WASAGA BEACH, ONT. -- The town of Wasaga Beach is rolling up and storing away the welcome mat as it tries to reduce the number of visitors to the popular summer destination.
Visitors were instead faced with a Labyrinth of yellow tape, steel posts and fencing along roughly 800 metres of sandy beach, which closes to the public on Thursday.
After mobs of people took to the beach on Canada Day, the town's council decided to close the sand-covered portion of Beach Drive from 3rd Street to Spruce Street.
An email sent to CTV News on Wednesday stated, "Discussions about the long-term safe use of Beach Drive are happening at the staff level, but there is nothing to share publicly at this time."
The closure comes at the peak of the summer tourism season and has impacted many businesses in the commercial area.
Business owners, like Dean Prezio, Pedro's Gift Shop, are desperate to let the public know they are still open.
"Everything down here is open. The beach is open. Businesses are open. We are welcoming day-trippers and anyone who wants to come and visit us," Prezio said.
While a section of Beach Drive is closed, public washrooms, privately-owned parking, and beaches in the provincial park remain open in Wasaga Beach.
