May 18, 2020
First, thanks to all of you for your patience. We understand that the whole area around Sauble Beach was generally very quiet this weekend. That is good news.
Thank you for the many comments of support for SCOI in these difficult days. We accept your cheers as well as the jeers.
The SCOI Board of Directors has a Zoom meeting this coming weekend. We have been keeping track of all the major issues and concerns that you have raised in the past few weeks. These will be discussed by the Board so that SCOI can decide how and when best to make representation to the Band on your behalf.
Respectfully,
David Shearman
President, Saugeen Cottagers’ Organization, Inc.
Can you ask if we can make arrangements with someone to go to our cottages to pick up some things (eg. golf clubs).
Thanks very much, Lisa. It’s on the list!
Thankyou looking forward to social distance at my summer home … once there I stay until the season ends!
Thanks for your patience and information. We will look forward to visiting our place when it is deemed safe. Unfortunately, we still have no parking spots for our landlocked cottages lot 70 near The Trading Post. Kirk has said he was going to build a driveway in front. We had real issues last summer and ended up missing most of the summer because it was such a hassle. If you are discussing issues with the band please mention this problem. We need help.
What are the current recommendations re opening,from the health department?
Is the 14 day stay a request or an order?
We appreciate the time and effort that SCOI has taken on our behalf and pray that discussions with the Band will result in lifting restrictions ina safe and respectful manner. It is important to maintain a healthy and friendly relationship with our First Nations partners.
The recommendations from the province and local MOH have not changed. Stay home, stay safe, wash your hands. The Band order closing the reserve is still in place, so no access.
Hello
Thanks for your representation. Our friends have a cottage on the Ipperwash reserve (Lake Huron) and the natives have let them come up as long as they brought their own groceries and stayed within their cottage with no visitors or fires. I think the natives of Saugeen 29 should consider a similar approach – no beaches, stay in your property, no friends over and bring your own supplies. I am a nurse and very familiar with infection prevention and control. This approach should cause no risk or issue with locals. Please relay this message.
PLEASE DELETE FIRST COMMENT
I am waiting patiently for the Band to relax the State of Emergency for leaseholders. We have been self-isolating at home, apart from infrequent shopping trips for essentials, since March 14. As many people have said, we would bring our supplies with us and would go home at the first sign of illness so as not to overburden the health system. We always wear a mask when we go out and would continue to do the same at Sauble if we do need to get perishables. We are very conscious of the risks. I would like to pass on our appreciation for what you have been doing over these difficult weeks. It’s good to know level heads prevail when negotiating a safe and happy resolution to this situation. Please let the Band know that cottagers will be extra cautious to respect their concerns.
I totally agree with Patricia there would be absolutely nothing wrong with that approach. I would like to add that the band please consider letting the plumbers to start opening the cottages so when we are allowed back up we will be able have running water to wash our hands as directed by the MOH.
I have a concern now that Carson is open that we will have people coming onto our property, we are beach front. There is a greater risk of vandalism and theft, will the band be charging these people with trespassing.
Bob,
All Bruce County Beaches are closed by order of the Grey Bruce MOH. This includes the beach in front of your cottage. The Band has closed off access to all Band lands. Folks from Carson’s have no reason to cross 2nd Ave. We expect Band security will be ticketing anyone found in your neighbourhood who is there without permission. This is really an issue to be dealt with by Carson’s and Band Security.
Thanks for reaching out for our concerns!
It’ would be more helpful to develop or adhere to a solution if concerns could be specifically identified. Are there specific problems the band needs the cottagers to address? ie is the band concerned about the cottagers spreading the virus? using local health care? using up local supplies? returning partial fees due to cottage owners not being allowed to visit?
I know Sauble Beach is closed, however, can the band’s beaches even be compared? They don’t attract the population as they are largely unknown and do not have parking or amenities. Therefore, is it a problem if cottagers walk or sit on the beach at this time? Are there so many that it could cause a problem? We would social distance. Actually, the likelihood is higher for us to do so, because we have an investment in the area, and know our neighbours, thus we do not want to risk harming others, particularly those we know. What about the evidence? What do local health officials say about the risk of visiting the band’s beaches? (Banning people from the beach might increase the risk of spread; the more paths to walk, the less people on them at any one time:)j Sadly, too often a ban will be broken anyway. In addition, many Ontario municipalities have opened their beaches so it is natural for cottagers to assume the small, private beaches along the band’s properly would also be safe, again, if we all practise social distancing.
If running out of local resources is a concern, perhaps the band would consider allowing cottagers up who pledged to bring their own supplies and promised to “stay home” as we do in our permanent “winter” homes. Given the small population, it might be reasonable. Pledging “no visitors and no fires” is also a great idea! Family only is quite smart!
Once we identify the specific problems, perhaps we can help solve them together!
Wishing everyone good health!
Brenda,
Last week the Grey Bruce MOH closed all the beaches in Bruce County including all the SFN beaches. So the answer is there is no access to any beaches in Bruce County even for those who live in Bruce County or on the SFN.
First i want to thank you for your representation with the cottagers of Saugeen 29. I agree with some of the comments of my fellow cottagers regarding coming to our cottages as long as we bring our own essentials from home and stayed within our property . We would have no visitors and no association with anyone there, should the band consider allowing us to stay in our cottage. We would not be a burden to anyone there, or to the health system. Also has the band considered compensation or reimbursement of leasing revenue and service fees regarding cottage prohibition.
Please respond,
joe murgida
Joe, please see our comment in response to the one above from Keith. You also asked if the Band has considered adjustments to the service fee and lease payment. We do not know. SCOI has not considered these issues since we feel it is too early to determine what the full impact of the current State of Emergency will be.
