Wasaga Beach Discussion 210 of 365; Wasaga Smoke and Mirror Announcements In March of 2024, Wasaga Beach Council voted unanimously to allow the CAO to look into either building a new town hall or another option, which was to have a developer build one on Main Street and lease it to us. (Wouldn’t THAT be a sweet deal?) [...]

Wasaga Beach Discussion 209 of 365; Unity- Imagine Entire neighbourhoods are showing up at a public meetings to plead with Council to approve or deny certain planning actions. They often leave after their issue is discussed. Then the next group stays… the crowds now are smaller. In most cases it is to oppose a new development that either [...]

Wasaga Beach Discussion 208 of 365; Our Financial Position. In recent weeks we have had several discussions that I hoped would prepare people to better understand the upcoming municipal budget. The Province should come out with a standard reporting format that is used every year by every municipality. That way one Council can’t report your tax increases in [...]

Wasaga Beach Discussion 206 of 365; Wasaga Beach Municipal Finance Here is another discussion to help everyone understand the unique realm of municipal finance. Today a separate focus as we discuss reserves and how they are used. Reserves: As we head into the upcoming budget, it will be more important for Wasaga Beach tax payers than ever for [...]

Wasaga Beach Discussion 205 of 365; Wasaga Beach Beachfront Evictions A couple of blockbuster news items this week…. If you have been waiting for something concrete before talking with your neighbours…. Start talking! (Read to the end, or read the attachment to learn of the disposition of the old Wasaga Stars Arena.) First of all, credit where credit [...]

Wasaga Council sells off assets. Regarding the sale of the former arena site, currently pegged (with no bidders) at $5.5 million. This is just one of many properties held by the town originally slated for things like parkets and road widening etc. that the town would get around to one day. here is a direct quote from CAO trainee [...]

Wasaga Beach is an open toilet This is how the headlines are currently reading and dozens of YouTube videos surface about the issue of what are claimed as mainly East Indians defecting on the beach and not using the available toilets. https://youtu.be/KY3abQmciHk?si=l_vPeTzMI8Owy628 The real issue frankly isn’t necessarily the instances of public defecation. nor even whether there needs to [...]

Wasaga Beach Discussion 204 of 365; Selling off Wasaga Beach municipal properties On a mid summer Monday, our Council has decided to call a “special” Council meeting. I have repeated this so much lately, it’s sounding like a broken record…. Please read the entire agenda. Ok, skip over a couple of the new development public meetings if you [...]

Wasaga Beach Discussion 203 of 365; Wasaga Beach Sign Bylaw There is a reason people and business owners do not want to speak out against political decisions. Please read to the end. It’s a long one. I constantly hear people say that they fear commenting on social media, or writing to Council because they fear being attacked or [...]

Discussion 202 of 365; Wasaga Beach Pay attention, this post may seem trivial to some but it has the potential to eventually affect every resident and visitor to Wasaga Beach. These visitors come for one thing… the beach. Imagine for a moment, if slowly all of the access points owned by the Town or the Province were sold [...]

Discussion 200 of 365; 200… These discussion posts do take time to prepare. For me, it is time well spent. I care about our community. I watch as many Council and Committee meetings as I can and doing so has led me to a few important observations. First of all, I think it is just as important to [...]

Discussion 199 of 365; Budget talks. The other day we discussed our tax levy. There are so many parts to an Ontario Municipal budget to understand. Today let’s talk about the fact that all budgets in municipalities in Ontario need to be balanced budgets. By this, it means that the total income and total expenditures should be about [...]

Discussion 198 of 365; It’s your Budget Council… STOP blaming others for your spending and waste! One of the many lies that helped get this Council elected was the ongoing complaint regarding the funding of the Twin Pad Arena we all now enjoy. discussing who was to blame for the mistake During the election in 2022, [...]

Discussion 197 of 365; A new school year in Wasaga Beach Eight weeks from now, hundreds of Wasaga Beach School children will be in their classes working towards their next grade. For most, that first day back in school is exciting. For some it can be downright scary. This year there will be some that get to attend [...]

Discussion 196 of 365; April cheque register now public... in late July A big pat on the back to those who publicly push for these things. Open and Transparent shouldn’t be a problem, right Brian? Public pressure has prevailed and the town has finally released the April cheque register. This truly is the Council governed by FaceBook. I [...]

