Owen Sound Sun Times

A Meaford man who was reported missing on Monday has been found. Donald Mahaffie, 32, who was last seen leaving his residence on Centre Street in Meaford on foot at about noon on Sunday, was located in Owen Sound. The Grey Bruce OPP thanked the public for their assistance.

Grey Bruce OPP is asking the public to help find an autistic 32-year-old Meaford man who was reported missing Monday. Donald Mahaffie, who also was reported missing Aug. 16 and was found safe the next day, was last seen leaving his residence at Centre Street in Meaford on foot at noon Sunday, a police news […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported a confirmed COVID-19 case in their daily situation report for the first time since Aug. 13 Monday. The newest case raises the region’s total case count to 128 and it is the only known active case of COVID-19 in Grey Bruce. The case was reported at Seasons Retirement Community […]

The Denis Bester Memorial Shootout exceeded expectations before the first lure hit the water this year. Ryan Amyot, who is part of the Shootout’s organizing crew, said the event is about 10 times bigger this year than it has been in the past. Part of that is because the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular was cancelled. […]

Saugeen Shores is looking for a new police chief. Mike Bellai resigned from that post effective immediately, a news release from the town said Friday. It said Bellai intends to retire from policing. Deputy Chief Kevin Zettel will serve as acting chief immediately and the police board is looking toward a recruitment process, the release […]

No one was injured after a tornado packing a maximum wind speed of 130 kilometres per hour blew in off Lake Huron in Point Clark Friday night and forced three families out of their homes. The tornado was confirmed by the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University. It found the length of the tornado’s path […]

No new local cases of COVID-19 were reported to the Grey Bruce Health Unit over the weekend. Public health’s situation reports for both Saturday and Sunday said the number of known active cases in Grey-Bruce remains at zero. The last confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Grey-Bruce was reported to the local health unit […]

Kim Keskinen says a combination of rent relief, emergency government support and adjustments to her business model has helped K’mon Let’s Play to weather the turbulent COVID-19 pandemic, which nearly sank her company in the spring. “The government and my landlord came through for me, which was a game-changer,” she said in an interview. “And […]

A new play structure is now open at Owen Sound’s Timber McArthur Park, while work on a much-improved Harrison Park Tot Lot is expected to finish up sometime this week. Adam Parsons, the city’s manager of parks and open space, said the former playground equipment at both locations had become old and tired and the […]

The Saugeen Shores Police Service says it’s treating vandalism to the new Rainbow Crosswalk in Port Elgin as a hate-motivated crime. Sgt. Andy Evans said the incident will not be tolerated and an investigation is being conducted under the direction of the department’s Criminal Investigations Unit. “Police advise that hate crime and hate-motivated crime have […]

Public health says water samples at Little River Park Beach in Thornbury have identified bacterial levels in excess of Ministry of Health & Long-term Care standards. The results are consistent with high wave action and significant rainfall over the past few days, the Grey Bruce Health Unit said in a news release Friday evening. “The […]

Two elderly people from Strathroy are dead after their vehicle entered Lake Huron and was completely submerged Thursday afternoon at Kincardine. William Luinstra, 86, and Rennie Feddema, 82, both of Strathroy, were taken to hospital where they were both pronounced dead. South Bruce OPP commenced a “death investigation” after officers were called to the scene […]

It has now been 15 days since a positive COVID-19 case has been confirmed in Grey and Bruce counties. There were no new cases of the virus reported by the Grey Bruce Health Unit on Friday, with the cumulative total of cases for the two counties remaining at 127. The last time a positive case […]

The Community Waterfront Heritage Centre has been the victim of vandalism once again. This time, the door window on the historic Ancaster tugboat was smashed in by unknown vandals. “It’s very upsetting and very troubling that we’ve experienced damage to the artifacts down there,” CWHC board chair Kathy Strutt said in an interview Friday. The […]

A Thornbury man is dead and a Collingwood woman has been charged following an incident at a campground on the morning of Aug. 23 in Nipigon, northeast of Thunder Bay. The OPP found Seth Dionne, 32, of Thornbury unresponsive after they were called to Stillwater Park on Highway 11-17 at 3:46 a.m. He was taken […]

Chatsworth Township has encountered a major setback in its quest to building a $15-million multi-use community hub, but the municipality’s mayor says the community isn’t giving up on the project. Council recently learned that its application for federal-provincial funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program has been denied. “It was certainly disappointing,” Mayor Scott […]

