Owen Sound Sun Times

As many as hundreds of dead fish in the Pottawatomi River have neighbours in Owen Sound’s west end concerned. Allegra Connor noticed the dead fish on Easter Monday in the river behind her home, beside the bridge in the gully where 14thStreet West briefly becomes 7thAvenue West. She’s been walking her dog daily along the […]

About 40 firefighters responded to a grassfire at the former Grew Boat factory site south of Rockford in Georgian Bluffs Saturday afternoon. Winds blew heavy, black smoke across Highway 6/10, which led to a portion of the highway being closed for a while, Inter Township Fire Chief Jeff Gautreau said after returning to the fire […]

Saturday saw a spike in COVID-19 cases, all in Owen Sound. Since more testing is being done, it’s hard to know the significance of this, but Dr. Ian Arra, the Grey-Bruce medical officer of health, said he takes the conservative view and “my bias is we’re not peaking.” By Saturday afternoon there were 14 more […]

COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty made it too risky to run the Chantry Chinook Classic Salmon Derby in Lake Huron in July, so organizers cancelled it Friday. This was to have been the 37thannual derby, with four weigh stations and the prospect of 50 to 120 people visiting each daily. That’s too many people if the respiratory […]

Owen Sound police charged a 38-year-old man on Friday within about 12 hours of being notified three chainsaws were stolen from a locked compound. Police began investigating about 7:20 a.m. and shortly after 8 p.m. they arrested the suspect during a traffic stop, a police news release said. The chainsaws worth more than $3,000 and […]

A 45th case of COVID-19 in Grey-Bruce was announced as of 3:30 p.m. Friday. A man in his 80s, who is isolated, was added to the list of people testing positive for the pandemic respiratory infection, the Grey Bruce Health Unit reported. Medical officer of health Dr. Ian Arra tried to temper his relief concerning […]

With its offices closed due to COVID-19, YMCA Employment Services’ advisors are working from their homes to continue helping people who are trying to land a job during the pandemic or are seeking assistance because they have stopped working. Program director Linda Alexander said the organization, which has offices in Owen Sound and Hanover, has […]

An Owen Sound store has applied to become Grey-Bruce’s first authorized cannabis retail store. Capturing Eden has made an application to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to operate the retail outlet at 973 2nd Ave. W. The application is currently in the the AGCO’s 15-day public notice phase, with the public able to […]

Life at the farm moves on. Local growers continue to fill the labour gaps left by delayed seasonal and temporary foreign worker arrival as a result of border shutdowns, travel restrictions and measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. And while seasonal workers have been added to the list of those exempt from travel […]

The Eat Local Grey Bruce co-operative has seen interest in its local food service skyrocket due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And in order to meet the increased demand, and to ensure they don’t take on too much too fast, the not-for-profit cooperative of over 30 local producers has put a moratorium on accepting new memberships. […]

West Grey police ask people in the former Bentinck Township of West Grey to check their properties and report anything stolen over the past few days. Police investigated an April 9 break-in, during which numerous tools and a .22-cal. rifle and ammunition were stolen from a residence and detached garage. They arrested a 29-year-old Walkerton […]

Lori Wilder will become director of education at the Bluewater District School Board in all but name as of June 27 and officially as of Oct. 1. The long-time school administrator is currently a superintendent of education. She will replace Alana Murray, who is retiring Sept. 30. Wilder will become “director designate” on June 27 […]

After two weeks of e-learning, how are kids finding this substitute for classroom learning? If the Walpole family’s experience with online learning in the public school system is representative, with kids eager to learn and supportive parents who are also working amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the new system gets a passing grade but there’s room […]

Two new lab-test confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Grey-Bruce the past 24 hours according to the health unit’s daily situation report. A female in her 60s and a female in her 50s are the latest residents to contract the disease. Both are isolated. There have been a total of 44 confirmed COVID-19 cases […]

The Owen Sound Salvation Army food bank has received several large food donations in recent days, including 9,000 eggs and 731 pounds of calzones. Meanwhile, both the Salvation Army’s Bruce Peninsula Community Food Bank in Wiarton and Owen Sound Hunger and Relief Effort (OSHaRE) have received thousands of pounds of food from Gordon Food Service […]

A new online tool has been launched to help keep the region’s residents informed and in touch through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Grey Bruce Huron Strong app and accompanying website aim to keep people connected, provide a trustworthy curation of relevant local information, and grow into a powerful regional platform to help navigate through the […]

