A celebration to mark Saugeen First Nation’s ownership of an extended part of Sauble Beach is set to be held.
Saugeen First Nation recently provided an update to the community in a statement about the beach and shared the First Nation’s view on the reserve’s eastern boundary. The Town of South Bruce Peninsula is looking to appeal an April 3rd Ontario Superior Court decision that the Town argues left uncertainties about the boundary. Saugeen First Nation provided its view on the boundary, as well as other areas of focus moving forward.
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The update posted on the First Nation’s website and social media says, “After nearly 30 years of litigation and 170 years of fighting to have our proper reserve boundaries recognized, a judge ruled in our favour April 3rd, 2023. The judge ruled that the north part of Sauble Beach is part of our reserve, just like the south part. It is a huge victory that was only possible because of the continued support of all our community members, our elders and the past generations that never gave up on our rights. Now that we have proven our case, we have lots of work to do to be good stewards of the land.”
The update lists a number of things band council is focusing on, including keeping the beach open, keeping it safe, protecting the environment, making use of expert advice and its newly created beach advisory team.
The release says another priority is working with neighbours, saying, “We have been in regular communication with the Town of South Bruce Peninsula about our shared interest in good management of the beach. Before we won our case, we were often not included in beach management when others were making decisions, but our people have always believed that cooperation with our neighbours is a key element of reconciliation and that has been what we are doing.”
The First Nation added a claim about the reserve’s boundaries, saying, “The Town of South Bruce Peninsula has made frequent public statements about there being some kind of ‘unresolved questions about the location of our reserve boundaries under the judge’s decision. Those statements are simply not correct. There are no significant unresolved questions about the boundaries. The court was very clear that the north boundary of the reserve is at “the approximate mid-way points of Lot 31,” Precisely “214.4 metres north north ” of the road allowance between lots 30 and 31 (i.e., around 7th Street North), and that the east boundary is “lying to the west of Lakeshore Boulevard north.”‘
They add, “We embrace the court’s conclusion on that point and agree with it entirely : the beach is part of the reserve but no lands east of Lakeshore Boulevard are included.”
You can read the full statement below:
