Owen Sound Sun Times

An increase in COVID-19 cases in younger residents of Grey County has the local medical officer of health urging everyone to remain vigilant. On Sunday, the Grey Bruce Health Unit confirmed a sixth case of the virus in Grey-Bruce over the past three days, after two cases were confirmed on Saturday and three were confirmed […]

Each September Victoria Park comes alive as thousands descend on the grounds in the heart of Owen Sound for the city’s annual fall fair. But this year the park remained silent as the fair, like so many other events, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, there was again some activity at the […]

Synonymous with winter in Owen Sound for more than three decades, the Festival of Northern Lights will shine bright once again despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The 33rd festival will start on Nov. 21 and run nightly until Jan. 3 along the Sydenham River in downtown Owen Sound and at Harrison Park. “The lights will go […]

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Errinrung long-term care and retirement home in Thornbury after a staff member tested positive for the virus. In a statement on the home’s website, it confirmed the case involving the staff member, who is currently isolating and recovering at home. “We are testing our staff members every […]

A Ferndale man faces an attempted murder charge after driving directly at a West Grey police officer on Friday. The 43-year-old man has also been charged with assault with a weapon, dangerous driving, two counts of uttering threats and two counts of flight from a peace officer following incidents in West Grey and Hanover on […]

Grey County is trying to get a sense of how many people are choosing to make the move to Grey County due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, Grey County council passed a motion that an analysis of the effects the pandemic has had on growth in the county be included as part of a […]

Saugeen Shores police responded to a pair of collisions in recent days that left people with injuries. On Friday morning, just before 2 a.m., police responded to a report of a rollover on Goderich Street in Port Elgin. Witnesses reported seeing a vehicle travelling northbound on Goderich Street at a high rate of speed and […]

There were no new COVID-19 cases reported in Grey-Bruce Wednesday, according to the health unit’s daily situation report. One case has recovered, leaving three known active cases in the region. There have been 133 people to date who have been infected with the virus locally, and five people who were referred to other health units. […]

Grey County’s new transit service running from Owen Sound east to Meaford and The Blue Mountains began Wednesday morning, in large part in hopes of helping with chronic labour shortages there. Adult fare aboard an orange Grey Transit Route (GTR) Driverseat bus from Owen Sound to Blue Mountain Resort is $5, with a stopover in […]

Ontario’s controversial new fall hunt for the double-crested cormorant has pitted outdoors’ and sportsmen’s groups against naturalist and birding organizations. Those who support it are applauding the province for finally recognizing and addressing the problems caused by overabundant cormorant populations, noting the fish-gobbling aquatic birds are significantly impacting terrestrial habitats, fish populations and angling opportunities. […]

Owen Sound police are asking for the public’s help to locate Bruce McCartney, 62, who was last seen at his residence on the evening of Sept. 21. He’s 5’ 6’’ tall, 180 pounds, with grey hair and wears prescription eyeglasses. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call police at 519-376-1234.

After checking on a business previously broken into, an Owen Sound police officer ended up charging a man in a vehicle parked outside the business. About midnight Tuesday, a police officer saw a parked vehicle outside the business, where everything was found to be in order, Owen Sound police said in a news release Wednesday. […]

Police with using an infrared camera in a helicopter found a missing six-year-old boy early Wednesday morning. Grey Bruce OPP was dispatched at 6:36 p.m. Tuesday after the boy walked away from a residence on Mapleport Crescent in Sauble Beach. Police searched the area to no avail. Just after midnight Tuesday officers in an OPP […]

The man who suffered burns in his Port Elgin apartment Sunday was listed in fair condition Tuesday. A spokeswoman at London Health Sciences Centre confirmed the man’s condition after an acquaintance identified him as Trevor Keating. Saugeen Shores police have said the fire was reported at 6:54 p.m. Sunday at 560 Ivings Dr. Emergency crews […]

There were no new cases of COVID-19 reported in Grey-Bruce Tuesday, according to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily situation report. There are four active and confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region. None of those cases is hospitalized, and no local deaths have been attributed to the disease. A total of 133 Grey-Bruce residents have […]

The downtown Wiarton construction zone that blocked traffic on Highway 6 all summer will reopen, likely by the end of November. But the $11-million, two-block Berford Street project to replace underground services won’t be completed until sometime next year, said Lara Widdifield, South Bruce Peninsula’s director of public works, in an interview Tuesday. “Currently we […]

