Owen Sound Sun Times

Building activity in Owen Sound continues to outpace 2020’s banner year. City hall issued three dozen building permits last month, elevating the total construction value of permits issued in the first quarter of 2021 to $9.4 million – nearly triple the value recorded during the same period in 2020. And the increased value comes as […]

Owen Sound will not be staging its usual Canada Day festivities at Kelso Beach Park again this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s still planning to light up the night sky to mark the nation’s 154th birthday. The city intends to hold a virtual Canada Day celebration, with live-streamed performances and interviews, and […]

The Grey County Kiwanis Festival of Music broke new ground this year with a virtual festival, and organizers are very happy with how it went, with hundreds of students again having the opportunity to put their musical talents to the test. “We were really pleased with the response to having a virtual festival,” festival chair […]

The building business is booming in Meaford. Construction crews and heavy machinery are dotted along the town’s thoroughfares and side streets these days. The former Meaford Community School at 186 Cook St. is in the process of being demolished to make way for a new 128-bed long-term care home. Meaford’s long-awaited “super school”, currently under […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the third day in a row in which reported cases were in single digits. The new cases, which were reported in the 24-hour period prior to midnight on Sunday, included two each in Owen Sound and South Bruce Peninsula, and one in […]

There is now a free app available to make it easier for Grey-Bruce residents to navigate the vaccination landscape in the two counties. The Grey Bruce Health Unit has partnered with Bruce Power and NPX Innovation to launch the Grey Bruce COVID-19 Vaccine App, which includes a number of features including links to help people […]

The driver of a tractor trailer involved in a serious collision on the Sunset Strip just west of Owen Sound on Friday has been charged with impaired driving, according to the OPP. Michael Taylor, 60, of Markham has been charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failure or refusal to […]

Owen Sound police charged four young adults and a teenager for failing to comply with the province’s stay-at-home order over the weekend. Police responded just after midnight Saturday after receiving a complaint of a disturbance in the parking lot of the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. According to a police news release, police located a […]

Grey-Bruce continues to see its COVID-19 case numbers level off and fall following a spike about a week-and-a-half ago. And with local case numbers seemingly stable and even declining, the opportunity to assist other hard-hit regions of the province continues, with local intensive care units caring for patients from outside the region. “There are principles […]

Owen Sound Little Theatre members are awaiting the day they can welcome an audience back into the Roxy Theatre. A grant of $135,700 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Resilient Communities Fund will allow them to create improved virtual content until then and renovate their washroom facilities for when the doors open again. “This is amazing […]

The Owen Sound Fire Department’s new 100-foot mid-mount aerial platform truck has arrived in the city. On Friday, the truck – known as Ladder 3 — made the 10-hour trip from Dublin, Ohio, where manufacturer Sutphen Corporation is based. On Saturday, city firefighters were learning the ropes on the nearly $2.1-million state-of-the-art piece of equipment. […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported eight new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. The new cases, which were confirmed in the 24-hour period prior to midnight on Friday, includes three in West Grey, two each in Owen Sound and Hanover and one case in South Bruce. There are now 111 active cases of the virus […]

The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority has reopened its properties for passive recreational use. The conservation authority had closed its properties after the provincee announced strengthened stay-at-home measures that came into effect on April 17, but reopened them on Thursday following discussions with the Grey Bruce Health Unit. Campgrounds will be open to those with serviced […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit is moving its Owen Sound Hockey Hub mass vaccination clinic from the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre to the Julie McArthur Regional Recreation Centre. Anyone who is currently booked at the Lumley-Bayshore is asked to attend the rec centre at 700 10th St. E. instead. The times of appointments have […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 15 new cases of COVID-19 Friday. The newest cases were found in Saugeen Shores (4), Owen Sound (3), South Bruce (2), Georgian Bluffs (2), Blue Mountains (2), Southgate, and Northern Bruce Peninsula. It’s only the fifth case to be reported in Northern Bruce Peninsula throughout the pandemic, but there […]

Some major road reconstruction projects are about to get rolling in Grey County. Beginning on Monday, work will begin on the first of more than $17 million in planned county road improvements for this year, with a project to rehabilitate Grey roads 16, 3 and 5. That includes work on Grey Road 16 from the […]

A development in Meaford aimed at providing housing for people who live and work in the the community has received the green light from both Meaford and Grey County. Grey County council approved a revised draft plan of subdivision Thursday for the 201-unit Loon Call attainable housing project on on Highway 26, on the western […]

