Why does it always seem that Wasaga Beach is languishing? (not that that's true)

The one thing we keep doing over and over is to look what other communities "have" done. Then we try to emulate that!

This is not forward thinking and leads us into a "Game of Ketchup".

Growth has been phenomenal in Wasaga, but most of that has been controlled by what is know as "cheque book planning".

Wasaga Beach started out on the cutting edge over a hundred years ago, by moving from a resource based economy (lumber) to the infancy recreational tourism industry.

We need to get back on that cutting edge. If we are going to reinvent ourselves yet again, let's look to the newest ideas just moving out of their infancy.

This idea ;  

Degrowth: the Radical (Re)Action Needed to Avoid Total Economic and Environmental Collapse

• 07:00 - 20 December, 2018
 
• by Rory Stott  
• is one of those ideas.

"the concept of “degrowth,” a growing movement to overturn our economic assumptions and establish a managed contraction of our economies and resource consumption, with the eventual goal that society will become calmer, less focused on productivity, and more focused on quality of life. And, as they see it, the architects of this retooled society could be—well, architects."

The interview is a 10 minute read, but well worth it. You may gain some tools to help pollish your own ideas.

https://www.archdaily.com/905546/degrowth-the-radical-re-action-needed-to-avoid-total-economic-and-environmental-collapse?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ArchDaily%20List&kth=4,015,941

Canada's Tourism Vision - Canada's Tourism Vision

I hope Wasaga Beach keeps it's vision to the future. All signs lead towards a long and fruitful economy rising with a growing world wide tourism movement.

Are we aligning ourselves with Provincial and Federal initiative?
Have a read! ;

Canada's Tourism Vision - Canada's Tourism Vision

I was disappointed this year that I did not see any fireflies. I worry that in an attempt to "urbanize" our population, we are creating an "industrialization" of our rural lands. Whether it's large scale factory farming or resource extraction, we have been killing things at an alarming rate with out practices and insatiable wants. 
Everyone recognizes  the loss of our larger more obvious, furry or cute creatures, but the loss of worms, bugs, flying insects, crawly things and even lowly microbes, by the ton, is ten times greater. Those little creatures are the basis for the whole system.

Here in Wasaga Beach, there is a push for more intensive urbanization, improved infrastructure like concrete curbs, sidewalk and buried storm sewers.
This all takes a lot of concrete and aggregate. I took part in the fight against the "mega quarry" just south of us a few years back.
I look at the legislation that pushes and promotes urbanization, only to read, hidden in the middle, that most of the so called protection of our environment is really little more than protection for the "right of extraction" on our all ready overused natural resources.

An excerpt from the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement
2.3.6 Non-Agricultural Uses in Prime Agricultural Areas 2.3.6.1 Planning authorities may only permit non-agricultural uses in prime agricultural areas for: a) extraction of minerals, petroleum resources and mineral aggregate resources, in accordance with policies 2.4 and 2.5; or PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT 26 b) limited non-residential uses, provided that all of the following are demonstrated: 1. the land does not comprise a specialty crop area; 2. the proposed use complies with the minimum distance separation formulae; 3. there is an identified need within the planning horizon provided for in policy 1.1.2 for additional land to be designated to accommodate the proposed use; and 4. alternative locations have been evaluated, and i. there are no reasonable alternative locations which avoid prime agricultural areas; and ii. there are no reasonable alternative locations in prime agricultural areas with lower priority agricultural lands. 2.3.6.2 Impacts from any new or expanding non-agricultural uses on surrounding agricultural operations and lands are to be mitigated to the extent feasible.
2.5.2 Protection of Long-Term Resource Supply 2.5.2.1 As much of the mineral aggregate resources as is realistically possible shall be made available as close to markets as possible. Demonstration of need for mineral aggregate resources, including any type of supply/demand analysis, shall not be required, notwithstanding the availability, designation or licensing for extraction of mineral aggregate resources locally or elsewhere.

When you read the whole thing, it pretty well leaves it up to the discretion of the Corporation, doing the extraction as to what is reasonable and feasible.

The older style family farm or large lot suburban and rural communities, actual did sustain a much greater diversity of wild life, including those tiny creatures. There was no vast mono-culture, that striped the land of almost everything. People are creatures, living things and part of nature. We belong to the land. When we understand and respect that, then we are also the best stewards of the land.

While we 'chew' on those thoughts here are a couple of articles well worth having a good look at!

How the Growth of Monoculture Crops Is Destroying our Planet and Still Leaving us Hungry

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/monoculture-crops-environment/

Half of Canada's wildlife species are in decline, WWF finds

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/wwf-living-planet-index-1.4288173