Owen Sound Sun Times

Another hockey season has ended abruptly. No player will raise the Schmalz Cup overhead in celebration this year. The Provincial Junior Hockey League announced Friday that it has cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season in accordance with Hockey Canada and the Ontario Hockey Federation and in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Sixteen teams […]

The revitalization of the Bruce Power site is hitting a major milestone in 2020 with the beginning of its Major Component Replacement project. The MCR, which will see six of the site’s eight units upgraded between now and 2033, begins with Unit 6. That unit has been taken offline, four years after the start of […]

The Ontario Parole Board denied the early release request of Wyatt Sturgeon, the man who used an axe to mortally wound a dog last May 1 in Owen Sound. On March 5, Candace Dean urged parole board members to deny early release to Sturgeon, who is serving an 18-month sentence, to be followed by three […]

Hockey Canada and the Ontario Minor Hockey Association have suspended all hockey activities in a decision made with public health officials and in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both organizations released statements Wednesday night saying all sanctioned hockey activities have been suspended indefinitely. “The Ontario Minor Hockey Association’s foremost priority is the health and safety […]

Bruce Power has announced it has temporarily closed its visitor’s centre and its programming effective immediately. The closure affects its March Break program that was planned for next week, when up to 1,500 visitors, including some from outside of the region, were expected. “At Bruce Power, we are taking every precaution to try and make […]

As the world grappled with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Grey-Bruce had yet to have a confirmed case Thursday, but the fallout was still being felt locally. The Ontario government announced all publicly funded schools would be closed for two weeks following next week’s March break and the Ontario Hockey League season was postponed, impacting the […]

Everyone who arrives at a local long-term care home – from returning residents, staff and family members to contractors – will now be stopped at the door and proactively screened for COVID-19. Officials with both Grey and Bruce counties as well as several private operators told The Sun Times Thursday that the enhanced infection control […]

A robbery with a stun gun and baseball on March 6 in Wellington North has led to charges against a 44-year-old West Grey man. Wellington OPP responded to a call that day about 7 a.m. at a Main Street address in the township, a police news release said Wednesday. It was reported an unwanted person […]

An Owen Sound District Secondary School trip to Europe was cancelled at the last minute with students at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday evening. The group of students and their chaperones were slated to leave for Europe with stops in London, Dublin and Paris, but the trip was called off as they waited […]

The Canadian Hockey League announced it would “pause” its regular season Thursday among concerns over the health and safety of its members with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pause was implemented immediately. All scheduled games set to take place Thursday night were been cancelled. The CHL’s statement on Thursday read: The Canadian Hockey League […]

A 72-year-old driver died at the scene of a two-vehicle crash in southern Grey County Wednesday afternoon. The OPP said in a news release Thursday that officers responded at 2:16 p.m. to a report of a fatal head-on crash on Southgate Sideroad 49, north of Sideroad 24 in Southgate Township. Police found the 72-year-old driver […]

Georgian College’s Owen Sound campus now can boast it has Canada’s only Kongsberg marine simulator, a leading-edge technology for the marine industry, the college announced Thursday. Visitors at the announcement stood behind the ship’s wheel in the simulation room and looked out onto screens which presented a panoramic, digitized view of the bow of the […]

March 2020

Ugly. Embarrassing. Frustrating. Jekyll and Hyde. A yo-yo team. These are not the descriptors you want directed at a hockey club from its head coach and over-age winger with two weeks left in the regular season. Well, yo-yos are pretty cool, but not in this context: “We’re the team that’s up-and-down like a yo-yo,” said […]

The Walkerton District Riverhawks didn’t come away from the OFSAA single-A girls volleyball championship with a medal, but hosted an intense three-day tournament and helped make lasting memories for hundreds of high-school athletes. Twenty high school volleyball teams were represented, including the Bluewater Athletic Association and CWOSSA champion Riverhawks. The action got underway Monday morning […]

Stand-up comedian Jarrett Campbell – who’s in the running for a Juno Award this weekend – says he owes a lot of his success to growing up in small-town Grey County. “Having a nice humble beginning was really good for me. Growing up out there, you kind of have to make your own fun and […]

Labour unrest and coronavirus fears have Bluewater Regional Science and Technology Fair organizers changing plans, but the events are still slated to go ahead in early April. Numbers at the events are expected to be down this year due to teacher job action, while some of the event judges are regular travellers and may have […]

Two Polar Plunge for Special Olympics challenges are coming up soon, one in Durham and the other in Owen Sound. West Grey’s plunge will take place Friday about noon at St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Separate School in Durham, which may have its biggest turnout yet, West Grey police Const. Mitch Roulston said. The recent […]

