The Bruce Peninsula is part of the Niagara Escarpment and is known for its views, rock formations, cliffs, and hiking trails.
[8] Legislation passed later in the same session of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada provided instead for it to be reconstituted as the United Counties of Huron, Perth and Bruce, with the territory of the Bruce Peninsula (referred to as the "Indian Reserve") to ne withdrawn and annexed to Waterloo County.
[13]: 104 The Bruce Peninsula was later surveyed into townships, starting with Amabel and Albemarle in 1855,[13]: 209, 234 Eastnor in 1862,[13]: 245 followed by Lindsay in 1870[13]: 251 and St. Edmunds in 1871.
[13]: 256 The following villages and towns would be constituted over the years: A Provisional Municipal Council was established for Bruce County at the beginning of 1857,[14] Walkerton was initially proclaimed as the county seat, in preference to Kincardine,[13]: 92 but local opposition[c] forced the proclamation to be deferred until each town and village had presented a case for its selection.
[13]: 95 [16] The provisional council later asked for legislation to provide for a referendum as to whether Walkerton, Paisley, Kincardine, or another place would be the most acceptable choice.
[13]: 99 In early 1865, the provisional council asked for legislation to confirm the result but changed its mind later in the year in favour of Walkerton.
Treaty 72 had originally provided for the following reservation of land: ...for the benefit of the Saugeen Indians we reserve all that block of land bounded on the west by a straight line running due north from the River Saugeen, at the spot where it is entered by a ravine, immediately to the west of the village [of Saugeen],[d] and over which a bridge has recently been constructed, to the shore of Lake Huron; on the south by the aforesaid northern limit of the lately surrendered strip; on the east by a line drawn from a spot upon the coast at a distance of about (9½) nine miles and a half from the western boundary aforesaid, and running parallel thereto until it touches the aforementioned northern limits of the recently surrendered strip; and we wish it to be clearly understood that we wish the Peninsula at the mouth of the Saugeen River to the west of the western boundary aforesaid to be laid out in town park lots and sold for our benefit without delay; and we also wish it to be understood that our surrender includes that parcel of land which is in continuation of the strip recently surrendered to the Saugeen River.
[27] The matter had been partially resolved some years earlier, with certain lands running from Sauble Beach down to Southampton reverting to the reserve.
[29] An attempted settlement, arising from mediation overseen by the former Supreme Court of Canada justice Ian Binnie, collapsed in 2014.
[35] The Town of South Bruce Peninsula subsequently announced that it would take the case to the Ontario Court of Appeal.