Wasaga Beach mayor seeks provincial support for redevelopment plans

Photo is supplied by the Town at Queen’s Park.

The Town of Wasaga Beach hopes its latest talks with the Ford government will help to gain traction on its plan to redevelop its beach.

A delegation from the Town met with officials at Queen's Park on Thursday for a series of discussions surrounding its plans to make Wasaga Beach a year-round destination.

"They (the province) understand what we're looking for now and we'll wait to hear back from them," said Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith. "But it's been a very positive day."

Earlier this summer, the municipality called on the province to place Wasaga Beach and Nancy Island under the portfolio of the Ministry of Tourism.

Currently, the park is managed by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.

While turning a bustling summer destination known for its freshwater beach into a year-round destination can be challenging, the mayor said he believes having the park managed by the Ministry of Tourism could hold the key.

"At one point, Wasaga Beach was the snowmobile capital in Ontario so it was a winter playground as well," Smith added. "It's about festivals, it's about events in the winter time, it's about possibly an outdoor skating track that is maintained and you know, I could see food trucks and other things happening along the way."

Part of the town's request is for the creation of a provincial task force to be immediately struck to review all provincial landholdings within Wasaga Beach and determine which lands should be transferred out of the Ministry of the Environment portfolio and put into either the Ministry of Tourism,  Infrastructure Ontario, or the Town’s portfolios before the end of March.

The Town estimates that millions of dollars of fully-serviced provincial land parcels have been sitting vacant and underutilized, not contributing anything to the provincial or municipal tax base for over 50 years.

CTV News’ request for comment from the Ford government was not returned.