Saugeen First Nation has issued a statement on the Town of South Bruce Peninsula’s intention to appeal a recent court decision ruling in favour of Saugeen First Nation’s ownership of Sauble Beach to a point north of 6th Street North.
The First Nation’s statement is below:
“Chief and Council are disappointed by the Town’s decision to appeal, but appeals are a normal part of the legal process. We had hoped that our neighbours at the Town would, in the spirit of reconciliation, accept the Court’s decision and bring to an end decades of litigation on this matter. Sadly, that appears not to be the case.
We are confident that the trial judge’s decision was correct. We are confident that our ownership of the beach will only be further confirmed, and that the decision will be upheld on any appeal. Together, the people of Saugeen First Nation have collectively been fighting for our beach for more than 170 years. We will not stop now. The trial judge recognized that “to achieve reconciliation means that the status quo must sometimes change.” This is a change that we have awaited for generations. We will keep fighting to preserve it. And we will prevail.
Chief and Council