Owen Sound Sun Times

For people trying to escape reprisals of the Taliban before the door out of Afghanistan slams shut, an Owen Sound man is doing all he can to help. Farshid, an alias used because he has family in Afghanistan, made five phone calls by 10 a.m. Monday to people he knows in Afghanistan, to share the […]

Participants of this year’s virtual Gran Fondo Lake Huron raised $113,300 for the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation, surpassing the fundraising goal of $100,000. Foundation executive director Tracy Murray said the money will be used to purchase three new electrocardiogram (ECG) machines for Grey Bruce Health Services’ hospital in Southampton. “Overall, it was a success,” she […]

The Tara Nickason Construction Twins under-14 softball club finished fourth at the Eastern Canadian championship in New Brunswick this past weekend. The Wilmot Thunder went on to win the championship with a 6-1 win over the Napanee Express. The Carbonear Islanders from Newfoundland took home the bronze medal. The Twins started the tournament Thursday with […]

Six past and present members of the Owen Sound Attack have been tapped to attend National Hockey League rookie and training camps. Over-age and graduated defender Carter Robertson is headed to Carolina to skate with the Hurricanes. The 2020-21 OHL season – cancelled amid the global COVID-19 pandemic – would have been Robertson’s over-age year. […]

For many at Summerfolk 46, the Owen Sound festival was the first time they were able to watch an in-person concert or perform in front of a live audience since the COVID-19 pandemic began 17 months ago. “It’s an honour to be seeing you and for you to be seeing us,” Andy Maize, a founding […]

The Simcoe-Grey Greens announced Nick Clayton as their candidate in the 2021 federal election Sunday. The 2021 Canadian federal election is set for Sept.20 and will elect members of the House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. Clayton is a secondary school teacher who lives in The Blue Mountains. A Simcoe-Grey Green Party media […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported six new cases of COVID-19 Sunday. Two of the cases were from The Blue Mountains, while Owen Sound, Saugeen Shores, Arran-Elderslie and Grey Highlands had one apiece. There are now 32 confirmed active cases of the virus in Grey-Bruce, along with 40 active high-risk contacts, according to public health’s […]

Patrick Douthart not only accomplished a feat that had long been considered impossible within his family. But he did it twice. The 27-year-old Guelph man swam the four kilometres from the north side of Colpoys Bay to the southern shore Friday morning – a route he had planned to do – but then decided to […]

A remarkable event took place Saturday at Neyaashiinigmiing as recently elected Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith welcomed the first female national chief of the Assembly of First Nations to the community. Smith presented National Chief RoseAnne Archibald with an eagle feather – the highest honour for an Indigenous person to receive […]

While growing up on Wikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, award-winning singer-songwriter Crystal Shawanda says virtually no one on television, in movies or in music looked like her. “I couldn’t find anybody to connect to or relate to and so it was always a mission of mine to get into mainstream circles so I could […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported four new cases of COVID-19 Saturday. Two of the cases were from Hanover, while Chatsworth and Arran-Elderslie both had one. There are now 28 confirmed active cases of the virus in Grey-Bruce, along with 50 active high-risk contacts, according to public health’s daily situation report for Saturday. There have […]

Recently released review panel reasons shed light on the challenge South Bruce Peninsula faces to get a permit to carve back the sand dunes and remove vegetation to make roadside pedestrian traffic safer at Sauble Beach. The three-judge Superior Court panel, in an expedited decision in March, quashed the permit granted by the Grey Sauble […]

Dan Little is again running as the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Libertarian candidate for the Sept. 20 federal election. The Owen Sound resident said the goal of his campaign is to “change the culture, provide another choice – what they call shifting the Overton window,” he said Friday, referring to the range of policies considered politically acceptable […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported four new COVID-19 cases Friday. The newest cases were reported in Owen Sound (2), Georgian Bluffs, and South Bruce Peninsula. As of just before midnight Thursday, there were 27 active and confirmed cases in the region as well as 64 high-risk contacts being followed by the health unit. Three […]

Owen Sound Attack fans will need to bring proof of vaccination along with their ticket stub to gain entry into the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre this season. The Ontario Hockey League announced Friday afternoon the league is expanding its current COVID-19 vaccination policy to cover all spectators and other attendees at all OHL events, […]

