April 15, 2019

Dear Members of the WBA and Friends of the WBA:

It’s an exciting time with so much going on in town and spring finally here.  We have all been busy and have much to report.  Here is a summary of what the WBA is working on:

NEXT WBA MEETING:  We are organizing a business forum for the members of the WBA and friends of the WBA.  Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Date:                Thursday, May 2, 2019
Time:               6:30 PM Doors open 7 PM Start
Location:         Marlwood Golf Club
                        31 Marlwood Ave, Wasaga Beach, ON L9Z 1S8

We are now finalizing the guest speakers and we are certain it will be an informative and interesting evening.  More exciting details will follow shortly.

Invitation to the Mayor and Council

As most are aware, we had extended an invitation to the Mayor Bifolchi and the Council to use a forum to open up some much-desired dialogue with regards to the business climate in Wasaga Beach.  It is unfortunate that Mayor Bifolchi had declined in an e-mail reply to the WBA with some concern from our last meeting in March suggesting that we create a code of conduct to avoid the encouragement for “pitchforks and hatchets” at our meetings.  Mayor Bifolchi also expressed that “In addition to the many, and open to the public meetings Council has had, we have also been very forthcoming, open and transparent with information through several media releases and Q and A’s. There will be appropriate times for Council to receive input from the public on many matters. In the meantime, please keep up to date by visiting our website or attending meetings. www.wasagabeach.com” ….so perhaps we should just go away until they are ready for us?  We think not, we want to be an integral part of the plan.

The Mayor also went on to recommend that after our organization of business owners establish ourselves “appropriately”, she recommends that we follow the process to be a delegation to Coordinated Committee to share our views in an appropriate manner.  She looks forward to it too.

It has been more then 16 years that the WBA (WBBA) has been meeting regularly with previous mayors and councils, CAOs, Event Coordinators, EDOs, By-law, OPP, Ministry, Provincial Park officials and Park Wardens.  We have established our organization over the years and have had a voice in this community.  Today we are moving to be a stronger voice and with the support of our many new members and associate members (friends of WBA), our membership will be difficult to disregard.  It is in this spirit that we continue on with our goal to share our views, concerns and ideas with regards to our town’s business climate. 

We are pleased with our decision in going ahead with the Business Forum without Council representation and will be extending an invitation to the Mayor and Council for our revised forum on May 2 and we hope they will make it out to join us.  SAVE THE DATE:  No doubt some of you will have heard that Councilor Joe Belanger has been sanctioned by the Integrity Commissioner (complaints put in by both Nina Bifolchi and George Vadeboncoeur) for speaking up those issues which are concerning to many in Wasaga Beach.  Councilor Joe Belanger needs our support at the Committee of the Whole Meeting which is being held Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 1:00 PM in the classroom.  We hear that The Mayor is going to use this COW meeting as an opportunity for an attack against Councilor Belanger.  We are asking as many business people, as well as the friends of the WBA to be at the meeting.

INCORPORATION OF THE WBA: We are pleased to announce the following interim board until we have an official vote later this year.

President:             Gloria Shaw
Vice President
& Treasurer:         Shirley Beere
Secretary:             Bruce Roberts
Director:                Jamie Anderson
Director:                Xan Lazaridis
Director:                Patrice Mccammon
 
Interested in getting more involved? Please contact us.   
 
READ THE BEACH BOOSTER: If you have not had a chance to read the latest issue of the Beach Booster, please do.  It’s excellent as it highlights a number of things that are going on at Council that everyone in this town should be aware of including a 2014 Site Plan Agreement that was just executed by Mayor Bifolchi for the DAS property on Lyons Court.  This 2014 Agreement was signed on March 8, 2019 – the day after the last large WBA meeting held.  There are a number of changes to the Plan which were initialed by the parties in 2019 and the 5-year-old plan was then put into place.  You may say – why the hurry?  Well since this 5-year-old Agreement is now in place, it can be adjusted WITHOUT PUBLIC INPUT at the stroke of Ms. Bifolchi’s pen.  https://cloud.3dissue.com/174964/175333/204664/bB166/index.html?r=96#

OTHER ITEMS OF CONCERN:

**The plan to sell off the beachfront in small parcels.  Those leasing business space at the beachfront have been given their notice that their leases will not be renewed after 2020.  This council has not developed a plan for the construction to take place at beachfront and since everyone has been given their notice, it would appear that tourism will be negatively affected while a group of as yet unknown developers decide what the best use of the jewel of our town will be.  This appears to be a huge step backwards as this was the situation that we were in for years with the Town being held hostage by beachfront developers.

**The Council’s change from PRESCRIPTIVE to FLEXIBLE development for the beachfront area thus allowing developers to tell council what they want to develop instead of Council having a plan and telling developers what is acceptable to the Town.

**The closing of the Main Street Market at the end of 2019 – with no plan to replace it.

**Joe Belanger’s motion for an Economic Impact Study for Wasaga Beach which did not even receive a seconder at council.

**The Master Plan which has been re-opened, changed and closed again without public consultation.

**The DAS property on Lyons Court (site of the casino) which has been given council authorization to clear cut the property (using a pre-2014 tree cutting by-law instead of the current tree cutting by-law developed in 2017).  The NVCA, who oversees this land, has said they are unaware of the Casino announcement and that they have not issued permits for the clear cutting.  The study of the wild life currently occupying the property is more than 5 years old.

**Xan is working on a Code of Conduct for members of the WBA
 
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