Missed Targets

Honestly, I never have to worry about content if Mayor Smith is going to speak at the meeting of his support group, the “WBRPA Inc.” It looks like their meeting at Marlwood was a little less attended than some of his previous speaking engagements.

Honestly, I don’t know that I will waste time actually watching it. Maybe in a few weeks, but not right now. Good old Joe Belanger shared his photos and got a good collection of the whole crowd.

He also shared a couple of the power point presentation slides. I actually had a belly laugh when I read the one titled “Highlights of our terms Impact and Growth.”

Ok… let’s break down the accomplishments our Mayor decided to share. There were nine;

1. Wasaga Beaches first High School- OK, let’s give them that one. It will certainly be interesting to discover all of the secret land deals and see how much this actually costs us in land and in actual budget allocation.
2. Re-Opened Beach Drive- Lol, yep… but how long will it stay open? What will the new “access” look like when they are done negotiating with Sunray (after they win the RFP)? Will the road be closed and fenced off during demolition? FRAM plans don’t matter any longer, so let’s see if Sunray wants a road. It’s really up to them.
3. Economic Growth- Beachfront Hotel, Major Retailer- Really? So far it looks like Brian and his team have secured a letter of intent. Where will this actually go? The rough plan they show appears to have three hotels now. Wow… Check out the future buildings and then look at what parking the three hotels may need. lol Major Retailer? Nina Bifolchi started discussions with Costco. Costco employees confirmed the future build. It was denied at first, then after many people started sharing the location and commitment, they finally admitted it was coming. Twice now we have heard that an announcement will be soon.
4. Reopened the Medical Clinic- I can’t believe they STILL boast about this ridiculous opening as an accomplishment. A walk in clinic is the responsibility of the Province and we are spending probably in the area of $400,000.00 a year to operate this facility. That’s OK Mayor Brian because it’s not tax money, it’s casino money right? Wrong! Casino Money should be spent on items all taxpayers benefit from and should NOT fund Provincial responsibilities.
5. Innovative debt repayment outside of tax dollars- I will call this an outright piece of incredible misinformation. To date, not one complete financial summary has been provided for any of their concerts. Even IF they do one day show a profit, I fear that profit will fall under the scrutiny of authorities because a municipality is NOT supposed to operate a for profit event or business.
6. Wasaga Stars Arena and Wasaga Beach Public Library- WOW, It is hard to believe they claim this as their progress. All they did was unlock the front door and purchase a quarter million dollar floor that remains in storage. The Bifolchi Council is 100% responsible for this INCREDIBLE success!
7. Wasaga Beach River Dragons- Mayor Bifolchi started this and good for our Council for moving it forward. I look forward to a complete financial report on the costs/ benefits of hosting this team. Personally, I will wait a year or two before commenting on success vs. catastrophic decision. How does hosting this team affect chances at an OHL team? Still… thanks Nina!
8. Official Plan- OK…. They spent money having consultants modify our official plan to satisfy their needs. Interesting enough… I have had recent communications with someone who says the official plan may actually be illegal? Hmmm. More on this later, but hey… Way to go Brian! Oh… how much did we spend to have this completed?
9. Community Cleanup- Seriously? What cleanup? Have you wandered around the many empty lots on Main Street, Mosley, etc.? Wow! Cleanup?

For me, the stark realization is that Council has really done very little based on this list. I can only imagine how many hours were wasted working with their friend FRAM and then… boom, see ya.

A bizarre item absent from their list is the road improvements on River Road West. I didn’t agree with them moving it forward when they did, but it is still a much needed project that the next Council won’t have to worry about. But… has it poised us for financial ruin? I guess that remains to be seen with the final 2025 Budget.

Anyhow…. I will attach two screenshots from the meeting with thanks to the Town Photographer Joe Belanger.

Enjoy figuring out the new Beachfront design with three hotels.