Geographical Love Affairs
I have had love affairs with two places during my life. The Town of Wasaga Beach in Ontario Canada, and the Town of Bucerias in Nayarit, Mexico. I lived in Wasaga Beach for over 30 years. I currently live in Bucerias and have been a full time resident for 3 years. What draws me to this story like a moth to a porch light is the remarkable similarity between the two communities. During my time in Wasaga Beach I was a member of town council for 11 years. I have asked my good friend Stan Wells, a current member of the same council, to write the story of Wasaga Beach. As a point of interest, google maps tell me it is 4,379 kilometres from Stan’s door to mine.
Stan Wells on Wasaga Beach
Wasaga Beach is home to the World’s Longest Freshwater Beach which stretches 16 km across South Georgian Bay. Wasaga Beach is also home to the scenic Nottawasaga River and a dramatic and unique sand dune system, all surrounded by hectares of natural wetlands and woodlands.
Wasaga Beach and its surrounding area was first occupied by the Algonquin Indians. During the 1820’s and 1830’s, due to the abundance of large trees, the Wasaga Beach area became popular for logging and in the 1870’s a commercial fishing industry evolved. By the turn of the century, Wasaga had a hotel and a few cottages. It was becoming a favourite spot for tourists for picnics and holidays. As more cottages and hotels were built and summer businesses were established along the beachfront, Wasaga Beach became a summer tourism “go to” place. During the Second World War, Wasaga Beach became a popular holiday haven for soldiers on leave and during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s and continuing today Wasaga Beach gained a reputation as being a summer “party spot” for young people.
Due to the linear shape of Wasaga Beach other nodes of commercial uses developed and the development of permanent residential homes and cottages spiraled and continues today. There are now several big box stores, franchise and private restaurants, many privately-owned retail businesses, 50’s era motels and cottage courts, a YMCA, arena, recreation complex, library, three elementary schools, several doctor’s offices, and a municipal transit system. Today Wasaga Beach is a vibrant and rapidly growing municipality with over 21,000 residents, and 16,000 seasonal and part-time residents. In the summer months, 1.6 million tourists visit the community.
COVID 19 has had a huge detrimental effect on the economy of Wasaga Beach. Under provincial government orders, most retail stores are ordered closed, construction has been halted, motels and hotels cannot open for short term occupancy, grocery stores and hardware stores have strict limitations on access resulting in long lineups of people waiting to enter and then to check-out and restaurants can provide only take-out or delivery. The beaches, all playgrounds and recreational facilities are closed but trails are open for hiking or biking. Gatherings of individuals are limited to groups of five, and people are being urged to stay home, not travel and to maintain strict social distancing. Many residents have been laid off or terminated from their jobs. As a result tourism is severely impacted and all businesses in Wasaga Beach have experienced a total shutdown or a significant reduction in income. It is a concern whether many of these businesses can recover.
…and Dennis’ Comparison toBucerias
Virtually the same could be said for Bucerias. A great beach on the Pacific Ocean, offering those familiar three’s; sun, sand, and surf. A similar history that goes back to our indigenous ancestors. Logging and fishing. A permanent population of some 9,000 and a seasonal population that number in the many thousands. The lifeblood of Bucerias is the revenue generated by tourism. Some visits are for days, some for weeks, and indeed some for months. A large sector of our permanent population relies on the dollars generated from tourism to support their families. The infrastructure in Bucerias has received a boost recently with the opening of a major multi-use recreation park. A new secondary school is nearing completion. A dry river bed that runs through the heart of our community is being developed as a Malecon. It is envisioned as a public walkway complete with shops and markets.
A new casino opened here in 2018. Wasaga Beach also has a casino that is presently under construction. Wasaga has a vibrant housing market. Bucerias is currently home to multiple condominium projects. A new hospital here adds to the comfort zone of visitors and residents alike.
Bucerias has a busy tourist season from October to May. Wasaga has a busy tourist season from May to October. The difference at the moment is that tourists who were here got called home in mid-March. The tourists Wasaga expected to see this spring did not arrive. They were told to stay home.
Do we know what will happen here? Will the businesses that are now closed survive? Will the tourists return in the same numbers? So many questions, and so few answers. Families who rely on tourism are in need. Many local groups and indeed many local individuals who are more fortunate are sharing food with those less fortunate.
Two days ago the local government released an update on Covid-19 restrictions. The beaches remain closed. Restaurants may re-open at 30% of their normal capacity. Safe seating distances and stringent hygienic requirements are the order of the day.
In the coming weeks, I will be asking Stan to contribute again as this story of two similar small towns unfolds before us.
All is not totally gloom and doom. Just for a moment consider the entertainment provided by the many social media experts. When did you last see something that did not include at least one “experts say”. Well some expert dreamt up “isolation fatigue.” I guess thinking out loud that I am getting tired of being in the house 24/7 is no longer politically correct. I just about wrapped my mind around that one, when the next expert talked about “zoom fatigue”. Hey, I know all about that one. The last horse I bet on at Georgian Downs Raceway also suffered from zoom fatigue!
Stan, with his wife Betty, has been a resident of Wasaga Beach for 50 yrs and they have four adult children, three of whom are married and all of whom, with their spouses and his four grandchildren, live and work in Wasaga Beach. He has a Master of Education degree and is retired having had 30+ years experience in education as a Teacher, Principal, and Supervisory Officer with the local school board and the provincial Ministry of Education. Stan has been a Councillor in the town of Wasaga Beach from 2003-2014, and again from 2018 to the present. As a resident of Wasaga Beach, living on the shore of the World’s Longest Freshwater Beach on Georgian Bay and at the mouth of the Nottawasaga River, Stan has always had a keen interest in source and groundwater protection, and the sustainability of Wasaga Beach’s unique natural environment comprising beaches, parabolic sand dunes and forests.
