Owen Sound Sun Times

An abandoned school will soon make way for a new 128-bed long-term care home in Meaford. The former Meaford Community School at 186 Cook St. is set to be demolished later this month. An anticipated start date for the new construction has been set in March. The home is expected to take 14 to 18 […]

Wiarton Willie’s conspicuous absence from his own Groundhog Day virtual event Tuesday got people wondering why. Wednesday South Bruce Peninsula issued a statement that raised questions about the prognosticating albino marmot’s own prognosis. The town issued a news release which began: “Is Willie dead or alive? Would you question the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus?” […]

At Wiarton’s Salvation Army, Capt. Mary Millar said the damage COVID-19 has caused over that past 11 months is overwhelming. People who were struggling before the pandemic, financially and personally, are finding it harder, she said. A lot of it has to do with isolation. Last week for example, an elderly woman fell while outside. […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported two new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, in Hanover and Owen Sound. It’s the third straight day the case-count in Grey-Bruce has remained in the single digits, and a graph at the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s website is showing a spike in cases – which began in early November – is […]

The head of South Bruce Grey Health Centre says the organization is continuing efforts to address a nursing shortage at its Chesley site that prompted it to suspend overnight service in the hospital’s emergency department nearly 18 months ago. “Our goal and our board’s goal is to reopen the Chesley emergency department to 24/7 service. […]

Work has already started to prepare local arenas to turn them into Hockey Hub mass immunization centres. Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra said Tuesday afternoon that work is ongoing to transform the P&H Centre in Hanover into one of the health unit’s sites that could potentially immunize 4,500 people over a 10-hour […]

A South Bruce Peninsula man charged in the death of another man after a boat sank in Colpoys Bay in 2019 was committed Monday to trial in the Superior Court of Justice. Christopher Solomon, 40, appeared by audio link into a courtroom videoconference before Justice Julia Morneau, who committed him to trial after a preliminary hearing in […]

The many friends of a well-liked local hockey coach are mourning his loss and sharing their stories of a fun-loving man who loved life at the rink. Bill Brown passed away from cancer at Listowel Memorial Hospital on Jan. 31, he was 67. Several loving messages have been left alongside Brown’s obituary at the Eaton […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, all in Hanover. The new cases, confirmed in the 24-hour period prior to midnight on Monday, brings the total number of confirmed cases in Grey-Bruce since the beginning of the pandemic to 652. There remains 27 active cases and two active probable […]

Ontario’s ski industry – which has seen thousands of layoffs and millions of dollars in lost revenue since a provincial shutdown of ski hills – is urging the province to allow a safe reopening of the slopes with strict pandemic-related measures in place. The Ontario Snow Resorts Association (OSRA), Blue Mountain Village Association and Blue […]

Wiarton Willie’s prediction came in his absence. South Bruce Peninsula Mayor Janice Jackson, decked out in her white suit, purple vest and cape and black top hat with feathers, announced an early spring in a most unusual way. This year, Wiarton Willie’s annual prediction event was pre-recorded and released to media outlets shortly before the […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has released a plan for mass immunizations set up in hockey arenas, called The Hockey Hub, that will allow for 4,500 vaccines to be administered in a 10-hour period once enough vaccine is available. The plan is based on a standard size hockey rink. It can be scaled up or […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported just one new case of COVID-19 on Monday. The case, which was confirmed in the 24-hour period prior to midnight on Sunday, was in The Blue Mountains. There have now been 649 cases of the virus confirmed in Grey-Bruce since the beginning of the pandemic. That is down from […]

Arran-Elderslie has kick-started the process to recruit a new top municipal staffer after its current chief administrative officer Bill Jones announced he’ll be leaving the municipality March 28 to become South Bruce Peninsula’s new CAO. Arran-Elderslie Mayor Steve Hammell said council voted during a special meeting Monday to direct staff to immediately initiate the process […]

A Clarksburg resident is dead after a collision between a snowmobile and a sport utility vehicle on Saturday. The 56-year-old resident, the rider of the snowmobile, died of injuries sustained in the collision in The Blue Mountains, which police were called to at approximately 2:46 p.m. The initial investigation found that the snowmobile was travelling […]

Owen Sound has launched an online survey to gather public feedback on a group’s proposal to create a community garden – with plots for growing produce – at Stobbe Park. The survey, along with a six-minute video presentation on the proposal, will be available until Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. by clicking the green Stobbe […]