Georgian Bluffs has closed Zion Church Road near the community of Oxenden due to flooding. Zion Church Road was closed effective Wednesday between Concession 21 and Concession 24 due to flooding on the roadway. Municipal staff anticipate the road will be closed for approximately two weeks with updates to be provided as conditions change or […]

Northern Bruce Peninsula Mayor Milt McIver says he believes a happy medium can be found for regulating short-term rentals in the municipality. “I think from the feedback we got, people want some kind of regulation, but not over-regulation. And I think that can be accomplished,” he said. “The feeling I get from council is that […]

Crusaders lose in CWOSSA final The Sacred Heart Crusaders fell to Norwell 5-3 in the CWOSSA A/AA boys hockey championship Tuesday in Waterford. The Crusaders beat Holy Trinity 3-2 in overtime to earn a berth into the gold-medal game and went 3-0 in pool-play to finish first in Pool A. Norwell were the Pool B […]

The Ontario Hockey League distributed a statement with some new protocols to follow around the rink Tuesday in reaction to the spread of COVID-19. The league is trying to minimize contact and has advised all of its members and officials to start avoiding direct contact with fans, including high-fives, handshakes, and the autographing of items. […]

The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board has cancelled two upcoming international field trips due to concerns over COVID-19. But the Bluewater District School Board has so far decided to go ahead with all of its planned overseas field trips, including one by Owen Sound District Secondary School students slated to leave on Wednesday that will […]

While the World Health Organization sounds the alarm about a global shortage of personal protective equipment for front-line health workers because of COVID-19, local fire service officials say they’re concerned their departments could run out of medical masks if the outbreak reaches Grey-Bruce. Hanover Fire Chief Jeff Dentinger said he believes it’s only a matter […]

Owen Sound’s new transit service linking the city to Guelph will launch on April 1. Guelph Owen Sound Transportation (GOST), a seven-day-a-week bus service operated by Voyago, will offer riders two roundtrips daily between the cities, with stops in Chatsworth, Williamsford, Durham, Mount Forest, Arthur, Fergus and Elora. Cassandra Cesco, Owen Sound’s supervisor of environmental […]

School support staff often overlooked It has been my observation that the media frequently neglects to mention support staff in coverage of the current education labour dispute, and I would like to rectify this ongoing omission for you and your readers. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation represents the entire education team. Provincially, OSSTF represents […]

Rule of law, yes – but whose? Battle lines are drawn, again, between First Nations and Canadians. On one side the police; on the other First Nations’ protesters. On one side politicians and outraged editorials in the papers; on the other, First Nations’ leaders trying to explain to reporters that ‘we have a different understanding.’ […]

Answers to TC Energy project questions On behalf of TC Energy and the proposed Pumped Storage Project, I’m writing in response to Mr. Den Tandt’s letter to the editor published on Jan. 30, 2020. First, I want to thank Mr. Den Tandt for his interest in the proposed project and for attending one of our […]

Climate change position not needed It was quite the eye opener when Georgian Bluffs residents got a 1.72 per cent tax decrease for 2020. Even more of a shocker was to see how out of line Owen Sound residential taxes have become. “In 2019 Georgian Bluffs residents paid just over $1,086 per $100,000 of assessment […]

Lots of questions about TCEnergy proposal On Thursday Jan. 16 TCEnergy Company held an information meeting in Meaford. My interest in their pumped-storage energy project had been piqued by a recent company announcement as well as letters to various stakeholders, of which I am one. When the meeting began it quickly became obvious that no-one […]

Georgian College was very pleased to host a recent news event that delivered a tremendous win for health-care education in Ontario. As was reported in The Sun Times, Colleges and Universities Minister Ross Romano visited our Owen Sound campus recently to announce a new policy for nursing degree programs at colleges. The minister said colleges […]

A school bus driver has been charged after a two-vehicle collision in Arran-Elderslie on Monday afternoon that left the driver of a car with minor injuries. There were no injuries to the bus driver or any students on the bus following the collision that occurred just before 4 p.m. at the intersection of Concession 2 […]

Inglis Falls Road will close for a major reconstruction project beginning on Monday. Georgian Bluffs has given the contractor for the project, Moorefield Excavating, permission to close a section of the road until October for the complete reconstruction of the travelled surface and retaining wall. The road will be closed from the entrance of 237794 […]

Changes may be coming for the Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit service. The door-to-door specialized transit system that serves residents in nine Grey-Bruce municipalities is exploring its options after some of its member municipalities requested that it look at amalgamation with various specialized transit services in Grey-Bruce. “Combining multiple service providers and moving service to […]

