South Bruce Peninsula

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South Bruce Peninsula is not to be confused with the Municipality of South Bruce, Ontario
South Bruce Peninsula
Town of South Bruce Peninsula
Malcolm Bluff.jpg
The Malcolm Bluff near Purple Valley,
as seen across Colpoys Bay
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South Bruce Peninsula
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South Bruce Peninsula
Coordinates: 44°44′N81°12′W / 44.733°N 81.200°W / 44.733; -81.200
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
ProvinceFlag of Ontario.svg  Ontario
County Bruce
FormedJanuary 1, 1999
Government
  MayorJay Kirkland [1]
  Deputy MayorCaleb Hull [2]
  CouncillorsTerry Bell, Paul Deacon, Kathy Durst [3]
  Federal riding Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
  Prov. riding Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Area
[4]
  Land532.29 km2 (205.52 sq mi)
Population
 (2021) [4]
  Total9,137
  Density17.2/km2 (45/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code
N0H
Area code(s) 519 and 226
Website www.southbrucepeninsula.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Wiarton Wiarton ON.JPG
Wiarton
Entering South Bruce Peninsula from Highway 21 Entering South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (from Highway 21).jpg
Entering South Bruce Peninsula from Highway 21

South Bruce Peninsula is a town at the base of the Bruce Peninsula of Ontario, Canada, in Bruce County between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. It was formed on January 1, 1999, when the town of Wiarton, the village of Hepworth, and the townships of Albemarle and Amabel were amalgamated. The new municipality was created to provide necessary political representation, administrative support, and necessary municipal services on behalf of the residents. [5]

Contents

Tourism, particularly cottage rental and providing services to visitors, is the major industry in the area. Many cottages are found along Sauble Beach (North and South).

Communities

The town comprises a number of villages and larger communities. These include the following:

The administrative centre of the region is found in Wiarton. [6]

Town politics and services

An elected mayor, deputy major and three councilors provide the municipal government, guided by provincial legislation. A number of Committees and local Boards assist Council. "Council establishes policies and budgets for programs and services delivered by the Town of South Bruce Peninsula." The Legislative Services Department includes the Clerk's Division, By-Law Enforcement and Animal Control, and the Building Division. [7]

The Town's Community-Based Strategic Plan, Creating Our Future, was originally completed in 2012 and was updated in 2014 and 2016. The intent is to "ensure the protection of the natural resources while balancing the desire for business, tourism and recreational opportunities." [8]

The Parks & Recreation Department services parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, ball diamonds, arena, aquatic programs and various programs. [9] The town has Fire stations but policing is provided by the Ontario Provincial Police from the Wiarton Detachment. [10]

There has been some friction between the Town and the Saugeen First Nation because of continuing land claims in the Sauble Beach area. A settlement was mediated in 2014 but was subsequently rejected by South Bruce, leading to a lawsuit against the Town, to be heard in court no earlier than 2018. [11]

There is one hospital in the town: Wiarton Hospital with emergency and ambulance services, with 22 beds. Nearby, though outside the town, is the Grey-Bruce Regional Health Centre in Owen Sound. The latter is larger and is the regional referral centre for Grey and Bruce counties with over 50 specialists on staff. [12]

Land ownership, Sauble Beach

Sauble Beach is the permanent year-round home to approximately 2,000 people. The cottage owners add thousands of seasonal community members. [13] Cottage owners are uniquely split between those who own property outright and those with cottages on Native lands. [14] (Years earlier, the Saugeen First Nation had successfully reclaimed the land that "runs south from the Sauble Beach sign toward Southampton, 18 kilometres away", according to one news report.) [15] A lease relationship exists between the Saugeen First Nation, the "Chippewas of Saugeen", [14] [16] and cottagers who built seasonal homes on leased land in the a lakeside area between urban Southampton, Ontario and Sauble Beach. They pay an annual fee to the Saugeen First Nation. [17] The current land lease agreement between the cottagers and the Saugeen First Nation remains in effect until April 30, 2021. [18]

Some years ago, the Saugeen First Nation successfully reclaimed the land that "runs south from the Sauble Beach sign toward Southampton, 18 kilometres away", according to one news report. [15] The beach area to the south of Main St. in the community is referred to by the band as Sauble Park or South Sauble Beach Park. [19] [20] [21] In addition to the south Sauble Beach, Ontario area, the Saugeen First Nation claims the rights to another stretch of the public beach, approximately 2 km long, west of Lakeshore Boulevard extending to a point between 1st St. South and 6th St. North. This claim has been in litigation since 1990 when the federal government started an action on behalf of the Saugeen First Nation, stating that the area is part of the Saugeen 29 Reserve. The band also filed its own claim in 1995. [22] [23]