September 22, 2020

Since a city fire inspection revealed a suspected synthetic drug lab in downtown Owen Sound Monday, police are considering whether to lay criminal charges. The Owen Sound fire department inspection which discovered the drug production operation then got city police drug enforcement involved, an Owen Sound police news release said Tuesday. Police got a search […]

Fire marshal investigators, local firefighters and police remained near the scene of an apartment fire in Port Elgin that police said left a man in critical condition in a London hospital with severe burns. A Saugeen Shores police news release issued early Monday said the fire was reported at 6:54 p.m. Sunday at 560 Ivings […]

No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Grey-Bruce Monday, according to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily situation report. Four active confirmed cases remain in the region, including a case in Meaford that was reported Sunday. There have been 133 COVID-19 cases in Grey-Bruce to date with 124 recovered cases and five referred to other […]

Lion’s Head has rallied to ensure a storm last January didn’t spell the end of the story for the community’s iconic lighthouse. Since the landmark was destroyed by gusty winds and high waves, the community has raised about $15,000 in donations and materials to rebuild the red-and-white structure. A small team of volunteers, led by […]

Two Saugeen Shores men, 18 and 19 years old, have been charged with mischief under $5,000 for damaging the PRIDE rainbow crosswalk in Port Elgin Aug. 26, Saugeen Shores police said in a media release issued Sunday. The rainbow crosswalk located on Gustavus Street near Saugeen District Senior School was damaged when drivers intentionally spun […]

A Port Elgin man was airlifted to a London hospital after sustaining severe injuries in a fire at 560 Ivings Drive in Port Elgin Sunday evening. Police, fire and ambulance responded to the multi-unit structure fire at 6:54 p.m. Sunday night and found one unit fully engulfed in smoke and flames. A male occupant of […]

One new local case of COVID-19 was reported to the Grey Bruce Health Unit over the weekend, according to public health’s daily situation reports. The case was reported Sunday. There are now four known active cases of the novel coronavirus in Grey-Bruce. The lone local case was reported during a weekend in which Ontario saw […]

Jim Merriam – former editor of The Sun Times and other local papers, Funny Farm columnist and supporter of many local causes – is being remembered as a person who cared deeply about the community and the people in it. The Tara-area resident died Saturday at the Chesley hospital following a 22-year battle with cancer. […]

A 54-year-old Chatsworth man has died in a single-vehicle crash south of Tara. The South Bruce OPP says Robert Thomson was pronounced dead at the scene late Saturday afternoon. A post-mortem examination will be conducted. Police, along with Bruce County paramedics and Tara firefighters, were called to the collision on Bruce County Road 10 south […]

A hidden, lone original 1876 window at Christ Church Anglican in Meaford discovered during masonry and window repairs was uncovered Friday. The last time the window may have been seen was in 1963 but it could have been more than 100 years ago. Church members say a church neighbour recalls a fallen branch damaged the […]

Ontario Hockey League fans can pencil a few more dates into their calendars ahead of a potential 2020-21 season set to start Dec. 1. But with COVID-19 numbers rising in Ontario cautious optimism is still the baseline for any plans moving forward. In a media release distributed Thursday, the OHL said it is still working […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Both are residents of Owen Sound and bring the cumulative number of confirmed cases for the two counties to 132. Owen Sound now has had 56 confirmed cases. Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra said that the two cases are […]

The Saugeen Shores Attainable Housing Task Force is seeking public feedback on attainable housing in the community through a survey. The survey, which runs until Oct. 8 at noon, will help the task force understand the current needs and desires from the community, with the information garnered to be used to make recommendations to the […]

Police continue to investigate a shooting in Oliphant earlier this month that sent a person to hospital with serious injuries. The Grey Bruce OPP Crime Unit, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the occurrence, it said in a news release issued on Thursday evening. Grey […]

Foundation work is expected to begin any day now for Owen Sound Housing Company’s 60-unit apartment building at Odawa Heights, after the start of construction was delayed by nearly six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Board chair Ruth Lovell Stanners said the revised plan is for the five-storey building, which is to include 44 […]

Owen Sound native Bob Hamley will take the reins of the National Lacrosse League’s newest expansion franchise in Fort Worth, Texas. Hamley has been named the team’s vice president of lacrosse operations and general manager. It’s the latest stop on an NLL leadership tour spanning nearly 30 years. He’s been an assistant coach with the […]

