Owen Sound Sun Times

Ontario’s latest COVID-19 control measures, which started Thursday and run to at least Feb. 11, prompted some local municipalities and others to announce their own plans. Provincial law requires people to remain home except for essential reasons, which include work (though everyone who can work from home must do so), to get food, for a […]

Grey County council supported in principle a plan to increase the county’s tax levy by one per cent annually and dedicate those funds solely to boosting affordable housing. The plan, which would add about $610,000 in 2021 to a proposed new affordable housing fund, still requires council’s final blessing during budget deliberations. But it received […]

City police will still exercise discretion but they’ll lean toward laying charges to enforce new provincial stay-at-home orders which took effect Thursday, Owen Sound Police Chief Craig Ambrose said. Police themselves faced a steep learning curve amid a new provincial emergency declaration aimed to tame the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, Ambrose said in an interview. He […]

A new initiative by the Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts is aimed at helping people escape the pandemic through food, crafts and music. The centre has started offering Craft Dinners, where they are preparing home-cooked meals for curbside pick-up, complete with a craft and a suggested musical selection to go along with it all. […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit is putting the finishing touches on a plan to vaccinate the staff and residents at two long-term care homes. Dr. Ian Arra, Grey-Bruce’s medical officer of health, said he expects 200 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to arrive at the health unit this week. The vaccines will be stored in […]

With files from Rob Gowan Grey-Bruce’s top public health official said the province’s stay-at-home order and imminent state of emergency are necessary measures to curb climbing COVID-19 numbers. The direction is coming from the province, and the fine details haven’t arrived yet, so Dr. Ian Arra commented with a level of hesitancy on the specifics […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, including five in South Bruce. The other cases were found in Brockton (3), Kincardine (2) Southgate (2) West Grey and Owen Sound. There are now 63 active cases of the virus confirmed in the region with one probable case and 153 high-risk contacts […]

If people are supposed to stay home, why are non-essential small businesses allowed to stay open for curbside pickup under the new pandemic emergency order, some businesspeople themselves are wondering. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Tuesday a new emergency order effective today would let essential businesses remain open as they have been – but also […]

The Women’s Centre Grey Bruce will soon launch a program aimed at helping and supporting youth victims of human trafficking and raising awareness – both in schools and the community – about the problem, which officials say is growing in the region. The anti-human trafficking project, set to run until March 2025, will include an […]

Premier Doug Ford said the “system is on the brink” as he introduced restrictive new protection measures – including a stay-at-home order – and declared another state of emergency Tuesday. The new state of emergency and stay-at-home order will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. People will be required to remain at home with […]

Grey-Bruce hospitals are preparing to support a “seamless provincial hospital system” and respond to capacity challenges due to surging COVID-19 numbers throughout Ontario according to a joint media release distributed Tuesday. It means that in the coming days and weeks Grey-Bruce residents requiring hospital care may be admitted to a hospital that is not in […]

Wiarton Willie will soon be making his annual prediction in these unpredictable times. But this year, the weather-prognosticating albino groundhog will be foretelling whether an early spring is on the horizon or six more weeks of winter lie ahead without a live audience, due to the ongoing pandemic. “COVID-19 has been affecting nearly everything we […]

Purple Valley’s Taylor Chegahno is the latest in an increasingly long line of field lacrosse players from the Grey-Bruce region who will play in the NCAA. Chegahno has verbally committed to play Division I field lacrosse at St. Bonaventure University in the state of New York beginning in 2022. The Grade 11 student at Peninsula […]

Farmers shared their views on how to make the food production system sustainable during an online Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week panel discussion Monday. It was Ecology Day, one of eight themed days that were part of the all-virtual 55thannual event which ended Tuesday with Crops Day. Organizer Lorie Smith said by email the technical production […]

The economic region that includes Grey-Bruce continued to hold the lowest unemployment rate in Ontario last month. Stratford-Bruce Peninsula saw its unemployment rate climb by 0.2 per cent in December to 5.6 per cent, well below the 8.5 per cent provincial unemployment rate for the month. Gemma Mendez-Smith, executive director of the Four County Labour […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported nine new cases of COVID-19 Monday. The newest cases were found in Huron-Kinloss (2), Arran-Elderslie, Kincardine, Meaford, Owen Sound, Grey Highlands, South Bruce and Saugeen Shores. There are now 53 active cases in the region along with one probable case and 154 high-risk contacts. Two people with COVID-19 are […]

A multi-million dollar home was completely destroyed by fire early Monday morning. The Artisan on Lora Bay – as it was called in the Sotheby’s Canada listing – was listed for $7 million. A sale was set to close in May, according to the Town of Blue Mountains Fire Chief who had spoken with the […]

