The Sauble Beach sign was changed Tuesday to mark the reclamation of the land by Saugeen First Nation.
A legal land claim battle over the beach was waged for years, until the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in favour of the First Nation in 2023. The Court of Appeals upheld that decision last year.
The sign change was coordinated through the Saugeen First Nation Beach Advisory Committee. Co-chair Sonya Roote said the current change — which swapped out letters from 'Sauble' to spell Saugeen but kept the same aesthetic — is just temporary.
"We felt it was really important, our committee felt it was important to make that change this year, to take ownership of what's always been ours," said Roote. "To show that we our proud that this is our land and that we're not going to let other people take it."
The committee will consult with the community to come up with a permanent sign for next summer, to better represent SFN.
Roote said for now, people were just happy to have the land back and an end to the lengthy courtroom battles.
"My dad was on council in the 80s and the early 90s and I know he worked on the east boundary claim, so for me this is part of that," she said. "I know that my dad and all of our ancestors who have went on, who have fought this fight are watching and are proud today to see the Saugeen sign where it should have been a long time ago."
She said there has been a mostly positive outpouring today on social media in reaction to the new sign, but knows not everybody is on board.
"The reactions just from today, seeing the reactions on social media, there's a lot of positive, for sure. There's also a lot of negative comments going on right now... some people aren't happy about the verdict. But we're not going to focus on the negative now, we're going to focus on the positive."
There will be a Feast our Beach BBQ to celebrate today, hosted by the Beach Advisory Committee. That celebration runs from 4 to 7 p.m. and the whole community is welcome to attend.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Town of South Bruce Peninsula said it was disappointed not to have been informed of the decision, noting the change was made overnight on without any notice.
"The Sauble Beach sign is a well-known landmark with deep meaning for many people," said Mayor Jay Kirkland in a release. "While we respect Saugeen First Nation’s right to make changes on their land, we believe open communication is important — especially when it involves something so symbolic to the broader community. We remain committed to respectful dialogue and working together in the spirit of mutual understanding."