Grey-Bruce livestock producers were facing some major challenges, and then along came COVID-19. Even before the pandemic hit, plant closures and a lack of packing capacity, oversupply concerns and a disconnect between what farmers get for their product and what it sells for to consumers have been weighing on producers’ bottom lines. But now producers […]

On the arena floor, under the Owen Sound Attack score clock, Grey Bruce Health Services’ 75-bed field hospital is now ready for use at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, should the region experience a surge in COVID-19 cases. GBHS president and CEO Gary Sims said the temporary medical facility is one of two field […]

The loss of Tenneco and its jobs follows a familiar trend of auto parts plants moving to lower-cost southern jurisdictions. Production is to cease about May 1, throwing the remaining 140 employees out of work. How readily jobs will be available will depend on the economic rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, said Steve Furness, […]

Lori Carder got a job at Tenneco when she was 24 and recently out of school. She studied early childhood education but daycare jobs were scarce in 1998. She had two small children to support, so she got work at the auto parts-maker through a temp agency. “It was kind of exciting, seeing how everything […]

Bruce Peninsula National Park will be off-limits to visitors until at least May 31 and until further notice after that. Parks Canada is suspending all camping, group activities and events at national parks across the country until at least that date. Parks staff previously closed the Bruce Peninsula National Park to visitors, closed visitor facilities […]

Grey-Bruce’s medical officer of health says he doesn’t believe the region has “even felt the wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic yet. “I hope I am wrong,” Dr. Ian Arra said in an interview. “People are talking about based on different modelling, we might be approaching the peak or maybe we’re even past it. But all […]

With the COVID-19 pandemic now in its second month, local emergency personnel paid tribute Wednesday to front-line medical workers in Owen Sound. Sirens blared and emergency lights flashed as more than two dozen police cruisers, fire trucks, ambulances and other vehicles slowly drove past the front entrance of the Owen Sound hospital as well as […]

At shift change Tuesday night, well-wishers honked horns, rang bells and cheered their support for healthcare workers outside Owen Sound hospital for their efforts during the tense and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. People waited in cars or stood outside their vehicles along the road leading to the back of the hospital. They cheered for those coming […]

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Grey-Bruce hit 40 Tuesday, the local public health unit announced it’s expanding the eligibility criteria for novel coronavirus testing beyond the updated provincial recommendations. Medical officer of health Dr. Ian Arra said along with the province’s expanded list, testing will also be available at local assessment centres […]

Grey-Bruce residents mostly stayed home for Easter, according to local officials who say they’re happy with the quiet long weekend. Easter weekend was the first major holiday under emergency orders, closures, and physical distancing measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. And while a few people were warned about following the new rules, most […]

Work to transform the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre’s arena floor into a 75-bed field hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to wrap up by early next week. But the hope continues to be that the temporary medical facility in Owen Sound will not be needed, Gary Sims, president and CEO of Grey Bruce […]

A single new lab-test confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in Grey-Bruce Monday bringing the total for the region to 39. One case is currently hospitalized, 10 cases have recovered and 12 cases have been reported in health-care workers working in Grey-Bruce. Maple View Long-Term Residence is the only long-term care facility currently experiencing a […]

A three-year-old missing from a residence on Concession 2 in Elderslie Township, west of Chesley, was found safe late Monday afternoon. The boy had last been seen walking a mixed-breed collie at his property at 11:30 a.m. Monday. West Region OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT), OPP Canine Unit, OPP Aviation Services and South Bruce OPP […]

An Owen Sound judge questioned whether sentencing a man to house arrest was really punishment when people in the province are already supposed to stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic virus. Douglas Campbell, 48, of Saugeen First Nation pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 in the Ontario Court of Justice to possession of a prohibited […]

There were three new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Grey-Bruce on Sunday, including a teenager. The cases bring the total to 38 lab-confirmed cases in Grey-Bruce, according to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s situation report on Sunday. All three cases confirmed Sunday are female, include a woman in her 60s and a woman in her […]

As the COVID-19 pandemic grips Grey-Bruce and the summer season inches closer, already many popular events in the area have been cancelled, while planning for others continues with hopes they can go ahead. While it isn’t clear how long physical distancing and stay at home measures will be in place, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said […]

Two more cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Grey-Bruce on Saturday, bringing the total to 35 in the two counties to date. Both of those who have been confirmed to have the virus in the past 24 hours are women, one in her 50s and the other in her 60s. They are both isolated, […]

