Ontario town calls on Ford to clean up poop on beach saga: ‘It’s high time’

The estimation of a celebrated Ontario formation town is being “gravely harmed” by what its politician says are misleading societal media posts claiming group are pooping successful nan sand.

Town of Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith is calling connected Ontario Premier Doug Ford to cleanable up nan mess, which began past period aft 1 TikTok personification went viral for posting a video claiming it has been an ongoing rumor for years.

“The estimation of nan Town of Wasaga Beach is being gravely harmed owed to concerns from citizens and visitors regarding nan value of attraction and deficiency thereof of nan Wasaga Beach Provincial Park,” Smith said during a typical assembly gathering connected Monday.

“The level of vexation for maine is that this is our community, and it’s an astonishing community. … When location are beaches closed each complete nan spot crossed this province, successful this country, Wasaga Beach is still unfastened — and safe and clean.”

Smith released a lengthy connection past month denouncing nan posts arsenic “complaints that deficiency grounds and beforehand misinformation.”

“The municipality has received nary grounds — from residents, visitors aliases nan Ontario authorities — to verify that immoderate undesirable, unsanitary behaviour has occurred connected nan formation areas that dress up Wasaga Beach Provincial Park,” he said.

“If immoderate grounds comes to light, I guarantee you that we will beryllium speedy to act.”

His connection didn’t beryllium good pinch some, arsenic respective comments connected Facebook groups for Wasaga Beach continued to reiterate nan rumours soon afterwards.

The TikTok personification who vent viral, Natty Lynn, claimed successful her July 9 video that defecation astatine Wasaga Beach Provincial Park has been an ongoing rumor for years, and that group are mounting up mini tents and digging holes to usage arsenic washrooms.

In that video, she said she doesn’t fto her kids excavation successful nan soil connected Beach 1.

“The politician can’t contradict each of america having experiences,” Lynn, who requested to spell by her societal media username, told Global News successful an email past month.

“If you spell done my societal media comments, you will spot group speaking astir this happening astatine almost each formation crossed Ontario, crossed Canada. This is not a caller issue.”

While Ontario’s environment, conservation and parks ministry is responsible for Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, successful conjunction pinch Ontario Parks, municipality officials opportunity they’ve been base nan brunt of complaints.

“A batch of nan societal media attraction and negativity … has been directed and misdirected towards nan municipality and nan group of Wasaga Beach, saying that nan activity present and nan group are doing nothing,” said Coun. Richard White astatine Monday’s meeting.

“It is nan province’s work to negociate that provincial park, and we’re opinionated up coming saying that we request immoderate amended attention.”

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A spokesperson for nan situation ministry told Global News past period Wasaga Beach Provincial Park unit “have not observed this behaviour during their regular patrols of nan beachfront aliases successful consequence to immoderate complaints.”

Another ministry spokesperson said that unit person “occasionally received complaints astir defecation aliases urination connected beaches since 2020, nevertheless nary circumstantial grounds of these allegations has been found.”

In consequence to Global News inquiring if nationalist defecation aliases urination connected nan soil has ever been an rumor connected Wasaga Beach’s beaches since 2020, a municipality spokesperson said “no.”

During Monday’s meeting, Smith moved a mobility seeking a gathering pinch Ford and respective ministers, arsenic good arsenic his government’s thief successful establishing provincial rules banning tents connected nan beach, mirroring its ain norm prohibiting those impermanent structures connected town-owned waterfront lands.

Smith’s mobility besides called connected nan state to amended put successful Wasaga Beach Provincial Park for improvements to garbage postulation and building repairs. He besides wants much provincial parkland wardens to enforce rules and regulations, and stricter fines for group caught violating those rules.

“I mean this pinch each owed respect to nan province, because I cognize nan challenges we look astatine nan section level and I cognize nan challenges nan state faces … but it’s precocious clip that nan state steps up,” he said.

“They created this provincial parkland to beryllium a playground and a recreational parkland for this state (and) this country. When they did so, it was an absolute beautiful, pristine parkland — and it has been near to decay ever since.”

Smith’s mobility passed unanimously. The premier’s agency did not return Global News’ petition for remark by publication time.

— pinch files from Jacquelyn LeBel