Minnesota North Shore now "Northwest"

In a ceremony held today at the Minnesota-Ontario border at the Pigeon River, Minnesota and Ontario officials formally signed off on the historic "Real North Shore" treaty, which designates the Ontario shore of Lake Superior as "The North Shore" and the Minnesota shore as "The Northwest Shore."

Officials cited the geographic reality that has been ignored for a long time. The Minnesota shore of Lake Superior really is on the northwest side of the lake. "This historic moment will finally clear up centuries of confusion," said David Thompson, Jr. "Minnesotans never knew if they went north or east to Grand Marais. Now they'll do both."

Secretary of State Danielle Webster agreed that the move will solve long-standing confusion. "Anyone who has been past Thunder Bay knows that the true rugged and wild North Shore starts around Nipigon."

Representatives of Minnesota businesses have expressed concern about the plan. Explore Minnesota's Alex Ashburton said that over forty tourism-related businesses now called "North Shore" will either have to relocate to Ontario or change their names. Tofte's only grocery store and liquor, formerly known as North Shore Market, has already changed their name to "Northwest Nibbles and Nips."

In a related legal process, Hawaii's North Shore surfing area, the North Shore neighborhoods of greater Chicago and Boston, and Vancouver, BC's North Shore ski region are pursuing a class action lawsuit seeking to overturn the agreement.