Thank you for all you do, your communication is clear and fair. I feel we are being represented very well by the current board. Once again, keep up the good work. I agree with the comments above in regards to brining forward an option to self isolate at the cottage, bring our own groceries, beaches, parks etc closed. No visitors but home owners could isolate at the cottage, hopefully this will be passed in early June as per the chief’s comments on you tube last week. Also, please thank the chief for those on line announcements he has been making, I think it helps the communication piece and brings all parties closer to understanding each others point of view.
Keith,
What you describe is what the Medical Officer of Health and the neighbouring municipal mayors are asking of their cottagers. Once the Band lifts its ban on cottagers, we expect these kinds of behaviours will be required of us as well.
Thank you for the comprehensive communications throughout this time. Updates and been very timely and informative. We’re happy to wait for the decision from the Saugeen First Nation leadership as to when we can safely go our cottage. This is all in the best interest of the public health of all communities across the province.
Beth Williams and Myron Boyko
Just to clarify, it is the SCOI board that is meeting correct? Not the board and the band? Do you have a date when the board is meeting with the band to discuss?
If I could make a suggestion, that perhaps soliciting feedback from all cottage association members (via email, or email survey) would be beneficial instead of just getting feedback from this forum.
Michelle,
The meeting is only the SCOI Board of Directors. A meeting with the Chief has not been scheduled. Hopefully that will come later. However, we do communicate regularly with the Chief and the Band’s senior managers on specific issues.
SCOI does not have an e-mail list of all cottagers. We only have e- mail addresses for those that have signed up to receive web updates…latest count is about 750. And all those people have an open invitation to tell us what they think.
I believe that a driveway to driveway policy should be put into effect. There is no need to keep cottagers away from our summer homes if this policy is adhered to. We can shop At home before departing and stay on our properties until it’s time to go back home.
When can we arrange to go up and get our personal belongings i.e. bikes, golf clubs and clothes seeing trails and golf clubs are open and I would like to be able to do these things seeing the Band won’t be lifting until mid June and it isn’t fair they are denying people access to their personal belongings.
Thanks for this suggestion.
Many commenters have mentioned a promise to bring all their essentials with them and not shop locally. That is simply not possible for a number of us cottagers who stay throughout the summer and fall (I rent my condo in the city and don’t have a car so I cant go back and forth). Furthermore, shopping especially at large grocery stores has been shown to be a negligible risk. Nor is hoarding any longer an issue. Local stores RELY on summer cottagers and losing this entire market will drive a number of them into bankruptcy. South Bruce Peninsula Mayor Janice Jackson stated clearly in a CBC interview that her concern is not cottagers at all but tourists and daytrippers. Please don’t make a suggestion to the Band Council that hurts some cottagers and does nothing to safeguard local residents. Thanks again for all your efforts.
Just a further thought to the issues mentioned above. If there is a requirement not to shop locally at all as a condition of being able to go to our cottagers that would also prohibit snowbirds who live in Arizona or Florida in the winter and move up to Saugeen in the summer – people who the band has already generously given permission to stay.
Our understanding is that the request not to shop locally only applies to the initial 14 day self-isolation period for those who are staying long term.
It is nice to see a health care professional’s post, confirming that every PH recommendation we have suggested would in fact work from hereonin to keep SFN comment safe. Here’s a thought, has anyone asked the Band Council to be proactive instead of reactive? In other words, has someone thought to pick up the phone and call the CMO and ask if our suggestions are fair, rather than waiting until June? Even the Haldimand Norfolk CMO has backed off his authority and cottagers are now allowed to be there as well. Ipperwash has adopted the same compromise. And yes, it is important to refer to other municipalities, despite their differences, because it confirms that we are moving forward. We are in fact in stage 1 of re opening so lets not forget that. I don’t know what the Chief is waiting for. Despite the higher risk in Indigenous communities, the risk remains low with strict guidelines, for everyone! Fyi, you can get all the information you need on the Grey Bruce Health website, which confirms that there have been NO spikes in covid cases throughout May so far. 93 cases total in all of Grey Bruce since the pandemic started (population is about 163000), no hospitalizations, no deaths! So I thought the 2 week “flattening of a curve” was to be the bench mark, which would also mean less concern to the area’s health care system. As the weather continues to get nicer, we are now out of pocket even further, having to pay trades to do the work that cottagers have been able to do themselves. I want to know the Council’s justification to continue the ban at this point, knowing all these facts.
Thank you for your comment, Sue. It is not the position or place of SCOI to give advice to the Chief and Band Council on any matter. It is not the position or place of SCOI to give advice to the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, either. It is not a matter of being “fair” but a matter of protecting the community and ourselves from COVID-19.
SCOI has taken the position that our role is to communicate information from the Chief and Band Council and from the local medical officer of Health, Dr. Arra, to the members of SCOI and cottagers through our web page. Our sources continue to be Chief Anoquot, Dr. Arra, and the Province of Ontario. While the message may not be pleasant, it is what we understand to be accurate at the time of posting.
You can now access your cottage. You can now use the beach at your own risk. Tradespeople can work at cottages. Be aware that local stores are controlling the number of people in the store at one time and in the case of the local hardware store, this can result in lineups at certain times of the day. Other stores in Port Elgin and Owen Sound have similar restrictions in place. Consider wearing a facemask when out in crowds.
Dr. Arra made the situation clear. “We may be finished with the virus but the virus is not finished with us.”
Regards,
David
David Shearman
President,
Saugeen Cottager’s Organization, Inc.