Owen Sound Sun Times

The Grey Bruce Health Unit says 19 new local COVID-19 cases were reported on Christmas — a day assessment centres in both Owen Sound and Kincardine were closed. Both Grey Highlands and Huron-Kinloss had three new cases apiece, while West Grey, South Bruce Peninsula and Kincardine each had two new cases, according to public health’s […]

Santa Claus didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic prevent him from bringing some holiday cheer to children and others spending Christmas Eve at the Owen Sound hospital. The jolly old elf traded his sleigh for the Owen Sound Fire Department’s new Sutphen 100-foot mid-mount aerial platform truck for part of Friday evening, so he could wave […]

City police charged two men with impaired driving-related charges in separate incidents in Owen Sound on Christmas Day. Owen Sound Police Service Sgt. Craig Matheson said police were called to a large east-side parking lot at about 6:40 p.m. after a car had driven over a curb and into a treed area and then hit […]

South Bruce Peninsula is planning to use senior government grants and reserve fund dollars to pay for a $4-million project to upgrade four blocks of Mary Street in Wiarton in 2022. Council voted Dec. 21 to approve a $3.88-million bid from Harold Sutherland Construction to replace underground infrastructure and reconstruct the street from Claude Street, […]

More residents and staff tested positive for COVID-19 Friday in an outbreak at Rockwood Terrace in Durham, according to Grey County, which has announced new restrictions and protocols at all three of its long-term care homes. The Grey Bruce Health Unit declared an outbreak at Rockwood Terrace Thursday after one resident and two staff on […]

For the fourth day in a row, Grey-Bruce set a record for new daily cases of COVID-19 Saturday. The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 101 new cases of the virus on Christmas Day, which easily surpassed the previous daily record of 77 new cases set on Christmas Eve. Fifty-nine new cases were reported Thursday, while […]

For the third straight day, Grey-Bruce has set a new daily COVID-19 case mark with 77 new cases of the virus reported on Christmas Eve. The new mark comes after the Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 59 new cases on Thursday and 58 new cases on Wednesday. Of the new cases reported on Friday, 20 […]

With more than a month until donations have to be in for the annual CFOS-Sun Times Christmas Fund Broadcast, a large donation has come in to already make this year’s broadcast the most successful ever. As of Wednesday, close to $69,000 had been raised through the broadcast, which celebrated its 82nd year earlier this month. […]

Bruce County has put its support behind calls by some of its lower-tier municipalities for a third-party review of the service reductions to the emergency departments at the hospitals in Walkerton and Chesley. On Thursday, the county’s executive committee called for a third-party review of the service reductions enacted for the emergency departments at the […]

Both Grey-Bruce and the province recorded their highest daily COVID-19 case counts Thursday since the pandemic began 21 months ago. Fifty-nine new cases of the virus were reported by the Grey Bruce Health Unit, surpassing the previous record daily high of 58 new cases set Wednesday. Meanwhile, the province logged 5,790 new daily cases, which […]

The need has never been as great as it has been this holiday season for local organizations helping the less fortunate in the Owen Sound area, and the community has responded in a big way. With just a few days to go with its Christmas Kettle Campaign, the Owen Sound Salvation Army has seen about […]

While the latest COVID-19 wave has created some uncertainty around the schedule of events at the Roxy Theatre in Owen Sound, organizers are planning to move forward with a New Year’s Eve show there. The Beckett Family New Year’s Eve Show is set to hit the stage at the theatre on Dec. 31. There are […]

A COVID-19 outbreak has been officially declared at Rockwood Terrace after three positive cases of the virus were linked to the Grey County-owned long-term care home in Durham. Grey County issued a news release Wednesday night to say the Grey Bruce Health Unit has now declared the outbreak. The county says one resident and two […]

A Grey-Bruce resident was recently scammed out of approximately $200,000 and police are urging locals to remain vigilant. Grey Bruce OPP said in a news release on Wednesday that the victim became involved in the matter after receiving a voicemail on their residential landline claiming they had won a lottery prize. Through their investigation, police […]

Police are looking for information about a theft in Springmount last month in which items including artwork valued at approximately $180,000 were taken. The theft was reported to Grey Bruce OPP on Nov. 27. Officers responded and discovered that a number of items had been stolen from a business on Shane Street in Georgian Bluffs. […]

Public health reported Wednesday the highest new daily case count of COVID-19 infections in Grey-Bruce since the pandemic began 21 months ago. Fifty-eight new local cases were reported, including 13 from Saugeen Shores, 11 from Owen Sound and six from Kincardine. Arran-Elderslie, Grey Highlands and Hanover each had four new cases, while South Bruce, West […]

The person who died in a fatal fire in rural Meaford last month has been identified by police. On Nov. 27 at approximately 10:50 p.m., police, fire and emergency services responded to the blaze on the 10th Concession just east of Owen Sound. One person was removed from the residence and pronounced dead at the […]

