Owen Sound Sun Times

With the rain falling outside the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library, the auditorium was packed with families partaking in what has been a popular rainy-day activity for decades. More than 40 people turned out for an afternoon building bee in the library's second LEGO building competition. We do regularly run a LEGO [...]

Brave souls in Southampton are planning to once again ring in the New Year with a stinging splash. The third annual Southampton Polar Bear Dip is set for Jan. 1 at 2 p.m. at Southampton Beach by the flagpole on High Street. Jeff Cody and his neighbour Larry Leonard came up with the polar dip [...]

A local charitable organization has donated the funds to complete Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce's Tiny Homes Project at Saugeen First Nation. The 100 Women Who Care Grey Bruce group presented their November meeting donation of $24,000 towards the tiny home, which will serve as an emergency shelter for individuals and young families. The donation [...]

After a snowless Christmas, grey skies, rain and fog, when will a real Grey-Bruce winter arrive? Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng sounded good humoured but cautious Wednesday when asked. I feel like I'm being cornered," he said laughing after he was informed some have cross-country ski passes sitting idle in the absence of snow. There's [...]

The Ontario Lacrosse Association has drawn a line in the sand concerning participation in non-sanctioned events. According to a media release issued on Dec. 22, the OLA has established a Non-Sanctioned Participation Policy" ahead of the 2024 lacrosse season. Any individual who participates in a non-sanctioned event after the second Monday in March (Monday, March [...]

Two former Owen Sound Attack players will wear the Maple Leaf in Davos, Switzerland, for the 2023 Spengler Cup. The 25-player Canadian roster includes Attack graduate Thomas Schemitsch and former Bears goaltender Tyler Beskorowany. Schemitsch spent last season with the Malmo Redhawks of the Swedish Elite League and played three seasons in Owen Sound from [...]

Police have charged one man and are seeking the public's help identifying two other people in relation to the theft of five vehicles from a property on the Grey-Bruce Line earlier this month. A 33-year-old man has been charged with fraud under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 as a result [...]

A Chatsworth man who was in possession of a stolen all-terrain vehicle has been arrested and charged after he punched a police officer in the face in Owen Sound on Christmas Day, police said. Just after 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Grey Bruce OPP received a report that the ATV had been stolen from a [...]

Grey Bruce OPP is asking for dashcam footage or information from anyone driving in the area of a motor vehicle collision that killed a 47-year-old from South Bruce Peninsula at Springmount early Saturday morning. Police reported in an update Saturday night that they responded at 5:41 a.m. to a serious collision on Highway 6 in [...]

Grey Bruce OPP charged a South Bruce Peninsula man with five counts of break and enter to a dwelling after a spate of seasonal residence break-ins at Saugeen First Nation. Christopher Bowman, 47, also faces charges of mischief under $5,000, possession break-in instruments, possession property obtained by crime under $5,000 and fail to comply with [...]

Efforts have begun to restore the deteriorating Owen Sound British Methodist Episcopal Church, whose congregation still includes descendants of slaves who escaped and made their way north. The idea is to restore the church, try and get more people in to rebuild the congregation and also to preserve the vital history which is intertwined with [...]

Grey Bruce OPP is investigating a fatal collision north of Springmount this morning involving a pedestrian. Highway 6 is closed northbound from Springmount to Grey Road 17 for the investigation. Police ask the public to please avoid this area of Georgian Bluffs. Police said updates will follow when available. Police ask anyone with information helpful [...]

People who pick up mail at the Hepworth Post Office must do so in Wiarton for the time being. South Bruce Peninsula's website has a notice informing people the post office will be closed temporarily, with a link to a Dec. 21 Canada Post notice. It says mail and parcels may be picked up at [...]

The Grey Roots Museum and Archives is closing for a month as it prepares to mark its 20th anniversary in 2024. The county museum west of Rockford will temporarily close beginning on Jan. 7 and will reopen on Feb. 9. The closure will allow museum staff to focus on preparations for celebratory activities in honour [...]

So far eight people have thrown their names in to fill a vacant council seat by appointment in South Bruce Peninsula. The town's candidate registry Friday morning identified the eligible electors who have filed to fill the position: Paul Stephen Deacon, Ann Marie Hadcock, Mary E. Hanlon, Glenn Darrell Holst, William Klingenberg, Daniel Evan Lisk, [...]

To say seven-year-old Coen Rier's class project was a success would be an understatement. On Thursday, Coen and his family were at Chapman House - Residential Hospice of Grey-Bruce where he presented the $16,400 he raised from the loonie he was given by teacher Barb Gordon at the start of December and told to make [...]

