Discussion 109 of 365; Fear? Control? Both! Today, I was told that the Town of Wasaga Beach had been boasting on their Facebook Page about meeting with the Minister of Education at the Roma Meeting months ago. So, it tweaked my interest and I decided to go read the post. Nope… I apparently can’t do that directly. It seems [...]

Discussion 107 of 365; The Devil is in the Details! Repeating some things may seem excessive to some. To those I am critical of, it will undoubtedly be seen as overkill. lol, oh well…. Here goes- I have recently received communication from the town of Wasaga Beach in relation to these Facebook discussions. I want to clarify that [...]

Discussion 106 of 365; Wasaga Entertainment Corporation – NO. For two days, we have been discussing the motion that our Council just passed where they are going to be paying $447,000.00 per year to four select employees to form an entertainment corporation. As part of today’s review, I want to remind everyone that the legal and “set-up” fees [...]

Discussion 105 of 365; Wasaga Entertainment Corporation- Why? In order to justify this lavish employment shell, the Town has said don’t worry, this is nothing new, they do it everywhere…. Ha! So let’s look at the comparables they put in their shiny presentation: Austin Texas; Population- 2,274,000 Wasaga Beach- 25,000 Most concerts in Austin are held in large commercial [...]

Discussion 104 of 365; Wasaga Entertainment Corporation. (Beach was left out by the planners on purpose- it was a choice.)   So many things to talk about, so I guess there will be no shortage of content in the coming months. For today, I want to start a discussion about our Mayors obnoxious plan to form an Entertainment Corporation. [...]

Discussion 103 of 365; Well it’s April 11 and the February Cheque register is available. Sure, check out some of the spending as there are several line that raise my eyebrows. https://www.wasagabeach.com/.../Council%20Cheque... When our discussions get spilled into some groups, often the same old Council Support Group get nasty and launch personal attacks not related to the topic at [...]

Discussion 102 of 365; Wasaga Beach Entertainment Corporation. More jobs for friends. https://pub-wasagabeach.escribemeetings.com/FileStream... Attention Wasaga Beach Taxpayers. Instead of building sidewalks, splash pads, parks and safe roads, your reserves and Casino revenue are now going to be used to create a party planning corporation. There are so many important questions to be asked regarding this, but don’t expect to [...]

Discussion 101 of 365; Wasaga Distribution Inc. Mayor Brian Smith has on two occasions produced campaign videos where he declares that he has never voted to sell Wasaga Distribution. THAT IS A LIE! I put that in caps to emphasize the importance of this lie. He has a team of Social Media supporters who are at the ready to [...]

Discussion 100 of 365; Hey, let’s build a downtown? …..3 After years of plans, what do we have? We have a lot of properties along Main Street that remain vacant. We also have some properties with a variety of buildings on them. The walking only section of Main Street at Beach One only has a couple of buildings remaining. [...]

Discussion 99 of 365; Hey, let’s build a downtown he said…… 2. Yesterday, we talked about why any community would try to build a downtown. We also talked about our official “Downtown Master Plan”. But today I want to talk about a Municipal Councils role in all of this. In my opinion, a council should create the right political [...]

Discussion 98 of 365; Hey, let’s build a downtown he said…… 1. There is a long standing complaint from some residents that Wasaga Beach does not have a traditional downtown. The first time I ever heard of it being a political issue was during the 2014 election. A few candidates ran on a platform of “building a downtown”. Not [...]

Discussion 97 of 365; Unify Wasaga was yesterday’s message. Today, we get to discuss wages. Due to Canadian Media rules, I have copied and pasted the following article from Ian Adams. I encourage everyone to subscribe to Simcoe dot com in order to get these articles directly. There are all kinds of “holly cow” statistics in the article. Feel [...]

Discussion 96 of 365; I said Wasaga Beach needed to unify in order to heal the divide. The reality is that there will always be some divide, as long as there are decisions that will cost some and profit others. However, when groups of people come together to support a project that is important to a large segment of [...]

Discussion 95 of 365; In the past week there has been an awakening of sorts with an increase in the number of old names re-appearing to simply hurl personal insults in response to some of these discussions. I am not surprised by this activity. In fact, I anticipated it. When I decided to start this year long project, I [...]

Discussion 94 of 365; Well the January Cheque Register has been posted. This is one of those times when it’s easiest to just say… Wow! In 12 years of closely following Municipal Politics, I have never seen such freestyle spending. https://www.wasagabeach.com/.../Council%20Cheque... I simply cannot imagine the tax increases we will have to endure again shortly. According to the most [...]