Two boxes containing cremated remains have been returned to the T.A. Brown Funeral Home in Port Elgin, just over a week after they were reported stolen. Funeral home owner and director Taylor Brown confirmed the news Wednesday, saying they were returned anonymously and left on the funeral home property. “I can confirm that the cremated […]

Northern Bruce Peninsula council has voted to receive for information an integrity commissioner’s report that concluded Coun. James Mielhausen breached provincial conflict of interest rules and the municipal code of conduct by advancing a zoning amendment for a large, private parking lot project proposed by his daughter’s employer. At its Dec. 13 meeting, council voted […]

For the second time in five years, someone has spray-painted graffiti on the historic stone ruins of the McNeill Estate at the Spirit Rock Conservation Area. Grey Sauble Conservation, which owns the site north of Wiarton, was notified of the damage Dec. 16. “It’s got deep history, so it’s really heartbreaking that someone would go […]

Downtown Wiarton businesses — which have dealt with the effects of an $11-million Big Dig infrastructure project and the 21-month COVID-19 pandemic — will soon receive some assistance aimed at revitalizing community main streets. South Bruce Peninsula recently announced that it is one of 65 southern Ontario communities that will receive funding to participate in […]

Brockton council wants the South Bruce Grey Health Centre to reconsider its plans to close the emergency department at the Walkerton hospital at night. Brockton Mayor Chris Peabody said Tuesday that his council held an emergency meeting Monday morning where it passed a pair of motions – to oppose the cuts to service at both […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The number is down from the high of the recent case surge after 40 cases were reported on Sunday, and 36 were reported on Monday, but continues the trend of higher case numbers in the region over the past week-and-a-half. The province […]

Ontario’s police watchdog has found no reasonable grounds to believe two Hanover police officers committed a criminal offence in connection to an injury a man suffered during his Aug. 29 arrest. The Special Investigations Unit has concluded the force used by the officers was “legally justified” as the man was brandishing a shovel and broken […]

The new owner of the Owen Sound Billy Bishop and Wiarton-Keppel airports says he sees great potential in the two facilities, but it will likely be some time before major changes take place at the formerly municipally owned sites. Clayton Smith, who purchased Owen Sound’s 28-year-old regional aerodrome for $1.5 million Dec. 10 and Georgian […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported another 36 COVID-19 cases on Monday. Of the new cases, five each were in Georgian Bluffs, Owen Sound and Saugeen Shores, while four were in Grey Highlands. There were three cases each in Arran-Elderslie and Hanover, two each in Chatsworth, South Bruce Peninsula and The Blue Mountains and single […]

Five people were injured, including four who received life-threatening injuries, after the horse-drawn buggy they were in collided with a pickup truck on Grey Road 2 in Grey Highlands. Three of those who were injured were airlifted to hospital by Ornge. The collision happened Thursday at about 3:40 p.m. The Grey Bruce OPP, Dundalk Fire […]

Second World War veteran Charlie Fisher — whose photographs, letters and pocket journals have provided an invaluable first-hand look into the conflict — has died at age 107. Mr. Fisher passed away Saturday just before 7 p.m. at his home in Owen Sound. He was believed to be the oldest living veteran in Grey-Bruce and […]

The emergency department at the Walkerton hospital will be closed overnight beginning Dec. 27 as the South Bruce Grey Health Centre grapples with a nursing staff shortage. The hospital corporation announced on Monday that the emergency department will close overnight from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. beginning next Monday for an indefinite period. “We have […]

Andy McKee will step down from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grey Bruce at the end of this year after serving as its president for 20 years. He’s been part of the organization since the early 1990s, starting out on “Big Bunch” outings with groups of kids. Board members played a hands-on role for many […]

COVID-19 cases reported Sunday hit 40 in Grey-Bruce, right up there with the highest daily case counts seen in the area during the pandemic. Dr. Ian Arra, the medical officer of health in Grey-Bruce, said Sunday that April 14, when there were 42 cases and June 25 with 41, were daily cases higher in Grey-Bruce. […]

COVID-19 cases continued to climb steeply Saturday in Grey-Bruce but so far the Omicron variant hasn’t been lab confirmed here. That doesn’t mean it isn’t here and Grey-Bruce Health Unit staff have been treating each new COVID case as if it were more catching Omicron variant, said Dr. Ian Arra, the medical officer of health […]

Georgian Bluffs Mayor Dwight Burley says he couldn’t have asked for a better buyer for the Wiarton-Keppel International Airport. Clayton Smith, the same businessman who bought the Owen Sound Billy Bishop Regional Airport for $1.5 million, has also purchased the airport east of Wiarton from Georgian Bluffs for $2.6 million. “For me, I could never […]

Bruce County’s human services director Christine MacDonald has stepped into the role of interim CAO until a new, permanent top administrator is in place, according to a county news release. MacDonald, a Bruce County staffer since 2007, began work Thursday with current CAO Sandra Datars Bere, who is planning to depart in early January after […]