A Meaford man charged in the death of a 24-year-old cyclist last summer in Meaford had his charge withdrawn in the Ontario Court of Justice last month. William John Flor had been charged with impaired driving causing death in the July 28, 2019 collision which left cyclist Clark Bolliger dead. Grey County Crown attorney Peter […]

COVID-19 forced organizers to cancel the 11th annual Owen Sound Subaru Bayshore Race scheduled for Sunday, but the hospital fundraiser still raised more than $10,000. With matching donations from Owen Sound Subaru, the event generated a total of $10,935, for the Owen Sound Hospital Foundation, a foundation news release said. “We are thankful to Owen […]

A woman who was reported missing in Chesley on Wednesday has been located and is in good health. South Bruce OPP received a report just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday that Amanda Taylor, 29, had gone missing in the town of Chesley. Police said that Taylor had last been seen on a nature trail near […]

An Owen Sound woman was charged with stunt driving after being stopped on Highway 6 in the Township of Georgian Bluffs. Just after 10 a.m. on Thursday, Grey-Bruce OPP stopped a silver pickup truck on Highway 6 near Wilcox Sideroad after it was clocked going over 130 kilometres per hour in the 80 km/h zone. […]

An Owen Sound man who was wanted by police was arrested after he was found at a vacant house is the Municipality of Meaford. On Wednesday, Grey Bruce OPP received a complaint that a person was squatting at the vacant house on 25 Sideroad. Police went to the property and found a wanted person on […]

A propane fuel company was fined $150,000 after a mishap nearly two years ago in Chesley in which a man caught on fire and was seriously injured. The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development issued a news release this week which announced a conviction handed down by Ontario Court Justice Julia Morneau concerning […]

For a third straight day Thursday, there were no known active cases of COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce, according to public health. The Grey Bruce Health Unit received no positive novel coronavirus tests in the past 24-hour period, the agency’s daily situation report said. The last time a confirmed local case of COVID-19 was reported to the […]

Police are investigating after shots were fired in a residential area in the Town of the Blue Mountains. Just before 6 p.m. on Monday, OPP officers received reports of the sound of gunshots near the cul-de-sac on Lake Drive. An investigation at the scene found evidence of shots being fired and that the suspect had […]

Ontario issued long-awaited guidance Wednesday to help school boards, child-care centres and before- and after- school programs in the event COVID-19 is found or suspected there. In the Bluewater District School Board, about 90 per cent — more than 15,500 students — have indicated they’ll attend in person when school resumes next month. The rest, […]

Police are looking for a woman who went missing in the town of Chesley on Wednesday. Police are looking for Amanda Taylor, 29, who was last seen at 4:30 p.m. on a nature trail near 2nd Street South West in the town. South Bruce OPP received a report that Taylor was missing at about 8:20 […]

A Sauble Beach business has been raided by police and more than $62,000 in cannabis products and other related substances were seized. On Wednesday, just after noon, members of the Grey-Bruce OPP and Huron-Perth Community Street Crime Units, with assistance of the OPP Emergency Response Team, executed a search warrant at the business on Main […]

Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate the death of a young woman in a fire at Sauble Beach Aug. 15 on Maplewood Crescent. A police news release Thursday said the Grey Bruce OPP crime unit and West Region forensic identification unit are under the direction of the OPP criminal investigation branch as they probe the […]

Saugeen District Senior School students will be able to walk over a rainbow on their way to classes in September. Saugeen Shores announced Thursday that its Rainbow Crosswalk – a project in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community – has been painted across Gustavus Street in Port Elgin, outside of the […]

Owen Sound spent $220,000 in legal fees while engaged in an arbitration process for a new collective agreement with the city’s firefighters. Coun. Richard Thomas highlighted those cost Monday before council voted to authorize the mayor and clerk to execute the agreement between the city and the Owen Sound Professional Fire Fighters’ Association Local 531 […]

Grey-Bruce remained free of any active confirmed COVID-19 cases Wednesday. The Grey Bruce Health Unit did not receive any positive COVID-19 tests in the past 24-hours according to their daily situation report. The last confirmed positive test for COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce was reported on Aug. 13. The region’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains […]

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization wants public input on its planning framework concerning shipping about 5.5 million used nuclear fuel bundles by road and possibly rail, to a permanent storage site, possibly in Bruce County. Spent nuclear fuel rods are currently stored above ground at nuclear sites and the aim is to create a long-term […]

Police continue to charge motorists with stunt driving on Highway 6 in Grey-Bruce. On Tuesday, two more drivers were charged with driving at least 50 kilometres per hour above the posted speed limit, after seven drivers were charged with the same offence on Monday. All of those charged were issued a provincial summons, a seven-day […]

