According to the group, about 60% of the shoreline<\/a> would be removed from Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.<\/p>\n Gray noted how unusual it is for a government to be reducing the extent of environmentally protected lands. He added that Canada has a goal of ensuring 30% of all its lands and waters are under some environmental protection by 2030, as a result of signing on to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework<\/a> along with 195 other countries in 2022.<\/p>\n The land proposed to be removed from the park is set to be transferred to the Town of Wasaga Beach, whose past attitude towards conservation efforts, according to Gray, is cause for concern.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven their previous hostility and desire to mechanically rake the beach, to destroy habitats, we can only imagine that once the land is theirs and no longer protected in the park, that they\u2019ll make short work of it,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have expressed opposition to it being protected when they didn\u2019t even own it.\u201d<\/p>\n Gray also noted that although it\u2019s not clear exactly what\u2019s going to happen to the land, the local wildlife and environment would be put at risk.<\/p>\n The piping plover<\/a> is an endangered species that resides in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, and its habitat is part of the land to be removed under this proposal.<\/p>\n Gray also noted the ecological importance of the sand dunes and shoreline habitat in the park, which on top of being unique to the area, play an important role in flood mitigation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you get those big storms coming down Georgian Bay, spring, fall, winter, the dunes actually act as a barrier to, you know, waves pounding into the town itself for wind and sand and other things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n An excerpt from a map posted to Ontario\u2019s Environmental Registry, with the areas shaded in yellow being proposed for removal from Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, while the portions in green would remain. (Ontario Parks \/ Environmental Registry of Ontario)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of a natural protective barrier that builds up along a natural beach, and so if they\u2019re removed or replaced with parking lots, that\u2019s going to change the dynamic there as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n This proposed change to the provincial park is paired with a $38 million investment from the province to increase tourism in Wasaga Beach, which the Ford government has dubbed \u201cDestination Wasaga.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n According to government data<\/a>, Wasaga Beach was the most visited provincial park in three of the last four years for which figures are available.<\/p>\n Although Ford\u2019s government has a majority at Queen\u2019s Park, Gray says that anyone opposed to the park having 60% of its beachfront removed needs to get involved.<\/p>\n \u201cI think on this particular issue, it\u2019s going to require the scale of mobilization necessary to make the MPPs, in particular government MPPs, recognize that this isn\u2019t going to be accepted by their constituents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that opposition MPPs will also need to be contacted by their constituents so this issue is brought up at Queen\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill will have to come to the legislature, it will have to be voted on,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will have to go to committee, and the more eyes that are on it and the more attention that\u2019s paid to it, then the greater chance we have of ensuring that both the attack on Wasaga doesn\u2019t go ahead, but also the broader attack on the provincial park system is halted.\u201d<\/p>\n The Town of Wasaga Beach, the premier\u2019s office and Simcoe\u2013Grey MPP Brian Saunderson<\/a> did not respond to questions from PressProgress.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Wasaga-Beach-proposed-removals-map.jpg\")
<\/p>\n