The Grey-Bruce Health Unit reported its highest daily COVID-19 case total in months Thursday. Thirty-two new cases were reported throughout the region by the health unit, as well as over 1,000 high risk close contacts. The health unit said approximately 10 per cent of the high-risk close contacts are expected to convert to positive cases […]

Police said Terry Specht, 63, of Chatsworth Township died in farm tractor mishap Sunday afternoon. Grey Bruce OPP identified him Thursday and said police continue to investigate the fatal vehicle rollover, which occurred about 3:30 p.m. The mishap took place on Sideroad 3 in Chatsworth Township. Chatsworth firefighters and Grey County paramedics responded, along with […]

Ontario Power Generation anticipates its proposed 42,000-square-foot nuclear materials sorting facility in Kincardine will be operating by this time next year. A ground-breaking ceremony for the Western Clean-Energy Sorting & Recycling (WCSR) project took place Thursday at the Bruce Energy Centre industrial park, about three kilometres east of OPG’s Western Waste Management Facility. The WCSR […]

There were numerous localized power outages reported on Hydro One’s Stormcentre map Thursday in Grey-Bruce, as the second windstorm in a week swept through. By 5 p.m., the online outage map showed two areas of the Bruce Peninsula involving fewer than 100 customers, plus 138 customers at Sauble, fewer than 20 outside of Port Elgin […]

Two Saugeen First Nation families conducted final walkthrough inspections of their Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce homes Thursday and should be moved in by Christmas. Habitat built four homes at Saugeen this year and four others for the Nawash band at Neyaashiinigmiing, using Canada Mortgage and Housing grants given to each First Nation band, which […]

The Ontario Hockey League announced two more postponed games involving the Owen Sound Attack due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols and one player on the team testing positive for the virus. According to a team release, the player is asymptomatic and all other players have either received negative test results or are awaiting results of […]

South Bruce has decided to hold a referendum — but not until after next fall’s municipal election — to determine the community’s willingness to be the site of an underground storage facility for Canada’s spent nuclear fuel bundles. Council directed staff Monday to prepare to submit the willingness question to voters via a referendum after […]

A Markdale-area woman has been found guilty of criminal negligence causing death after chasing a motorcycle in her Hummer H3 and colliding with it, which left its rider, George Scott, dead. Sally Darosa, now 44, of 735556 West Back Line when charged a month after the May 29, 2019 confrontation, returns to the Superior Court […]

A three-year-old girl has died after she was injured in a collision involving a vehicle she was in and a propane truck on Nov. 30. A death notice for Erika Anjulie Joseph said she died Dec. 10. Her 27-year-old father, Brandon Joseph, was pronounced dead in hospital following the 8:30 a.m. crash along Grey Road […]

The Grey-Bruce Ontario Provincial Police are moving criminal record checks online in the new year. The OPP announced it will be switching to online applications starting in January 2022, with an exact start date yet to be determined. When the new online system begins, rather than calling the Grey-Bruce OPP or visiting a detachment, applicants […]

Lori DiCastri will return for another year as the chairperson of the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board. DiCastri, a trustee for Huron-Kinloss, Kincardine, Brockton Ward 31, was acclaimed to the position for 2022 during the annual organizational meeting of the board on Dec. 13. DiCastri has been a BGCDSB trustee since 2010 and was first […]

Kelly Yeaman and Lorraine Sarasin were left shattered Dec. 6 by the death of their mother Anne Bradley. A week later, the sisters suffered another devastating blow when their mother’s cremated remains were stolen from the T.A. Brown Funeral Home in Port Elgin. “Kelly and I have talked about the fact that mom was gone […]

Public health reported three new local cases of COVID-19 and two additional hospitalizations Wednesday, as the province announced that all adults will soon be eligible for booster shots at the three-month mark after their second vaccine dose. Single new cases were reported in Owen Sound, Georgian Bluffs and Chatsworth, bringing the number of active local […]

Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce received $340,000 in one-time funding from the provincial government to help with shortfalls during the pandemic. The funding is welcome, said Janet Fairbridge, the executive director of the hospice organization, which runs Chapman House in Owen Sound. The money will help cover increased staffing costs, infection protection and control and […]

Oxenden’s Julian Smith earned two gold medals this past weekend at the Nakkertok’s Eastern Canada Cup in Cantley, Quebec. Smith raced the 1.4-kilometre track Saturday morning in the wind, torrential rain and warm temperatures Saturday, finishing his qualifying heat in a time of 2:41.01. Smith then won both the quarterfinal and semifinal heats to advance […]

The Ontario Hockey League has postponed Wednesday night’s game between the Owen Sound Attack and Kitchener Rangers due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols. The game was scheduled to be played inside the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre with puck drop set for 7 p.m. In a media release, the league said the move is “out […]