Ontario's Premier Accountability Dashboard · Queen's Park Watch
Brian Smith
Town of Wasaga Beach
Brian Smith is the Mayor of Wasaga Beach. The Town of Wasaga Beach, under his leadership, is a named defendant in the April 2026 Ecojustice Federal Court lawsuit. On approximately April 13, 2026, the Town began mechanically raking Beach Area 1 — dragging steel rods through critical Piping Plover nesting dunes days before the endangered birds return from wintering grounds.
Connected Scandals
Doug Ford's government sold off 60% of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park — overriding 98% public opposition via an omnibus budget bill — while Bill 5 stripped the last provincial protections from Ontario's most important Piping Plover breeding site. When the Town began mechanically raking critical nesting habitat in April 2026 just days before the endangered birds return, Ecojustice filed a Federal Court lawsuit warning that failure to act will result in the species' extirpation from Ontario.
As Mayor of Wasaga Beach, Smith leads the municipality named as a defendant in the Ecojustice Federal Court lawsuit. The Town authorized mechanical raking of Beach Area 1 — critical Piping Plover nesting habitat — in April 2026, triggering the emergency legal proceedings.