Good Will Prevail

Two questions I am asked the most:

What will you do next year here?

Why post to just three groups most of the time?

Well, those are simple questions with slightly complicated answers.

In regard to which groups..… Just a couple of days ago, one of the Mayors biggest supporters accused me of blocking him from seeing all of my discussions. How preposterous. When I embarked on this important project, I did not desire long drawn out arguments with people who could best be described as antagonists. So, I decided I would post into three groups that Included; The Wasaga Chronicle, The Wasaga Beach Political forum and The Wasaga Beach Residents Association.

Well, primarily because I simply don’t have the time to debate those who object, simply to be rude or just to insult or demean others.

The “Political Forum” was the revised title of a group I started years ago when Brian Smith was trying to sell WDI. After we forced him to back down, I knew the group had a great collection of people who all had an interest in our local politics. So, the name was changed to “Political Forum” and the discussions continued.

A couple of years later, I made a mistake and turned the group setting to private. Facebook changed the rules which meant once I changed the group settings to “Private” settings, we could not switch back to “public”. So, why switch it to private in the first place? Well it was originally done to block certain rude users from participating. (More about them shortly.)

Next, there is the group “Wasaga Beach Residents Association”. Like many Facebook groups in Wasaga Beach, this was born out of a want to form a group for concerned residents, but to also do so, using an administration composition that would prohibit the many truly nasty posters (the ones I previously called “certain users”) from participating. Within days of Alan Clegg starting this Facebook group, the incorporated, “Wasaga Beach Ratepayers” group was started by Councilor Fay Ego and the latter has been tagged by some as an antagonistic attack group solely used to support Brian Smith. So, we had a community with a physical incorporated group who simply appeared to be a booster club for Brian Smith (and it continues today) We also had a Facebook group with a similar name, that appeared to want a certain standard of public scrutiny. Alan and Juliet continue to administer that group today and it remains a very well balanced group that shares many perspectives of complicated issues. So, I chose to post there. (Note: I made enquiries about joining the incorporated “Ratepayers” association, but was denied membership.)

Finally, the third group was the one I started last year simply called “Wasaga Chronicle”. This name was selected carefully. There were several people ready, willing and able who possibly wanted to one day start a true local newspaper. So the name was selected to accommodate that future option. The Wasaga Chronicle was started for two primary reasons. I wanted a group that was started as a “public” group and, would remain public, so that the important discussions hosted there could be “SEEN” by anyone.

The second reason I started this group was simply a primary host group to my daily posts. A blog, a page, a site or a group? In today’s social media environment, I simply thought being able to go to one place was important when seeking information.

So, why not just post in all Wasaga Beach Groups to maximize the spread of information? This one is simple… the “nasty” group of people I have discussed a few times now would just do what they have done for years and attack everything discussed with lies and hate. They would counter great information with outright lies and in many cases, there was nobody allowed to correct them. Unfortunately, people tend to believe the most bizarre of criticisms when they are personal insults. So avoiding these insults became a goal. Thus… stick with three groups most of the time.

These particular (nasty) people were initially welcome to join the Chronicle group, but they were on a short lead. Many got themselves booted out quickly. Their frustration at not being able to control the dialogue actually lead to one of their online leaders starting a copy cat group and calling it the “Wasaga Beach Chronicle”. Within their first week, their primary mandate appeared to simply be: post rebuttals to the discussions posted in the original group. It was hilarious, but there was no way they would be allowed to behave the way they did in my group, so like they have done many times before… they started their own groups. Through the years, these groups have even been labelled the “hate groups”.

I simply did not have the time to defend personal accusations of being a drug addict or other attacks, every time they felt threatened. So, I restricted my audience in most instances to just three well run groups.

Now, every once in a while I would post a particularly interesting story that I thought was important to share to a broader audience. So, I would post to the original “Wasaga Beach News and Commentary” group. This iconic group has a large number of members. More importantly, administrators of WBN&C have always had rules and despite not shutting down some fake or rude ID’s, they have always done a good job of trying to simply provide a neutral forum allowing debate from both sides. If however, someone overstepped human decency, they would boot them or delete the comment. They still do that today!

Another group I added to my “occasional” share was the group simply known as “Wasaga Beach”. My main reason for posting in there occasionally was to bring some of the worst Social Media keyboard warriors and online abusers to the surface. They never disappointed. This group was started and is administered by some of Brian Smiths closest supporters. They seemed to rely on one basic, spineless rule that ensures rude, obnoxious behaviour- If Facebook won’t remove a post for a breach of FB policy, neither will they. Some of the rudest of the rude hang out there BECAUSE they know they are untouchable.

Check out that group. Do a search using the word “discussion” in the group and just have a look. Look at the sheer number of insults, distractions or just plain rude attacks aimed at anyone supporting the discussion or opposing Council actions.

Look for the same discussion number in one of the other three groups and see the contrast in the quality of participation.

So, my advice… continue to follow “Wasaga Chronicle” as we tie up this all important “365 discussions” project and start year two. Leave groups that allow the toxic attacks with little or no control. WATCH THE QUALITY OF YOUR FB FEED IMPROVE!

Next year there will be exciting changes to the “Wasaga Chronicle” group.

Once the year gets underway, it will completely replace “Political Forum”. I will then post only in “Wasaga Chronicle” and “Wasaga Beach Residents Association”.

The second year of this project will focus on creating a unified voice in Wasaga Beach. It won’t be a voice dedicated to, or opposed to a “Main Street”, a “down town” or Beach Hotels”. There is enough of that debate already.