In 2019, the Saugeen First Nation banned the driving and parking of vehicles on their South Sauble beach; the town had done so previously on their public beach. [24] [25]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, South Bruce Peninsula had a population of 9,137 living in 4,148 of its 7,093 total private dwellings, a change of 8.6% from its 2016 population of 8,416. With a land area of 530.61 km2 (204.87 sq mi), it had a population density of 17.2/km2 (44.6/sq mi) in 2021. [26]

Canada census – South Bruce Peninsula community profile
2016 2011
Population8,416 (0.0% from 2011)8,413 (0.0% from 2006)
Land area532.29 km2 (205.52 sq mi)538.32 km2 (207.85 sq mi)
Population density15.8/km2 (41/sq mi)15.6/km2 (40/sq mi)
Median age54.5 (M: 53.8, F: 55.1)51.9 (M: {{{2011_median_age_m}}}, F: 52.7)
Private dwellings6,945 (total) 6,959 (total) 
Median household income$57,766
References: 2016 [27] 2011 [28] earlier [29] [30]

Mother tongue: [29]

Population trend: [31] [32] [4]

Attractions

The main tourist attractions for the area are Sauble Beach, Wiarton Willie (Groundhog Day), and fishing locations on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

The region has many annual festivals such as the Wiarton Willie Festival, held each February; the William Wilfred Campbell Poetry & Arts Festival in June; the Wiarton Rotary Village Fair, held on Civic Holiday weekend each August; the Oliphant Regatta, held each summer; Sauble Sandfest, held each August; and the Wiarton Fall Fair, held each September.

The Bruce Trail, the oldest and longest marked hiking trail in Canada, with over 440 km of side trails, runs up the eastern side of the Bruce Peninsula.

Isaac Lake Management area is north of Wiarton, Ontario. [33]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatsworth, Ontario</span> Township in Ontario, Canada

Chatsworth is a township municipality in Grey County, in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The township is located at the headwaters of the Styx River, the Saugeen River, the Sauble River, the Bighead River, the Spey River, and the old Sydenham River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Grey</span> Municipality in Ontario, Canada

West Grey is a township in the northern area of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, in Grey County spanning across the River Styx, the Rocky Saugeen River, the Beatty Saugeen River, and the South Saugeen River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce County</span> County in Ontario, Canada

Bruce County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It has eight lower-tier municipalities with a total 2016 population of 66,491. It is named for James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, the sixth Governor General of the Province of Canada. The Bruce name is also linked to the Bruce Trail and the Bruce Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada

The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait joining Georgian Bay to the rest of Lake Huron. The Bruce Peninsula contains part of the geological formation known as the Niagara Escarpment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiarton</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Wiarton is a community in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the western end of Colpoys Bay, an inlet off Georgian Bay, on the Bruce Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder Bay District</span> District in Ontario, Canada

Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauble Beach, Ontario</span> Unincorporated settlement in Ontario, Canada

Sauble Beach is a beach community and unincorporated area in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, in the northern area of southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Bruce Peninsula, along the eastern shore of Lake Huron, on the north edge of the Saugeen First Nation. The beach takes its name from that given by early French explorers to the sandy Sauble River, originally "La Rivière Au Sable" also indicating that the river emptied into Lake Huron at a sandy beach. The river was labelled with the French name on maps until 1881, when it became the Sauble River; in early years, a sawmill was built on the river, and later, a hydro electric plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauble River (Ontario)</span> River in Ontario, Canada

The Sauble River is a river in Bruce County and Grey County in southwestern Ontario, Canada that flows from its headwaters in the township of Chatsworth to Lake Huron north of the community of Sauble Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Southampton is a community on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is close to Port Elgin and is located at the mouth of the Saugeen River in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory. The size of the town is 6.44 square kilometres. The permanent population in 2016 was 3,678, but the summer population is higher since cottagers and campers spend vacation time in the area.

Bruce North was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the county of Bruce into two ridings: Bruce North and Bruce South.

