Owen Sound Sun Times

COVID-fatigue is leading to a high rate of close contacts and rising local case counts, according to Grey Bruce’s medical officer of health. Dr. Ian Arra said the pandemic-high 500 active close contacts his contact management team followed last week represented about half the outfit’s total capacity. Tuesday, that figure was down to 400 high-risk […]

A bicycle donation and safety program in Owen Sound is giving bikes, helmets and reflectors to children from families from other countries who have settled in the city. So far there are 29 children aged three to 17, mostly from Kurdish parts of Syria, some from Eritrea and India, on a bike waiting list. Another […]

Local youth have created an initiative aimed at lifting the spirits of adults with serious mental illnesses, while giving students something to do over the April break. Canadian Mental Health Association Grey Bruce’s “Good Deeds” project, developed by the organization’s 2020-21 co-op students, invites area youth to craft messages of “love, hope and connection” and […]

Health and safety measures on Owen Sound Transit buses are working to prevent the spread of COVID-19, public works and engineering director Dennis Kefalas told council. “To date, I would say that we haven’t had any issues related to COVID. The system seems to be working,” he said. The comments came after clerk Briana Bloomfield […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported six newly confirmed COVID-19 cases Monday. Two of the newest cases were found in South Bruce Peninsula while Owen Sound, Southgate, Northern Bruce Peninsula and Grey Highlands each recorded a single case. Meanwhile, six COVID-19 cases were referred to the Grey Bruce Health Unit from other public health regions […]

Owen Sound has decided to stick to a 1.5 per cent pay hike for council members this year despite one councillor’s proposal to freeze the wages for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Council narrowly defeated, in a 5-4 vote, Coun. Marion Koepke’s motion March 29. “In recognition of COVID still affecting our finances, I […]

How safe do you feel walking alone in your neighbourhood after dark? That’s one of the questions asked in an online survey seeking to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on Grey-Bruce residents’ perceptions of safety and well-being. The survey, which can be accessed by visiting the Bruce and Grey Community Safety and Well-Being Plan […]

Owen Sound council didn’t end up voting on a councillor’s proposal to provide matching grants to help downtown restaurants – hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic – with the cost of setting up temporary patios this summer. Coun. John Tamming withdrew his motion at the March 29 meeting after city officials said they received legal […]

Knowing how important it is for Grey Bruce residents with life limiting illness to be with their loved ones and healthcare professionals, Jessica Rayner won’t let COVID-19 stop her from supporting the local hospice residence. “Chapman House was where my mother, Sandra Rayner, spent her last days, surrounded by our family. The annual Hike for […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit added another nine cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. The cases confirmed in the 24-hour period prior to midnight on Saturday, included three in Huron-Kinloss, two in the Blue Mountains and one each in Owen Sound, Southgate, Chatsworth and Arran-Elderslie. There have now been 858 confirmed cases of the virus in […]

Owen Sound business owners forced to shut down once again said they are feeling frustrated and tired, but remain hopeful there is light at the end of the very long tunnel. Under the provincewide 28-day emergency brake shutdown, which came into effect Friday at midnight, in-person shopping is still being permitted at reduced capacities at […]

Organizers of the Grey County Kiwanis Festival of Music are ensuring the music of local children and youth plays on in 2021. After last year’s festival was cancelled as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the event is back in virtual form in its 89th year. “There was a strong desire to see that we could […]

Grey-Bruce added 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, while the number of active cases in the two counties increased to 71, the highest it has been during the pandemic. The new cases, recorded in the 24-hour period prior to midnight on Friday, included three in Owen Sound, two each in Huron-Kinloss and Hanover and […]

Many facilities around Grey-Bruce have begun closing for the expected 28-day provincial COVID-19 shutdown. Owen Sound announced on Thursday that the Julie McArthur Regional Recreation Centre would be closed as of midnight on Friday. Owen Sound Minor Hockey coaches were notifying players that their season would be ending about two weeks earlier than had been […]

Blue Mountain Resort is wrapping up its ski season after confirming with the province that ski hills are included in the province’s latest shutdown. The lifts and all other activities at the resort in The Town of the Blue Mountains were to close effective midnight on Friday. “We were hoping to continue with the season […]

A Brampton man who was arrested with loaded firearms in Owen Sound on Wednesday has been charged with 26 firearm and drug-related offences. At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, members of the Owen Sound Police Service concluded a complex fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking investigation with the arrest of 35-year-old Daniel Anderson, police said in a news […]

With criminal charges behind him, Cameron Gardiner said he’s happy to be free and alive. After a home invasion in which two intruders died by gunshot on Jan. 22, 2019 in Collingwood, police charged him with second-degree murder. A judge later reduced the charges to manslaughter and the Crown withdrew those charges Tuesday. “It’s good […]

