Owen Sound Sun Times

Directors of education with local public and Catholic boards said Monday that distance learning is a lot harder than having teachers and students in the classroom. So extending e-learning in publically funded schools to the end of May will require more focus on how students are progressing outside of the classroom, they said. Education Minister […]

A pair of Brucelea Haven long-term care staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. The Walkerton home is the third long-term care facility to have a reported COVID-19 outbreak in Grey-Bruce. It only takes one confirmed case of the respiratory disease in a long-term care facility for an outbreak to be declared by public health. […]

Two events that put Owen Sound on the map each summer – Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival and the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular — have been shelved for 2020. But organizers of both events are vowing to come back bigger and better in 2021. “The derby will survive and we will be back stronger,” said […]

Saugeen Shores residents are among eight people charged in a scheme police allege involved delivery of illicit marijuana to customers’ doors in the Grey-Bruce area. Saugeen Shores Police Service announced the drug bust Monday, after they began an investigation in February, Sgt. Andy Evans said in a phone interview. People charged were from Port Elgin, […]

Summerfolk 45 has been cancelled. The Georgian Bay Folk Society has announced that the annual music and craft festival, scheduled for Aug. 21-23, will not go ahead due to the continued uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the society said the decision was a difficult, but necessary one, with the health and safety […]

An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared at Sepoy Manor Retirement Living in Lucknow. The Grey Bruce Health Unit said the outbreak was declared Saturday at the home, which has capacity for up to 35 residents, according to the facility’s website. Sunday’s daily situation report from public health said three people in Huron-Kinloss, which is […]

The fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to deliver a roughly $1-million hit to Owen Sound’s operating budget, mostly due to reduced user fees and other revenue, city council heard Monday night. “I’d like to highlight that that’s a conservative forecast,” Kate Allan, director of corporate services, said during Monday night’s meeting, which was […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported two new lab-confirmed local cases of COVID-19 Saturday, bringing the region’s total so far to 72. It was the fourth straight day that two new cases were reported over a previous 24-hour period. Thirty-five of the 72 local cases have recovered, public health days, and no one with a […]

An Owen Sound business has now given away more than 4,000 “ear savers” to front-line health care providers and is creating new products as a way to show support for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Have1.com has provided ear saver clips – worn at the back of the head to hold medical masks in […]

For the second straight year, Grey County council has opted to reduce the property tax rate for local farmland. Council approved in a weighted 51-39 vote Thursday a motion by Southgate Deputy-mayor Brian Milne to lower the farmland tax ratio from 24 to 21.8 per cent of the residential property tax class. The move comes […]

Grey County is a significant step closer to building a new, expanded Rockwood Terrace long-term care home in Durham. County council passed a bylaw Thursday to formally approve a land swap that will see the county acquire from Durham Stone & Paving Inc. (DSPI) about 32 acres of property in Durham – directly behind the […]

After a dip in referrals early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people accessing the youth mental health services at Keystone Child, Youth and Family Services are back to about normal. And while the pandemic is like nothing experienced before, if past crises are any indication, a significant increase of referrals can be […]

For the third straight day the Grey Bruce Health Unit has reported two new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the region’s cumulative total to 70. There have been 21 reported COVID-19 cases in healthcare workers, and 34 of the 70 cases have recovered. The health unit renewed a call Friday to a widening group of […]

Less than six months after opening K’mon Let’s Play and achieving her dream of becoming an entrepreneur, Kim Keskinen has been forced to shutter her Owen Sound business due to the fallout of the COVID-19 situation. “It’s really hit me hard. I’ve suffered from a lot of anxiety and, to be honest, depression since this […]

The Grey Sauble Conservation Authority is working with its legal counsel to rectify “by whatever means necessary” a title dispute involving a piece of property the organization says is part of its Hibou Conservation Area just north of Owen Sound. GSCA officials say they discovered, after For Sale signs were posted earlier this month, that […]

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Owen Sound police charged a 30-year-old man with mischief after an elevator control panel was urinated on, which caused the elevator to break down, police said in a news release Friday. That was the first of two calls this week involving bizarre behaviour that police said also involved drugs. Police were notified of the elevator […]

Two new lab-test confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus turned up in Grey-Bruce in the past 24 hours bringing the total number of cases in the region to 68. The Grey Bruce Health Unit is rolling out a recently developed plan to test all residents and staff in long-term care facilities. It’s expected the plan […]

Water levels in Lake Huron have been setting record monthly highs so far this spring, and could be heading towards an all-time record in the near future under the right conditions. “From now until it hits its peak in July sometime typically, we usually see a rise of about 20 to 30 centimetres from this […]

Traffic slowed at the Wiarton-Keppel International Airport in March and it is believed the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame. “As we all know COVID-19 is affecting the airport,” airport manager Zachery Premate said during Georgian Bluffs’ online council meeting on Wednesday. “We have seen movement numbers drop and also fuel sales drop during this time.” […]

All Maple View long-term care residents with COVID-19 are recovering well, executive director Tracee Givens said Thursday. She spoke with relief, enthusiasm and pride in her staff and credited what a resident called their “esprit de corps” for facing the pandemic virus threat and rising to the occasion. “The good news is every single resident […]

A female youth in Owen Sound has been arrested and charged with two counts of arson causing damage to property as the result of an investigation into two fires at a west-side apartment building in the past year. The Owen Sound Police Service investigated a pair of suspicious fires that occurred on Aug. 15, 2019, […]

Owen Sound named a new city manager Thursday. Tim Simmonds will replace Wayne Ritchie, who is retiring after more than 30 years in public service. Ritchie held the city manager role for the past five years. Simmonds brings more than two decades of municipal experience. He most recently served as the City of Vaughn’s interim […]

Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra is echoing health officials across Canada in advising the public that non-medical face masks may be worn as an added measure to physical distancing to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Arra said Wednesday that the public needs to weigh wearing a face covering and the benefits […]

Two new lab-test confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the previous 24 hours were reported in Grey-Bruce Wednesday afternoon, bringing the region’s total to 66 cases. There are now 22 recovered cases, according to the public health unit’s daily situation report posted Wednesday afternoon. Of the total cases for the area, 21 are in health-care workers, […]

Every health-related service and organization in Grey-Bruce should have a roughly three-month stock of personal protective equipment within the next few weeks thanks to local efforts to secure PPE, according to the region’s medical officer of health. “I believe our area will be in a very enviable position compared to other areas in the province,” […]

The Sydenham condominium was placed into receivership last month. A Superior Court judge granted Meridian Credit Union Limited’s motion to place Sydenham Properties Inc. into receivership on March 10. Insolvency trustee msi Spergel Inc. is the receiver and manager. The unfinished project is subject to two orders from city building officials, dated March 11. Work […]

When he heard some health-care workers had resorted to wearing garbage bags to protect themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic, Abraflex CEO John Bradley knew “immediate action” was needed to address a shortage of protective gowns, he said. His Paisley-based company, which manufactures sophisticated protective suits for the nuclear industry, immediately answered early this month Bruce […]

A driver whose foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas pedal while parking caused “considerable damage” to an Owen Sound building in the 1000 block of 2nd Avenue East Tuesday morning. Just before 8 a.m., the botched braking caused the car to drive over a low curb and into the building, according to […]

Two Owen Sound residents have been charged as the result of the Owen Sound Police and Grey-Bruce OPP collaborating in a property crime investigation. Search warrants were executed at two west-side apartments in the city. Police recovered a stolen motor vehicle, licence plates, BMW tires, keys for multiple pieces of heavy equipment and a mitre […]

Bruce Power will provide 1.2 million pieces of personal protective equipment to over 100 front-line organizations by the end of the month to support health-care workers fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement made Wednesday morning more than doubles the nuclear power operator’s previous commitment of 600,000 pieces of PPE, and is the largest announced […]

An application has been made to bring a cannabis retail store to Southampton. The application for the store, called Cannabis Grey Bruce, at 17 Albert St. is currently in the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s 15-day public notice phase, which runs until May 5. The application is one of three in Grey-Bruce currently before […]

Only one new lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported to the Grey Bruce Health Unit Tuesday, according to public health’s daily situation report. The lone positive test result comes after a full day that saw no new cases in the region. So far, there have been a total of 64 confirmed cases of the novel […]

The Georgian Bay Symphony isn’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic stop it from moving ahead with its final two concerts of the season. It is just going to require a change in venue, from the auditorium at East Ridge Community School to the living rooms and kitchens of its patrons as the GBS plans to present […]