Those who follow and participate in the discussions will hopefully be unified in their desire for a clean, safe, affordable Wasaga Beach and many discussions will focus on harnessing the power of sharing, to get the complicated messages out. The truth is… most people JUST DONT KNOW what is happening politically in our community. That’s okay!

Let’s fix that in a non-threatening, inclusive environment.

This will be a year of growth. Invite friends and neighbours to start watching, then join in, then… start leading! We have an almost bottomless pool of resourceful people who have lived here all of their lives or who have CHOSEN this as their home and the wide variety of experiences we share is astounding.

At the time of writing this Wasaga Chronicle only has 425 registered group members, but the true reach of the information is much larger. We know this by the sheer number of people who are NOT on the members list who reach out to me weekly (emails, messages or personal visits) and say how much they appreciate the truth being shared. They follow every day!

THAT is the beauty of a public group. If you want to stay informed and you trust the source, you can read all you want and the “nasty’s” won’t reach out to attack you. Your name won’t even be on a group list. But your presence in the community with the knowledge you gain WILL be felt!

I have had business owners this year tell me they dare not comment publicly because they don’t want the Town or Brians team boycotting them or worse… targeting their business. This should sadden us all. Let’s eliminate this line dividing our town.

I have had neighbours and friends emphasize that they appreciate EVERY post, but won’t comment or hit “like”, because they know a particular member of their local service or social club will pounce on them at their next meeting.

It is a true shame that Brian Smith and his Online Support Team have created such a hostile online environment. It has extended to live gatherings where some people don’t even want to attend functions unless they know friends will attend with them. This feeling of insecurity needs to be replaced with a feeling of unity.

If you go back to the first few days of the “Wasaga Beach Chronicle” page (the copy cat group) you will find lists of names as the administrator of the group was busy congratulating himself on the number of people he could add. If you look at those names, you will find the most ardent, dedicated antagonists. They have no problem with name calling, lies, slander and just awful behaviour. Sadly, in that same group members list, you may also see neighbours and friends who simply didn’t want to say no after they were added, but truly want nothing to do with the nasty’s.

Watch in the new year and hopefully, those not interested in being associated with hate will simply move away from those groups.

At the same time, watch for the new crop of “Fake Identities” who will pop up to bolster the lies and hate perpetuated by the BS support gang. Some will be good fakes, but you will soon learn to simply “block” those who appear to be toxic and you will no longer endure the burden of reading their attacks. (I do not permanently block anyone except one particularly toxic individual who constantly attacks my disability. I blocked all 9 of his identities. )

I do hope however that the one thing that will happen in 2025 is that more good people will start to feel comfortable asking questions and commenting in the “Wasaga Chronicle” group.

Why do all of this? After all… it takes an incredible amount of time and dedication to continue these discussions despite personal threats and attacks. I will continue BECAUSE what “YOU THINK” is important to the future of our town. If we can nurture an environment where EVERYONE feels their voice is heard, then we have accomplished more than our council has even attempted.

I suspect that certain municipal real estate holdings will be in private hands by the end of this term REGARDLESS of deals that make sense for the public. These deals will be pushed through despite all public opposition. I honestly do not think we can stop that from happening. Our next Council will simply be forced to do the best they can with whatever is left.

My hope is that our Councils careless disregard for the fabric of our community (it’s people) will create an uprising that will not only toss them to the curb in 2026, but will also ensure that future elected officials will ALL have one thing in common… a level of RESPECT for all, regardless of political stripe!

If you think you may be one of those people who can make a difference in 2026, become engaged, speak out. Don’t let the voices of 60-80 loudmouths intimidate you into silence. (Block them if necessary) People in Wasaga Beach do actually see and hear what is really happening. Most just don’t want to comment, but their silence should not be mistaken for support.

Don’t let poorly administered Facebook groups provide a negative vibe with rude, obnoxious attacks. Insist that standards be set and maintained. If those standards are below you… just leave the groups.

THIS ADVICE APPLIES TO ALL GROUPS, especially those I administer. I actually routinely ask those on all sides of discussions to modify the way they say some things or even insist they remove or modify their posts.

Anyone taking on the responsibility of administering a public forum, needs to ensure they enforce a standard that reflects a certain level of community pride.

If you are contributing, try to do so in a way that is respectful to individuals, even if the issue is contentious. As administrators in any group, if you are tasked with judging the words or actions of others, don’t be afraid to stand on the side of “respect” even if it means alienating a certain element of “Nasty” people you know you will also encounter in real life.

Let’s make 2025, a year of unity for those truly wanting the best for our families.

That may mean making it a year of increased isolation for those wanting to simply attack those not conforming. But that’s okay, as it’s time for true change.

We have watched over the last 10-12 years as our community grew silent when anyone discussed the phrase, “The Truth Matters”.

Why? We SHOULD seek the truth. But when some organize to do a better job of lying than others do of telling the truth, then our perspectives get tainted.

So, let’s stop SEEKING the truth. Let’s stop asking people if they are concealing things from us! Let’s stop listening to “who” is telling us something and labelling it as truth or fallacy based on its author.

Instead…. Just listen carefully! Listen as well, to what is not being said, then just figure it all out on your own.

In 2025, let’s instead embrace one common phrase “GOOD WILL PREVAIL” and try to live to THAT standard regardless of what others do.

I will attempt to hit discussion 365 on day 365, but this is the busiest Christmas Season we have seen in years. I’m close!

Please watch “Wasaga Chronicle” in 2025 and invite your friends. My goal next year is to ensure everyone learns just a little bit more about Wasaga Beach.

I believe if we concentrate on our people as they truly are the fabric of our community…