What prompted Kenneth Sawatsky to stab his two friends in the neck, as they drove off with him to celebrate a birthday, remains uncertain. But it was suggested in court drugs and alcohol played a part. The 50-year-old South Bruce Peninsula man pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of attempted murder for the stabbings Dec. […]

A Walkerton-area group is setting wheels in motion to get a residential hospice built faster in the community. The project has been under the wing of Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc., which operates Chapman House in Owen Sound. Friday RHGB issued a news release saying the project would be on hold for up to […]

A Brockton man has died after a collision on Bruce Road 15 in Brockton on Thursday morning. Donald Woodard, 62, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, the OPP said in a news release. Just before 9 a.m., South Bruce OPP responded to a collision on the road in the former Greenock Township. […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has yet to convict a resident with failing to self-isolate under its Section 22 Class Order. Grey-Bruce’s medical officer of health issued a Section 22 Class Order April 16 ordering those diagnosed with COVID-19, those awaiting test results and those who are close contacts of COVID-19 cases to self-isolate at […]

A man who defaced five Owen Sound religious buildings in November pleaded guilty Thursday in a virtual Ontario Court of Justice hearing to committing mischief motivated by bias, prejudice or hate of a religion. Brodie Williamson, 26, of 1005 2nd Ave. E. in Owen Sound, pleaded guilty to those five charges from Nov. 21 and […]

As lumber and material costs drive up the price of building construction, unfortunately constructing a replica historical general store doesn’t come with historical costs. The tender for the construction of the 1920s General Store at the Grey Roots Museum and Archives has been awarded with construction planned to begin next month in the Moreston Heritage […]

As part of National Volunteer Week’s 20th-anniversary celebration, the YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce is recognizing Deb Broomfield for more than four decades of volunteer service. Broomfield is the local YMCA’s longest-serving volunteer. She has been at it for 45 years, beginning as a fitness instructor in 1976. “Our Fitness and Wellness Department wouldn’t […]

Police acted lawfully to arrest a suspect hiding in the woods near Flesherton, even if they may have aggravated the suspect’s broken left foot, a police oversight agency’s director concluded. Special Investigations Unit director Joseph Martino’s review of the case found “it remains unclear whether the injury was aggravated by police in the course of […]

Grey-Bruce’s top doctor is feeling “really good” about the region’s COVID-19 case numbers less than a week after a “critical threshold” was declared because of a spike in numbers locally. Dr. Ian Arra said Wednesday that the trend was showing that the Grey Bruce Health Unit had regained control over contact tracing following last week’s […]

Owen Sound has become a more crypto-friendly community with the recent launch of Grey-Bruce’s first Bitcoin ATM. The kiosk, which allows people to buy or sell the cryptocurrency for cash, was installed April 14 at Central Variety on 8th Street East. David Sheffield, whose Owen Sound-based Sheffield Software Solutions is managing the machine on behalf […]

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is working to finalize the purchase of approximately 400 acres of wood and wetland in Northern Bruce Peninsula situated on both Britain and Otter Lakes. Mike Hendren, NCC regional vice-president (Ontario region), said during a government funding announcement Wednesday that the purchase is being completed . Hendren was joined by […]

With Greater Toronto Area hospitals feeling the weight of a crush of COVID-19 patients, the hospital corporations in Grey-Bruce are making changes to be able to assist them. The three corporations announced together on Wednesday that they are ramping down elective surgeries and procedures in response to escalating bed capacity challenges across the province. With […]

The man police charged after the 130-year-old Wesley United Church was destroyed by fire at Saugeen First Nation last Sept. 28 will be getting another lawyer. During an appearance in the Ontario Court of Justice in Walkerton Wednesday, Sophia Newbould said it appears she has a conflict related to the case and said her client, […]

Owen Sound is conditionally waiving just over $212,000 in development fees for two projects that will add a combined 39 rental units in the city. Some councillors said Monday that the two developments – a 23-unit build near Duncan McLellan Park and 16-unit townhouse project on 16th Avenue East – are exactly what council had […]

Local reaction to the federal budget included excitement and hope that problems highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic will improve as a result of spending, but some things were missed, including adequate broadband investments, two people commented. Politically, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Alex Ruff called it an election budget that spends more than is needed and doesn’t […]

Sun Times multimedia journalist Scott Dunn won the 2020 Ontario Newspaper Award for feature writing (under 25,000 circulation) for a series of stories looking at the long-term repercussions of the Walkerton water tragedy. Dunn wrote four stories, published in May 2020, to mark the 20th anniversary of E. coli contaminating Walkerton’s drinking water supply, killing […]

