Mike Foley with the Wasaga Beach waterfront and community scenes

Candidate for Deputy Mayor · Wasaga Beach

Experienced leadership. A stronger Wasaga Beach.

Mike Foley is running to rebuild the partnership between Town Hall and the community. Council needs to be more accessible, while providing taxpayers clear answers about every major decision and dollar spent.

Read the platform

Listen first Explain decisions Respect taxpayers Deliver results

Mike Foley and Elaine during a family outing

Proudly local Mike and his family call Wasaga Beach home.

Meet Mike Foley

Leadership grounded in service, preparation, and respect.

Mike has spent years working with students, families, community groups, and public partners. He believes leadership begins with being available, understanding the issue, and following through after the meeting ends.

His campaign for Deputy Mayor is focused on practical municipal priorities: a healthier relationship with the people of Wasaga as well as local Wasaga businesses. In addition, better public access to Council, responsible spending, and straightforward reporting to taxpayers is necessary.

Outside his public-service work, Mike stays involved in local sports and enjoys skiing, boating, and making the most of Wasaga Beach and Georgian Bay.

“Leadership is not about making promises. It is about showing up, listening carefully, and doing the work.”
— Mike Foley

Mike Foley and his family spending an evening together around a backyard fire — Family and community
At home in Wasaga Beach.

Mike and Elaine value the same things many local families do: time together, safe neighbourhoods, dependable public services, and a community where children and grandchildren can build their future.

A record of service

What Mike has worked on in the community.

Education advocacy, charitable work, community leadership, and public service—shown through campaign photographs and archival newspaper clippings.

Rendering of the approved new Wasaga Beach public secondary school

Education advocacy

Advocating for a public high school in Wasaga Beach.

As an elected public school board trustee, Mike supported the effort of many of his constituents to move a new public secondary school in Wasaga Beach higher on the board's capital-priority list and continued advocating as the project moved toward provincial approval.

“Many people over many years have worked exceptionally hard to bring a public high school to Wasaga Beach and I am incredibly proud to have been a part of securing provincial approval and financing for our long-overdue school. My thanks and congratulations to the many people who have worked so long and so hard to bring to fruition!”
— Mike Foley

The image shown is an artist's rendering of the proposed high school.

View the official project status

Mike's priorities

A practical platform for a stronger town.

A practical plan to improve trust between Town Hall, residents, and local businesses - with better communication, fewer barriers, and clear accountability. Residents also need more recreational spaces, including parks, splash pads, and places for families and neighbours to gather and stay active.

Open government

Council & the Public

Removing barriers between residents and Town Hall

Open dialogue between Council and residents is essential to good local government. No one should feel shut out of the decisions that shape their neighbourhood, municipal services, or taxes.

Residents deserve practical ways to follow Council's work, ask questions, share concerns, and be heard before important decisions are made.

Mike will advocate for:

Open access to official Town communication platforms, with any restrictions based only on clear, published, and consistently applied standards—not disagreement with Council.
Regular Council meetings should begin at 6:00 p.m. so that more working residents and families can attend.
A less complicated, more respectful process for residents who want to make a public delegation.
A five-minute open-comment period at every regular Council meeting.
Institute a one-meeting delay between committee recommendations and Council ratification to give the public time to voice their comments and concerns.
Earlier notice and plain-language information so residents can provide meaningful input before major decisions are finalized.

More access. More voices. Better decisions.

Mike Foley speaking at a public community event — More access. More voices. Better decisions.

Local economy

Supporting Local Business

Improving the partnership between Town Hall and our business community

Local businesses are the backbone of Wasaga Beach. They create jobs, support families, sponsor community organizations, and help give our town its character.

As Deputy Mayor, Mike will work to:

Create regular opportunities to hear directly from business owners about their day-to-day challenges.
Identify unnecessary red tape, delays, and duplication in municipal approval processes.
Support dedicated economic-development expertise—through staff or a qualified contractor—focused on business retention, attraction, and growth.
Develop an ongoing, constructive dialogue between Council, municipal staff, and the local business community.
The Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce should have real input into community growth, providing reports to Council.
Ensure affected businesses are consulted early, before major decisions are finalized.

