Greetings, My family has…

Greetings,

My family has owned property at New Wasaga Beach for over 100 years. My status changed from lifelong cottager to full time resident some years ago. I am acquainted with the various administrative bodies which have been in control of the beaches, both good and bad.

The best way to describe the Provincial Park's management of New Wasaga Beach would be to say that they are bad neighbours, not maintaining the beach, letting the garbage and recycling bins overflow regularly, being unresponsive to requests and questions, and often rude and inclined to ignore uncomfortable questions.

The present park superintendent once told me that he had no responsibility towards the residents because only the visitors paid for parking.

That same park superintendent signed off on a request from the town to dump 10,000 cubic metres of dredged muck and rock from the river on our beach (sometime around 2011). We are still living with the affects of this bad decision -- our beautiful sand is covered with grainy pebbles and some river rock (luckily, residents have removed most of the river rock), and there is a cloth which appears from time to time. Former MPP Jim Wilson raised this in the Legislative Assembly: the records can be found in Hansard.

In the last fifteen years, the park has allowed Phragmites, an invasive species, to flourish, and, depending upon the water levels, approach within ten feet of the shore line. In the last two, years, poison ivy has been growing on the beach: the park's response was to put up caution tape.

Obviously, all of the above - and more - has resulted in frustration with the Provincial Park and their management strategies.

For these reasons, I am in favour of the town of Wasaga Beach assuming control of the Allenwood and New Wasaga beaches, and Beaches One and Two, with two extremely important conditions:

1. The Beaches MUST remain PUBLIC -- no fences and no development. This jewel of a beach (Destination Wasaga as Mayor Smith and Premier Ford have taken to calling it) absolutely must remain public for all to enjoy, residents and visitors.
2. That the town not be allowed to sell any part of the lands received to developers or other parties -- this includes the land mass locally known as "The Point".

No Miami North here!

If these two conditions are not met, it would be a disaster and I would be vehemently opposed to this proposal. Keep the beaches public.