Robert Bortlisz — Wasaga Beach councillor
I'm re posting this because you now need a Torstar account to access our local stories on Simcoe.com.
I grew up spending a lot of time in the beach. My parents moved and then retired here as did I.
The sandy shores and natural beauty drew people just like you and I here. We brought our energy, skills, expertise and slowly but surely built businesses, tourist attractions, cottages and homes. We grew into a town.
Together we built a good community. Some years were better than others. We moved forward, often named as one of the fasted growing towns.
But in the last 20 years a
number of self interest groups came here telling us "we’re doing it all
wrong." They come with outside experts (that often we have paid for) to
convince us of this. They talk of Monaco and Miami Beach. They wanted you to
sell your hydro.
They
promise “big change.” They do not value your expertise and experience.
If we
want to move forward then we have to get back to being a fun, friendly, relaxed
community, where you can raise a family, do business or retire, have a garden
and enjoy the natural amenities.
We need
to stay diverse, open to all cultures, income levels and remain an affordable
town where young people can find a good start in life.
We need
to make it easier to start or operate a business to create jobs and wealth. We
need to get the best value of services for our tax dollars. We need to start
thinking like a small tourist town again, not a big city!
I
believe if ‘we’ do things wisely, issues like a high school, better medical
access, parks and recreational facilities can be tackled, improved and
resolved. Prudent financial planning has worked for us in the past. Prudent
financial planning will take us where we want to be in our future.
I look
for your support.
Let’s
move forward in the right direction.
Thank
you.
https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/8849435-robert-bortlisz-wasaga-beach-councillor/#.W4RKRrC8mHI.facebook
A good post, Robert. I've heard many times that you can't go back, and Wasaga Beach can't go back to what it was in different times. What's important is that we look to the future, and the future will only be good if we all embrace a culture that values and protects our natural gifts; of which we have so many. This means considering the environment in all decisions; including plans to build condos on the beach. And we all know that condos is a great way to bring beauty to any environment. Look at the gardens that almost offset all the concrete in the new condos at the lakefront in Collingwood. The builders must have consulted environmentalists before they planted the gardens there. One of the questions must have been,, "Do petunias count as trees? Maybe they only got one question.
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