Owen Sound Sun Times

More than 4,100 COVID-19 vaccination bookings Monday quickly filled up all available appointments this week for people aged 70 and older in Grey-Bruce, on the first day that cohort could book them. A total of 11 health unit jurisdictions began allowing those 70 and older to book a shot Monday. Toronto started taking bookings for […]

The M.S. Norgoma’s future in Owen Sound as a proposed tourist destination and floating commerce hub may be dead in the water. In a letter to the City of Owen Sound, Transport Canada manager of airports and ports Patricia Moniz wrote “We regret to advise that we cannot support the proposal at this time as […]

Grey County is launching a 20-bed Behavioural Support Transition Unit at its Grey Gables Long-Term Care Home in Markdale. The unit, which will operate as a two-year pilot project, will offer specialized care for residents with significant responsive behaviours to help and support them in a successful transition to a regular long-term care setting. Grey […]

Southbridge Care Home’s proposed 160-bed long-term care facility is starting to take shape in Owen Sound. “The foundation work is complete. The majority of the excavation work is done and site preparation is nearly complete. We have started erecting the first floor walls on the west wing of the building and we currently have 70 […]

Eight new cases of COVID-19 were reported Sunday by the Grey Bruce Health Unit, increasing to 62 the number of confirmed active cases of the virus in the two counties. Three of the new cases are from Owen Sound, while single cases were reported in Chatsworth, Georgian Bluffs, Huron-Kinloss, Southgate and Kincardine, according to public […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit has begun investigations into probable COVID-19 cases associated with schools in Kincardine. Public health says it’s working with the Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board and an associated bus company to address a probable case of the virus linked to St. Anthony’s School. The health unit says its assessment so […]

Local harm reduction initiatives resulted in the return last year of nearly 50,000 used sharps, a number that’s expected to grow this year thanks to new disposal kiosks and a returns incentive program. Officials with the Grey Bruce Health Unit, United Way of Bruce Grey and Safe ‘n Sound – three organizations that came together […]

For the second day in a row, seven new cases of COVID-19 were reported Saturday to the Grey Bruce Health Unit. Three of the cases were from Grey Highlands, while two were from both Owen Sound and Arran-Elderslie. There are now 55 known active cases of the virus in Grey-Bruce and 275 active high-risk contacts, […]

Hanover police say speed was a “definite factor” in a car crash that sent four young Grey-Bruce men to hospital Saturday, including two who were transferred to a London hospital in serious condition. Police say the car had rolled several times and two of the four occupants were ejected. The driver, a 21-year-old Hanover man, […]

The “sky’s the limit” for REACH Centre Grey/Bruce now that the organization has moved into its newly renovated “forever home.” That’s according to executive director Jennifer Miller who said she’s thrilled with the new space for the Owen Sound-based charitable organization, which offers educational and recreational programming for youth and young adults with intellectual and […]

Grey-Bruce has lost a fourth person to COVID-19. A man in his 70s died while in isolation in hospital. He lived in Grey-Bruce but the Grey Bruce Health Unit didn’t say where. “I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who passed away,” Dr. Ian Arra, the Grey-Bruce medical […]

A significant collection of works by world-renowned widlife artist George McLean are coming home. On Friday, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery revealed 10 works that have been donated to the gallery by late philanthropist, businessman, politician and sports team owner David Braley through his Hamilton-based company Alexander Tools Ltd. “It is a great honour to […]

Job-skills funding in the latest provincial budget will find its way to the Owen Sound YMCA to help train much needed long-term care home workers. “This is exceptionally good news,” said Linda Alexander, programs director at the Y, who remarked on how quickly the funding came through. The application had to be in by March […]

Mayor Ian Boddy defended Owen Sound’s Work from Home Capital of Canada marketing campaign, which is taking place as the average price of homes sold locally hit a record level. He said the initiative – aimed at enticing people from big cities to relocate and work from home in Owen Sound – is part of […]

Grey County is calling for the elimination of a program that provides a property tax rebate of 30 per cent for vacant commercial properties and 35 per cent for vacant industrial properties. On Thursday, county council supported the elimination of the Vacant Unit Rebate Program and recommended that the county’s local municipalities pass bylaws to […]

Georgian Bluffs is turning over a new leaf with plans to be a leader in Grey County in tackling climate change. The municipality’s climate action committee and staff made a presentation to council Wedenesday about how to deal with climate change. A motion was passed for council to consider contributing $150,000 over the next three […]

