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3w ago

Supreme Court Lets Saugeen Beach Ruling Stand, Setting Stage for Compensation Fight

The appeal denial solidifies findings that a 2.2–2.4 kilometre Sauble Beach shoreline was wrongly left off the reserve by an 1850s survey.

Saugeen First Nation members work on changing the lettering of the former Sauble Beach welcome sign, updated to reflect the re-allocation of the land to the First Nations community, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Cheree Urscheler (Mandatory Credit)
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Over the Canada Day long weekend, this sign replaced a decades-old one that read 'Welcome to Sable Beach.' The sandy piece of Lake Huron shoreline has been a tourist draw since the 1920s, but has been at the centre of a legal dispute over the interpretation of an 1854 treaty between the Crown and the Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation.
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Overview

  • On Aug. 28, Canada’s Supreme Court dismissed a bid by South Bruce Peninsula and several private owners to appeal rulings recognizing Saugeen First Nation’s ownership of the disputed strip.
  • The Ontario Court of Appeal in 2023 upheld that the shoreline segment belongs to Saugeen under the 1854 treaty after a misdrawn 1855 boundary, with the federal government supporting Saugeen in court.
  • The affected parcel is a small section of Lake Huron shoreline that includes municipal beach areas and a few private lots but no cottages, historically used for parking and a former fry stand.
  • A second phase is expected to address compensation for affected landowners and what Saugeen is owed for more than 170 years of denied access, with timing not yet set.
  • Municipal and landowner filings warned of uncertainty for private titles in future cases, while Saugeen’s counsel called the ruling fact‑specific to this treaty, and recent sign changes to “Saugeen Beach” highlighted local tensions.