The Women’s Centre Grey Bruce has launched its anti-human trafficking program to support young victims and survivors of human trafficking in the community. Known as Our Place, the program will partner with community agencies to provide numerous supports including counselling, outreach, housing for youth, along with an educational component in local schools. Paula Carnakie, a […]

Grey-Bruce is one of only two regions in Ontario going from the green zone to shutdown Saturday morning. Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement at a news conference Thursday afternoon. The increased provincewide restrictions will last “at least” four weeks, he said. For regions already in the grey-lockdown zone, not much will change. However, […]

Charges against Cameron Gardiner were withdrawn in a case that began after two men who invaded his Collingwood home in early 2019 were shot dead. Initially Gardiner was charged with second-degree murder in the deaths of Dean Copkov and Donovan Bass on Jan. 22, 2019. In November a judge committed him to stand trial on […]

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization recently unveiled a new five-year strategic plan for taking the organization beyond the planning and site selection stage. The report is titled Implementing Adaptive Phased Management 2021 to 2025 and is available online. The NWMO is also inviting Canadians and Indigenous people to fill out an online survey to help […]

Active COVID-19 cases and high-risk contacts continued to climb in Grey-Bruce Wednesday. According to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily situation report Wednesday, 65 cases are active in the region including 16 cases involving variants of concern. The health unit’s case and contact management team are now following 532 high-risk contacts, according to Wednesday’s report. […]

South Bruce Peninsula’s mayor said the town will place barricades along Lakeshore Boulevard North in Sauble Beach to mitigate a safety hazard after a judicial review revoked its work permit to cut back the sand dunes. Jackson said the work to install the barricades along the shoulder of the road will begin “fairly soon” though […]

A priest who lived in Hanover was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in jail in the Superior Court of Justice in Walkerton for sexually abusing a child. Mervin Perera, 73, was found guilty Jan. 30 of touching a girl for a sexual purpose, after a trial in Walkerton. He appeared in person in a Walkerton […]

Georgian Bluffs is looking at a proposed 3.46 municipal tax rate increase in 2021. On Tuesday, Georgian Bluffs council held a public meeting where staff presented this year’s draft budget, which includes a proposed tax rate increase of 2.5 per cent over 2020, when combined with county and education rates. For the average home assessed […]

Owen Sound is extending its temporary Midtown bus route until Sept. 30. The city’s fifth bus route was added at the beginning of February to take people on essential trips during the pandemic and to help alleviate increased demand resulting from ridership limits due to COVID-19 protocols. The route travels along and stops at many […]

Owen Sound will boost water rates by four per cent this year after council opted to freeze the charges in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Corporate services director Kate Allan said the increase will result in the average household seeing their annual water/sewer charges climb by $65 to $1,357. She presented an updated financial […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported a single new case of COVID-19 Tuesday, in Kincardine. As of 11:59 Monday night, there were 58 active cases in the Grey-Bruce region including 12 active cases involving the more transmissible variants of concern. The health unit highlighted 437 high-risk contacts are now being followed by the contact and […]

Grey-Bruce’s medical officer of health addressed the controversy surrounding his $631,000 in pay in 2020 on Monday after a letter from four Grey-Bruce municipal councillors questioned the compensation and requested he return the “excess money he was paid.” Dr. Ian Arra told Owen Sound city council the salary for all medical officers of health in […]

Young job seekers will stand the best chance of landing a job if they register and build a profile now for next Wednesday’s Grey Bruce Virtual Job Fair for summer and seasonal work, organizers said Tuesday. Employers may then email invitations to candidates before the event begins, to meet with them virtually on the day […]

Two South Bruce Peninsula men have been charged with drug trafficking following a traffic stop in Wiarton. Last Thursday, Grey Bruce OPP stopped a rental truck on William Street in Wiarton a little after 8 p.m. The driver of the vehicle had outstanding warrants and is a prohibited driver, a police news release said. Further […]

A review court has quashed a development permit and stopped for now South Bruce Peninsula’s controversial project to cut back a portion of dunes along Lakeshore Boulevard at Sauble Beach to address a parking safety concern. The Superior Court of Justice issued an expedited decision without reasons Monday because the town wanted to get the […]

Grey-Bruce’s medical officer of health all but begged people to stick with public health protocols after Monday’s discouraging daily COVID-19 case count report. Nine new cases were recorded in the 24 hours up to 23:59 Sunday night: two each in Chatsworth and Kincardine, and single cases in Southgate, Georgian Bluffs, Hanover and Owen Sound. Further, […]