Anne Marie Watson is running for the Liberals in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound in the federal election campaign. Watson has lived and farmed in the riding since 1997 with her husband, James, and their son and daughter. Their former dairy operation north of Durham in West Grey switched to beef about 10 years ago. The 64-year-old has been […]

the Tara Twins under-12 club wrapped up a whirlwind season this past weekend in Drumbo by winning a silver medal at the OASA provincials. The Twins kicked off the tournament Saturday morning with an 11-0 win over Havelock. Zak Hamilton and Ethan Sopkowe threw a combined no-hitter for the Twins, giving up three walks, and […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported two new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, one in Meaford and one in Brockton. As of just before midnight Wednesday, there were 31 active and confirmed cases in the region as well as 67 high-risk contacts being followed by the health unit. Three local COVID-19 patients are being treated at […]

Grey County received a sympathetic ear while presenting its concerns to the province about the significant increase in the estimated construction costs for its two long-term care redevelopment projects, but no commitments to boost assistance. That’s according to Warden Selwyn Hicks, who was part of a county delegation that asked Long-term Care Minister Rod Phillips […]

Liberal Party National Campaign Co-Chair Navdeep Bains announced Bren Munro as the Liberal candidate for Simcoe-Grey late Wednesday evening. Munro joins Conservative Terry Dowdall, who is seeking re-election, People’s Party candidate Adam Minatel and Christian Heritage Party candidate Ken Stouffer as the names on the Simcoe-Grey ballot to date. The local Greens and NDP are […]

Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board director of education Gary O’Donnell said he doesn’t anticipate any issues with unvaccinated staff undergoing regular rapid testing to screen for COVID-19. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education announced it would introduce a vaccination disclosure policy for all publicly funded school board employees, and staff in private schools as well […]

Jack Stecho said he thinks he may be the youngest candidate in this federal election. The 18-year-old of Goderich is running for the People’s Party of Canada in Huron-Bruce. He said PPC policies appeal to him most. “I think those things are what Canadians want to hear: that their money is going to stay in […]

A neighbour who spotted a small fire just inside the front door of a townhouse in Owen Sound’s downtown early Thursday morning was able to grab an extinguisher and quell the blaze before it spread. Owen Sound Fire & Emergency Services Chief Doug Barfoot said the fire started in a ground-floor hallway where garbage and […]

Police charged a 40-year-old man of no fixed address with second-degree murder in the death of a Hamilton woman whose remains were discovered on Christmas Eve 2019 in a swampy area northeast of Mount Forest. Ahmet Nikci is being held in custody and is to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Hamilton, charged […]

A fully vaccinated resident of Kelso Villa Retirement Home in Owen Sound has died with COVID-19. An outbreak of what’s believed to be the Delta variant was reported at the retirement home on Aug. 6. As of Wednesday, 12 residents and four staff members have been infected despite a 95 per cent vaccination rate at […]

Summerfolk crews will be setting up stages and sound equipment at multiple venues starting Thursday for the 46th annual festival as a final push for ticket sales continues. Artistic director James Keelaghan said Georgian Bay Folk Society staffers were hard at work Wednesday putting the finishing touches on the planning for Summerfolk 46, which will […]

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Conservative candidate Alex Ruff said Wednesday the biggest problem with Canada’s response in Afghanistan now is that people can’t reach Canadian officials to learn how they can be rescued. Ruff served twice in Afghanistan, as commanding officer in combat operations in Kandahar and other areas in 2007, and with the NATO training mission […]

With less than a month until students return to their classrooms the Bluewater District School Board is looking forward to the return of normalcy in some sense this school year. “There’s certainly optimism this year, probably even more so than last year,” said BWDSB director of education Lori Wilder. Schools will maintain several public health […]

Two final public meetings Monday will gather input about Northern Bruce Peninsula’s draft bylaws that would charge short-term accommodations operators annual licensing fees and impose a tax on visitors who stay in such accommodations. The measures have been in the making since at least 2019 and arose in part due to complaints about noise and […]

Ontario is making COVID-19 vaccination policies mandatory in high-risk settings including at hospitals, licensed retirement homes, women’s shelters and post-secondary institutions. Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore issued the directive Tuesday. All employees, staff, contractors, students and volunteers within the targeted high-risk settings will need to provide either proof of their full […]

Conservative candidate Terry Dowdall will seek re-election in the federal riding of Simcoe-Grey, but the rest of the local political picture remains unclear. Only two other federal parties had named candidates for the riding as of Tuesday following Justin Trudeau triggering a federal election for Sept. 20 this past weekend. Representatives from the local NDP […]

Volunteers have transformed a long stretch of grass in front of the hospital in Owen Sound into a sprawling, colourful garden. NeighbourWoods North, a sub-committee of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists, officially unveiled the new garden Monday. The garden is part of the volunteer group’s plan to naturalize the hospital property. Other projects have included […]

You know what makes me angry? People who say that they can’t find anyone to work for them because of government wage replacement programs. There is only one word to reply to that statement. Nonsense. And I’m being polite. COVID-19 has thrown business and employment into a turmoil. Things are all messed up. That goes […]