Police continue to look for a teen who has spotted in London on April 3 after going missing from his residence in Flesherton in March. Grey Bruce OPP were called on March 21 in regards to 14-year-old Ian Matheson, who was last seen leaving his residence on foot at 4 p.m. the day before. Grey […]

Grey County is preparing to receive and distribute funds the province has provided during the COVID-19 pandemic for those considered the most vulnerable in the community. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced last week that Grey County would receive just over $2.3 million in funding to be used by municipalities and social service […]

A man has been arrested and charged after an incident that closed roads in Lucknow on Friday. The 43-year-old Huron-Kinloss man has been charged with assault, uttering threats and four counts of failing to comply with probation after he was arrested on Friday by members of the West Region OPP Tactical Rescue Unit. He was […]

Grey County is moving ahead with acquiring land for a new Rockwood Terrace long-term care home in Durham. On Thursday, Grey County council met electronically and passed a motion to move forward with a land exchange that would see the county acquire a 32-acre parcel of land in Durham in exchange for Grey County’s quarry […]

Motorists were being asked to avoid an area in the village of Lucknow due to a situation involving an increased police presence. South Bruce OPP were called to what they are calling an isolated incident along Gough Street, and road closures were initiated around the area in the interest of public safety, it said in […]

Police followed a wheelbarrow tire track to a neighbouring residence after a wheelbarrow and other items were taken from a business north of Markdale. At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Grey Bruce OPP were dispatched to a break and enter at the business on Highway 10, where several items had been taken, including the wheelbarrow. The […]

An Owen Sound man faces a weapons charge after he was reportedly spotted jumping in the street in downtown Owen Sound with a compound bow in his hand. Owen Sound police were called by a concerned citizen at about 4:45 a.m. on Friday after a man was observed in the 900 block of 1st Avenue […]

For robbing the CIBC in January while disguised and brandishing a folding knife, Cory Church was sentenced Thursday in an Ontario Court of Justice proceeding to two years less a day in jail. Sentencing took place via teleconference, with the judge, Crown, defence lawyer and Church himself calling into the Owen Sound court, while The […]

As the Grey Bruce Health Unit reported one new confirmed case of COVID-19 on Friday, it also began identifying the number of cases per community in Grey-Bruce. With a total of 33 cases confirmed in the region, including a man in his 60s who was identified as the latest case on Friday, Owen Sound is […]

Maple View Long-Term Care staff has “risen to the occasion” at the only long-term care home hit by the COVID-19 virus pandemic in Grey-Bruce. Richard Franzke, a vice-president with Southbridge Health Care LP, made the remark in emailed responses to questions about how staff is coping. He said staff and residents have been infected, the […]

Wellness and Emotional Support (WES) for Youth Online has seen a surge in the number of young people accessing their counselling services in recent weeks. In March the service saw a total of 59 new registrations, which is an all-time monthly high, which generally sees 25 to 30 new registrations per month. And so far […]

The regional unemployment rate increased a single percentage point in March to 5.9 per cent as overall employment decreased by 1,800 jobs. While 2,400 full-time jobs were gained in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region, they were offset by 4,200 part-time job losses. Gemma Mendez-Smith, executive director of the Four County Labour Market Planning Board, said […]

Owen Sound District Secondary School has its share of math whizzes. OSDSS students have captured the Zone Team Championship in mathematics at contests hosted by the University of Waterloo earlier this year. The top five scores in the Pascal contest (Grade 9) were Aidan Nelson, Maisie Cottrill, Teddy Scheifele and twins Daniel and Michael Liscio […]

Georgian Bluffs council has deferred a decision around securing a grant to do a feasibility study of the biodigester it owns and operates through a partnership with Chatsworth. On the suggestion of Coun. Paul Sutherland, Georgian Bluffs moved in a close 4-3 vote to defer accepting a grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities worth […]

Georgian Bluffs council voted Wednesday to delay passing the 2020 budget as it dealt with business for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic essentially closed down the region in mid-March. Other issues council addressed over the course of the more than two-hour-long meeting included staff reports and zoning bylaw amendments from a cancelled meeting […]

South Bruce Peninsula’s director of emergency services said no one was hurt in a fire that destroyed much of a Clavering family’s home Wednesday morning. The family’s dog perished in the fire. Normand Beauchamp said a fire call came in around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Around 30 firefighters from the South Bruce Peninsula fire department and […]

One new case of COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon pushed the total confirmed by the Grey Bruce Health Unit to 30. The latest person to test positive is a man in his 60s, who is isolated, the health unit announced in its Wednesday situation report. One person is in hospital and nine have recovered. The total cases […]