OPP presence enhanced as unsanctioned car rally takes over Wasaga Beach streets
A heavy police presence remains in Wasaga Beach as hundreds converge on the town for an unsanctioned car rally Saturday.
The H20I car rally has brought large crowds, many from out of the area, to the popular beach town. In an effort to control the area, OPP closed down Main Street between River Road West and the Main Street Beach through most of the afternoon. It has since reopened.
OPP have increased the number of officers in the area throughout the weekend. As a result, 14 vehicles were towed off the roadways following various Highway Traffic Act offences on Friday. Also on Friday, 87 offence notices were issued, and six drivers were charged with stunt driving.
“Anyone who wants to come to our community and put our officers safety and the safety of our community at risk you will be held accountable," says OPP Constable Elizabeth Newton. “Anyone who is conducted of stunt driving, and even charged with stunt driving, will lose their license for a period of 30 days their vehicle will be towed for 7 and receive a maximum penalty of $10,000."
On Saturday 33 pepole were charged with various offences, including stunt driving. Seven vehicles were also towed.
Josh English came from Belleville for the rally. He wishes it had turned out differently.
“If we just had a nice car meet, down at the water just to show them that we can be peaceful if we want that would be a little better than this," English says.
Some local businesses were also frustrated.
“It sounds like you’re getting a message beside a drag race," says Stephanie Weaver, a massage therapist at Beachside Massage Therapy and Wellness Centre. "We know it’s going to happen and we can’t stop it."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.