A TikTokker’s viral video on folks utilizing tents as impromptu port-a-potties on the sand at Wasaga Seaside has obtained pushback from the municipality.
On July 22, the city issued an announcement from Mayor Brian Smith that “(rejected) the premise of complaints that lack evidence and promote misinformation.
“On any given day, when beaches across the province are closed due to bacteria or other issues, you will find that our beach is clean and open — full of kids and families having fun,” Smith acknowledged. “The town has received no evidence — from residents, visitors or the Ontario government — to verify that any undesirable, unsanitary behaviour has occurred on the beach areas that make up Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.
“If any evidence comes to light, I assure you that we will be quick to act.”
However the Wasaga mother of three, Natasha White, whose TikTok (@itsnattylxnn2.0) movies on the subject have gone viral, mentioned she has had plenty of folks reply to her movies that they’ve seen related behaviour.
“A lot of locals do not use the beach in the summer due to the state of the beach, and I know a lot of people have witnessed people using the beach as an outhouse,” she instructed Simcoe.com in an e-mail. “The town doesn’t want a bad picture painted, which I totally understand, but this is happening everywhere.
“A lot of people are sharing their experiences and stories now that I have brought light to the situation.”
A video White posted on July 9 by which she acknowledged she doesn’t let her children dig within the sand at Seaside Space 1 due to human feces; that video has been considered greater than 500,000 instances, and a subsequent video greater than 770,000 views. As of July 23, her July 9 submit had been preferred greater than 30,000 instances, and had obtained greater than 1,800 feedback.
In 2020, the council below former mayor Nina Bifolchi launched a bylaw to ban tents and different four-sided shades to discourage folks from utilizing the sand on municipal property as a rest room. Nevertheless, that was after excessive water ranges pushed sand onto Seaside Drive, basically making the street the seashore, and the municipal guidelines didn’t apply to provincial park property.
In 2021, Ontario Parks dedicated to elevated enforcement, after Bifolchi wrote a letter to Premier Doug Ford elevating concern that sure actions happening on the seashore have been a public well being threat.
On the time, park superintendent John Fisher instructed Simcoe.com that whereas Ontario Parks was not contemplating a coverage or regulatory change on the usage of tent shelters on seashores, “we will continue to monitor the situation to determine if future changes are required.”
Ontario Parks has acknowledged Simcoe.com’s request for remark, however has not but responded to questions associated to White’s movies.
In his assertion, Smith famous there are a variety of public washrooms — ”in areas of excessive use and are very seen to the general public from the beachfront” — maintained by the city and Ontario Parks.
Smith added he inspired the province to take the same method to tents as had the city, and inspired residents and guests to contact Ontario Parks, Surroundings; Andrea Khanjin, minister of Conservation and Parks, or native MPP Brian Saunderson if they’ve issues about seashore operations or upkeep at Wasaga Seaside Provincial Park.
White mentioned her objective in posting the movies was to maintain the seashores as clear and as protected as doable, “especially for our kids.
“The beach has such potential to be a beautiful place, and this is not the town that is doing wrong,” she mentioned. “The town does a good job at cleaning up after everybody, but they should not have to put as much work in as they have been doing, the beach should be left the way people found it.
“It is people visiting and having no regard to pick up their trash, or not use the facilities instead of making their own toilets on the beach. It’s a biohazard.”
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