Discussion 92 of 365; I will make today’s short and sweet. Mayor Smith objected to a recent Facebook post where the use of the Arena was being questioned. For once, I agree with his assessment. It was wrong to be critical of this great facility and use photos that conveniently support an unused arena when we know it not [...]

Discussion 91 of 365; Here we grow again!   Several people have asked that we make these discussions available outside of Facebook so that those not using FB can watch and learn. My good friend Alan Clegg offered to build a website and has done a great job. Those who are dedicated Mayor Smith promoters have constantly criticized Alan [...]

Discussion 90 of 365; Ellen Tim’s has been telling people that there is a big announcement coming up regarding Beach One properties. Perhaps that was the real estate discussions being held behind closed doors yesterday. Will we finally see what deal FRAM has been hammering out? Will the property be sold outright for cash or will there be a [...]

Discussion 89 of 365; Transparency- Final chapter; Social Media Influences. For a few days we have discussed the various ways our current Council has rapidly and deliberately eroded several important mechanisms that have built a transparent environment at Town Hall. But why do this and how have they gotten away with so much damage? First, the why is obvious. [...]

Okay, much has been made of Mayor Smith holding an in camera meeting for “Educational purposes” to discuss WDI. my first thought is education? What does council need two hours to be educated on Wasaga Distribution? Its sort of there. Its has Brian Smith on its board and after a year I’m pretty sure they all should be familiar [...]

Discussion 88 lof 365; Transparency- Process and its impact. First off, IF “in camera” meetings are being held improperly, we have no way for investigators to review those meetings. It seems we are seeing more “in camera” sessions than ever before. How do you think this affects transparency. To understand how process can influence transparency, let’s look at the [...]

Thought this might be of interest. Note. It is directly from the Addendum to this Thursdays meeting. Oh… looks like a behind closed doors meeting about WDI is planned. Any guesses? This does not include Remuneration paid to any members of Council by the County of Simcoe. (Smith, Snell and Belanger) so they will have County funds on top [...]

Discussion 87 lof 365;   Transparency- 2 Technology considerations. STOP THAT SILLY RECORDING! Technology in Political Life should enable trust! Advancing technologies have enabled those members of the public who have an interest in governance to be audience to, or even to participate in the decision making processes. Prior to the “Internet” becoming a repository and access point for [...]

Discussion 86 lof 365; Transparency 1- what? why? Well here comes another 4 part series…… Transparency is more than a catch phrase, it should be a basic building block of democracy. Unfortunately, many politicians have lost that perspective. I have found the sheer mountain of articles available on political transparency to be both astounding and enlightening. Jean-Patrick Villeneuve is [...]

Why did our current municipal Council create a walk-in clinic WITHOUT government funding? innisfil managed to get $1.4 million towards there’s? I often critique the actions of our current council but when their decisions cost local residents ridiculous amounts of unnecessary money … I believe all residents need to know it so please share. Here is another example that [...]

Discussion 84 of 365; It’s time to support this important petition. https://chng.it/tPfvT4rBc2 Discussion 79 discussed how a local publication (Beach Booster) has contributed to “the divide” in Wasaga Beach. Apparently that discussion also prompted additional talks and even some good old fashioned political action. As soon as I post this discussion, I plan on signing the attached, well crafted [...]

Discussion 81 of 365; It’s just a Quarter Million Dollars right? If our community is to eventually come together, it will be important to understand the reasons some people are upset at our elected body. So, let’s review a public Council Meeting discussion surrounding the purchase of the temporary floor for the Twin pad Arena/ Library. During the Council [...]

The Divide- 5, Moving forward……. Discussion 80 of 365; The reality is that the phrase “heal the divide” itself indicates that the divide is a community injury. It actually does require healing, but it only matters to those aware of the damage it is doing. Quite honestly, the majority of our population are (thankfully) oblivious to this divide. [...]

Discussion 79 of 365; The Divide- 4 (Media) Beach Booster- Prior to 2014, I truly enjoyed reading and looked forward to picking up a copy of our little community newsletter. I enjoyed reading the cool local historical articles. I enjoyed looking for our children’s sports team updates and stories about happenings at their schools. Yes, we even purchased [...]

Discussion 78 of 365; The Divide- 3 Clouding the deception behind good. The reality is that once you are elected into municipal office, you will automatically be included in all things good for the town. A citizen is recognized… all Council invited. A ribbon cutting… all Council invited. A high profile announcement… all Council invited. A large event with [...]

Discussion 77 of 365; The Divide- 2 These initial discussions won’t address everything at once, but there is a good chance the comments that follow will cover so much more. The biggest problem with dirty politics is the all-in attitude that comes with it. If you support Certain candidates, those building the team ensured you were 100% behind that [...]