Discussion 195 of 365; Roller Skating Empty Promises When I was a teenager in the 1970’s, roller skating had experienced a revival of sorts. In London Ontario, there were a couple of abandoned Wharehouses or grocery stores that were converted into large arena setups with disco balls and massive sound systems. It was similar to going bowling because [...]

Discussion 194 of 365; Budget Talks …. Understanding our Budgets one piece at a time. First of all, I want to keep this one fairly short. I want to do a collection of “Budget Talks” that help everyone to understand Municipal Finance. I have sat on various boards as a director (and as a treasurer) where millions of [...]

Discussion 193 of 365; Missing Cheque Registers in Wasaga Beach Cheque Registers used to be approved during a Council meeting. The cheque register, being part of the agenda, became public the day the agendas became public. This was not always a comfortable moment for those elected officials that would be criticized almost immediately for some of the spending. [...]

Discussion 190 of 365; Fake Identities. I understand some using them because of threats etc.. What I cannot tolerate are ones who create their Fake Identities just to be rude. Spreading lies with no accountability is one of the most cowardly things possible. Meta does have a reporting method and I have done that this evening, but recently [...]

Discussion 189 of 365; Zero discussion, Zero input - Wasaga council budget So, the meeting of Council yesterday was filled with gems. I will get into a few of the specifics later. But I want to make sure everyone understands what a “consent agenda” item is. When Council has several pieces of business they want to pass, without [...]

Discussion 188 of 365; Wasaga tax increases Well for me, these are the easy discussion posts to prepare. Our “open and Transparent” Council is meeting again this week. Have a quick read. This one is only 137 pages. Definitely a few things to pay attention to. Un-budgeted wage increases will just come out of reserves. No problem, previous [...]

Discussion 187 of 365; Jobs in Wasaga Beach Let’s lighten it up a little. Jobs Jobs Jobs. Guess what… another COSTCO update! Soon people will be talking about jobs in Wasaga Beach. The big wigs from COSTCO are aparently coming to town this week. The other part of what I heard was they would be signing, but no [...]

Discussion 186 of 365; Wasaga Beach, when greed and opportunity collide Over the last few days I have discussed a few different issues. Although I know Council will not likely listen, these are important issues that I feel our Council should re-focus on. The needs and wants of our citizens have to be put above the needs and [...]

Discussion 185 of 365; Using Wasaga residential taxes to support tourism businesses Yesterday we discussed the misguided concept our Council is undertaking to focus the majority of our resources towards Tourism. I said I hoped to discuss the wasteful ways our taxes are being thrown around to promote and support an area that should instead be supported using [...]

Discussion 184 of 365; Tourism is our only industry! Really? Our CAO and our Mayor, as well as several on Council have been known to say, “tourism is our only industry”. I have always disagreed with this statement. Sure some of those who still live in the 60’s and 70’s may feel that way. Actually, in the 60’s [...]

Discussion 183 of 365; NORM! George Wendt is the actor that played Norm Peterson in the 1980’s Comedy Sitcom “Cheers”. Who remembers what happened every time Norm Petterson entered the bar? Yep, thats right, every one on set yelled out… “NORM”! I call it the Norm Syndrome. Why discuss this here? Well quite simply, it is my opinion [...]

Discussion 182 of 365; Mayor refuses to admit Costco Well I find myself wondering what possible surprises will be on this week’s upcoming Council Meeting. Honestly, I have heard there will be some more incredible decisions, but let’s wait for the agenda to come out before we start to presume certain things. What is it with our Mayor [...]

Discussion 181 of 365; Secrets & Lies Well, the discussion numbers are not quite at half way, but the year certainly is. As we start the second half of 2024 I am more determined than ever to post a discussion a day in hopes to get everyday people to pay attention to politics in Wasaga Beach. I care [...]

Discussion 180 of 365; Happy Canada Day! Well Happy Canada Day. For those of you able to get to Beach One tonight, enjoy the free concert. For those unable to get there, maybe some will post videos. The Beach Cam has been down for a few days now. Oh well. For those of you who cannot get through the [...]

Discussion 179 of 365; Wasaga is the new Sarasota? Today, let’s go back to the FRAM public meeting where they unveiled the Beach One plan… During the various comments, statements and questions asked that day, I did note that our CAO Andrew McNeill (Who I believe lives in Mississauga) mentioned that his second home was Sarasota Florida. He [...]

Discussion 178 of 365; Senior staff wages (Same photos as yesterday for a continued discussion) In our previous discussion we started talking about some of the senior staff wages. I understand this has some at Town Hall watching these posts very carefully. So… let’s clear up any perception of criticism of staff. These discussions are not meant in [...]