Saugeen First Nation is an Ojibway First Nation band located along the Saugeen River and Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. The band states that their legal name is the "Chippewas of Saugeen". Organized in the mid-1970s, Saugeen First Nation is the primary "political successor apparent" to the Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory; the other First Nation that is a part of Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory is Cape Croker. The Ojibway are of the Algonquian languages family. The First Nation consist of four reserves: Chief's Point 28, Saugeen 29, Saugeen Hunting Grounds 60A, and Saugeen and Cape Croker Fishing Islands 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saugeen Shores</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

Saugeen Shores is a town in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1998. In addition to the two main population centres of Southampton and Port Elgin, the town includes a portion of the village of Burgoyne and the North Bruce area, straddling the municipal eastern and southern boundary respectively. In 2016, the permanent population of Saugeen Shores was 13,715, in a land area of 171.05 square kilometres (66.04 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arran–Elderslie</span> Municipality in Ontario, Canada

The Municipality of Arran–Elderslie is a township in Bruce County in Western Ontario, Canada. The township is located at the headwaters of the Sauble River, and the Saugeen River forms the northwestern boundary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Elgin, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Port Elgin is a community in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Its location is in the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. Originally named Normanton the town was renamed Port Elgin when it was incorporated in 1874, after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, a former Governor General of the Province of Canada.

Charles Rankin, was an early Irish-born and Scottish-descended settler and land surveyor in Upper Canada. He is significant due to his role in the surveying and early settlement of large areas of Upper Canada, including much of the Bruce Peninsula and south shore of Lake Huron, and notably the city of Owen Sound. Born in 1797 at Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland, he died in either 1886 or 1888 in Owen Sound, a city whose founding he had been instrumental in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huron-Kinloss</span> Township in Ontario, Canada

Huron-Kinloss is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Bruce County. The township had a population of 7,069 in the Canada 2016 Census.

Saugeen 29 is a First Nations reserve in Bruce County, Ontario. It is the main reserve of the Saugeen First Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander McNeill</span> Canadian politician

Alexander McNeill was a Canadian politician.

Chief's Point 28 is an Aboriginal reserve located between Sauble Beach and Wiarton, Ontario on Lake Huron. It is one of the reserves of the Saugeen First Nation.

Also within the Bruce census division are two First Nations reserves:

References

  1. https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/kirkland-sworn-in-as-mayor-of-south-bruce-peninsula/wcm/dd4bdf1a-bccb-40e6-96cb-44be34736117/amp/ comments-1.6950780
  2. https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/hull-appointed-deputy-mayor-in-south-bruce-peninsula/wcm/fc4b5d61-fb9e-4c7e-8186-faa8887f78c1/amp/
  3. https://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/2024/01/16/south-bruce-peninsula-appoints-paul-deacon-to-council/
  4. 1 2 3 "Census Profile, 2021 Census: South Bruce Peninsula, Town". Statistics Canada . Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  5. "South Bruce Peninsula". Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  6. "South Bruce Peninsula". Communities of South Bruce Peninsula. Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  7. "South Bruce Peninsula". Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  8. "South Bruce Peninsula". Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  9. "South Bruce Peninsula". Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  10. "Town of South Bruce Peninsula Police Services". Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  11. Gowan, Rob (18 October 2016). "Gammie holds Sauble land claim meeting". Sun Times. Owen Sound. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  12. "South Bruce Peninsula". Town of South Bruce Peninsula Healthcare. Town of South Bruce Peninsula. 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  13. Graham, David (1 September 2010). "Recapturing the past at Sauble Beach". The Star. Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  14. 1 2 https://www.saugeenlandmgt.com/, Saugeen Land Management
  15. 1 2 Urquhart, Scot (2016-07-23). "Sauble Beach is changing but it is still a place for family". The Hamilton Spectator. ISSN   1189-9417 . Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  16. https://saugeenfirstnation.ca/, Saugeen First Nation
  17. "Let us back into our cottages". The Globe and Mail. 2008-08-16. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  18. https://scoi.ca/about-scoi/, Saugeen Cottager’s Organization Incorporated
  19. https://saugeenfirstnation.ca/for-visitors/sauble-park/, Sauble Park
  20. https://saugeenfirstnation.ca/about/, About
  21. "Parking changes this summer at Sauble Beach". cknxnewstoday.ca. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  22. "Saugeen First Nation seeks court ruling on century-old boundary dispute in Sauble Beach". CBC News. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  23. "SFN Seeks Summary Judgement in Sauble Beach Claim". Saugeen First Nations. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  24. "BEACH RULES". Sauble Beach Chamber of Commerce. 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  25. https://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=110534, Sauble Long Weekend Sees Half Of Last Year's Numbers
  26. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Ontario". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  27. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  28. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  29. 1 2 "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  30. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  31. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001 census
  32. "South Bruce Peninsula census profile". 2011 Census of Population . Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  33. "Isaac Lake Management Area". Century 21 In-Studio Realty. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  34. Josephson, Harold (1985). Biographical Dictionary of Modern Peace Leaders. Connecticut: Greenwood. p. 459. ISBN   0-313-22565-6.