Not long ago, a resident posted a video on social media that drew attention and discussion about someone defecating on a famous beach in Ontario.
The mayor of the local town retorted, saying that the town's reputation was being "seriously damaged". He also called on Governor Ford to intervene.
Source: ontarioparks.ca
According to globalnews, Ontario Town of Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith recently called on Premier Ford to pick up the pieces.
Last month, a TikTok user posted a video of someone defecating on the beach, claiming that it was an issue that had been an issue for years. The video later went viral.
"The reputation of the Town of Wasaga Beach is being severely damaged due to concerns from citizens and visitors about the quality and lack of care at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park," Smith said at a special council meeting on Monday. ”
"What frustrates me is that this is our community, and it's an amazing community. …… While the province, the country, is closing beaches everywhere, Wasaga Beach is still open – and it's safe and clean.
City Councillor: "Managing beach parks is the responsibility of the Ontario government"
In response to the issues identified in the video, Smith issued a lengthy statement last month denouncing the posts as "complaints of lack of evidence and spreading misinformation."
"The town has not received any evidence — whether from residents, tourists or the Ontario government — to confirm that any undesirable, unsanitary behavior has occurred in all of the beach areas of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park," he said.
"If any evidence comes to light, I assure you that we will act quickly."
However, the mayor's statement upset some, as several comments on the Facebook group continued to reiterate the matter shortly after.
TikTok user Natty Lynn, who posted the video, claimed in a July 9 video that Wasaga Beach Provincial Park had had defecation problems for years, and people were setting up small tents and digging holes to use as restrooms. In that video, she said she had stopped her children from digging sand at Beach 1.
"The mayor can't deny that we've all had this experience," Lynn said in an email last month asking to use her social media username.
"If you look at my social media comments, you'll see a lot of people saying that this kind of thing happens in almost every beach in Ontario, all over Canada. This is not a new problem. ”
图源；globalnews
While Ontario's Department of Environment, Conservation and Parks shares the Ontario Parks Department with the Ontario Parks Department for the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, officials in the town say they have been bearing the brunt of complaints.
"A lot of social media attention and negativity...... All were misled and misled to the town of Wasaga Beach and its residents that the leaders and the people here were doing nothing," said Richard White, the town's councillor, at Monday's meeting.
"It is the responsibility of the provincial government to manage this provincial park, and we are standing up today to say that we need more attention."
市长喊话：福特要介入“是时候了（it's high time）”
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said last month that Wasaga Beach Provincial Park staff "did not detect such behavior during regular patrols of the waterfront or in response to any complaints." ”
Another Environment Agency spokesperson said staff "have received occasional complaints about defecation or urination on the beach since 2020, but no concrete evidence has been found for these allegations." ”
When asked whether public defecation or urination on the beach has ever been a beach for Wasaga Beach since 2020, a spokesperson for the town said "no".
At Monday's meeting, Mayor Smith filed a motion to meet with Ford and several department chiefs and ask the provincial government to help create a provincial rule prohibiting tents on the beach, the same rule that the province prohibits the construction of temporary structures on town-owned beach land.
Smith's motion also calls on the Ontario government to better invest in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park to improve waste collection and building repairs. He also wants more provincial park rangers to enforce rules and regulations and harsher fines for those who break them.
"I have all the respect for the provincial government because I know the challenges we face at the local level and I know the challenges that the provincial government faces...... But now is the time for the provincial government to act," he said.
"They built this provincial park to be a playground and recreation park for this province (and) this country. When they do, it's a very beautiful, pristine park. ”
Smith's motion was unanimously passed by the town's City Council. As of press time, the governor's office has not responded to this matter.