The island
Scugog Island, its water and its people
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Scugog Island is home to the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. This page describes the community, its Powwow and its casino in the words the community uses for itself.
In their own words
The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation describe themselves as part of the larger Anishinaabeg people, the original people. The community speaks Anishinaabemowin. This guide uses that full name for the community.
Three historical treaties appear in the way the community tells its own story. The First Nation states that it signed the Gunshot Treaty of 1788, Treaty 20 of 1818 and the Williams Treaties of 1923. This page names them as the community does and adds nothing to that history.
The Township of Scugog, whose heritage centre is downtown Port Perry, has an official land acknowledgement. It recognizes the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. For guests arriving from the city for a day by the water, that is a fair place to start.
The Powwow in July
The MSIFN Powwow is held every year on the third weekend of July. MSIFN stands for the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. This page does not give times, a location or a program for the weekend. Anyone planning a July day at the lake around it should confirm the details with the First Nation before setting out.
The casino, in the community's terms
The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation opened the Great Blue Heron Charity Casino in 1997. It takes its name from the birds in whose migratory path it was built. The community says the casino began as its own vision, through an agreement with Casinos Austria International.
Since 2016 the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has managed and conducted the casino, and Great Canadian Entertainment operates it. The First Nation owns it but does not operate it. After that change, the First Nation says, it is no longer a charity casino, and the community remains a partner.
The community calls the casino the heart of economic activity in its community. In a March 2023 interview, Chief Kelly LaRocca called Great Blue Heron the First Nation's principal revenue source. That revenue funds services such as healthcare and education. For a day-tripper from Port Perry, it is one stop of the day, not the reason for it.