The planned demolition of the 148-year-old historic rectory at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Owen Sound is on hold, for now. City officials say council must still approve a site plan from the parish before a demolition permit can be issued. A staff report on the site plan is expected to be presented at the […]

Eight local Royal Canadian Legions got federal funding to help them with expenses incurred during the pandemic, including for insurance, utilities, rent or mortgages, property taxes and wages. The money comes from the federal Veterans Organizations Emergency Relief Fund. It went to those Legions which applied for the funding, which was distributed through Dominion Command, […]

Renowned wildlife painter George McLean admits that he has ruffled some political feathers over the years. So when the longtime Bognor-area resident recently learned he was to be appointed to the 2020 Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour, he was “astounded” and “gobsmacked.” “I am not known for being quiet about the things I […]

Grey-Bruce is expected to get its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine in the coming week. The Grey Bruce Health Unit announced on Sunday that the Ministry of Health had approved the release of two initial shipments of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to the Grey-Bruce region. The first shipment is to arrive the week of Jan. […]

Nobody was injured after fire destroyed a home at Berford Lake, but the family that lived there lost everything in the blaze. There was nothing crews could do to save the home when they arrived at the property on Parkside Avenue late Saturday afternoon, South Bruce Peninsula Director of Emergency Services and Fire Chief Normand […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit is reporting six new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. The new cases include two in West Grey and one each in Brockton, Owen Sound, South Bruce and Southgate, according to the health unit’s daily situation report. There have now been 588 confirmed cases in the two counties of which 58 […]

This Sunday, 20 to 30 families will steady their buggies outside the North Bend Old Order Mennonite Meetinghouse in Arran-Elderslie for a drive-in church service during the dead of winter and in the middle of a pandemic. “It would sure be nice to be inside where it’s warm, but that’s not the way the law […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, the third straight day with double-digit cases reported in the region. The newest cases were found in Owen Sound (6), Huron-Kinloss (2), The Blue Mountains (2), Grey Highlands, Hanover and Southgate. The health unit also reported six probable cases and 175 high-risk contacts […]

A Brockton resident has been scammed out of about $20,000, police say. South Bruce OPP received a report of a fraud on Thursday, in which the victim received a call from someone claiming to be an employee of an established tech company. Once remote access was gained, the suspect completed a number of banking transactions […]

Work has started on converting a portion of the former PPG plant in Owen Sound into a micro-cultivation facility to grow “craft” cannabis. Robert Stanford, president, and founder of Micro Marketing along with his wife Julia Stanford, confirmed on Thursday that Owen Sound had just approved the building permits for Phase 1 of their venture […]

Real estate records were broken again in December in Grey and Bruce counties as the number of homes sold and average prices reached new benchmarks for the month. The Realtors Association of Grey Bruce Owen Sound released its December home sales numbers, which showed 203 homes sold – a 50 per cent increase year-over-year. There […]

Dairy farmers have reason for optimism but challenges are many, including consumer expectations, competition and the need for farm efficiencies, speakers on at Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week panel said Thursday. It turns out people have been drinking more milk lately. Increased milk sales are welcome in an industry used to year-over-year declines, viewers of a […]

Holiday gatherings with family and friends have resulted in another upswell of COVID-19 cases in Grey-Bruce. The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 18 new cases Thursday, a day after 17 new cases were added to the region’s total. There are now 59 active cases, nine probable cases and 178 high-risk contacts being followed by the […]

Police in The Blue Mountains are investigating thefts from vehicles parked at entrances to hiking trails. In the last month, Collingwood and the Blue Mountains OPP have received six complaints of thefts from unoccupied vehicles that were parked at entry points to hiking trails in the town, police said in a news release on Thursday. […]

Senior school administrators and public health officials believe schools in Grey-Bruce are prepared for the safe return of students, but they’ve been told by the province to stay away and online until at least Jan. 25. The provincial government announced Thursday elementary school students in southern Ontario will continue to learn remotely through online teacher-led […]

It’s not the Nick Suzuki blockbuster trade of yesteryear, but in a market starved for hockey and with the Ontario Hockey League’s 2020-21 season shelved and collecting dust it may as well be. The Attack acquired 17-year-old Nikita Tiatinkin in a deal with the Niagara IceDogs Thursday. Going the other way is a conditional 15th […]

Less than a year after production ended at the Tenneco plant in Owen Sound, the property has been sold with plans to bring new tennants into the vacant building. The same local ownership group, known as 1799 Corporation, that owns the former PPG property next door in the city’s eastside industrial park has purchased the […]

