The picturesque town of Wasaga Beach in Ontario has been chosen as the site for the annual Palaver International Literary Festival, a.k.a. ‘Palaver’.
Just an hour north of Toronto, 35 kilometres west of the city of Barrie and a 10-minute drive eastwards from the quaint little town of Collingwood, Wasaga Beach (from which the town takes its name) is the regarded as world’s longest fresh-water beach. That beach is washed by the waters of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.
Every summer the town receives millions of tourists who come to bask on its six pristine white-sand beaches, which run contiguously for 14 kilometres. Nestled in Nottawasaga Bay, near the estuary of the Nottawasaga River, the area was originally occupied by the Huron people who were reportedly scattered in 1650 by the Algonquin. The word Nottawasaga, from which the name of the beach is derived, is said to be Algonquin.

History

The first municipal reference recorded was in 1947 with the designation of the area as Local Improvement District. Two years later Wasaga Beach was given the status of a Police Village in the Township of Sunnidale. By 1951, the Town was granted ‘Incorporated Village’ status. On January 1, 1974, the Town of Wasaga Beach was incorporated. At that time, the town’s resident population was about 4,000 persons. In 40 years the permanent resident population had expanded by 450% to 18,000. However, in summer, the town’s population increases dramatically beyond this figure as family members who live and work in Toronto head north to spend cooler days in Wasaga Beach and owners of cottages return for lazy weekends by the beach.
Wasaga Beach claims the title ‘premiere summer resort destination in Ontario province’. Come summer, the cottages are full and the beaches are littered with sun-seekers, playing, swimming, chilling to a cooling wind coming off the Georgian Bay. In winter, snowmobiling, skiing and other winter sports are becoming increasingly popular along the beach as the winter resort of neighbouring Collingwood and its famous and popular Blue Mountains ski slopes become increasingly crowded.

Palaver will be held annually at Beach Area 4, a park under the jurisdiction of Ontario Parks.

Copyright © M.S.L. JARRETT 2015-04-18