A Hamilton man is dead after a snowmobile crash in Northern Bruce Peninsula. David Hunt, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Forest Road, near Cape Chin Road North, Grey Bruce OPP said in a news release on Monday. Police arrived at the scene at 4:44 p.m. Thursday, where the operator […]

A man has been charged with assaulting two snowmobilers on a trail in Chatsworth on Thursday. Just before 1 p.m. Grey Bruce OPP responded to an incident that had occurred on the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs trail near Highway 6 and Sideroad 3 in Chatsworth Township. Two snowmobilers were assaulted by a hiker who […]

An Owen Sound woman found unresponsive in a vehicle with a concealed BB handgun has been charged by police. The incident, just after 10 p.m. on Sunday, was just one that kept city police busy throughout the night. Police were called to the east side of the city about a possible impaired driver slumped over […]

There has been one confirmed case of COVID-19 and another probable case of the virus associated with Walkerton District Community School. The Grey Bruce Health Unit’s assessment of the cases indicated no evidence that transmission had taken place within the school environment, according to a news release issued Sunday night. There are no school bus […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the first time the health unit has reported a single-day double digit case count in more than two and a half weeks. The health unit reported 14 new cases in Jan. 13. The cases, confirmed in the 24-hour period prior to midnight […]

If you go down to the woods these days, you are bound to see others, especially if there are cross-country ski trails running among the trees. The pastime, which has always been popular in the area, is experiencing a COVID-19 fueled surge this winter, with local clubs seeing their memberships balloon. “Usually we have about […]

Grey County council has supported a 2021 draft budget calling for a tax rate increase of 2.11 per cent. The average increase for a single-detached household in the county will be just under $25. The average single-family dwelling not on waterfront is valued at about $278,000 in the county. “The 2021 budget is responsive to […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has confirmed the first death related to COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce. A Grey-Bruce man in his 60s died on Saturday afternoon, the health unit said in a news release. The man had been in isolation in hospital since early January. “I offer my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit was reporting two new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, both in The Blue Mountains. The new cases, reported in the 24 hours prior to midnight on Friday, brings the number of confirmed cases in Grey-Bruce to 642. A total of 30 cases remain active while 612 are considered resolved. There […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has issued an alert after a surge in opioid overdoses in Owen Sound in recent days. There have been at least four non-fatal overdoses in the city in the past five days, the health unit said in a news release on Saturday. Ian Reich, the health unit’s manager of sexual […]

Owen Sound police are warning of the dangers of carrying replica firearms after a person was arrested with one in the city on Friday. City police said in a news release that carrying weapons or replica firearms that look real is a serious criminal offence and can be extremely dangerous for both members of the […]

Schools, long-term care homes and congregate settings in Grey-Bruce will soon have access to thousands of rapid COVID-19 test kits. The Grey Bruce Health Unit announced in a news release Friday it has obtained 14,000 Panbio Point of Care COVID-19 tests. The tests will continue to be used in long-term care and retirement homes as […]

Grey County is backing a call for the province to allow a “safe reopening” of Ontario’s ski hills after its stay-at-home order is lifted. Council authorized the county to send a letter of support, signed by Warden Selwyn Hicks, for the Blue Mountain Village Association and The Snow Resorts Association of Ontario’s recommended measures to […]

Grey County is increasing to $4 million the amount of a short-term loan to help Owen Sound Housing Company complete its latest affordable housing project after construction costs for the 60-unit build in Owen Sound came in higher than anticipated. County council agreed during Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting to change the loan amount […]

Two friends who died in a crash on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Burlington early Tuesday morning are being remembered by family and friends locally for their smiles and how they cared for others. Courtney Duguay, 24, of Owen Sound and Ceara Publuske, 23, of Kitchener were both pronounced dead at the scene of the […]

Owen Sound is adding a fifth bus route starting Monday to take people on essential trips during the pandemic to some of the busier locations, such as to Walmart, work and medical appointments. The newly created Midtown route is designed to hit many stops also serviced by the city’s most popular route, the East Bayshore, […]

According to new mental health statistics, almost half of all Canadians have been feeling isolated and lonely since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jackie Ralph and Becky Hunt reported the latest Canadian Mental Health Association numbers, including this one, at the 2021 Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week as part of their presentation that focused on […]

More than 230 residents and staff are the first at Bruce County-owned long-term care homes to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The 128 residents and seven staff members at Brucelea Haven in Walkerton and 90 residents and 13 staff members at Gateway Haven in Wiarton received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine Wednesday. Gateway Haven […]