A Meaford man has been charged with assaulting a police officer, forcible confinement and numerous other charges after an incident in Meaford on Thursday. Just after 11 a.m., Grey Bruce OPP responded to a disturbance on Victoria Street in the town. Officers were advised that a suspect with a weapon was outside a residence screaming […]

More than 4,100 COVID-19 vaccination bookings Monday quickly filled up all available appointments this week for people aged 70 and older in Grey-Bruce, on the first day that cohort could book them. A total of 11 health unit jurisdictions began allowing those 70 and older to book a shot Monday. Toronto started taking bookings for […]

The M.S. Norgoma’s future in Owen Sound as a proposed tourist destination and floating commerce hub may be dead in the water. In a letter to the City of Owen Sound, Transport Canada manager of airports and ports Patricia Moniz wrote “We regret to advise that we cannot support the proposal at this time as […]

Grey County is launching a 20-bed Behavioural Support Transition Unit at its Grey Gables Long-Term Care Home in Markdale. The unit, which will operate as a two-year pilot project, will offer specialized care for residents with significant responsive behaviours to help and support them in a successful transition to a regular long-term care setting. Grey […]

Southbridge Care Home’s proposed 160-bed long-term care facility is starting to take shape in Owen Sound. “The foundation work is complete. The majority of the excavation work is done and site preparation is nearly complete. We have started erecting the first floor walls on the west wing of the building and we currently have 70 […]

Eight new cases of COVID-19 were reported Sunday by the Grey Bruce Health Unit, increasing to 62 the number of confirmed active cases of the virus in the two counties. Three of the new cases are from Owen Sound, while single cases were reported in Chatsworth, Georgian Bluffs, Huron-Kinloss, Southgate and Kincardine, according to public […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has begun investigations into probable COVID-19 cases associated with schools in Kincardine. Public health says it’s working with the Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board and an associated bus company to address a probable case of the virus linked to St. Anthony’s School. The health unit says its assessment so […]

Local harm reduction initiatives resulted in the return last year of nearly 50,000 used sharps, a number that’s expected to grow this year thanks to new disposal kiosks and a returns incentive program. Officials with the Grey Bruce Health Unit, United Way of Bruce Grey and Safe ‘n Sound – three organizations that came together […]

For the second day in a row, seven new cases of COVID-19 were reported Saturday to the Grey Bruce Health Unit. Three of the cases were from Grey Highlands, while two were from both Owen Sound and Arran-Elderslie. There are now 55 known active cases of the virus in Grey-Bruce and 275 active high-risk contacts, […]

Hanover police say speed was a “definite factor” in a car crash that sent four young Grey-Bruce men to hospital Saturday, including two who were transferred to a London hospital in serious condition. Police say the car had rolled several times and two of the four occupants were ejected. The driver, a 21-year-old Hanover man, […]

The “sky’s the limit” for REACH Centre Grey/Bruce now that the organization has moved into its newly renovated “forever home.” That’s according to executive director Jennifer Miller who said she’s thrilled with the new space for the Owen Sound-based charitable organization, which offers educational and recreational programming for youth and young adults with intellectual and […]

Grey-Bruce has lost a fourth person to COVID-19. A man in his 70s died while in isolation in hospital. He lived in Grey-Bruce but the Grey Bruce Health Unit didn’t say where. “I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who passed away,” Dr. Ian Arra, the Grey-Bruce medical […]

A significant collection of works by world-renowned widlife artist George McLean are coming home. On Friday, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery revealed 10 works that have been donated to the gallery by late philanthropist, businessman, politician and sports team owner David Braley through his Hamilton-based company Alexander Tools Ltd. “It is a great honour to […]

Job-skills funding in the latest provincial budget will find its way to the Owen Sound YMCA to help train much needed long-term care home workers. “This is exceptionally good news,” said Linda Alexander, programs director at the Y, who remarked on how quickly the funding came through. The application had to be in by March […]

Mayor Ian Boddy defended Owen Sound’s Work from Home Capital of Canada marketing campaign, which is taking place as the average price of homes sold locally hit a record level. He said the initiative – aimed at enticing people from big cities to relocate and work from home in Owen Sound – is part of […]

Grey County is calling for the elimination of a program that provides a property tax rebate of 30 per cent for vacant commercial properties and 35 per cent for vacant industrial properties. On Thursday, county council supported the elimination of the Vacant Unit Rebate Program and recommended that the county’s local municipalities pass bylaws to […]

Georgian Bluffs is turning over a new leaf with plans to be a leader in Grey County in tackling climate change. The municipality’s climate action committee and staff made a presentation to council Wedenesday about how to deal with climate change. A motion was passed for council to consider contributing $150,000 over the next three […]