When local businesses can succeed, Wasaga Beach gains more jobs, stronger services, a more vibrant downtown, and a healthier local economy.

Mike Foley participating in a community bicycle repair and donation event — A stronger partnership with the people who create local jobs and invest in Wasaga Beach.

Responsible government

Accountability

Transparency residents can understand and trust

Wasaga Beach taxpayers work hard for their money. They deserve straightforward information before, during, and after major Council decisions—not vague explanations once the decision has already been made.

True transparency means clearly showing what is being proposed, what it will cost, what could go wrong, and whether the promised results are actually being delivered.

Mike will work to ensure every major decision and project clearly explains:

Why the decision or investment is being proposed.
What outcomes residents should expect and how success will be measured.
What financial, operational, and long-term risks are involved.
How the project will be funded, its expected full cost, and where taxpayer dollars are going.
How work is progressing and whether timelines, costs, or expected outcomes have changed.
Who is accountable for delivering the result and reporting back to the public.
Transparency = Accountability!

No spin. No surprises. Just honest answers, responsible spending, and real accountability—because your money and your trust matter.

Mike Foley speaking at a 2026 graduation ceremony — Mike Foley speaking at the 2026 graduation ceremony.

Mike Foley standing beside the Wasaga Beach Public School opening plaque

Strong advocacy · local results

Investing in our children's future.

Through his work as a school board trustee, Mike has supported projects and partnerships that strengthen education in Wasaga Beach.

A growing community needs local learning spaces that serve students and families for decades. Mike will continue to bring the same preparation, persistence, and public accountability to municipal leadership.

Local schools Advocacy focused on students and families

Public investment Clear progress and responsible oversight

Project gallery

A closer look at the proposed school.

Select any image to open the full presentation view.

Active in our community

Listening. Volunteering. Showing up.

Community leadership is built through consistent participation—not only during an election campaign.

Mike Foley helping at a bicycle repair and donation event in Guelph — Community service · Guelph **Repairing and donating discarded bicycles**
Mike helped organize a bicycle-repair program in Guelph utilizing high school students to repair discarded bicycles that went to Ukrainian refugees and marginalized communities. Mike is currently working to replicate this in the Wasaga Beach–Collingwood area.

Mike Foley participating in Relay for Life — Relay for Life **Walking with neighbours in support of cancer research**
Mike joined local participants at Relay for Life to support cancer research and recognize the families and survivors affected by cancer.

Mike Foley with children at a Terry Fox Run he organized — **Volunteering for a community run for cancer research**
Mike volunteerede at a Terry Fox Run that brought local families and young people together in support of cancer research and Terry Fox’s enduring legacy of courage and community action.

Mike Foley helping present a Kids First Foundation fundraising cheque — Correctional fundraiser **Supporting the Peel Regional Police Kids Breakfast Program**
During his correctional-services career, Mike helped coordinate a fundraiser supporting the Kids First Foundation and a police-led breakfast program for children.

Mike Foley with community and education representatives — Partnership **Working with community leaders**
The photo features Mike with Deputy Mayor Snell, MPP Brian Saunderson, and Mayor Smith. It was taken after MPP Saunderson presented the SCDSB and its representatives with nearly $60 million in provincial funding for a new public high school in Wasaga Beach, along with funding to Wasaga Beach Council for several important community projects.

Mike Foley supporting the Smile Cookie campaign alongside a photo of decorated smile cookies — Student nutrition **Supporting the Smile Cookie campaign for local students**
Mike joined school and community partners in celebrating Wasaga Beach's Smile Cookie campaign. The effort raised $14,530.88 for Eat Well to Excel, helping support student nutrition programs at Worsley Elementary and Birchview Dunes schools.

