Will Sauble Beach be open to the public this summer?
A recent court decision to return a popular stretch of Sauble Beach shoreline back to the Saugeen First Nation has created fear and uncertainty amongst residents, and sun worshippers, about the future of their beloved beach.
“We can walk on the beach after supper at night, and have a quick little walk down the beach with the dog, and enjoy the sunset. That might not happen in the future,” said Sauble Beach Residential Property Owner’s Association President Doug Jordan. “There’s no guarantees about what will happen.”
Two weeks after taking ownership of Sauble’s sand up to 6th street from the Town of South Bruce Peninsula, the Saugeen First Nation hired private security to patrol the beach. This has fuelled rumours public access might be coming to an end.
Chief Conrad Ritchie said they hired security for public safety, in response to people driving erratically on the beach.
“Everything is still open. There’s still going to be public access. I think people misinterpreted that message and came to their own conclusions,” said Ritchie.
Ritchie added visitors shouldn’t notice much difference if they visit Sauble Beach this summer.
However, Saugeen First Nation council is exploring some options when it comes to charging fees for beach access in the future.
Last summer, South Bruce Peninsula charged $30 a day to park along the disputed portion of Sauble Beach. On South Sauble Beach, owned and operated by the Saugeen First Nation for many years, it has historically cost $15-$20 a day to access the beach.
“From my understanding, everything would remain open to the public. The only difference would be Saugeen would be exercising their jurisdiction and maintaining the beach, and what not. I haven’t heard any objection to not opening it up to the public, as of yet. I think everything will just remain the same,” said Ritchie.
Which makes sense, according to Sauble property and business owner, Tom Laforme. With 400,000 tourists a year, bringing in nearly $1 million in parking revenue alone, Sauble Beach is a place to make money. He hopes the past owners at the Town of South Bruce Peninsula, and new ones at the Saugeen First Nation, can figure out how to share the beach bounty.
“They bring in a million dollars in parking fees. There should be some sort of shared revenue to make sure the public has access to the beach, because without public access all the businesses here are going to suffer, going forward,” said Laforme.
“We could have a really strong community built of both First Nations and members of the town here. A joint council would be just the best thing that could happen to this town,” said local resident, Laurie Garbutt.
While they expressed a commitment to “engage in a constructive conversation with Saugeen First Nation leadership to resolve these issues in the spirit of reconciliation,” the Town of South Bruce Peninsula council voted unanimously to appeal the April 4 ruling that removed them as the stewards of Sauble’s sandy shores.
The uncertainty of boundaries, and future beach management, drove their decision.
“[The court decision] could do nothing; it could dramatically affect taxation, property values. It may or may not diminish tourism. It’s totally unknown. We have to prepare for the worst case scenario, know we are all heavily invested in property and assets in this area,” said Sauble property owner and residents’ association leader Doug Jordan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Forecast for Ernesto puts hurricane in Canadian waters by Monday, with track unclear
The long-term forecast for Hurricane Ernesto has it moving southeast of Nova Scotia by Monday, but the Canadian Hurricane Centre says it's still unclear how the storm will impact the Atlantic region.
WATCH LIVE Multiple arrests made in connection to Matthew Perry’s death
Multiple arrests have been made in connection with Matthew Perry’s death, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the situation.
Sweden confirms first case of mpox, also first outside Africa
Sweden confirmed its first case of the viral infection mpox on Thursday, which was also the first case outside Africa, a day after the WHO declared the disease a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.
CREA says July home sales up from year ago, but down month-over-month
The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales in July were up from a year ago, but edged back from where they were in June this year.
BREAKING 'Violence, drugs and fear:' More than 150 charges laid after investigation into Toronto street gang
Toronto police say they have made 32 arrests and laid 158 criminal charges following a nearly year-long investigation into a Toronto street gang that was allegedly using Canada Post to distribute drugs to other provinces.
15-year-old boy becomes first to be charged with rioting following recent U.K. unrest
A 15-year-old boy on Thursday became the first person to be charged with rioting following a wave of violent unrest that swept across the U.K.
Protests sweep India over rape and murder of doctor
Holding candles, hundreds of thousands of women marched through the night in cities across India, to protest the brutal rape and murder of a young female doctor in a hospital.
Nearly half of Canadians say rising prices make it harder to cover daily expenses
Nearly half, or 45 per cent, of Canadians say rising prices are 'greatly impacting' their ability to meet day-to-day expenses, which is 12 percentage points higher than two years ago, according to a Statistics Canada study.
Teacher who taped the word 'poop' onto kindergarten student's arm suspended 2 days
An elementary school teacher from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been handed a two-day suspension for incidents of professional misconduct, which included briefly taping the word 'poop' onto a student's arm.