The Owen Sound Minor Soccer AGM will be held Sept. 24 at the Kiwanis Soccer Complex at 5 p.m. Pizza will be provided. Those interested in learning more about the organization and improving soccer in Owen Sound are invited by the association to attend. Also, those who are interested in filling vacancies on the Owen […]

Tucked in a corner of the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s website are candid stories of life and death, where people triumph in the face of overwhelming pain. These stories were not reported this summer, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing opioid epidemic. News releases warned of lethal street drugs circulating and the latest spate of […]

Drug users know the risks of fentanyl and carfentil, but their addiction is so strong they just don’t care, said Ian Reich, the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s harm reduction manager. Two warnings issued this summer about several fatal overdoses due to lethal street drugs in circulation were not aimed at users, but at the rest […]

No longer is Mount Forest “High-Healthy-Happy.” That town slogan was dropped from all four town entrance signs this week and was replaced with new signs which say “Mount Forest, Simply Explore.” Many used to point, with a nod and a wink, to the “high” part of the tagline, while others felt uncomfortable with any drug-induced […]

Work to repair an area along Presqui’le Road affected by high water and waves is to happen next week. On Wednesday, Georgian Bluffs director of operations Tyler Jahnke reported to council that the permits to do the emergency repair work are in place and, if the weather permits it, Bluewater Landscaping is to begin the […]

There were no new cases of COVID-19 reported in Grey Bruce Thursday, according to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily situation report. There remains one active confirmed case in the region, with 124 recovered cases and five cases referred to other health units. In Grey-Bruce, 130 people have contracted the virus to date. Twenty-eight of […]

Owen Sound will soon launch an online survey and hold two open houses in mid-October to gather feedback on options for the future of the city-owned former jail and courthouse properties. The city has also created a webpage and posted a video presentation with detailed information on four potential demolition options for the boarded-up jail, […]

Georgian Bluffs is revisiting a recent decision to restrict vehicle access to Sutacriti Park after hearing from residents who were against the change. During its meeting on Wednesday, council reconsidered its decision and asked staff to bring back another report on the small shoreline park located along Presqu’ile Road north of Cobble Beach. The move […]

Two children – one eight years old and the other four – were airlifted to a London hospital with life-threatening injuries after a collision Wednesday involving a horse and buggy and a pick-up truck. Police say there were seven people inside the buggy at the time of the crash, which happened at about 5:40 p.m. […]

Grey-Bruce residents are being encouraged to nominate an individual or group for the annually awarded YMCA Peace Medal, YMCA of Grey Bruce Owen Sound announced. Nominations close Friday, Oct. 23. Medals will be presented to winning peacemakers at Y’s across Canada, including in Owen Sound, during YMCA Peace Week, Nov. 14-21. Peace Medals “honour individuals […]

There were no new cases of COVID-19 reported in Grey-Bruce Wednesday, according to the health unit’s daily update. The region’s total case count remains at 130 with one active case still on the books. Parents of symptomatic children who wanted the entire family swabbed – symptoms or not – helped lead to increased patient volumes […]

Georgian College students are returning to campus this week for the first time in months. Most of the college’s programming is still being delivered remotely, but 30 per cent of the student body will be on campus intermittently for hands-on learning. Only students with scheduled labs or practical learning requirements, students with reservations to use […]

Grey Bruce OPP said there was no sign by late Wednesday afternoon of a windsurfer or paddle boarder who had been reported in distress in the lake at the north end of Sauble Beach Tuesday night, and they believe the person made it back to shore safely. By mid-afternoon police still had no report of […]

Southbridge Health Care will likely receive a building permit this week to construct its proposed three-storey, 160-bed long-term care home on 16th Avenue East, city officials say. The project has been in the planning stages since 2016 and both the city and representatives of the Cambridge-based company said Wednesday they’re excited to see construction on […]

While the Bluewater District School Board has had its share of challenges as schools have reopened, Director of Education Lori Wilder says they are working through them as students make the important step of returning to a much different school-day routine in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic. “From all accounts things are going really, […]

Grey Bruce OPP is involved in a search for a windsurfer/paddle boarder seen in distress and pulled by waves out into the Lake Huron Tuesday night at Sauble Beach. An OPP West Region tweet just before 10 this morning said the person was wearing a wetsuit and was seen in the area of 6th Street North. […]

Dear Parents, Grandparents, and Guardians of children in Grey Bruce, As a father of one, I sympathize with everyone’s concerns about having children go back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with every parent’s concern about ensuring their unwell child receives the test and care they need. I want to let you know that […]