PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I welcome you to our town, where we are committed to peace, performance, and prosperity through promoting our town’s future and our past.

Though Wasaga Beach is a growing town of more than 20,000 people, there are many reasons we attract over a million visitors annually from all parts of the globe — convenience for starters. Wasaga Beach is located only 2 hours north of Toronto, 45 minutes from Barrie, and a short half hour drive from the Village of Blue Mountains. In Wasaga Beach, we pride ourselves on our 14 kms of freshwater beach and our old-fashioned Canadian Hospitality: being able to provide the numerous visitors to our area with top quality products and services — along with laid-back beach and river side living — at a fair cost.

Great schools, miles of trails, Nottawasaga River and beach frontage, farmers’ markets featuring local vendors, parks with playgrounds, good roads, safe neighbourhoods and caring people.  These are a few of my favourite things about Wasaga Beach.

Wasaga Beach is decidedly pro-business, spurring an incredible amount of development over the years, including the Stonebridge Town Centre, dozens of dining venues, accommodation, and recently a new Starbucks and St. Louis Bar & Grill.  Yet we retain a small-town feeling, evidenced by events such as Snowman Mania Festival along with Winter chilli cook-off, Jazz in the Park, a Canada Day 1st of July concert and firework display that brings thousands of people together to celebrate, a holiday tree-lighting ceremony, a December holiday parade and various community theatre and talent shows throughout the year.  This is just a small sample of such events!

Our Chamber of Commerce and businesses sponsor events such as Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues Festival, Dinner & A Movie, Night at the Museum, Wasaga Summer Midway, and Truck Rally. Locals and visitors enjoy many nights of music at the Main Street Market Beach Bar with a live band, karaoke and our very own beverages, Beach One Cerveza crafted by Wasaga Beach Brewing Company.

We’ve built a close relationship with our public schools and provide a dynamic summer recreation program drawing hundreds of participants, as well as a community education program that offers dozens of classes.  The Probus Club, RecPlex, Sports Park, and Youth Centre provide places dedicated to enhancing the lives of seniors, families, and youth alike.

The Wasaga Beach Library is one of the busiest of the Simcoe Library system and is a gathering place offering activities such as Summer family night programs, a time with Snowman in the Winter and dozens of other programs all year long.

We enjoy this quality of life while having the lowest tax rate of all the towns in the Southern Georgian Bay region.  Our town employees are careful with taxpayer funds. Whether you’re looking for a place to visit, live or build a business, know that you are welcome in Wasaga Beach! Please come spend time with us and get to know our people.  We are constantly striving to improve our services, recruit new businesses for our expanding commercial corridor.  We welcome new ideas, and families to share in the exciting things that are available in our town.  We want you to feel welcome the minute you come to our community.  Wasaga Beach provides you with a community spirit and safe neighbourhoods.

All that we have done and all that we are working towards makes Wasaga Beach an exciting place for you to visit and live. Come!

Colleen Bannerman
President Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce