Town, Bayloc, with partner Zancor reach an agreement for the purchase of municipal beachfront property

The Town of Wasaga Beach is pleased to announce that council has agreed to sell town-owned land at the beachfront to Bayloc Developments Inc. with Zancor as a partner, subject to a maximum 120-day due diligence period.

If the sale is finalized, Bayloc and Zancor will redevelop the waterfront properties, creating ground floor retail spaces and restaurants with residential units above. A public square to host events and gatherings is also part of the project.

The town is planning investments in streetscaping to support the revitalized area, including the creation of a raised waterfront promenade – where Beach Drive currently exists – with various pedestrian-friendly features. 

“On behalf of council and town staff, I congratulate Bayloc on its decision to pursue this ambitious community investment,” Mayor Nina Bifolchi said. “We have gone through two very transparent and rigorous processes to get to this point. This is an exciting moment for our community. The result of this development, when fully built out, will be a revitalized neighbourhood that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors.”

Mayor Bifolchi said the town is also pleased to have Zancor on board as a partner with Bayloc.

“Zancor is a long-established builder in our community with a proven track-record. They are also experienced builders of mixed-use medium density developments in the GTA. Zancor is known for quality design and construction. We are very excited to have them involved with this project,” she said.

Specifics of the deal will be kept confidential until the due diligence period concludes and the purchase and sale agreement is finalized. Concept drawings are available for review on the town website. 

During the due diligence period, Bayloc and Zancor will refine their development concepts. Work will also start on a master development agreement to establish overall planning requirements for the project.

The town commenced negotiations with Bayloc in February, one of the development companies identified through a formal Request for Expressions of Interest process and a formal Request for Proposals process.

A team involving town staff and consultants negotiated on behalf of the municipality with Bayloc. The town’s CAO, George Vadeboncoeur, provided updates to council and obtained council direction on a regular basis.

In July, Bayloc asked if Zancor could come on board as a partner and council agreed, subject to all parties reaching a formal agreement.

Throughout the project, the town has utilized a fairness monitor to ensure the integrity of the exercise.

“As fairness monitor for the procurement process associated with the redevelopment of the Beach Area 1 lands, I can state with confidence that the Town of Wasaga Beach administered a procurement process that fully met an acceptable standard of an open, fair, and transparent process,” fairness monitor Bill Mocsan of William Mocsan Consulting Inc., said. “The RFP was clearly written, and the town was very diligent in their description of the procurement process. The Evaluation Teams were qualified to conduct the evaluation, they were all trained on best practices, and they followed the evaluation process exactly as it was described in the RFP.”

Mary Ellen Bench, a solicitor with Dentons Canada LLP, the town’s legal counsel for the project, said the municipality engaged in a thorough process to receive and evaluate competitive bids for the project and to negotiate an agreement of purchase and sale.

“As provided for in the RFP, the due diligence period that follows requires the negotiation of a development agreement acceptable to council,” she said. “The RFP requires a comprehensive development agreement that will respect the town’s Downtown Development Master Plan and related planning documents, and that will contain the details of what will be constructed. In my experience, the process followed by the town satisfies all legal requirements. As a lawyer practicing municipal law on behalf of municipalities for over 35 years, including 18 years as city solicitor in Mississauga, I can add that I believe the town staff have taken great care to ensure that the town’s interests are protected and that council has been engaged at every step of the process.”

The town’s integrity commissioners also ruled the process open and transparent, which they spoke to in a report to council in July. 

Gianni Ciufo of Deloitte, project consultants, said the agreement of purchase and sale marks an important milestone for the town.

“This substantial redevelopment and improvement of Beach Drive and the development parcel will bring short and long term employment growth to the area and will be a catalyst to economic development and expanded seasonal enjoyment of the town and its amenities. The preferred proponent was selected following a competitive transaction process which provides taxpayers with value for money,” he said.

The president of Bayloc, Nick Falvo, said his company looks forward to pursuing the redevelopment project.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our company to help the Town of Wasaga Beach realize the potential of this area,” Falvo said.

Fabrizio Cortellucci, president of Zancor, said the company also looks forward to developing Wasaga Beach’s waterfront.

