments like that at Walmart have come without any consideration of including treed planter islands that would enhance the visual appeal of Wasaga Beach as a world class tourist destination and potentially aid in stormwater management. Unfortunately, numerous horrifying strip malls litter this world class tourist destination have taken the place of beautiful forests with no one to blame except the City of Wasaga Beach.

On the other hand, parks management always prioritizes and protects the natural environment while allowing sustainable development and promoting tourism. Whereas, towns and cities that have planning guidelines focused on preserving its natural beauty, scenic vistas, and cultural heritage are harder to come by (e.g., Sedona, Arizona). Almost always, pressure from greedy developers results in poor ecological protections.

No matter what happens with this deal, the preservation of the dunes and the ecologically sensitive habitat for the piping plover must be protected. As well, land access all along the shoreline must be honoured according to the Great Lakes Shoreline Right of Passage Act (Bill 32). The exclusivity of Beachfront development cannot take precedent over the rights of citizens to have access to the shoreline along the beach.

In closing, I encourage the Mayor and his planners to listen to more current music as Arcade Fire writes, " Living in the sprawl, dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains.
And there's no end in sight. I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights."