'With a 2.4-km stretch of sand beach now renamed Saugeen Beach, the broader identity of the area is entering a period of transition and redefinition.' Danielle Edwards, South Bruce Peninsula economic development director

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South Bruce Peninsula council voted Tuesday to spend $75,000 on a branding and marketing consultant for Sauble Beach.

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The community of Sauble Beach sits beside a beach, 2.4-kilometres of which is now called Saugeen Beach, so named by Saugeen First Nation after a court battle, begun in the early 1990s, ended in 2023 with a finding that the beach was always theirs.

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The town was unsuccessful in its appeal to the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the case. Last September, the town announced it accepted the court finding.

That left the Sauble community, so closely aligned with sand and sunsets, wondering about its identity and what to do next. Council voted on Tuesday to hire Tante Consulting Inc.to help develop a “distinct and modernized” destination identity for Sauble.

“Over the past century, Sauble Beach became one of Ontario’s most recognizable beach destinations, shaping the identity of both the town and its tourism economy,” South Bruce Peninsula’s economic development director, Danielle Edwards, said in a report to council in December, when council voted to issue a request for proposals for marketing help.

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“With a 2.4-km stretch of sand beach now renamed Saugeen Beach, the broader identity of the area is entering a period of transition and redefinition.”

At council Tuesday, Coun. Caleb Hull noted a lot of branding work was already done to create the beach community’s “retro” Sauble Beach look.

“What happens if we get something back and it’s wanting us to go in a different direction? I just have concerns about what we do with this report after we’ve already invested a lot of money in the retro Sauble Beach recently.”

Edwards responded, “This is an exciting opportunity to develop a forward-thinking community identity that is new, innovative and different from the current branding.” She said future budget implications would still come back to council.

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Town chief administrative officer, Bill Jones, said the consultant might well recommend staying with the retro look.

“Obviously, this process is happening now because there’s been some changes at the beach. And I think it’s a great time to look and see if maybe the previous direction was the right way to go.” If infrastructure has to change, that would be council’s decision, Jones added.

Edwards vowed there would be “extensive” engagement to gather input: digital surveys, creative workshops in-person and virtual, community visioning exercises, in-person pop-ups and one-on-one interviews, she said. “So the engagement will be intense.”

Mayor Jay Kirkland said the town wants the community to be heard as to what happens next at Sauble Beach. “Sauble Beach in my opinion will always be here, so, this is something that we need to move forward in a new way? Or keep going the way we were. We’ll find out. So, exciting. And hopefully everybody gets engaged.”

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Edwards said by email Wednesday it’s hoped that the Sauble Beach Destination Marketing, Branding, and Economic Positioning Strategy can be completed during March and April, ahead of the high season.

Consultation dates have not yet been scheduled. But a project page has been created on the town’s engagement platform, Open Mic: Sauble Beach Destination Marketing, Branding, and Economic Positioning Strategy | South Bruce Peninsula. Information about the project and updates on consultation opportunities will be available online.

Council’s request for proposals was issued Dec. 17 and closed Jan. 23. Bids were received of between $30,950.00 to $140,000.

“Tante’s proposal included a team of individuals with specialties in branding , graphic design, economic development strategy and Indigenous engagement. They have done work in the region and are familiar with the area,” the report to council Tuesday said.

Meanwhile, no dates have been set for Phase Two of the court process to be followed to deal with compensation to impacted parties, now that the beach ownership question is settled, Edwards said by email.

About a year ago, the town said in a news release that phase wouldn’t likely be resolved until sometime in 2026 at the earliest.

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