South Bruce OPP charged four people with drug-related offences after officers executed a search warrant at a property along Willoughby Street in Lucknow on Aug. 13. Police seized methamphetamine and oxycodone worth an estimated $4,845, police said in a news release. Police also seized what they called offence-related property including: digital scales, cellphones, a stolen […]

Police said 28-year-old Brayden Berberich of Brockton died after a car hit a tree on Aug. 15. Police received a report of the single-vehicle crash just before 8:30 p.m. and responded, along with Brockton Fire Department and Bruce County Paramedic Service, to the crash site along Side Road 5 in Brockton. Berberich was pronounced dead […]

August 17, 2021

Some candidates in Huron-Bruce are ready to compete in the just-called federal election, but not every party has a confirmed candidate yet. Conservative candidate Ben Lobb, who is seeking his fifth consecutive term, put up campaign signs Monday with his team. “I’m hearing from people out door-knocking, from my own sense and from common sense […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported two new cases of COVID-19 Monday. The newest cases were reported in Chatsworth and Meaford. As of just before midnight Sunday, there were 41 active and confirmed cases in the region and 89 high-risk contacts being followed by the health unit. Five Grey-Bruce residents with COVID-19 are being treated […]

Grey County is planning to kick in $3 million to help Lutheran Social Services Owen Sound build a nearly $10-million senior’s apartment building with 32 affordable and attainable units. Council endorsed a task force motion last week to support providing the money through the county’s affordable housing fund, which is to include both county and […]

With the cost of its two 128-bed long-term care redevelopment projects expected to climb by 42 per cent over previous estimates, Grey County officials will be asking the province if it would consider providing added support for builds in rural communities. Warden Selwyn Hicks said a Grey County delegation plans to discuss its concerns about […]

Six people are currently in a Grey-Bruce hospital with a confirmed case of COVID-19, according to public health, which also reported two new local cases of the virus Sunday. There were five confirmed active local cases hospitalized in Grey-Bruce Saturday. Two active local cases have also been transferred to hospitals outside of Grey-Bruce, according to […]

Door-knocking and candidate selections will soon begin in Grey-Bruce ridings now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has triggered a federal election for Sept. 20. With the country in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic’s fourth wave, Trudeau visited and received approval from Gov. Gen. Mary Simon Sunday morning at Rideau Hall to dissolve Parliament, […]

OTTAWA — Gov. Gen Mary Simon has agreed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request to dissolve Parliament, triggering an election campaign amid a fourth wave of COVID-19 and over opposition accusations it is reckless and unnecessary. The Liberal party leader visited Rideau Hall Sunday morning to ask Simon to pull the plug on the minority […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported one new case of COVID-19 Saturday, raising the total number of confirmed cases to date to 2,199. Public health says 2,137 of those cases are now resolved and 38 are active. There are also 94 active high-risk contacts locally. Saturday’s new case was from Owen Sound. Five local residents […]

Two local teens have organized a four-weekend buckle series horse show, which saw more than two dozen riders competing for points Saturday near Owen Sound. Emma Hassard, 15, and Maddy Wilson, 18, secured sponsorships, found vendors, signed up riders and staged seven competitions for the inaugural Boots & Spurs Classic Buckle Series, presented by Glendale […]

Georgian College is among the latest post-secondary schools to announce students and employees will need to be vaccinated to access campuses come the fall. According to a release issued Friday morning, students and employees planning to attend Georgian College campuses, including the campus in Owen Sound, must be vaccinated as of Sept. 7 Students and […]

Grey County is projecting a $630,000 year-end deficit for its three long-term care homes due to unexpected drops in provincial funding and higher-than-anticipated staffing costs. And county officials are planning to present their concerns about “in-year” funding changes to Ministry of Long-term Care officials during next week’s virtual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference. […]

Grey County has given a green light to a plan to enhance its regional transit service in 2022. Meeting Thursday as a committee of the whole, county council approved a staff recommendation to consider including $223,000 in next year’s budget to add additional days of service to all six of the system’s routes as part […]

The Denis Bester Memorial Shootout will try to build on the $20,000 raised for local charities in 2020 later this month when hundreds of anglers take to the water. Organizer Ryan Amyot said there are 1,000 tickets available for this year’s shootout. Single tickets are $25 and $60 for families. Tickets can be purchased at […]

Saugeen Shores has commissioned a local Indigenous artist to create a piece to serve as a permanent reminder of the pain, suffering, and loss of life inflicted by Colonialism and by the residential school system on Indigenous peoples of Canada. The motion was approved by council during a June 28 council meeting. Artist Brent Henry […]