Mike Foley with Mike Schreiner, provincial leader of the Green Party, at Wastewise — Environmental stewardship **Working with MPPs to protect the environment**
Mike met with Mike Schreiner, provincial leader of the Green Party, to discuss the importance of protecting Ontario’s natural environment. For Wasaga Beach, environmental stewardship means safeguarding the shoreline, preserving local green spaces, and ensuring future growth respects the natural features that make our community unique.

Experience that crosses sectors

Business sense. Public-service discipline.

Mike brings experience from Canadian manufacturing and national marketing, three decades in provincial public service, education, nonprofit leadership, and elected governance.

Private-sector business leadership

Marketing Canadian technology in a competitive industry.

Mike served as National Marketing Manager for Wavelength Technologies Corporation, a Canadian audio-electronics company producing high-performance car-audio amplifiers for retailers in Canada and the United States.

National marketing leadership for Wavelength Technologies Corporation
Product positioning and retailer relationships across Canada
Supporting expansion into the United States market
Customer service, product knowledge, and practical problem-solving

Archived business feature about Wavelength Technologies Corporation and Mike Foley's work marketing Canadian audio amplifiers — Archived profile of Wavelength Technologies Corporation.

Public sector and governance

Three decades of public service and frontline experience.

Mike worked for Ontario's Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services until retiring in 2018. His work included frontline, recreation, facilitation, health-and-safety, and human-rights responsibilities.

Correctional and recreation officer roles
Experience working with youth and adults in secure facilities
Was an instructor at Sheridan College over a three-year period
Was a Guelph trustee for the Upper Grand District School Board from 2018 to 2022 and has served as a trustee for the Simcoe County District School Board from 2022 to the present

Mike Foley seated in the Upper Grand District School Board boardroom — Mike in the Upper Grand boardroom.

Local action as a trustee

Mike's commitment to the community means taking a strong stance on creating safer schools.

Mike has pressed for clearer reporting, stronger oversight, and better information so trustees can direct resources where students and staff need them most.

Mike Foley beside a local public-school opening plaque

School safety · Trustee record

Pushing for honest reporting on violence in schools

In 2023, Mike introduced the successful motion requiring annual public reporting on violent incidents. He also asked that reporting capture serious incidents that can fall outside the province's narrow reporting categories.

Called for reporting on assaults not requiring medical attention, human trafficking, and gang activity
Questioned major discrepancies between board and frontline-worker figures
Supported deeper reporting so trustees can direct budgets and safety resources responsibly
Argued for open information, public accountability, and stronger oversight

Read the February 2026 report Read the November 2025 report

Ontario sign announcing a new secondary school in Wasaga Beach

Advocacy for a local high school

Working Together to Secure a Public High School

Mike worked alongside local residents, community advocates, and members of the provincial government to keep the need for a public high school in Wasaga Beach in front of the Ministry of Education. Their combined sustained advocacy helped secure the provincial funding needed to move the long-awaited project forward.

View official project updates

Testimonials

Trusted. Respected. Proven.

Leaders who have worked with Mike Foley share their experience of his leadership, persistence, and commitment to public service.

Without hesitation, I am pleased to endorse Mike Foley on his new journey. Working beside him as an Upper Grand Trustee from 2018 to 2022, I admired him as someone who asked the tough questions and got things done such as putting naloxone kits and training in all our schools. In many ways he made safety for everyone a priority.

During my term as Chair of the Simcoe County District School Board, I had the privilege of working with Mike Foley and seeing firsthand the leadership he brings to public service. Mike is a principled, hardworking, and dedicated community leader who listens, builds consensus, and always puts people first. Wasaga Beach would be well served with Mike Foley as Deputy Mayor, and I wholeheartedly support his candidacy.

Mike is a passionate, persuasive, and persistent advocate. I have witnessed him diplomatically battle misconduct at the board table, challenge corruption, and refuse to rubber stamp what is wrong.

Strong leadership. Stronger Wasaga Beach.

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