As a resident of Wasaga…

As a resident of Wasaga Beach and someone who has lived in this area my entire life, I am deeply concerned that due to this government’s recent actions concerning Bill 5, that these proposed changes to Wasaga Beach Provincial Park lands will have negative and potentially devastating impacts on our protected natural resources and conservation areas in this area. Wasaga Beach is the world’s longest freshwater beach in the entire world and has a coastal dune ecosystem unlike any other. The park is also a temporary home to over 200 species of migratory birds who use Wasaga Beach as a migratory stopover. It was also the first park in Canada to achieve Blue Flag status, recognizing its commitment to environmental standards, accessibility, and safety. Ontario has witnessed what the premier attempted to do with the Greenbelt which was deeply disturbing and now with these proposed changes to annex these protected lands from the jurisdiction of the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, residents of Wasaga Beach and Ontario at large are fearing the worst. Economic growth CAN NEVER override protection and proper maintenance of our conservation areas. I fear this will open the floodgates for this government to allow the premier’s friends in business aka private corporations to begin capitalizing on these lands which is unacceptable and wrong. Protection of the natural environment in which we live supersedes business deals to make a quick buck. We urge this government to rethink this. Yes, creating economic growth is important but not at the expense of destroying conservation lands under the protection of Ontario Parks. In Wasaga Beach, these protected areas have been under the provincial park since 1959. Wasaga Beach protects wildlife habitat for many species-at-risk, including the endangered Piping Plover and offers over 50 km of hiking trails for residents and tourists alike. We do not want to see endangered species wiped off the map and we do not want to lose and destroy these precious lands at the hands of a government that has shown little regard to honouring and protecting conservation land in Ontario in order to profit off of it and make shady backdoor deals with corporations to come in and capitalize on it. Privatizing and for-profit gain off of public protected lands is wrong and immoral. Again, I urge this government to rethink its economic growth strategy and to honour and respect the protected public lands in Wasaga Beach under the jurisdiction of Ontario Parks.

Sincerely,

A deeply concerned resident of Wasaga Beach.