Lake Simcoe has recently been turned into an unsafe and unwelcoming place by racist and discriminatory locals. We demand that the Town of Georgina overturn its discriminatory free resident-only parking lots, excessive parking fines and fees, banning cooking at public park and all offensive signs. There is an offensive by-law sign at Jacksons Point Park (Ward 4) that states: "No loitering, annoying, or interfering with any other person." It is also important to mention that there are no welcoming signs or public park name signs.

The Town of Georgina Mayor, Margaret Quirk, says "The Town of Georgina is a year-round destination for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Boasting a 45-kilometre shoreline along Lake Simcoe, the Town is host to thousands of visitors each weekend throughout the year, especially during the summer months of July and August." However, the Waterfront Park Buffer Zone concept and increased excessive parking fines proposal presented and approved by Council in September 2020 significantly compromises tourism, accessibility and BIPOC inclusion in Georgina. Beginning May 22, 2021, no-parking fines increased from $30 to $100 and no-stopping fines increased from $50 to $150. Currently, non-residents are charged expensive parking fees: $35 on weekends and holidays, $25 on weekdays and $4 an hour. Town residents get to park for FREE at resident-only parking lots with resident parking passes at PUBLIC parks and beaches. There is also a significant distance between resident-only parking and non-resident parking from the public spaces which is also a major accessibility issue for non-resident disability parking permit holders. 

The public parks and beaches are PUBLICLY FUNDED, therefore there is no justification for the resident-only free parking lots and banning of cooking at the public park which BIPOC enjoyed prior to the pandemic. The Town of Georgina website states that "In August 2020, the Town received $1.164 million from the province to help support financial pressures related to the pandemic as part of the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement." With this provincial funding, the Town of Georgina is obligated to make the public parks, beaches and the town INCLUSIVE and SAFE for ALL Canadians. They also will be "receiving funding of up to $84,072 through the Province of Ontario’s Municipal Modernization Program to support customer service-related improvements." The Town of Georgina is not aligned with a welcoming, accessible and multi-cultural Ontario. 

It is exclusionary and discriminatory that a specific group of locals are the only ones that the Town of Georgina seems to be serving and welcoming overall. The Town of Georgina needs to use an intersectional lens that takes into account race, socio-economic class and disability when implementing its environmental policies. The public parks and beaches have become increasingly inequitable and inaccessible to marginalized and racialized groups. 

Land Acknowledgment: "Town of Georgina is located over lands originally used and occupied by the First Peoples of the Williams Treaties First Nations and other Indigenous Peoples."