The Ontario government is proceeding with plans to hand over management of 60 per cent of Wasaga Beach from the province to the town, even after receiving feedback from thousands of Ontarians who are worried that this move could jeopardize sensitive piping plover habitat and impact beach access.
The Doug Ford government received 14,233 comments over a month last summer, with about 98 per cent opposing the proposal. Many expressed fears that removing provincial protection might lead to the loss of sand dunes in favor of hotels, condos, and other beachfront developments.
“We did not consider any changes to the proposal based on the feedback received, given the Town of Wasaga Beach’s commitments to keeping the beach public, not building on the beach and protecting environmentally sensitive dunes,” the government stated in its decision.
According to Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights, the government must post actions with environmental or energy implications on the publicly accessible Environmental Registry of Ontario for broad feedback from industry experts and residents. (However, under Bill 5, the Ford government has exempted several projects and notices from this registry.)
Last June, the Ford government announced its decision to change the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act-the law that established over 340 parks across Ontario. This amendment would allow for transferring 60 hectares, or three per cent, of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park-which protects the world’s longest freshwater beach and surrounding natural areas-to local management aimed at boosting tourism and supporting the local economy.
This transfer includes more than half-or 60 per cent-of the beachfront area containing all sand dunes and vegetation essential for nesting by piping plovers.
Among those who supported this move for economic development and revitalization were calls for “continued environmental management and continued public access.”
Most comments on this registry posting highlighted concerns about losing this vital beach environment or risking it due to increased development.
“Once this precedent is set, we risk irreversible environmental degradation, reduced public access and commercialization of what should remain a protected public space for generations to come,” wrote one local resident. “Tourism and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive, and development must not come at the cost of conservation.”
Grass-covered sand dunes provide crucial nesting habitat for endangered piping plovers. The dunes are included in a section of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park that is being transferred to Town management which means provincial stewardship will end. Photo: Carlos Osorio / The Narwhal
“Public land-especially waterfront property as ecologically and recreationally important as Wasaga Beach-should remain in public hands and under provincial protection,” another resident commented.
Despite these voices being raised against it, none swayed provincial decisions. The amendments needed for this transfer were passed in Ontario’s 2025 budget released last fall. Following this recent decision, plans will now move forward to transfer control to local authorities.
This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s not the first time that Ford’s administration has ignored feedback through Ontario’s Environmental Registry. The Auditor General has repeatedly called out this government for failing to follow its own laws-at times doing so “deliberately”-which require meaningful public consultation through their registry.
In late 2022 alone, more than 30,000 comments were submitted regarding plans to remove 7,400 acres from protected Greenbelt land. Despite this significant opposition,” no changes were made to the proposal as a result of public consultation,” read an official posting on their registry.
By deciding not to consider any alterations based on community input regarding Wasaga Beach lands removed from provincial protection will still “continue to be subject” to Ontario’s species protection laws and environmental regulations.
However right before announcing this transfer plan came news that protections for species had been weakened by controversial Bill 5 along with certain postings being exempted from going through environmental scrutiny. The legislation governing provincial parks was among those left standing as protections for plover habitat at Wasaga Beach.
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Grass-covered sand dunes provide crucial nesting habitat for endangered piping plovers. The dunes are included in a section of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park that is being transferred to Town management which means provincial stewardship will end. Photo: Carlos Osorio / The Narwhal
“Public land-especially waterfront property as ecologically and recreationally important as Wasaga Beach-should remain in public hands and under provincial protection,” another resident commented.
Despite these voices being raised against it, none swayed provincial decisions. The amendments needed for this transfer were passed in Ontario’s 2025 budget released last fall. Following this recent decision, plans will now move forward to transfer control to local authorities.
This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s not the first time that Ford’s administration has ignored feedback through Ontario’s Environmental Registry. The Auditor General has repeatedly called out this government for failing to follow its own laws-at times doing so “deliberately”-which require meaningful public consultation through their registry.
In late 2022 alone, more than 30,000 comments were submitted regarding plans to remove 7,400 acres from protected Greenbelt land. Despite this significant opposition,” no changes were made to the proposal as a result of public consultation,” read an official posting on their registry.
By deciding not to consider any alterations based on community input regarding Wasaga Beach lands removed from provincial protection will still “continue to be subject” to Ontario’s species protection laws and environmental regulations.
However right before announcing this transfer plan came news that protections for species had been weakened by controversial Bill 5 along with certain postings being exempted from going through environmental scrutiny. The legislation governing provincial parks was among those left standing as protections for plover habitat at Wasaga Beach.
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