Bruce County Paramedic Services has launched a community paramedicine program with $123,240 in provincial funding that’s set to run out March 31. Chief Steve Schaus said Thursday the county is hoping to receive additional funding so it can continue the program beyond that date. “We are very excited to join the other services in Ontario […]

A police dog helped officers find two suspects who fled a break-and-enter in progress reported to police Wednesday night. The Collingwood and The Blue Mountains OPP said officers were dispatched to a break-and-enter in progress at a residence on Grey Road 19 about 10 p.m. in Blue Mountains. The suspects had fled when police arrived […]

Grey Bruce OPP asked for help Thursday to identify two suspects as part of an investigation into a stolen pickup truck which was set on fire and destroyed. A pickup truck was reported stolen from a Georgian Bluffs address Jan. 15 at 4:40 p.m. Thieves used credit cards from a stolen wallet to buy fuel […]

Grey County has submitted a proposal to the province to significantly expand its six-year-old community paramedicine program, which sees paramedics assessing and providing care to vulnerable patients in their homes. “Our goal is to expand the program across the county and add an additional 300 to 350 patients, which would bring the total to 450 […]

There’s a local man on the Southwestern Ontario Transportation Task Force announced this week. Sidney Nadjiwon, a band councillor of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation at Neyaashiinigmiing, is so far the only representative in Grey-Bruce on the nine-member committee. More members will be announced but from where remains to be seen. The task […]

Nobody was hurt when a school bus with 15 students onboard slid off a road in Grey Highlands on Wednesday. Grey Bruce OPP were called to Grey Road 132 just east of Highway 10 just after 8:30 a.m. All of the students were safely evacuated and transported to school on another bus, police said in […]

The Special Investigations Unit said Wednesday it made a mistake by indicating Hanover police didn’t inform it that a man suffered serious injury when he fell through a greenhouse roof in their presence. An SIU spokeswoman had said the police oversight agency decided to investigate after it read a Hanover police news release which said […]

The need for better transportation infrastructure and rural Internet service – issues that have intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic – were major topics of discussion for Grey and Bruce counties during this week’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference. This year’s conference, done virtually this year because of the pandemic, was held on Monday and Tuesday […]

The Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation’s Guardian Angel Campaign has raised over $460,000 for a specialized surgical table at the city hospital. The annual campaign had a goal of raising $400,000 for a new advanced surgical table with x-ray capabilities, and the goal was surpassed by $60,000, it said in a news release from the […]

Ontario is aiming to have all residents and staff at long-term care homes vaccinated for COVID-19 by Feb. 15 and over $3 million in increased funding is headed to local homes to help ensure they reach the finish line as safely as possible. Both Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker and Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson announced […]

An Owen Sound woman has been identified as one of two people killed in a collision on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Burlington on Tuesday morning. Courtney Duguay of Owen Sound was the passenger in a car that was in a collision involving four vehicles. The driver of the car, Ceara Publuske of Kitchener, was […]

Another retail cannabis store application has popped up in Grey-Bruce, this time in Rockford. The AGCO announced on Wednesday that the 15-day public notice phase had begun for a Cannabis Grey Bruce retail store in Unit 9 of the Rockford Plaza on Grey Road 18. Cannabis Grey Bruce already has a store operating in Owen […]

Charges have been laid after a knife was brandished at a residence at Saugeen First Nation on the weekend, police say. On Saturday, just before 1:30 a.m., Grey Bruce OPP responded to report of threats being made at a residence on Highway 21. A suspect had threatened another person, after brandishing a knife, before running […]

A store employee suffered minor injuries after being assaulted by a suspect in a theft from a Sunset Strip business on Tuesday. Just after noon, Grey Bruce OPP responded to an assault that had occurred at the commercial business on the Sunset Strip in Georgian Bluffs. A suspect had stolen items from the store and […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported a single new case of the COVID-19 virus on Tuesday. The lone case was in Hanover, bringing the total to 625 for Grey-Bruce since the beginning of the pandemic. A total of 22 cases remain active, while 603 have been resolved. There is also one active probable case, which […]

Small and rural municipal governments have been waiting for word about funding under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund with fingers crossed. They can relax for another year. The provincial government is sending out the cheques again this year, $5.94 million to 12 municipal governments in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. “Whenever possible, I take the opportunity to express […]