This is outrageous. Wasaga…

This is outrageous.

Wasaga Beach is regarded as our most popular provincial park. It's now under threat. These proposed amendments are the threat.

I stand with Tim Gray. “Provincial Parks belong to the people of Ontario and are meant to be protected forever. It is appalling that the current government is trying to give away big parts of one of our most popular parks, and make changes to the legislation that protects all of our Provincial Parks ” said Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence. “These beachfront lands on Georgian Bay are worth millions of dollars and are owned by the people of Ontario. They should never be a part of a tourism development”.

Removing beachfront (or any land) from the protection of the Provincial Park opens up the possibility of more erosion, loss of biodiversity, acceleration of climate change and runs counter to Canada's commitment to nature conservation and protection, including species at risk like the piping plover that often nest on Wasaga Beach. It also runs counter to Canada's commitment to preserving and conserving our land and water; in 2022, Canada signed on to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and in doing so, committed to protecting and preserving 30% of our land and water by 2030.

After Wasaga Beach is sliced up, which Park or Conservation Area would be targeted next because Wasaga Beach will set an awful precedent for our other protected and conserved green spaces. With the Endangered Species Act already out of the way and Bill 5 in place, I imagine that 'special economic zone' designations are also on the horizon, and on the stunning Wasaga beachfront horizon too.

The economy is important yes, but not at the expense of our natural environment, of our green spaces and wildlife, of species already at risk, of our clean water and air. We can develop land and build an economy without sacrificing what is good and necessary for our health and wellbeing, for sustaining our natural world and for a liveable planet, without sacrificing prime agricultural land, Indigenous rights, or public access to spaces that benefit all Ontarians and not just those who can afford to buy it. We can and must build our economy WITHOUT taking from our Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas.

To do otherwise is simply outrageous, ludicrous, and as Tim Gray said, appalling.