A southern Ontario town's plan to sink a boat in Lake Huron to create its own shipwreck tourism attraction has been grounded by aboriginal land claims issues.
Goderich planned to float an old, unfinished boat onto the Great Lake on Saturday, then sink it six kilometres from the eastern shore in hopes of drawing scuba diving enthusiasts.
But the sinking was abruptly called off when two First Nations groups came forward saying the waters in question were the site of two land claims.
Town council thought that while the lake attracts visitors for swimming or just watching the freighters come and go, it could also bring in tourists interested in diving adventures.
No authentic shipwrecks have ever been found off the shores of the town of about 7,000 people located 230 kilometres west of Toronto, so it decided to make one.
At a price of $4,000 plus freight, the town bought an 11-metre steel hulled boat that someone had started but never finished.
"It's really a small ship that will do no damage," Mayor Deb Schewfelt said. "We've proved that."
The town had received all the necessary clearances from the federal government, she said.
But the nearby Saugeen and the Nawash Unceded First Nations have land claims that extend nine kilometres into Lake Huron from the Port of Goderich.
After Saugeen Chief Randall Kahgee Jr. met with Nawash leaders, the communities decided the sinking had to be stopped and contacted the town.
Before the town sinks its ship, Kahgee said he wants to meet with town officials, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the province to discuss "whatever issues may or may not be there."
On Monday afternoon, the boat was hauled away from the town marina to a farm field by an industrial park.
Schewfelt said she expects it to be there for some time.