A 37-year-old man was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison for stabbing another man in the chest in Durham last May 24. Cory Francis McCarthy pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated assault and admitted to the stabbing, and also to assaulting police the same day. The court had no record of where McCarthy lived. McCarthy […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit says there’s evidence now of COVID-19 transmission among people who were at The Pub in Owen Sound on the evenings of March 17 and 18. Public health is investigating two cases associated with the establishment at 1005 2nd Ave. E., the health unit said in a statement Thursday. It is […]

With the Easter long weekend and April school break falling nearly back-to-back next month, Grey-Bruce’s medical officer of health says he’s “truly concerned” about the potential for a rise in local COVID-19 cases if people do not remain vigilant during that time. “The message is to parents because kids are going to be out of […]

An effort to designate Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day across Canada is a step closer to succwess after MPs in the House of Commons voted Wednesday unanimously in favour of a motion to do so. The motion drew 355 votes in favour with no abstentions or nay votes. The first day of August marks the […]

South Bruce Peninsula firefighters stayed busy early Thursday morning attending two fire calls 30 minutes apart. District Fire Chief Jack Burt said crews were knocking down a hydro pole fire near Hepworth at 3 a.m. when they were called to a structure fire at 25 Davidson Dr. in Sauble Beach. Burt said the hydro pole […]

Bruce County staff have identified 21 meetings they say may have been improperly closed to the public over the past five years. On March 18 county executive committee members got the results of a review it requested of all closed council and committee meetings over five years. Members decided to forward them to Ombudsman Ontario […]

Touted as a roadmap to recovery, the Ontario Progressive Conservative government’s budget projects another decade of deficits in Ontario. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled a sweeping spending plan Wednesday totalling over $186 billion with a projected $33 billion deficit. Both of those figures are down slightly from the record-breaking budget released in November last year, […]

Two new cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Grey Bruce Health Unit Wednesday. The cases were confirmed in The Blue Mountains and Brockton, according to public health’s daily situation report, which covered testing and case counts for the 24-hour period prior to 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. They bring to 772 the number of confirmed cases […]

A Tiverton woman has plans for some home improvements, boosting her savings and having a little fun after winning $100,000 in the lottery. Donna Gallant matched five of five cards in the Feb. 19 Poker Lotto draw to win the prize. “I check my tickets at night – I compared the cards four times,” Gallant […]

The region’s top doctor was Grey-Bruce’s highest-paid public servant in 2020, and it wasn’t particularly close. Dr. Ian Arra made $631,510 in 2020, according to the province’s public sector salary disclosure, often called the Sunshine List. The list is made up of civil servants who received more than $100,000 over the course of the year. […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit is looking for the owner of a cat that bit a woman in Meaford on Tuesday evening. At approximately 7:30 p.m. the woman was bitten by an adult male Siamese cat with a dark red collar. The woman was trying to pet the “well-groomed cat” which had been seen frequently […]

The Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation marked 25 years of its Caring for Tomorrow Endowment Fund with the presentation of a $575,000 cheque to be used for needs at the Owen Sound hospital. The fund’s 2020 earnings will be used to purchase medical equipment and to assist staff with specialized education and training, according to […]

Four Grey County paramedics have been honoured for their work with vulnerable patients in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alysha Carlaw, Katie Gibbons, Sonia Smart and Paula Trombley have each received medical director’s commendation awards for their efforts to assist patients enrolled in the county’s community paramedicine program as well as other vulnerable patients […]

Two people charged in relation to the disappearance and death of 25-year-old Emerson Sprung in early 2020 now face additional charges. Grey Bruce OPP under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch have now charged Laurel Campbell, 28, and Bridget Taylor Smith, 25, both of Meaford, with two counts each of failing to comply […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported one new case of COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce on Tuesday. The lone case was confirmed in a resident of Owen Sound, according to the health unit’s Situation Report, which covered testing and case counts for the 24-hour period prior to 11:59 p.m. on Monday. The single case comes after the […]

Gelja Sheardown says she’s haunted by the sound of her husband Barrett Warwick falling to the floor of their Owen Sound home in the middle of the night last March. “I heard my husband drop to his death,” she said. Sheardown was sleeping on the couch at the time because the couple’s eight-month-old twins, who […]

The Meaford Hospital Foundation has named its new chief executive officer. On Monday, foundation chair Barbara Little announced that Rob Peacock will begin the role of CEO of the foundation on April 12. Peacock, who is from Collingwood, has experience as a certified fundraising professional for Meaford, Town of the Blue Mountains, Grey Highlands and […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit said late Tuesday morning that it had received confirmation from the province that issues with the online and telephone booking system had been resolved. On Monday, there had been reports of clients unable to book clinics in Grey and Bruce counties. In Tuesday’s release the health unit said it had […]

