I have been visiting Wasaga…

I have been visiting Wasaga Beach since I was 15 years old. I’m now 52. I always loved the nostalgia of the beach and vendors on the boardwalk. The road through the beach area is classic and I have strong memories of finding parking for $5/day near the beach at either end of that road. Pedro’s = Wasaga Beach in our family. The old Dairy Queen. The colourful clothing stores and restaurants. Eating corn-on-the-cob on the beach, summer music playing in the air, while cars drive by. My mother moved to Wasaga Beach almost 20 years ago because of the old school beach feel of the small town. She has never owned a car and still gets everywhere on her lavender coloured bike, including the beach. She’s 74. My children have spent countless hours with my mother playing at the beach, in summer and in winter (giant frozen waves). These plans to bring fancy hotels, homes and shops to the beach are heart breaking. I foresee the town overrun with people with fat pockets, luxury vehicles parked in multi-level parking garages, schmoozing under rented umbrellas, sipping on fancy cocktails, complaining if they hear music or see kids and teenagers. If the town was like that decades ago, I would have never gone weekend after weekend for years as a teenager and up until now. My mother would have never moved there and my children would have not known the joys of that old school beach vibe. My husband and I were considering moving and retiring to Wasaga Beach in a few years, but would never do that now with these plans in place. I’m very disappointed, as is my resident-mother. Why do we need to grow it so significantly and over-commercialize this beautiful little town? It is so disappointing. I doubt I will ever visit the beach after these changes are made and my mother is considering moving away. It breaks my heart that my future grandchildren will not be able to experience Wasaga Beach the way we did. It is such a shame that the mayor and executives feel the need to demolish the nostalgia of this beautiful little beach town.