“This is a beautiful area and we are committed to creating a vibrant new neighbourhood in keeping with council’s vision for the area. We’ve proven in Wasaga Beach and elsewhere in Ontario that community building is something we do very well,” Cortellucci said.

Bifolchi said the agreement with Bayloc, with Zancor on board, marks another positive way Wasaga Beach is moving forward. 

“We have so many great things happening in Wasaga Beach,” she said. “Our twin-pad arena and library is under construction. We are proceeding with important streetscaping investments at the main beachfront to support the redevelopment of town-owned land. The casino is under construction, meaning new jobs for residents. We have other new businesses opening. New homes are popping up. And a new elementary school is coming to Sunnidale Trails. Our community is growing and through all of these projects will become a more vibrant and diverse place.”

Visit the town’s Build Wasaga portal to learn more about our efforts to redevelop municipally owned land at the main beachfront.

RIBBON CUTTING The new Wasaga Beach Archives opened Aug.4. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the special day.

New Wasaga Beach Archives facility now open

On Aug. 4, town council, staff, volunteers, and members of the public celebrated the grand opening of the new Wasaga Beach Archives.

Located at 140 Main St., in a commercial building the town purchased, the space is home to more than a dozen exhibits on the history of Wasaga Beach.

“We are excited to open this new facility for the public. It is important we have a space like this to tell our community’s stories,” Mayor Nina Bifolchi said. “On behalf of council, I thank our staff and volunteers for helping make today possible and we recognize the many people who have donated items of significance to the archives.”

For several years, the archives operated from a small room at the Wasaga Beach Public Library. The new 2,250-square-foot home allows the town to better display artifacts. Through exhibits at the archives, the town aims to build pride in the community, one of council’s priorities this term.

“Each display tells an important part of our heritage,” Mary Watson, town archivist, said. “Learning about the collection is a great way to better understand Wasaga Beach.”

Darlene Martin, archives coordinator, encourages residents and visitors to explore the archives.

“Wasaga Beach has a rich history and now we can better share that with people. We have a tremendous collection of photographs, memorabilia and much more, including a cannonball from the War of 1812. Please make a point to drop in and visit with us,” she said.

The archives is open Monday to Thursday from noon to 4 p.m.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming

Corporation update

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation representatives provided council on Aug. 18 with an overview of the organization’s role in relation to the new Gateway Casinos facility under construction in the west end.

The presentation included details about the economic benefit that OLG provides in communities across Ontario.

OLG’s 29 partner-operated casinos are significant contributors to provincial and local economies, the corporation noted.

Over the past seven years, operators have invested $1.8-billion in capital in Ontario to build and enhance casinos across the province.

Recently, new casinos opened in Pickering (July 2021) and North Bay (March 2022).

The Playtime Casino in Wasaga Beach is expected to open this fall.

Communities hosting casinos – including Wasaga – receive a financial benefit from property tax, development fees, and job creation.

OLG also enters into Municipality Contribution Agreements (MCA). Through the agreements, OLG provides direct support across Ontario through payments to municipal partners.

OLG makes the payments under an equitable formula.

Council subsequently approved the town entering into an MCA.

For details on the payment formula, see Page 10 of the presentation.

Rob Mitchell, director of communications and public affairs for Gateway Casinos, also spoke about the new Wasaga facility.

He noted the organization recently held a very successful job fair in Wasaga Beach. Gateway is looking to fill 140 positions.

Site plan application for new elementary school

Staff advised council members during the Aug. 11 Coordinated Committee meeting that the Simcoe County District School Board is in the process of submitting the site plan application for its new Wasaga Beach elementary school.

The property is in the Pacific Homes subdivision, part of the Sunnidale Trails development area, off Sunnidale Road.

The almost seven-acre site has a municipal address of 42 Union Blvd.

Read the related staff report.

Support for Wasaga Beach Community Theatre

Council at its Aug. 18 meeting approved a $12,000 contribution to Wasaga Beach Community Theatre to ensure the group can pay upfront costs for its fall 2022 and spring 2023 productions.

Municipal support is required due to lost financial revenue in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic and related social gathering restrictions.

The funds will come from the town’s 2022 in-year surplus in the Recreation operating budget.

See the related staff report to learn more.

Town invests in new

transit vehicles

Members of council approved the purchase of two new transit buses from Girardin at a cost of $307,998, excluding HST.

The buses will replace two of the town’s four transit vehicles, which are nearing the end of their service period.

The two vehicles slated for replacement each have approximately 430,000 kilometres on them. The town purchased the vehicles in 2017. The 20-passenger vehicles typically have a service life of four years.

Staff used an RFP process for the purchase of the new buses. Girardin submitted the lower of two bids.

Read the staff report to learn more.

Statement

from Mayor Nina Bifolchi regarding unauthorized car rally

On Aug. 29, 2022, Mayor Nina Bifolchi issued the following statement regarding the unauthorized car rally in Wasaga Beach:

“Over the past weekend, the safety of our community was repeatedly put at risk and this is not acceptable.

“A group of individuals participating in an unsanctioned car rally visited our community and broke the law. This included careless and dangerous driving, the operation of unsafe vehicles, damaging public and private property, breaking into businesses, disturbing the peace, and risking people’s lives.

“As in the past, prior to the rally taking place, the town met with the Ontario Provincial Police. The OPP indicated that community safety was their priority and they put in place an operations plan to ensure the community was protected. They said police would meet illegal activity with zero tolerance, which was the message the OPP delivered to the public leading into the weekend.

“The town is very appreciative of the men and women who wear the OPP uniform and patrol our streets, but clearly police resources this past weekend did not allow for the robust response required to maintain law and order. There were many examples brought to the attention of the town where laws were being broken and police intervention was not witnessed. This is unacceptable to the residents of Wasaga Beach.

“It is unfortunate that two police cruisers were damaged. I’m glad the occupants were unharmed.

“The town has no authority over the OPP, but we call on those in authority within the OPP to review what transpired and take steps to ensure that there is never a repeat of what we witnessed.

“On behalf of our town council and all residents, as well as our many law-abiding visitors, I call on Solicitor-General Michael Kerzner to ensure that the OPP are properly equipped and prepared to ensure that Wasaga Beach is not put at risk again.

“People have asked why we simply don’t close our municipal borders to rowdy car rally participants, why we don’t just turn these vehicles around. We have been advised that this is not a legal option. We have reached out to those associated with the car rally, at different times in the past, and asked that they follow our special events process to ensure a safe and fun gathering. However, not once have we ever received a response. Again, I call on the car rally community to consider working with us. An organized and safe gathering is possible here.   

“Lastly, our community has a long history of welcoming visitors. Hosting people is part of our fabric. But we do insist that everyone in Wasaga Beach follow the law. And we ask that people conduct themselves in a respectful manner. Anything less than this – please stay home.”

Town considering Land Acknowledgement Statement

Council passed a motion, introduced by Deputy Mayor Sylvia Bray, requesting that staff bring forward a draft Land Acknowledgement Statement for council’s consideration.

The statement, if approved, would be read at all council, committee, and advisory committee meetings.

Election sign rules - What you need to know

Not sure about municipal election sign rules? Check out our handy list of dos and don’ts below:

• Election signs are not permitted on municipal property.

• Two election signs per candidate are permitted on residential property.

• Three election signs per candidate are permitted on private property that is non-residential.

• Election signs on private property must not impede the safe operation of vehicles or interfere with pedestrians trying to safely navigate an area.

• Elections signs must be placed 1.5 metres from the lot line, driveways, walkways, and parking spaces.

• Any election sign placed on private property must have the consent of the owner.

• Election signs must not be in contravention of any other legislation.

People with concerns about signage should contact the Municipal Law Enforcement Department at 705-429-2511 or e-mail wbbl@wasagabeach.com.

Regulations are outlined in the town’s sign bylaw.

Failure to comply with regulations will result in the removal of signs and a possible $300 fine.

For more information, see our sign bylaw on the town website: http://ow.ly/G4i650Krw58 or on our election page at http://ow.ly/b9XX50Krw59.