The MNO has acquired the historic Labatte House and will relocate it within Tiny Township to protect it and share it with future generations. ​

For nearly 200 years, Labatte House has stood at Thunder Beach in the Township of Tiny. Built in 1834 by Louis-George Labatte and his family, it is the oldest known still-standing historic Métis home in Ontario and an important part of the history of the Georgian Bay Métis Community.

The property where Labatte House stands has been privately owned since it was sold outside the Labatte family in the early 1900s. Over the years, the families who owned the property cared for the house.
 
However, because Labatte House is located on private property, it is not publicly accessible. The MNO has acquired the house and will relocate it to a permanent new home within Tiny Township, where it can be preserved and made accessible to Métis citizens and the public.
 
The MNO would like to extend a special thank you to the Hardcastle-Roebuck family for the care they took in preserving the house and for their kindness and cooperation throughout the process of transferring the house into our care.
 
Following months of work with the Township of Tiny, the MNO has received permission to relocate the house.
 
Labatte House’s location at Thunder Beach is an important part of its history. It is where the Labatte family built their home in 1834 following their community’s relocation from Drummond Island to Georgian Bay in the 1820s, and where generations of the family lived. That history will remain an important part of the story shared about Labatte House.
 
The house will be relocated to 159 Balm Beach Road. Relocating the house also creates an opportunity to bring it under Métis stewardship and make it accessible to Métis citizens and the public. The long-term vision is for Labatte House to become a place where people can gather, learn, and connect with the history and culture of the Labatte family and the Georgian Bay Métis Community, while also sharing the broader story of Métis history in Ontario.
 
This work responds to direction from MNO citizens. At the 2023 Annual General Assembly, citizens adopted Revitalizing Our Stories, Histories, Alliances and Relationships, a multi-year strategy that includes a commitment to telling and preserving Métis stories and histories in Ontario.
 
The Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario (PCMNO) unanimously supported the decision to preserve and relocate Labatte House.
 
We appreciate the excitement around this important move and the interest in seeing the project come together. Since both locations will be active construction sites, please help us keep everyone safe by staying off the grounds.
 
There is still work ahead. The MNO will share more information with citizens about the relocation, the new site, and plans for Labatte House as those details are finalized.

Join us in Saving the Labatte House

The Labatte House is more than stone and timber — it is a living link to Métis and Canadian history. Your contribution will go directly toward preserving and relocating the Labatte House within the community ensuring it continues to stand as a living symbol of Métis presence in Georgian Bay.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Labatte House is the oldest known still-standing historic Métis home in Ontario. Built in 1834 at Thunder Beach by Métis War of 1812 veteran Louis-George Labatte following the relocation of Métis families from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in the late 1820s, Labatte House was home to generations of the Labatte family until it was sold outside of the family in the early 1900s.

For more on the origins of the Labatte House, see Antonine Labatte’s interview with A.C. Osborne in the 1901 publication “The Migration of Voyageurs From Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in 1828”.

The Labattes are one of the many Upper Great Lakes Métis families who relocated from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene when the British ceded the island to the United States of America in the late 1820s. After this relocation, the Labattes remained active members of the Georgian Bay Métis Community and the larger Upper Great Lakes Métis network. For example, Louis-George Labatte’s son, Michel, worked as a mail carrier between Penetanguishene and Sault Ste. Marie in the mid-1800s, serving as an important line of communication between Métis in both locations.

In 1840, Louis-George and Michel Labatte were among the “half-Breeds residing in the town of Penetanguishene” who in 1840 petitioned the Crown to recognize the Georgian Bay Métis Community’s distinct identity and rights. Michel also signed the 1850 Sault Ste. Marie Métis petition alongside members of the historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community petition seeking to protect their river lots.

Today, many MNO citizens from the Georgian Bay Métis Community trace to the Labatte family.

Why did MNO acquire Labatte House?

Labatte House has been a privately non-Métis-owned building since it was sold outside of the Labatte family in the early 1900s. As such, for more than a century, any access members of the Georgian Bay Métis Community have had to Labatte House has been based on the permission and goodwill of its owners.

Drawing on its mandate as set out in the Statement of Prime Purpose to “promote the history, values, culture, languages and traditions”, earlier this fall the MNO acquired Labatte House to preserve this significant piece of Métis history in Ontario for generations to come. By acquiring Labatte House, MNO is ensuring it will be accessible to Métis citizens and the general public as a historic site for generations to come. 

While Thunder Beach was ideal for the Labattes to build their home in 1834, today that same location is not suitable for public access or longer-term preservation of the house as a publicly accessible historic site.

By relocating Labatte House, MNO is ensuring that this important part of Métis history in Georgian Bay is accessible to Métis citizens, including the many Labatte family descendants, for generations to come. 

After exploring available and suitable properties in the Township of Tiny, the MNO acquired a centrally located, accessible property in Tiny Township as a new permanent home for Labatte House.

As an important part of the Georgian Bay Métis Community’s history, once relocated Labatte House will be preserved as a historic site and eventually become accessible to a place where Métis citizens can celebrate and share the history and culture of the Labatte family, the Georgian Bay Métis Community, and the larger Upper Great Lakes Métis.

Yes. Once the Labatte House has been relocated to its new home and permanently situated on the property, MNO will engage with the Township of Tiny with the intention to designate the Labatte House as a municipal heritage building. 

Learn More

Explore more about Labatte House, Métis history in Ontario, and the MNO’s work to preserve and share Métis history:

Contact us

If you have any questions about the project, please reach out to labattehouse@metisnation.org.

For all media inquiries, please contact media@metisnation.org.