Owen Sound Sun Times

South Bruce Peninsula now has a stack of quantitative data to use when courting hotel developers. A recently commissioned market feasibility study conducted by the consultant firm RevPar International has confirmed the market would support an upscale, full-service hotel in Wiarton. The study recommended an 80-unit resort-style hotel be built in Wiarton’s Bluewater Park alongside […]

Local conservation authorities have joined the chorus of calls from others around the province against proposed changes to the Conservation Authorities Act. The changes, brought forward by Ontario’s Conservative government last month as part of their 2020 budget bill, Bill 229, are being criticized by the province’s 36 conservation authorities, including the Grey Sauble Conservation […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported three new cases of COVID-19 Friday, in Southgate, Kincardine and Grey Highlands. The two counties are also set to move into the yellow “protect” level of the province’s restriction framework on Monday from the current green “prevent” level. There were 41 confirmed active cases in the area as of […]

The province has approved Grey County’s application for 62 new long-term care beds for Grey Gables in Markdale, part of a proposed county project to create a 128-bed facility in the Grey Highlands community. Grey County Warden and Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen said the announcement Friday comes nearly a year after he and long-term […]

Local Black Lives Matter march organizer Jill Lyman is the 2020 Owen Sound Grey Bruce YMCA Peace Medal recipient. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Owen Sound June 10 and on to the Black History Cairn in Harrison Park to attend a rally Lyman organized against racism, police brutality and injustice. Participants collectively knelt for […]

Meaford councillors will discuss what to do about its relationship with the Inter Township Fire Department when they meet as committee of the whole on Nov. 30. Council will consider opinions gathered at a public meeting Tuesday in Woodford and ultimately whether to proceed with a plan to dissolve the Inter Township Fire Department partnership […]

Twelve new cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Grey Bruce Health Unit Thursday as public health officials implored residents to get back to the basics of fighting the virus. According to Thursday’s report, there are 17 probable cases and 211 high-risk contacts to go along with the 53 confirmed active COVID-19 cases now in […]

While it is still early to say what the future holds for the Mountain Lake property now under the ownership of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, it is expected to remain in its natural state for the foreseeable future. Chiefs Greg Nadjiwon of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Lester Anoquot of the Saugeen […]

COVID-19 won’t be preventing Santa Claus and the magic of Christmas from coming to town this weekend. While the traditional opening celebration has been cancelled because of the pandemic, the Festival of Northern Lights will still be turned on at 5 p.m. Saturday to kick off the 33rd annual display-and-lights spectacle along the Sydenham River […]

Georgian Bluffs council is looking for ideas for projects to spend up to $100,000 the municipality is eligible for through a federal and provincial funding program designed to encourage infrastructure work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The municipality would receive the funds through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream. Interim chief administrative […]

Georgian Bluffs is preparing to adopt a new bylaw regulating off-road vehicle use in the township. On Wednesday, council passed a motion to repeal and replace its current bylaw with a new one, which could be presented at the next council meeting on Nov. 25. Off-road vehicle use has been a regular subject of discussion […]

The Brampton Excelsiors move to Owen Sound will likely be approved by the Ontario Lacrosse Association board of directors in December. Newly acclaimed OLA President Jim Bomhof said Thursday that he has now received three letters of support from the North Stars’ senior B, junior B and minor lacrosse programs. That, along with unanimous support […]

Owen Sound intends to brand itself as the “working from home capital of Canada” in hopes of taking advantage of a growing shift in workplace arrangements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Ian Boddy said the marketing recruitment campaign, which he mentioned Wednesday during an Owen Sound & District Chamber of Commerce Leadership Q&A, will […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, the most in a single day since the start of the pandemic. There were nine cases reported in Kincardine alone with another five reported in Southgate and one each in Grey Highlands, Arran-Elderslie and West Grey. The health unit also included 10 probable […]

A man police arrested in a downtown Owen Sound apartment building on Tuesday afternoon was found to be concealing a loaded sawed-off rifle. The 21-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested by members of the Owen Sound Police Service after a brief struggle in the apartment building. Upon his arrest, officers found the man […]

A mobile crisis response program has expanded throughout the region as mental health workers and regional police services team up to deal with calls for service involving mental health and addictions. In late 2019, CMHA Grey Bruce teamed up with the Owen Sound Police Service to launch the Mobile Mental Health and Addiction Response Team […]

