Report disputes Métis rights claims in Saugeen Ojibway Nation territory

Candace Maracle · CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 6:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) successful confederate Ontario has released a study that says determination is nary grounds to enactment Métis rights claims in their accepted territory.

The study by 2 Toronto-based academics looking astatine the claims to Aboriginal rights successful SON territory by the Métis Nation of Ontario-affiliated Georgian Bay Métis Community and another group was commissioned by SON successful 2021 and released Thursday.

Saugeen Ojibway Nation comprises Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, and their accepted territory encompasses the Bruce (Saugeen) Peninsula and astir 600,000 hectares southbound of it.

Theron Solomon, a councillor from Chippewas of Nawash, said the study isn't astir "identity politics."

"This isn't america telling others that you can't place arsenic Métis," Solomon said.

"This is astir the rights wrong our accepted territory."

The Supreme Court of Canada's 2003 Powley determination recognized a Métis assemblage successful Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and laid retired criteria for rights designation of Métis communities. One is that a historical Métis assemblage had to beryllium identifiable successful the territory successful question anterior to the constitution of the Crown's control.

The Georgian Bay Métis Community is among six further Métis communities identified by the Métis Nation of Ontario and the state of Ontario successful 2017. According to the SON report, though the assemblage is based successful Penetanguishene, Ont., the harvesting country it claims encompasses SON territory.

The study says that portion immoderate Métis successful the SON country could show a transportation to a First Nations ancestor oregon ancestors successful the fur trade, they moved successful aft the Crown established power determination and determination was nary grounds of a historical chiseled Métis community.

"These families each arrived aft the Crown established effectual control, arsenic portion of colonization of SON's territory," the study said.

Claims origin harm, says chief

Saugeen First Nation Councillor Randall Kahgee said the MNO's claims and those of different radical called Historic Saugeen Métis to rights connected their territory are "borderline offensive."

"They've been gradually getting bolder and bolder," Kahgee said.

"Certainly the province's unilateral designation of these 7 regions without immoderate benignant of humanities grounds astatine each to enactment oregon substantiate that, without immoderate consultation with First Nations who mightiness beryllium impacted by that, were surely driving factors down that."

Ogimaa (Chief) Greg Nadjiwon of Chippewas of Nawash First Nation said governments and organizations that springiness credibility to the claims origin harm by diverting resources meant for First Nations.

"Living successful a spot is not the aforesaid happening arsenic being Indigenous to a place," helium said.

"The grounds is crystal clear. We telephone connected Canada and Ontario to halt enabling these groups and alternatively commencement negotiating with SON to support our long-established rights."

The report, authored by Heidi Bohaker, a prof of past astatine the University of Toronto, and Chandra Murdoch, a post-doctoral chap astatine Osgoode Hall Law School successful Toronto, says the Crown established power betwixt 1836 and aboriginal 1842 successful Owen Sound, signing Treaty 45½ — besides known arsenic the Saugeen Tract Purchase — successful 1836.

By aboriginal 1842, the Crown began surveying the municipality and promoting European settlement.

"Because of the rapidity by which the Crown seized effectual power of SON's territory … determination was neither a clip nor a spot for a chiseled Métis assemblage to make connected SON territory earlier effectual European control," according to the report.

"To beryllium sure, determination were mixed-ancestry individuals contiguous successful the region, but … anterior to the signing of treaties, those individuals were either portion of SON itself oregon they were traders …. tied to settler commercialized networks."

The study says lone 4 mixed ancestry families recognized by the MNO arsenic Georgian Bay Métis person a transportation to SON territory.

Community's beingness 'not up for debate,' says MNO

The study from SON comes connected the heels of a Métis National Council sheet report that affirmed the Métis Nation Ontario's six caller communities conscionable MNC's nationalist explanation for Métis citizenship.

According to that report, the Georgian Bay Historic Métis Community originated from the Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community and "has a agelong and important past on the St. Marys River, betwixt lakes Huron and Superior. The connections betwixt this assemblage and others successful the Upper Great Lakes is indisputable."

In a statement, the MNO said portion it respects the Saugeen Ojibway Nation's rights, past and responsibilities to its territory, the beingness of the Georgian Bay Métis Community "is not up for debate."

"It is an indivisible portion of the Upper Great Lakes Métis acknowledged by the Supreme Court of Canada successful R v. Powley," the connection said.

A historical Métis assemblage astatine Penetanguishene has been well-documented, the connection said.

"The MNO invites Saugeen Ojibway Nation's enactment to prosecute straight with the MNO and its enactment connected these matters to code immoderate misconceptions oregon misunderstandings astir the MNO and the Métis communities it represents."