A Wiarton man plans to buy the whole store after winning $1 million playing the lottery. Choong-Kyu Park won the big prize after matching all seven Encore numbers playing the Oct. 6 Lotto Max draw, the OLG announced in a news release on Thursday. And he has big plans for his winnings, according to the […]

The Harrison Park Good Cheer Outdoor Rink will reopen on Friday with health restrictions in place. The rink, which has been closed since a provincial shutdown took effect on Boxing Day, will reopen after Owen Sound officials consulted with the Grey Bruce Health Unit, according to a news release issued by the city Thursday. The […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit’s proposal to act as a pilot location for mass COVID-19 vaccinations in small urban and rural centres will be reviewed by the province, but those at the greatest risk for COVID-19 are getting the first doses. A government spokesperson for the province’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force didn’t say whether […]

Bruce County long-term care homes will allow essential caregivers back into both Brucelea Haven in Walkerton and Gateway Haven in Wiarton on Jan. 8, at 8 a.m. Essential caregiver visits were paused for two weeks at the Bruce County long-term care homes at the beginning of the province’s shutdown beginning on Dec. 26. “As you […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 in the region Wednesday. Four of the newest cases were reported in Owen Sound, with three in Chatsworth, two in The Blue Mountains, two in Huron-Kinloss, two in West Grey, two in Hanover and single cases in Meaford and South Bruce. The 17 new […]

A New Year’s Eve night of comedy and local music raised more than $44,000 for CMHA Grey-Bruce Mental Health and Addiction Services. The streamed event was open to viewers in return for a donation to that organization. With matching contributions from Bruce Power and NPX, the total raised was $44,250. It was one of two […]

While the beef industry in Grey-Bruce weathered 2020 and the challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, work continues to address concerns around packing capacity in the province. Rob Lipsett, president of Beef Farmers of Ontario, participated in Beef Day at Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week on Wednesday, where he said finding solutions to address the […]

A new lifeline is being thrown to help rescue some tourism operators who are struggling through the second province-wide COVID-19 lockdown since March. Small- and medium-sized tourism business operators have until month’s end to apply for $2,500 to $20,000 to help offset COVID-related expenses incurred to stay open during the pandemic. “If we hadn’t had […]

Bruce County’s new director of planning and development says housing affordability, recovery from the pandemic and managing growth are big challenges ahead. Mark Paoli, 54, succeeds Kara Van Myall, who assumed the role of chief administrative officer in Saugeen Shores in December. The county’s biggest planning project this year is to update its planning policies, […]

Grey Bruce OPP charged a 48-year-old Meaford woman who police say assaulted an officer after she was investigated for drinking and driving. On Dec. 30 at 4:10 p.m., police were dispatched to a possible impaired driver on Moore Street in Meaford, near the 11thLine. The driver showed “obvious signs of impairment” and was arrested. Back […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported four new COVID-19 cases Tuesday — a single case each in West Grey and Hanover and a pair of cases in Owen Sound. There are now 43 active and known COVID-19 cases in the region with 10 probable cases and 135 high-risk contacts. The health unit defines probable cases […]

Despite a lockdown in the middle of a worldwide pandemic the show is going on for some young aspiring theatre actors in Owen Sound. But the opening curtain is being cast aside right now, replaced by computer “on” buttons as the Roxy Youth Program kicks off in a virtual format this month. “From the beginning […]

Grey Bruce OPP charged a 39-year-old West Grey man with impaired driving after finding a vehicle stopped in the middle of Grey Road 12 in the middle of the night just outside Markdale. Police located the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road on Dec. 28 at 3:25 a.m., a police news release said. […]

Five impaired drivers were charged, two of them after collisions on roads patrolled by South Bruce OPP between Nov. 26 and Jan. 3. Police investigated 84 collisions in that period, four of which involved reported injuries, a police news release said. “Every impaired driver is a threat to road safety and it only takes one […]

Algoma Central Corporation’s 680-foot lake freighter Algoma Compass has returned to Owen Sound Harbour. Peter Winkley, the company’s chief financial officer, said the self-unloading bulk carrier arrived in the port Monday night and will spend the rest of the winter moored at the harbour. Maintenance work will be carried out onboard the vessel over the […]

Police would like the public’s help locating a third suspect involved in a home invasion in Collingwood Dec. 19. Collingwood/The Blue Mountains OPP issued a news release Tuesday about the home invasion with photos of a Honda Civic, about which police are seeking information. Police said three males forced their way into a home and […]