The historic Brampton Excelsiors senior A lacrosse club is moving to Owen Sound. Joe Norton, a Detriot-based businessman and founder of Bug Juice, who purchased both the Owen Sound North Stars senior B team and Brampton Excelsiors senior A team in 2018, confirmed the news Wednesday. Norton said the market in Brampton has changed, and […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported three new cases of COVID-19 in its daily situation report Tuesday. It’s the second straight day three new cases have been reported. There have been 36 cases reported in the past week in Grey-Bruce. One of the new cases was reported in Grey Highlands while a pair of cases […]

Owen Sound will be lighting up the night sky with fireworks Dec. 5 to honour the 100th anniversary of its incorporation as a city. Owen Sound Celebrates will feature a five- to seven-minute fireworks display at 7 p.m. from Victoria Park. The cost will be covered by money the city set aside in its 2020 […]

The first residential customers have started to receive natural gas from EPCOR’s Southern Bruce natural gas expansion project. EPCOR recently announced that it had connected its first residential customer on the natural gas distribution system in Kincardine. The project is to eventually supply gas to a number of communities, including Kincardine, Tiverton, Inverhuron, Paisley, Chesley, […]

Underserviced communities across Grey-Bruce will see improved internet access in the next few years after more than $33 million in broadband upgrades were announced by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technologies on Tuesday. More than 5,200 homes and businesses in Bruce County and close to 4,000 in Grey County will see broadband internet improvements from the series […]

Owen Sound intends to reopen the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre’s upper concourse for walking in early December, but with procedures aimed at safeguarding the field hospital on the arena’s floor and other pandemic-related health and safety protocols in place. Council directed staff Monday to implement the modified walking program after learning that a group […]

South Bruce Peninsula went to court Monday to argue it shouldn’t have been convicted of twice violating the Endangered Species Act by its 2017 raking and reshaping endangered piping plover beach habitat. Ontario Court Justice Julia Morneau in Owen Sound heard the appeal of the October 2019 convictions in a hearing conducted by audio and […]

A small private school east of Mount Forest has been closed for 14 days because of a probable associated case of COVID-19. According to a Grey Bruce Health Unit media release, Cedarville Breezes Parochial School, at Grey Road 14 in Conn, will close for 14 days out of an abundance of caution. “While there is […]

Firefighters quickly knocked down a fire in an apartment in downtown Owen Sound on Monday. Nobody was home at the time of the fire in an apartment unit above the former Norma Jean’s Bistro in the 200 block of 8th Street East. Owen Sound Fire Chief Doug Barfoot said firefighters were called just before 11:40 […]

The Bells of Christmas are quickly becoming the hottest-ticket holiday item in Owen Sound. This year the crocheted bells were first made available at 9 a.m. Friday morning at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, and they were gone in under two hours. “It’s just wonderful,” said a Bells of Christmas organizer who wishes to […]

Thousands in Grey-Bruce were still without power Monday afternoon after a cold front blew through southern Ontario on Sunday, bringing with it high winds that continued into Monday. Westario Power announced just before noon that power had been restored to all of its customers in Southampton, while all customers in Port Elgin had their power […]

Mayors reacted cautiously to the recent provincial budget provision allowing them to reduce property taxes for small businesses next year, if they choose to. While some acknowledged the depths of difficulty many small business owners are facing amid the pandemic, they also worried about shifting those tax dollars to others. Others declined to comment, saying […]

A whopping 10 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded Sunday in Grey-Bruce – the most added in a single day since a record 14 cases were added in April, during the first wave of the pandemic. “We have been seeing a deeply concerning trend of a significant increase in the number of cases locally, and […]

A smoke detector alarm prevented more damage and injury after fire started in a clothes dryer early Sunday morning in Owen Sound, city Fire Chief Doug Barfoot said. Firefighters were called to 1645 6thAve. E. at 3:35 a.m. and left the scene 5:15 a.m. The alarm sounded minutes after someone living in the home had […]

A student at Bruce Peninsula District School in Lion’s Head tested positive for COVID-19 but the region’s medical officer of health says no transmission in the school has been found and no outbreak has been declared there. As Dr. Ian Arra spoke late Saturday afternoon, public health contact tracers were making their way through a […]

An approaching weather system could cause minor flooding and erosion along the Lake Huron shoreline beginning late Sunday, the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority advised Saturday. The Grey Sauble Conservation Authority issued an advisory which said winds associated with a cold front were forecast to sweep across Lake Huron and Georgian Bay Sunday. Strong winds initially […]

Owen Sound’s draft 2021 capital budget is heavily focused on road projects, with 67 per cent of the proposed $12.9 million in the spending plan earmarked for resurfacing, reconstruction and other street-related work. Corporate services director Kate Allan said developing the budget was guided by the top three priority areas identified in June by council […]

