The reputation of a popular Ontario beach town is being “gravely harmed” by what its mayor says are misleading social media posts claiming people are pooping in the sand.
Town of Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith is calling on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to clean up the mess, which began last month after one TikTok user went viral for posting a video claiming it has been an ongoing issue for years.
“The reputation of the Town of Wasaga Beach is being gravely harmed due to concerns from citizens and tourists regarding the quality of care and lack thereof of the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park,” Smith said during a special council meeting on Monday.
“The level of frustration for me is that this is our community, and it’s an amazing community. … When there are beaches closed all over the place across this province, in this country, Wasaga Beach is still open — and safe and clean.”
It’s Ontario’s ‘responsibility’ to manage beach park: councillor
Smith released a lengthy statement last month denouncing the posts as “complaints that lack evidence and promote misinformation.”
“The town has received no evidence — from residents, visitors or the Ontario government — to verify that any undesirable, unsanitary behaviour has occurred on the beach areas that make up Wasaga Beach Provincial Park,” he said.
“If any evidence comes to light, I assure you that we will be quick to act.”
His statement didn’t sit well with some, as several comments on Facebook groups for Wasaga Beach continued to reiterate the rumours shortly afterwards.
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The TikTok user who vent viral, Natty Lynn, claimed in her July 9 video that defecation at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park has been an ongoing issue for years, and that people are setting up small tents and digging holes to use as washrooms.
In that video, she said she doesn’t let her kids dig in the sand on Beach 1.
“The mayor can’t deny all of us having experiences,” Lynn, who requested to go by her social media username, told Global News in an email last month.
“If you go through my social media comments, you will see people speaking about this happening at almost every beach across Ontario, across Canada. This is not a new issue.”
Visitors enjoy the warm sun and sand of Wasaga beach on July 15, 2008.
Charla Jones/Globe and Mail file photo via The Canadian Press
While Ontario’s environment, conservation and parks ministry is responsible for Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, in conjunction with Ontario Parks, town officials say they’ve been bearing the brunt of complaints.
“A lot of the social media attention and negativity … has been directed and misdirected towards the town and the people of Wasaga Beach, saying that the leadership here and the people are doing nothing,” said Coun. Richard White at Monday’s meeting.
“It is the province’s responsibility to manage that provincial park, and we’re standing up today saying that we need some better attention.”
‘It’s high time’ Ford steps in: Smith
A spokesperson for the environment ministry told Global News last month Wasaga Beach Provincial Park staff “have not observed this behaviour during their regular patrols of the beachfront or in response to any complaints.”
Another ministry spokesperson said that staff have “occasionally received complaints about defecation or urination on beaches since 2020, however no specific evidence of these allegations has been found.”
In response to Global News inquiring if public defecation or urination on the sand has ever been an issue on Wasaga Beach’s beaches since 2020, a town spokesperson said “no.”
Visitors bask warm sun at Wasaga beach on July 15, 2008.
Charla Jones/Globe and Mail file photo via The Canadian Press
During Monday’s meeting, Smith moved a motion seeking a meeting with Ford and several ministers, as well as his government’s help in establishing provincial rules banning tents on the beach, mirroring its own rule prohibiting those temporary structures on town-owned waterfront lands.
Smith’s motion also called on the province to better invest in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park for improvements to garbage collection and building repairs. He also wants more provincial park wardens to enforce rules and regulations, and stricter fines for people caught violating those rules.
“I mean this with all due respect to the province, because I know the challenges we face at the local level and I know the challenges the province faces … but it’s high time that the province steps up,” he said.
“They created this provincial park to be a playground and a recreational park for this province (and) this country. When they did so, it was an absolute beautiful, pristine park — and it has been left to decay ever since.”
Smith’s motion passed unanimously. The premier’s office did not return Global News’ request for comment by publication time.
— with files from Jacquelyn LeBel