The 63-team Provincial Junior Hockey League is planning to return to the ice Dec. 1. The PJHL is calling the Dec. 1 date a target for its safe return-to-the-rink and notes they are subject to the approvals of government, local health officials and Hockey Canada authorities. “Ontario’s largest junior hockey league is forecasting a meaningful […]

The Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association has put its 2020-21 high school championship events on hold due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. CWOSSA made the announcement Monday that it would not be moving ahead with the fall championships, and do not see that changing anytime soon. “At this time, we do not foresee Fall […]

Live championship sports will return to Grey-Bruce this weekend in some form as the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) Under-14 Provincial Championship tournaments will be played in Allenford and Tara. Eight teams will compete in two bubbles for the title of co-champions this year amid a host of COVID-19 restrictions. The four teams competing for […]

Firefighters drained a large swimming pool and took multiple trips to a hydrant three kilometres away in order to get enough water to battle a fierce blaze that destroyed a century-old barn and adjacent maintenance shop west of Thornbury. Fire crews from both The Blue Mountains and Meaford departments spent about eight hours Tuesday fighting […]

August 26, 2020

A Saugeen Shores woman has died in a motorcycle crash in Arran-Elderslie. Muriel Thaw, 62, who was the operator of the motorcycle, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred on Concession 10 north of Chesley. South Bruce OPP received the report of the crash at 7:42 a.m. on Tuesday, arriving at […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily situation report revealed there are no active confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region as of Tuesday. With no new cases of the disease presented in the last 24-hours, and the one remaining active case now recovered, Grey-Bruce is without an active and confirmed case of the disease for […]

The way schools look and operate will be wholly different come the fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the inside of school buses will remain largely unchanged in regard to student spacing. The Student Transportation Service Consortium of Grey-Bruce, which provides school bus services to all schools for the Bluewater District School Board and Bruce-Grey […]

Starting Monday, you’ll need an active membership to use the YMCA in Owen Sound. The fitness centre reopened Aug. 10 on a pilot basis, with enhanced cleaning protocols to contend with the COVID-19 virus threat. It was open free during that trial to members. The facility had been closed since March 16. The Y asks […]

Owen Sound will be giving itself some of its facade improvement program grants this year. Council voted Monday to conditionally approve a double facade grant application – which will cover 50 per cent of the costs, up to $7,500 – for improvements to the south and north sides of the city-owned Owen Sound Farmers’ Market […]

Band council elections at Saugeen First Nation Aug. 31 will fill the positions of chief and nine council slots. Nominally, the official list of candidates shows five vying for the position of chief and 43 candidates running for council. But at least one council candidate, incumbent Randy Roote, has withdrawn since the final list of […]

Two weeks after the anticipated launch of Owen Sound’s twice-daily bus service to Guelph, Grey County is planning to kick-start the first route of its inter-community transportation system. The Grey Transportation Route (GTR) is to begin Sept. 14 with a route along Highway 10 between Owen Sound and Orangeville. Grey County Warden Paul McQueen highlighted […]

A former Port Elgin lawyer pleaded guilty Monday in the Ontario Court of Justice in Walkerton to a charge of sexual assault involving a former client last summer and received a conditional discharge. John Douglas King’s guilty plea to the Aug. 1, 2019 summary conviction offence in Saugeen Shores was taken and his sentence was […]

Emergency funding from Ottawa and Queen’s Park is expected to shrink Owen Sound’s forecasted year-end operating deficit due to the COVID-19 pandemic by about 96 per cent – from $800,000 to $30,000. “This sure takes a little of the concern off of all of us that were worried about how we were going to meet […]

Justin Ritchie quit commercial fishing last year and now is in the pot shop business at Saugeen First Nation. When the whitefish grew scarce, due largely he said to clearer and thus warmer water closer to shore caused by zebra mussels, he moved to fishing perch. When someone stole the motor on his small fishing […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily situation report was clear of any new COVID-19 cases throughout the weekend. That continued Monday as the health unit reported no new cases of the disease locally. The region’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains stalled at 127. The last confirmed positive test for COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce was reported […]

A retired Ontario Fire Marshal’s office advisor says he believes the process Owen Sound followed to purchase a $2.1-million aerial fire truck was “flawed” and resulted in it spending “hundreds of thousands of dollars” more than necessary for an apparatus that would meet the city’s needs. Ken Jones of Owen Sound said he contends the […]