South Bruce Peninsula appealing Sauble Beach decision

Ontario's Sauble Beach is seen in August 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

In a unanimous vote, South Bruce Peninsula Council has decided to appeal a recent court decision that awarded a large swath of Sauble Beach’s shoreline to the Saugeen First Nation.

They said uncertainty over the exact size and section of beach that is affected, and whether that impacts access to the roadway running along Sauble Beach’s shoreline, played in large part in council’s decision to appeal.

Mayor Garry Michi released a statement Tuesday afternoon which reads in part, “While the town hopes to engage in a constructive conversation with Saugeen First Nation leadership to resolve these issues in a spirit of reconciliation, council voted unanimously to issue a notice of appeal to preserve the town and landowners’ rights while those discussions occur.”

It added, “Town council remains committed to reaching a result in the best interests of the community and will provide updates as this matter develops.”

In a landmark decision on April 4, an Ontario Superior Court of Justice decided that members of the Saugeen First Nation are the rightful owners to a very valuable 2.5 kilometre stretch of Sauble Beach shoreline, stretching north of Sauble Beach’s iconic sign.

“Simply put, the court has confirmed the entire beach belongs to the Saugeen First Nation, and always has,” said Saugeen First Nation Chief Conrad Ritchie shortly after the decision. “The court has also ruled that the federal government violated our rights under Treaty 72 by failing to preserve the entirety of our reserve after we signed the treaty in 1854.”

In 1995, the Saugeen First Nation laid claim to a stretch of Sauble Beach’s shoreline, encompassing the most-used and popular section of Sauble Beach’s waterfront that sees over 400,000 tourists each summer, and brings in nearly $1 million in parking revenue each summer.

The Town of South Bruce Peninsula claims they own that stretch of beach, and fought the claim for decades, turning down a 2014 mediated settlement that led to a six-month long trial in early 2022.

Previous Saugeen First Nation chiefs have re-iterated, if they were to win this land dispute, that public access would remain at Sauble Beach and beach goers would notice little to no difference.

But last week, Saugeen First Nation Council decided to hire a private security company to patrol the section of Sauble Beach they were awarded after unauthorized vehicles were found gathering on the beach.

In a release from the Saugeen First Nation council, they stated, “On review of the circumstances we have consulted and retained the services of Southwestern Defence to provide general deterrence of undesirable behaviour, and to moderate vehicular traffic access to our beach, for all persons who are not Saugeen First Nation members.”

Requests for comment on the appeal decision from the Saugeen First Nation and the Town of South Bruce Peninsula have not yet been responded to.