Normandale beach will stay public.
Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett was joined by Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks David Piccini earlier today to announce that the beach will officially be added to Turkey Point Provincial Park.
Earlier this year, there was concern in the community after the popular beach was listed for sale on MLS, triggering the community to advocate to keep the beach public and arranging a meeting on the beach with local and provincial leaders.
Barrett said he received a call earlier this week about the park’s new designation and was over the moon to hear the park will remain public under the care of Ontario Parks.
Minister David Piccini spoke about the decision, saying it was really the commitment of the community that pushed the government to make this landmark decision to expand their Parks program.
Piccini says this is just the beginning and hopes more expansions happen in the years to come.
He couldn’t stress enough how much the community support swayed the conversation, saying it was the people’s voice that got the government to make this big decision.
Beginning this summer, the province will conduct a full assessment and evaluation of the site.
They will also engage the municipality, Indigenous communities, and the public.
All cleaning and maintenance of the beach will now fall onto the Province, saving the county some money as well as they had been paying to maintain the beach despite not officially owning the property.