Port Elgin’s Francesca Alpajaro is taking her considerable talents to Georgetown University where she’ll be playing for the Hoyas women’s lacrosse team starting in September. The Owen Sound North Stars and Team Ontario product signed her national letter of intent this week, committing to the NCAA Division I program that was ranked in the Top-25 […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported five new cases of COVID-19 throughout the region Friday. The newest cases were found in Brockton, Kincardine (2) and Hanover (2). Dr. Ian Arra, Grey Bruce’s medical officer of health, said that four of the five new cases were previously being followed by the health unit as high-risk close […]

Bruce Power will continue to play an important part in the pursuit of small modular reactor technology, the company announced on the day the provincial energy minister announced his support for SMR technology at the Darlington nuclear site in Clarington, Ont., Friday. “We have established a capability in this region that will allow us to […]

Fall fashions will soon hit the Facebook runway as Saugeen Shores and several local clothing retailers have teamed up to put on the first Saugeen Shores Virtual Fall Fashion Show. Retailers from both Port Elgin and Southampton will take part in the show scheduled to go online Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. The town’s Facebook […]

An ambitious plan to tow the historic M.S. Norgoma from Sault Ste. Marie to the Little Tub Harbour in Tobermory has gone belly up. According to a press release distributed by Tobermory Real Estate Investors Inc. (TREI), a feasibility study showed relocating the Norgoma to the harbour could not be done without “significant and unacceptable […]

West Grey police charged two people and seized fentanyl, cocaine, firearms, ammunition, knives and stolen property. Police located a wanted person’s vehicle at a Neustadt residence in West Grey on Nov. 9 about 10:35 a.m. Police arrested two suspects, who had outstanding warrants for their arrest, seized the drugs and weapons and ultimately laid charges, […]

Grey Bruce OPP is asking for help to investigate a Sauble Beach business break-in which left clothing, jewellery and a safe missing. Police believe the crime occurred Nov. 12 about 3:30 a.m. Information may be left with police at 1-888-310-1122 or anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or www.ctip.ca.

Grey Bruce OPP ask the public’s help to identify who is responsible for an estimated $80,000 mischief to the Meaford and St. Vincent Community Centre. Two roof lights were damaged and a rooftop ventilation unit was pushed off its mounts, thrown off the roof and smashed on the ground. Municipal staff say it happened between […]

What started as a disturbance call Thursday ended with the seizure of a gun, drugs and with charges laid, a Saugeen Shores police news release said. About 8 p.m. police were called to a “disturbance” at an apartment complex in Port Elgin. Police spoke with a male resident there and entered to ensure no one […]

West Grey police are looking for two women seen taking a poppy donation box from Tim Horton’s in Durham on the evening of Nov. 5. The theft was reported to police two days later and details were included in the weekly police news release Thursday. Police described the suspects: a heavy-set female with medium-length auburn […]

Someone who pretended to be an Owen Sound police officer failed in his attempt to access a local resident’s money Thursday. City police said in a news release that someone claiming to be a city police officer, who provided a false name and badge number, told the resident they’d been the victim of bank fraud. […]

Fire has destroyed a Port Elgin home containing two rental apartments on Elgin Street and left its occupants homeless, Saugeen Shores Fire Chief Phil Eagleson said Thursday. Two Saugeen Shores volunteer firefighters spotted the fire, evacuated an occupant in the front unit and pets from the rear unit which was otherwise unoccupied, just before 2 […]

Bernice Ackermann is urging Owen Sound council to let people walk around the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre’s concourse, which has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. The city resident said the facility’s upper level – which has become a popular walking track, especially for seniors – provides people with a safe, fully […]

A wave of homeless people moving into Grey-Bruce requires a new approach to help meet “a dramatically increasing need,” said Matt Shute, who’s leading a new, co-ordinated response. Recent clearing of bush on private industrial property in the city’s east harbour area, to remove a homeless encampment, is the latest reminder of why better solutions […]

Two hundred people in Grey-Bruce have now contracted COVID-19, including two new cases reported by the Grey Bruce Health Unit Thursday. The newest cases were reported in West Grey and Kincardine. A preliminary case remained listed in the report Thursday while another was removed after being confirmed as a false-positive result. If the remaining preliminary […]

Owen Sound is tackling an extensive cleanup of its composting site that will significantly reduce the times the facility is open over the next week. “This is really to deal with the piles of wood and branches that have built up over the years. We’re talking stuff that has accumulated over a period of five […]

On the heels of a “tremendously successful” Thanksgiving drive, the Owen Sound Salvation Army is getting set to launch several Christmas campaigns and events to support its food bank and help seniors, adults and children in need. Family services co-ordinator Alice Wannan said while there will be some adjustments this year to keep people safe […]