The Mount Forest Patriots and Wingham Ironmen are back to square one after the opening weekend of their best-of-seven Pollock Division finals series. Each team came out with a win in what is promising to be a nail-biting series with the winner earning a berth into the North Conference finals against the champion of the […]

JUNIOR ATTACK Minor peewees headed to OMHA finals The Owen Sound Garb & Gear Junior Attack minor peewees are headed to the OMHA single-A minor peewee championship finals. The Junior Attack won Game 5 of their OMHA semifinals series against St. Thomas Stars in St. Thomas Sunday, 4-3. Jr. Attack goal scorers were Everett Akerman, […]

The milder weather has led conservation authorities in Grey-Bruce to issue watershed conditions statements, with flows expected to increase in local waterways and flooding in low-lying areas likely to occur. With a minor melt over the weekend and rain in the forecast into Tuesday morning, the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority issued a statement Monday morning […]

Time has not been on the side of many of the old barns that most people see only while speeding through the countryside. These monuments to hard work and skilled craftsmanship are fading landmarks which modern farm practices and land-use changes are making redundant. Age is catching up with them too. Grey-Bruce has the largest […]

The Walkerton Riverhawks will chase down an OFSAA single-A senior girls volleyball championship in their own backyard this week. Twenty high school volleyball teams will be represented at the provincial tournament, including the Bluewater Athletic Association and CWOSSA champion Riverhawks. The action gets underway Monday morning with games scheduled to be played at four area […]

The London Knights rolled through Owen Sound and collected their sixth win in a row, 3-1, over the Attack in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre Saturday night. The win snapped Owen Sound’s five-game point streak and kicked a potential playoff-clinching game at home down the road a little […]

Amid the happy bouncing of bowling balls and falling pins at a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grey Bruce Saturday, the fact remained there are a lot of “Littles” and not enough “Bigs”. That’s especially true now, since the group moved from serving just Owen Sound to all of Grey-Bruce last year, said […]

The head of the local United Way is cheering the Ontario Energy Board’s decision to extend its rules banning electricity companies from disconnecting customers in winter and on Fridays to also include natural gas utilities. Francesca Dobbyn, executive director of the United Way of Bruce Grey, said the organization has been advocating for the changes […]

The story of a Saugeen First Nations member’s rediscovery of old recordings of community songs, stories and voices was shared Friday at the annual International Women’s Day breakfast in Owen Sound. A granddaughter of past Saugeen First Nation Chief James Mason, Bimadoshk Annya Ruth Pucan told the roomful of women how important the digitized 1938 […]

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is just a few short weeks away, but Kaleb Pearson gave fans a preview with hockey’s version of a walk-off home run Thursday night in Windsor. The St. Marys native scored the overtime winner with two seconds left on the clock to give the Owen Sound Attack a 3-2 win […]

Junior Knights win CWOSSA gold The Kincardine District Secondary School junior girls volleyball team won the CWOSSA single-A championship hosted at Walkerton Monday. The Knights started the day a little slow with a loss to Rockway Mennonite but regrouped with wins over Wellington Heights out of Mount Forest and Dehli securing first place in their […]

As the number of coronavirus cases globally and in Ontario continues to climb, people at many pharmacies in Grey-Bruce say they’ve sold out of hand sanitizers and medical masks and aren’t able to order more in. “I feel like a lot of people are getting nervous,” said Peter Hanna, owner of the Dundalk Village Pharmacy. […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit says it is ramping up its response to the novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases in Ontario hit 22 Thursday. While none of the cases of COVID-19 have been in Grey-Bruce, the agency said it has escalated to a “containment phase” to safeguard the health of its communities. […]

English and French Catholic teachers on strike Thursday in Owen Sound said their fight is still about the quality of education, regardless of what the government says. Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce softened his bargaining positions this week by “effectively freezing class room sizes, a parental opt out for online learning, a commitment to full-day […]

The Owen Sound Attack topped the Flint Firebirds 5-2 inside the Dort Federal Event Center Wednesday night. The first of a two-game road swing got off to a strong start for Owen Sound who controlled the pace of the game for most of the evening. Brady Lyle opened the scoring less than a minute into […]

Georgian Bluffs has hired an executive search firm to help the municipality find a new chief administrative officer. On Wednesday township council approved the hiring of Phelps Executive Search Solutions to conduct a search for a new CAO. “We are hoping it will be a shorter than usual process. They sort of indicated it will […]