Wasaga Beach to Unveil First Concept Designs for Destination Wasaga

WASAGA BEACH – The future of Wasaga Beach’s waterfront and downtown will come into focus next month as the Town unveils the first concept designs for the Destination Wasaga Master Plan — an ambitious vision to transform the world’s longest freshwater beach into a vibrant, year-round destination.

Residents are invited to review and refine these emerging ideas during a second round of public engagement sessions taking place April 7–9 at the Wasaga Beach RecPlex.

Destination Wasaga is one of the most significant waterfront redevelopment initiatives currently underway in Ontario.

The concept designs build directly on ideas gathered during the first phase of engagement in November 2025, when more than 500 residents, business owners, community organizations, provincial partners and stakeholders shared their priorities for the future of Wasaga Beach.

The Town’s design partner, Urban Strategies, has transformed those ideas into draft concepts that explore how the waterfront, public spaces, provincial park and downtown could evolve under the Destination Wasaga vision.

The upcoming sessions will allow residents to react to concept images, explore options in greater detail, and provide feedback that will help shape the final Master Plan. Feedback gathered during these workshops will be used to refine the concepts before the draft Destination Wasaga Master Plan is presented to Council later this year.

The completed Destination Wasaga Master Plan will help guide the long-term transformation of Wasaga Beach as a vibrant year-round community and one of Ontario’s most important recreation and tourism destinations.

Town Makes Adjustments Based on Feedback

In response to feedback from the first phase of engagement, the Town has expanded opportunities for participation by adding additional workshop times and offering one virtual session to make it easier for residents to get involved.

All in-person sessions will take place at the Wasaga Beach RecPlex, 1724 Mosley Street.

Save the Dates

Residents are encouraged to attend the public meeting and register for one workshop session.

Tuesday, April 7
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Public Meeting and Open House
RecPlex Auditorium
(No registration required)

Wednesday, April 8
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | In-person Workshop #1
1:30 – 4:00 p.m. | In-person Workshop #2
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. | In-person Workshop #3
Oakview Room – RecPlex
(Registration required)

Thursday, April 9
6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Virtual Public Workshop
(Registration required)

Do I Need to Register?

The public workshops are designed as interactive working sessions for Wasaga Beach residents. Space is limited, and pre-registration and proof of residence are required. To register, visit wasagabeach.com/imagine

QUICK FACTS

• More than 500 residents and stakeholders participated in the first phase of Destination Wasaga engagement in November 2025.
• The Town of Wasaga Beach welcomes over two million visitors annually, making it one of Ontario’s most visited recreation destinations. It is also the only Canadian municipality with a provincial park fully within its municipal boundaries.
• Wasaga Beach Provincial Park is a “recreation class” provincial park that is intended to be designed and managed to provide a high level of outdoor recreation experiences for visitors.
• The Destination Wasaga initiative is supported by a $38-million investment from the Province of Ontario to help redevelop the waterfront, downtown, and key heritage areas, including Nancy Island.
• The Master Plan is being developed by Urban Strategies, an award-winning Canadian planning and urban design firm. Urban Strategies has most recently won two 2025 Canadian Awards for Planning Excellence.  

Learn more about Destination Wasaga.

RELATED NEWS

Wasaga Beach Wraps Up First Phase of Community Engagement for Destination Wasaga
Destination Wasaga Begins! Town Calls on Residents to Get Involved in Community Meetings & Workshops
Wasaga Beach Selects Ontario-based Urban Strategies to Help Design and Build Destination Wasaga

ABOUT THE DESTINATION WASAGA MASTER PLAN
The Destination Wasaga Master Plan will build upon the Town’s current Downtown Development Master Plan. It will focus on:

• Enhancing the waterfront and public spaces to create a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment.
• Revitalizing the downtown core to support year-round business and community life.
• Honouring local heritage and culture, including exploring partnerships with Indigenous communities.
• Coordinating infrastructure improvements, such as the ongoing Beach Drive reconstruction, to align with community-driven design goals.
• Prioritizing sustainability with a robust ecological approach that integrates best practices, supported by a completed Environmental Impact Study, to identify ecological sensitivities, inform land use decisions, and guide strategies for shoreline protection, flood mitigation, and habitat preservation.

ABOUT WASAGA BEACH
For over one hundred years, the Town of Wasaga Beach has been Ontario’s iconic summer playground — a place where people come to have fun and create memories that will last a lifetime. Today, we’re on a mission to become a globally recognized recreation and nature-based destination. Building Destination Wasaga and re-imagining our main commercial area at Beach Area 1 supports this vision and Council’s priorities: to create opportunities to diversify the economy, grow tourism, create jobs, and build a complete community. It’s part of the Town’s plan to become a leader in sustainability, creativity, innovation and fun – a place with thriving businesses and safe, inclusive, complete neighbourhoods where we celebrate our rich history, diversity of cultures, and natural beauty, including the Nottawasaga River, Georgian Bay and the longest freshwater beach in the world.

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Sandra Watts
Director of Strategic Communications, Destination Marketing & Intergovernmental Affairs
Email Sandra