wasaga beach

Town of Wasaga blasts visitors for leaving beach looking like a landfill this weekend

People in Ontario have been in lockdown for so long that they've forgotten how to act, if the state of the province's parks and beaches lately is any indication.

Between leaving a whole bunch of detritus scattered around after some partying at Trinity Bellwoods or relieving themselves on people's properties in the area, people have not been the most respectful guests when visiting our outdoor public spaces.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, Wasaga Beach was no different this past weekend.

While some in the GTA waited in three-hour lineups for a water taxi to the overcrowded Toronto Islands and others decided to host a full-on rave in the city's Riverdale Park, there were those that made the hour-and-45-minute trip up to one of the province's few legitimate beaches to enjoy the summer weather on Georgian Bay.

The scene was, by all accounts, absolutely packed, with hundreds of beachgoers apparently flouting any and all social distancing, gathering and other COVID-19 protocols, littering with no care and more.

Photos posted to social media on Sunday morning show the chaos that was left behind, with garbage of all types strewn across the sand, grass and nearby sidewalks.

wasaga beachWasaga Beach mayor Nina Bifolchi called the behaviour of those who flocked to the beach over the weekend "appalling," noting a "significant influx of visitors, resulting in violations of COVID-19 public health regulations, blatant littering and several incidents of illegal parking."

"Residents are angry, and rightly so. Our town was not alone as several other waterfront communities across Ontario experienced similar alarming activity," she continued in a formal statement on the issue released Monday.

"Behaviour that leaves certain parts of our community looking like a landfill, behaviour that is disruptive to our residents, and behaviour that puts public health at risk is simply not acceptable. Our community is known as a summer playground, and we like to welcome visitors, but people must do better — show some respect and follow the rules.”

The waterfront area is quite notably part of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, and thus under enforcement by the province.

Hopefully if the shame of this weekend's shenanigans doesn't inspire guests to be more responsible human beings, ramped up enforcement from the Ontario Provincial Police — which Bifolchi is calling for — will.

Lead photo by

Ryan Siig in the Wasaga Beach News & Commentary Group


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