Opposition to Proposed…

Opposition to Proposed Amendments to the Provincial Parks Act – ERO 025 0694
Regarding the Transfer and Sale of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park Lands

To Whom It May Concern,

As a resident of Ontario who cares deeply about the environment, I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed amendments to the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, which would allow the removal, transfer, or sale of lands within Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.

These lands are protected for a reason. They provide essential shoreline stability, carbon storage, and critical habitat for endangered species like the piping plover. We are living through a climate crisis that is escalating right in front of us, this past July has made that painfully clear. Across Canada, we are witnessing catastrophic habitat losses from wildfires, floods, and extreme weather. In the face of all this, the Ontario government is proposing to transfer ecologically sensitive shoreline areas for the sake of short-term tourism development. It is reckless and wrong.

Wasaga Beach is home to the longest freshwater beach in the world. 14 kilometers of a globally significant natural asset and one that should be celebrated, protected, and kept in public hands. While other countries go out of their way to ensure that their beaches remain publicly accessible and ecologically intact, Ontario seems determined to dismantle its own natural legacy in favour of private commercial interests. This isn’t stewardship, it’s short-sighted exploitation. The public loses while a few developers and political allies stand to gain.

The current law requires any large-scale removal of protected park land to go through formal legislative review, including public transparency and tabling before the legislature. This is not a formality, it is a critical democratic safeguard. The proposed changes appear designed to bypass these protections entirely, removing public accountability and opening the door for future land removals without public oversight.

Transferring Wasaga Beach lands to municipal control weakens legal protections. The Town of Wasaga Beach has historically prioritized tourism and commercial development over ecological integrity. Under municipal control, there is a high risk that dunes will be levelled, habitat will be destroyed, and climate resilience will be undermined, all in the name of revitalization.

Finally, the justification for this transfer, namely, to promote tourism, is profoundly short-sighted. Wasaga Beach is already one of Ontario’s most visited parks because of its natural beauty, not because of overbuilt infrastructure. Paving over dunes to build hotels and parking lots will not make it more appealing. It will destroy the very thing that draws people in the first place.

You cannot claim to take climate change seriously while selling off protected land to expand high-impact tourism. This proposal is out of step with the direction the world must go. It undermines Ontario’s commitments to climate adaptation, biodiversity protection, and environmental responsibility.

I respectfully urge the Ontario government to withdraw this proposal in its entirety. Protected lands must remain protected, for the health of our ecosystems, the safety of our communities, and the future of our children.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Resident of Ontario
Environmental Steward and Advocate for Future Generations