Directory- (2024) 365 Discussions Chronicle note:I'm going to index this so it links up to the building library. right now I'm just getting them up. Enjoy, please keep comments polite and on topic. Feel free to message me to suggest additional discussions. 1- Candidate residence- Our Mayor lives in Tiny Township! Should Council be local? 2- Building downtown- Do [...]

Discussion 76 of 365; The Divide! Today’s discussion is one that shines a light on the Political divide that has been built in Wasaga Beach. In my humble opinion, this divide was able to take hold due to the online efforts of a select group of political supporters, steered by those intent on winning. Activity on Social Media platforms [...]

Discussion 73 of 365; I like following the breadcrumbs. Breadcrumb 1. I watched Brian Smith election videos. I heard that he was no longer a resident of Wasaga Beach, but in his videos, he said, “This is my home”. Surely nobody running for Mayor would lie to his constituents on video, so I tucked it away as a piece [...]

Discussion 74 of 365; Wow! We DO NOT need a new Town Hall! Period! I know I seem to repeat myself, but… you have to set asside time to watch this months Council meeting. Yes, several member of Council appear to have plans to get a builder / developer to build them a new Town Hall and move it [...]

Discussion 75 of 365 I haven’t read the current issue of the BB, but I’m told the WBRPA has taken out a full page add. Lol… about social media! (Translation- our 365 Days of Discussions-lol) Ok… I broke down and read it. I haven’t been more entertained in years. It seems our “discussions” are having such an impact [...]

Discussion 70 of 365;   Small Town feel, Big City money!   Part One. More politics later. Today I want to talk about political influence. I think before the next election it will be imperative that as many people as possible understand that their decisions’ at the polling station truly do matter. Even more important will be for more [...]

Discussion 69 of 365;   So, was the party week at the TPAL actually organized for Wasaga Beach Residents to enjoy a grand opening combined with our 50th anniversary celebration, or was it simply a handful of parties and concerts to prove to an adoring following, that these parties can and will go on as long as Mayor Smith [...]

Discussion 66 of 365; After reviewing a few Council meetings, it becomes really obvious that some details are left out of discussions. Some facts are avoided. Some motions are deeply buried and you really have to dig to understand details. This Council has planned it this way. In fact, many on Council simply allow motions to pass without questioning [...]

Discussion 68 of 365; Please don’t tire of High School discussions. I stated in discussion 67 that people were welcome to ask me to raise any issue important to them if they were not comfortable speaking out. So today I was asked some important questions; Does the Minister of Education (Hon Minister Lecce) know that the proposal for [...]

Discussion 65 of 365; No response. It seams the strategy of our Mayor is to simply not respond to emails that enquire about wrong-doing. I mentioned the attached email the other day. Mayor Smiths continued lack of response should indicate to everyone that he knows this was 100% wrong. The original arena budget did not include the purchase of [...]

Discussion 72 of 365; Our Mayor- The developer.   Remember the times Brian Smith has said (to be clear) that he doesn’t own “commercial” property in Wasaga Beach? I guess it’s easy to appear honest if you are careful how you word things and if you have family members who will be on title. These photos were sent to [...]

Discussion 61 of 365; I will start by saying that I have always maintained both new high schools would be a really good outcome. Is it likely? Who knows…. Today was an interesting day. I have been hearing that Brian Smith was planning to lay blame on those of us questioning him “if” Wasaga Beach does not get funding [...]

Discussion 71 of 365;   Had to step away for a day to help Sylvia… but then our Council dropped a bomb, so part two of the earlier Small Town theme will have to wait. Why? Yes… absolutely everyone is talking about it. Brian and his followers are going to build us all a new Town Hall. So, [...]

Discussion 58 of 365; Edit: Important update- After being posted for 24 hours, two people contacted me to say that Tim Hortons has withdrawn from being the planned concession at the TPAL. I’m sure the town will update us all if this is true. The truth about the Twin Pad Arena and Library (TPAL) financing. I bumped this [...]

Discussion 55 of 365; This coming Thursday…. councilor Belanger’s motion should be considered. He is asking Council to have his integrity Commissioner recommended sanctions from his guilty verdicts last term reversed. I want to know SPECIFICALLY why! What new information Joe? Tell us the specifics! Don’t just say it’s all confidential and hide behind closed doors. Four times, he [...]

Discussion 54 of 365; Yesterday evening, I attended the open house hosted by the Twin Creeks Developers. The attached story boards were posted in the room. They show the details they plan on moving forward with. Not surprisingly, I understand there was pretty good attendance at this open house. To everyone living in areas affected by this, you are [...]