The province's Special Investigations Unit has discontinued a probe into a case which a man in custody in Chatsworth twice had seizures after being administered his medication. The investigation relating to the 21-year-old man's time in custody determined that there was nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any of the [...]

The Ontario Provincial Police's annual festive season R.I.D.E. campaign is catching more drunk drivers in the west region this year compared to 2022. Earlier this week the OPP released statistics from the West Region Headquarters detailing that offences are up in the area and across the region's 13 detachments compared to 2022. Since the start [...]

Property owners with security cameras can now join an online database and quickly collaborate with local law enforcement in the event of a nearby crime. The Ontario Provincial Police's Grey-Bruce detachment announced this week they have implemented the CAMSafe program locally. The program enables local residential and commercial security camera owners to join the online [...]

United Way Bruce Grey is making an urgent appeal" for donations before the end of the year to make up for a deficit of about $50,000. The unusual last-minute call by the charitable organization was brought about because of unprecedented backpack demand and clients' increased need for help paying utilities and food this year, the [...]

Just a few months after the SS Norisle was towed away from its berth on Manitoulin Island to be scrapped, her sister ship the MS Norgoma appears to be heading for the same fate. On Monday, Sault Ste. Marie council accepted a staff resolution to begin the process of decommissioning the ship, which has been [...]

Taxi fares are set to increase in Owen Sound, while some fees that cab companies pay are to decrease after a chamber of commerce-led initiative to create more transportation options for residents in the city. At its meeting on Wednesday, the Owen Sound Police Services board passed a motion to make some fare and fee [...]

Travis Couch and Lisa Buckton lined up Wednesday morning at the mall to collect their bags of donated children's gifts for Christmas. As many as 270 families did the same over the course of the morning, all beneficiaries of the Owen Sound Professional Fire Fighters' Toy Drive. The line started by the mall food court [...]

The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority has appointed a senior employee to fill in for general manager Jennifer Stephens while she is on a leave of absence. In an announcement posted to its website last week, the SVCA formally announced that Erik Downing will take over as acting general manager and secretary-treasurer. Downing has managed the [...]

Owen Sound Hunger and Relief Effort is preparing to serve more than 400 Christmas meals to go on Christmas Day. The 10-year-old charitable organization's annual Christmas meals are served in partnership with the Owen Sound Salvation Army. On Christmas Day all who need a meal are welcome, as well as those who are alone on [...]

Brightshores Health System has opened an expanded Crisis Support Program at the Owen Sound hospital. On Tuesday, Brightshores held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the renovated unit, which is designed to provide supports and a safe environment for patients experiencing a mental health crisis. Located adjacent to the Emergency department, the outpatient program operates 24/7, and [...]

Owen Sound council decided not to reconsider its decision to raise garbage bag tag prices. The tags will increase by one dollar, to $3.50, starting in the new year. Each bag of garbage to be collected is required to have a tag. Deputy-mayor Scott Greig's motion Monday night for council to reconsider its decision required [...]

Owen Sound council voted to have a closer look at the multi-year capital budget early next year in light of new projects proposed and rising costs. Coun. Brock Hamley's successful motion was built on concerns raised that staff-proposed changes needed more scrutiny. I think there's a whole bunch of new items that have been added [...]

The Owen Sound North Stars are running out of time and the Major Series Lacrosse league's patience may be wearing thin. Ontario's senior A lacrosse circuit has made it clear they are done with Joe Norton, the Michigan-based businessman and Bug Juice owner who purchased the senior B Owen Sound North Stars and senior A [...]

Rookie Attack goaltender Carter George is headed to the Canadian Hockey League's top prospects game in Moncton next month. On Tuesday the Canadian Hockey League announced the 40 players who will make up the rosters for the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects game set for Jan. 24. After a 10-game audition during the 2022-23 season [...]

Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy reviewed city accomplishments Monday night at council, then he heard complaints about taxes. Members of council, some wearing Christmas sweaters on the last council meeting of the year, listened to the mayor recall city accomplishments. A recording of his remarks and the entire council meeting is found on the city's [...]

TC Energy is still waiting to hear whether the provincial government will approve its massive $4.5 billion pumped storage project proposed for Meaford. Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith was expected to make a final determination on Nov. 30 after reviewing analysis from the province's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and following a 45-day public consultation [...]

Police in Hanover believe a male who threw a Molotov cocktail at the rear entrance of the Travellers Inn is the cause of a fire that started there on Friday evening. Hanover Police began an investigation into the arson after police and the Hanover Fire Department responded to the blaze at 6:35 p.m. Friday. Police [...]

