Selling Provincial Park land…

Selling Provincial Park land? What a ridiculous proposal which will set a destructive precedent. There's a reason these lands were set aside for conservation and preservation. They should remain habitat for our dwindling wildlife and accessible as public spaces for those who enjoy their natural beauty. Wasaga Beach in particular is home to the endangered Piping Plover, making their beaches and sand dunes invaluable to their recovery here in Ontario.

Wasaga Beach is already one of the busiest Provincial Park's here in Ontario. There are scores of people who make the pilgrimage to spend time in the park and that drives spending at local businesses. If access to the park becomes more limited due to losing the proposed 645 acres, this will lessen the amount of people who will travel to the area. And sure, having tourist development on previously Wasaga Beach PP land may draw some people, but I can say with certainty that cost of entry to whatever it may be will be a deterrent to many. Especially those who utilize the cost effective recreation that Provincial Park's offer.

And finally, there is culture and tradition at stake. In a period of time when Ontario is seeming to be undergoing an identity crisis, Ontario Provincial Parks remains a highlight of our history going back more than 100 years. One that people today, of all backgrounds and belief systems, can rally around. It's something positive that we Ontarians are known for both within Canada and internationally. I personally wear the crests of my favourite parks and speak about them with pride when traveling internationally. Why take aim against this rallying point of our culture as a province? It only serves to diminish our sense of selves and place here in Ontario. I urge that the proposed amendments are dropped, and that our Parks remain unmolested by private development.