While supporting the Town of…

While supporting the Town of Wasaga Beach’s objective to increase tourism and attract investment is a respectable goal, Ontario’s parks belong to all Ontarians and removing part of one takes away more from all of us than any economic opportunity can justify.

The proposal mentions “continuing to protect the area’s natural and cultural heritage” on multiple occasions but does not outline any guidelines on how MTCG or the Town of Wasaga Beach would ensure that. Surely removing park land for development without clear guidelines for what the protection would look like is the opposite of protecting an area’s natural heritage?

And it is vital that we protect that natural heritage. Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is one of the last remaining nesting grounds for the Piping Plover, producing over half of the province’s Piping Plover fledglings since 2007. Developing the land would be a devastating blow to this endangered species that has only recently been starting to recover thanks to conservation efforts.

I strongly oppose these proposed amendments. Ontario’s parks and beaches should belong to the people and the wonderful creatures that we have the luck of sharing them with.