Discussion 177 of 365; Favours for Friends Sorry for the delay. So much going on. Probably the biggest frustration for someone posting daily about our Council is when so much happens at once. This week, many people will enjoy a free concert and some great weather at the beach. Cool! That’s part of the allure of living here. [...]

Discussion 176 of 365; I had another day where I just couldn’t make it to Town Hall. But my wife Sylvia Bray did. A couple of days ago, she enquired about speaking during the Question period of the Council meetings. Well, as you may know from the discussion a few days ago…. They have eliminated this option from [...]

Discussion 175 of 365; Beachfront Development Charges? It’s hard to focus on just one thing after today’s Council meeting. It sounds like Brian Smith thinks he deserves a 40% increase in pay because the previous Council didn’t put irrigation systems into the Twin pad Arrna/ Library. People, I just can’t make this stuff up. I will share these [...]

Discussion 174 of 365; Today… let the videos speak!

Discussion 173 of 365; Public comment period has been removed I have said it before but it bears repeating… watch our Council meetings carefully. At some point in the last couple of years, Council had modified their procedural bylaw and the public comment period has been removed from the agenda items. When was this removed? Why was it removed? [...]

Discussion 172 of 365; What has Brian Smith done for you lately? So, what has Brian Smith and team decided is in the best interests of Wasaga Beach Residents? Well, in 2018, he decided to cover all of the Towns Property at Beach two with a townhouse Condominium project. That contributed to his loss in the next election. [...]

Discussion 171 of 365; Why wait? I was behind several posts, so making up lost time. Please review all three of today’s discussions. MAJOR NEWSFLASH! AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT COMING TO WASAGA BEACH! During an open public meeting at the Wasaga Beach Rec-Plex, The Mayor of Wasaga Beach answered a question about affordable housing being included in his main beach [...]

Discussion 170 of 365; It’s a Sunday 2 for 1 day. Maybe this week I will catch up to my schedule. lol. News Flash! Big News! The last time I detected that a possible big announcement about COSTCO had been held back from the public, I went ahead, researched it and announced to the world that a COSTCO [...]

Discussion 169 of 365; Andrew McNeil, a virus in our town My discussion posts have offended some (mostly those on Council, those employed because of them or their various supporters), but others look forward to reading these regularly. I TRY to make my discussions about the issues. That is why I only post in three groups. In many [...]

Discussion 168 of 365; Signs Signs! Everyone is talking about what the Mayor wants them to. (his new wage increase of 40%) However, I’m going a different direction as he will simply push all of his friends wage increases through with his own. It’s who they appear to be. I will start to talk about the Beach One [...]

Discussion 167 of 365; What waterpark? Dave West originally did a great article regarding the Awen Waterplay park in Collingwood. (His photo attached) One of our followers here Johanne also shared his post and commented that this is what we need in Wasaga Beach. What a great idea. Johanne and I are not alone in seeing these as important [...]

Discussion 166 of 365; Cooling Centres! The Town of Wasaga Beach has opened public spaces to help those in need stay cool. Please share the word. If enough people hear about this, those who need it may actually hear about the program. The town has chosen which Facebook groups they wanted to share this in. Because we have such [...]

Discussion 165 of 365; No future Campgrounds? While we are on the topic of the Sports Park, here is a great idea. I’m guessing sometime in the next twenty years, the camp grounds along Main Street will be replaced by Brian’s downtown condos. So, why not create a municipal campground with lots along the river? There is plenty of [...]

Discussion 164 of 365; Porta Potty shame Summer is here. Brian and Joe need to lead our Council into deciding on priorities. But I heard today some strange decisions are being made. Can anyone please confirm that our Children, Grandchildren, their family and friends are being forced to use ports-potties at the sports park? I wonder if all the [...]

Discussion 163 of 365; Confusion. Some are saying the Mayor gave himself a 30% increase. Not true. The recommendation was for their 55th percentile level increase which shows on the attached chart as 40%. The attached is directly from the agenda item all seven members of Council voted unanimously to approve.

Discussion 162 of 365; Pay rise for everyone! During today’s Council meeting, our seven Council Members unanimously voted to give themselves retroactive raises. Council Members: 25.4% increase. Now get a base rate of $30,887.00 plus expenses, plus any committee pay. Deputy Mayor: 11.9% increase. Now gets a base rate of $35,336.00 plus expenses, plus about $20,000.00 (based on [...]