A 41-year-old from Holland Landing faces charges after the Canada Border Services Agency seized six kilograms of Ketamine with an estimated street value of $243,000 destined for an address in Hepworth. According to a media release, the Grey Bruce OPP's Community Street Crime Unit and members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau began an [...]

The Owen Sound Emergency Communications Centre has outgrown its main-floor space in the city police station and will move upstairs into renovated quarters. City council Monday awarded a $644,081 contract for the work to Allen Hastings Inc., which includes a $70,000 contingency allowance, and was the lowest bid received. It was budgeted to cost $732,300, [...]

This year to the end of September, the city's 911 dispatch centre received a 15 per cent more calls over 2022 in the same period. The Owen Sound Emergency Communications Centre takes calls for six police services - Owen Sound, West Grey, Hanover and Saugeen Shores locally, Port Hope and Cobourg police services, and 45 [...]

Georgian Bluffs recently honoured individuals for their outstanding contributions to the community. The 2023 Volunteer of the Year Awards, a recognition program initiated in December 2021, honours volunteers who have made significant impacts in the Georgian Bluffs community. Each recipient is presented with a certificate and asked to choose a community organization that will be [...]

U14 Jr. ATTACK BUSY OVER WEEKEND The Owen Sound Harold Sutherland Construction Junior Attack under-14 squad has a busy weekend. On Sunday, the squad was shut out 2-0 by the Milton Winterhawks at the Bayshore. Jr. Attack goaltender Paul McKenna stood tall facing 48 shots from the fourth-ranked team in the province. On Saturday, Ben [...]

A faulty extension cord is being blamed as the cause of a house fire Friday in Owen Sound. City firefighters responded to a call just after 10 a.m. The call described billowing smoke coming out of the third floor attic of a house at 6th Avenue and 7th Street A East. Fire Chief Phil Eagleson [...]

Grey-Bruce home sales last month were up 16 per cent from where they were a year ago, but still remain well below the average for the time of year. A total of 152 units were sold in November through the MLS System of the Realtors Association of Grey Bruce Owen Sound. But even with the [...]

Credit to official Brendan Kane and a flair for the dramatic. With Windsor and Owen Sound in overtime, deadlocked in a 3-3 tie, Oliver Peer hauled down Sam Sedley on a breakaway. Peer said after the game he thought Sedley went down a little too easy. Sedley argued he was trying to get the puck [...]

The leadership class at Owen Sound District Secondary School has made a donation of $1,700 to the Owen Sound Firefighters Toy Drive. The class raised the funds through a puck toss during high school hockey games that were part of the Owen Sound Hockeyfest festivities on Nov. 17 and 18. The class organized and facilitated [...]

The streets were alive in the little village of Chatsworth on Saturday as Santa Claus came to town. Hundreds of people lined both sides of Garafraxa Street as the 48th annual Santa Claus Parade made its way through the downtown. This year, dozens of entries took part in the festivities, including floats, horse-drawn wagons, bands, [...]

The older guys have suddenly super-sized the London Knights offence. Jacob Julien capped his fifth multi-point game in six outings with his first OHL hat trick. Over-ager Max McCue, with two more goals, has scored in six straight games. Russian Ruslan Gazizov racked up a season-high five points in an 8-2 demolition of Owen Sound [...]

A Port Elgin man is facing impaired driving charges and multiple firearms offences after a traffic stop in Southampton on Friday afternoon resulted in the seizure of nine firearms. Saugeen Shores Police received a report just after 2 p.m. of a suspected impaired driver in the area of North Rankin Street and Turner Street. Police [...]

The average Grey County homeowner is facing a hike of just over $69 to the county portion of their taxes next year. At its final budget meeting on Friday, county council approved cuts to reduce its net levy increase to 6.3 per cent. For the average home assessed at $289,000, that will mean a $69.28 [...]

Grey County is planning to scale back its Grey Transit Route intercommunity bus service, but how that service will look in the future remains to be seen. At a budget session on Friday, county council directed staff to remove $438,000 from its community transportation budget in 2024, which is the amount the county would have [...]

The members of Glassworks Village Co-operative in Owen Sound have put their money where their dreams are and raised more than $630,000 in investments with their backs against the wall to stop the sale of a 46-acre property in Owen Sound's industrial park. The group purchased the land three years ago for $475,000 and proposed [...]

The Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library will be host to a talk about how parents can help children struggling to read. Daniella Green from the International Dyslexia Association of Ontario will be in the auditorium at the library on Monday at 7 p.m. During the Smart Kids, Struggling Readers session, Green will [...]

As Grey County prepares to embark on major road and infrastructure work at the base of Blue Mountain, it will continue to meet with municipal and provincial partners about evolving traffic pressures in the area. On Thursday county council passed a motion brought forward by The Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs to work with her [...]