Owen Sound has approved some tax policy changes that will result in owners of active commercial and industrial properties seeing a noticeable drop in their property tax bills this year. City council voted Monday to eliminate a 30 per cent tax discount for vacant commercial and industrial land – not to be confused with a […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported just three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The new cases reported prior to midnight on Monday included one each in Southgate, Georgian Bluffs and South Bruce. It marks a substantial drop in cases from last week when the health unit declared a “critical threshold,” with new daily cases […]

Grey-Bruce’s board of health has “grave concerns” about “misleading assertions” raised by Coun. John Tamming that it worries are undermining public confidence in the region’s health unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those comments are included in a letter to city councillors, signed by health board chair and Hanover Mayor Sue Paterson, that was read aloud […]

The Ontario Hockey League has officially cancelled the 2020-21 season. The league announced the official end of its return-to-play planning effort Tuesday in a news release. “Earlier this month the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Government of Ontario reached an agreement on a return-to-play plan for the League. However, the recently extended stay-at-home order […]

The Kiwanis Sk8 and Bike Park has been closed again after the city announced it would reopen late Monday afternoon. On Tuesday morning, the City of Owen Sound put out an advisory notifying the public that the facility at Victoria Park would be closed under the guidelines stay-at-home order that has been put in place […]

The first Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen Association Lures N Lines Spring Trout Derby has been postponed until May 28. Initially slated to begin May 7, the derby start has been pushed back amid the surging COVID-19 pandemic and resulting provincial restrictions. Derby organizers said those looking for refunds will be accommodated with proof of purchase (a […]

City council has formally reprimanded one of its own after an investigation by Owen Sound’s integrity commissioner found Coun. John Tamming engaged in “harassing and bullying” actions towards Deputy-mayor Brian O’Leary. Mayor Ian Boddy left the mayor’s chair Monday to move the motion to reprimand Tamming – as recommended in a 16-page report by Principle’s […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 Monday. Four of the newest cases were found in Owen Sound, while three were in Southgate, two in Georgian Bluffs, and single cases were found in Meaford, The Blue Mountains, Grey Highlands and Chatsworth. It’s the fourth straight day of declining daily numbers since […]

The Owen Sound hospital’s intensive care unit received three “very sick” COVID-19 patients from the Toronto region on the weekend. And more are expected to arrive as the province’s hospitals fill up in a third wave of the pandemic in which the variants are winning the battle over vaccinations. “For the first time we are […]

Police said a man stole at least five vehicles, threatened and assaulted people and struck three people with a vehicle before police boxed in and arrested a suspect in Berkeley Friday night after he’d evaded earlier attempts to stop him. Nelson Toste, 40, of Brampton, remains in custody and returns to bail court by video […]

Three people were injured and taken to hospital after a propane leak caused an explosion in Grey Highlands on April 13. Grey Bruce OPP responded to a report of an explosion and subsequent fire at a rural property on Grey Road 12 near Sideroad 10A just before 9 a.m., a police news release said. A […]

Starting Tuesday, people over 40 are eligible to receive AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine at over 1,400 pharmacies in Ontario. Several pharmacies in Grey-Bruce are booking vaccination appointments. An updated list is available on the province’s website. Kristen’s Pharmacy in Southampton has administered over 500 vaccines to date and had 84 appointments booked Monday. Pharmacist Kristen Watt […]

April 17, 2021

Seventeen new cases of COVID-19 were reported to the Grey Bruce Health Unit Sunday, marking the third straight day of declining daily numbers since a record-high 42 local cases were reported Thursday. Thirty-two new local cases were reported Friday, followed by 18 new cases Saturday. Five of the new cases reported Sunday were from Owen […]

Eleven local fire departments will receive a share of $76,100 in funding, announced by Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker, to help firefighters conduct training and inspections safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-time funding, part of a $5-million provincial investment for municipal fire services, will allow departments to update technology and equipment, such as high-speed […]

Renowned storm spotter Gerald Cheng will be leading a virtual session early next month on spotting, reporting and staying safe in severe weather. Grey County, in partnership with several local municipalities, is holding the free CANWARN Severe Weather Awareness and Preparedness live event May 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. Registration is now open for […]

A 40-year-old Brampton man is facing robbery, vehicle theft, dangerous driving, assault and other charges in connection to several criminal incidents in Grey-Bruce Friday. The Grey-Bruce OPP says the man was arrested on Highway 10 near Berkeley at about 7:30 p.m. Friday. Three OPP cruisers were damaged while attempting to stop the suspect, according to […]