With work underway to drive piles into the ground for the new 10th Street bridge’s foundation, the city has encountered an unexpected issue with a nearby building on 1st Avenue East. “Late last week, we noticed movement in the remaining building – some foundation settlement – and we had to take some precautionary measures and […]

Owen Sound officials are scratching their heads trying to figure out what caused hundreds of fish to go belly-up in the Pottawatomi River in Owen Sound earlier this month. Public Works director Dennis Kefalas said city staff inspected storm drains twice last week for any substance “paint thinner, paints, oils” that could have caused the […]

A Waterloo man has been charged after a vehicle collided with a hydro pole at Saugeen First Nation on Saturday night. Just before 8 p.m., Grey Bruce OPP were dispatched to the collision on Bruce Road 13 south of Keewaydin Road. A white sport utility vehicle had left the roadway and struck a hydro pole, […]

Over-age and undrafted Owen Sound Attack defenceman Brady Lyle has signed a two-year professional contract with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. The North Bay native had a record-setting final Ontario Hockey League campaign. He was second on the team in scoring behind only Segey Popov with 22 goals and 43 assists in […]

Northern Bruce Peninsula has a new chief administrative officer. Peggy Van Mierlo-West began her new role Monday, replacing former CAO Bill Jones who resigned after 10 years as the municipality’s top staffer and became CAO/clerk of Arran-Elderslie on March 2. “On behalf of council and staff, we are pleased to welcome Peggy to Northern Bruce […]

The Owen Sound Garb and Gear Junior Attack minor peewee club haa been crowned OMHA co-champions after their season was cut short amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Just minutes after winning Game 1 of the OMHA Minor Peewee A championship series in Orillia on March 11 Hockey Canada announced that all sanctioned activities were postponed. Later, […]

April 18, 2020

The Zone 8 Minor Lacrosse Association – home to 10 minor associations and 90 regional teams including those in Owen Sound – cancelled their 2020 minor box lacrosse regular season this week. The cancellation covers all regular-season games and tournaments and comes amid a COVID-19 pandemic that has turned arenas, like the Bayshore in Owen […]

There were no new lab-test confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce Monday, according to the public health unit’s daily situation report. It’s the first day since March 24 in which no new local cases of the disease were reported by the public health unit and comes just two days after the region’s biggest spike. There […]

Two applications to operate retail cannabis stores in Owen Sound are currently before the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. While the Capturing Eden location at 973 2nd Ave. W. is currently in the AGCO’s 15-day public notice phase, a store called Cannabis Grey Bruce at 236 8th St. E. has moved through the public […]

This could be a tough season for piping plovers at Sauble Beach. Not only will the endangered shorebirds – expected to start arriving at the South Bruce Peninsula shoreline within a couple weeks – have to contend with extraordinarily high water levels, but COVID-19 restrictions mean all volunteer efforts to monitor and protect the plovers […]

Opening a small-town restaurant can be stressful at the best of times. But how about doing it during a global pandemic when strict physical and social distancing measures are in place? For Jen Christie and Chris Shaw, the pandemic hit just as they were about to see their dream become a reality. But while they […]

Owen Sound is temporarily laying off 40 employees and will not be calling in 20 seasonal workers and summer students as a result of the COVID-19 situation. Mayor Ian Boddy said the layoffs will impact workers who deal directly with the public or who maintain facilities or parks that are not open or operating as […]

Local OPP charged three drivers with stunt driving on the weekend. An 18-year-old driver from Kincardine was spotted by South Bruce OPP on Bruce County Road 19 in Brant Township driving at more than 140 km/h in a posted 80 km/h zone Saturday. The driver was charged with stunt driving – driving more than 50 […]

Arrangements are being made for more local COVID-19 testing of people where they are, rather than having them come to an assessment centre, “with the potential risk of exposure there,” said Dr. Ian Arra, the medical officer of health in Grey-Bruce. Nurses at long-term care homes and retirement homes can swab patients for COVID-19 but […]

Saturday’s 14-case spike in COVID-19 cases all came from Maple View Long Term Care home in Owen Sound. As of Sunday, 22 of the home’s 29 residents had had it, including two frail residents who have recovered. A further 15 staff have tested positive but not all have been tested yet. The discovery of the […]