A panel of three judges is reviewing a permit that allows South Bruce Peninsula to cut back sand dunes and build a retaining wall along part of Lakeshore Boulevard in Sauble Beach to increase roadside parking space and improve safety — possibly, opponents say, at the expense of the dune ecosystem and piping plover habitat. […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported seven new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The new cases confirmed in the 24 hours prior to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday included two each in The Blue Mountains, Owen Sound and South Bruce Peninsula, as well as a single case in South Bruce. There were six cases confirmed in […]

Fundraising continues to be a challenge for many Grey-Bruce charities as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to stretch into its second year, a new survey by Community Foundation Grey Bruce has found. Just over one-third of the 64 local charities and non-profit organizations that responded to the survey said they have been able to maintain only […]

Owen Sound has earmarked $95,000 to fund four grant programs this year in its newly adopted Community Improvement Plan, which is aimed at revitalizing the city. Financial incentives are available on a first-come, first-served basis to help businesses update facades or improve accessibility and to assist new businesses and start-up companies to set up shop […]

Bruce County has kick-started the process to create a new official plan and is encouraging residents, business owners and visitors to help “Plan the Bruce.” The first step, which has begun, includes the staggered release of interim reports on eight guiding principles or “projects” that the county says will include questions for consideration and serve […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit is investigating a COVID-19 case associated with The Pub at the corner of 2nd Avenue East and 10th Street in Owen Sound. There is currently no evidence of transmission of the virus between patrons in the bar, but the health unit is warning that there is a potential risk of […]

Ten more cases of COVID-19 were reported in Grey-Bruce over the weekend. The Grey Bruce Health Unit reports cases up until midnight the previous day, so Sunday’s cases were as of midnight Saturday. Six cases were reported Sunday: two in Chatsworth and one each in Owen Sound, The Blue Mountains, Northern Bruce Peninsula and Arran-Elderslie. […]

South Bruce Peninsula council signalled its willingness to consider a developer’s proposal to build a hotel and condominiums on the site of the former Wiarton Foodland and part of the town campground between it and the bay, and possibly offer incentives. At its regular meeting March 16, council voted to “entertain a proposal from this […]

Two dozen people gathered around a small fire for a sunrise ceremony at Saugeen First Nation Saturday. It was the first day of spring and after the ceremony, the women and girls in their colourful ribbon dresses and wearing COVID masks struck out on a 19-kilometre wellness walk through the community to Sauble Beach. The […]

Grey Bruce Health Unit on Saturday declared the first outbreak in a hospital in Grey-Bruce. Four patients on the 6th floor at Owen Sound hospital have COVID but are asymptomatic and none of the staff have it so far, health unit and hospital officials said. Both Gary Sims, Grey Bruce Health Service’s president and CEO, […]

Like many hobbies, quilting interest surged as people found things to do during their COVID home confinement this past year. While public health concerns limited activities outside the home, sewing machines, cotton and thread for quilting grew more scarce, said Susan Warkentin, one of more than 100 members of the Bluewater Quilters’ Guild. The club […]

City council is set to vote in May on a new official plan for Owen Sound, which will include goals and policies to guide development and growth and promote quality of life for residents over the next quarter-century. A final draft, which consultants MHBC Planning are working on now, will contain several modifications from the […]

Some medical experts in Ontario agree the province has already entered the third wave of COVID-19 cases. Cases are steadily climbing, as are hospitalizations. Critical Care Services Ontario’s data shows 361 patients were in critical care as of March 17. The pandemic high of COVID-related critical care patients, 415, was reached on Jan. 16 during […]

Powerhouse vocalist Samantha Martin has done it again. The Lion’s Head-raised singer/songwriter and her 12-piece band Delta Sugar have capped off a roller coaster year – which saw their performance schedule upended by the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of their third album The Reckless One – by receiving their second Juno Award nomination for […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit is again alerting residents after a third local fatal overdose was reported this week. Just two days ago the health unit issued a news release disclosing two fatal overdoses in 48 hours. The cause of those deaths is pending confirmation by a coroner. The fatalities “continue an ongoing trend of […]

The Grey-Bruce Ontario Health Team (Grey Bruce OHT) is recruiting community members to join its advisory community council. In December, the Grey Bruce OHT collaboration council submitted a full application to the Ministry of Health supported by signatures from 20 health service provider boards and organizations across Grey-Bruce, according to a news release issued at […]