Owen Sound Sun Times

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Francois Larouche saw his gigs as a professional guitar player quickly dry up. But thanks to a chance encounter in a Quebec park last summer, Larouche has discovered a new passion in flying kites. “Kite flying has been like a godsend,” Larouche said on Saturday afternoon at […]

When Metis artist Tracey-May Chambers began her #hopeandhealingcanada installations earlier this year, her main goal was about reconnecting as Canada and Ontario began to reopen from the pandemic. Since then her installations have remained symbols of connectivity, but have also become about creating a dialogue about the difficult subjects of past and present racial discrimination […]

One new COVID-19 case was reported in Grey-Bruce on Sunday, in The Town of the Blue Mountains. With the new case, there are 26 active cases in the two counties, according to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s situation report, which includes case counts and vaccine data as of midnight on Saturday. There are 39 active […]

Three new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Grey-Bruce on Saturday. The new cases included two in West Grey and one in Brockton, according to the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s Situation Report, which includes case counts and vaccine data up to midnight on Friday. The health unit is monitoring 54 active high-risk contacts. There are […]

The Bruce Trail stares Karen Holland, a resident of Kimberley in the Beaver Valley, in the face every day. And now the ultra runner has added her name to Bruce Trail lore after she became the first person to run the length of the more than 900-kilometre trail in under nine days. Holland, 34, said […]

A free, six-week construction labourer training program starts Oct. 4 in Wiarton. A two-week work placement follows the training, which is for unemployed and under-employed people who are 18 and older. Anyone living in Grey, Bruce, Huron or Perth counties may apply. The program can accommodate 15 students and some spots remained as of Friday, […]

About 6,000 people in the Owen Sound area don’t have a family doctor, Owen Sound Family Heath Team the executive director Paul Hobban said in an interview this week. About five family doctors are needed right now in the Owen Sound area alone to meet that demand, he said, with each new family doctor taking […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported two new COVID-19 cases on Friday, both in Brockton. There are now 26 active cases among the 2,300 confirmed in Grey-Bruce since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the health unit’s daily situation report, which includes case counts and vaccine data in the 24-hour period prior to midnight […]

Eight more cases of COVID-19 were reported in Grey-Bruce Thursday and seven of the eight people infected were unvaccinated. There were five cases in Arran-Elderslie, and one each in Hanover, Chatsworth and West Grey. Seven cases were reported Monday and single cases were added Tuesday and Wednesday. When asked how the latest eight people were […]

Georgian Bluffs is updating its official plan. Jason Ferrigan and Guarang Khandelwal of J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd. made a presentation to council Wednesday during a special meeting to set the stage for the update. Ferrigan explained that the municipality’s official plan came into effect in 2014 and since that time, much has changed. “I […]

A ceremonial farewell to the Paisley Inn this week included old stories and new promises that a building looking much like the old tavern in its prime will be built in its place. An estimated 100 people attended the evening gathering at the cenotaph Monday, across the road from the three-storey, red-brick Paisley landmark, with […]

A man has been charged with multiple counts of failing to care for animals after police received reports of puppies that appeared to be abandoned throughout Port Elgin. Overnight, Saugeen Shores Police received multiple calls about newly born puppies that appeared to have been abandoned at different locations throughout the town, police said in a […]

Georgian Bluffs is planning to put the Wiarton-Keppel International Airport up for sale. At a special meeting Monday, Georgian Bluffs council voted unanimously to declare the airport surplus to the needs of the municipality and deem the property for sale. “We have had many public meetings on the airport and from every one of the […]

For the second year in a row the Terry Fox Run will be virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But an organizer of the Owen Sound event said that even though people are being encouraged to do the run on their own time in their own location, it is as important as ever to hold […]

Meaford is planning to remain in a partnership with Georgian Bluffs that will see the Inter Township Fire Department continue to provide fire suppression in the western part of the municipality. Meaford council passed a motion Monday during a committee of the whole meeting expressing support for the current ownership structure of the ITFD and […]

A single case of COVID-19 was reported Wednesday by the Grey Bruce Health Unit. The lone case was from Hanover, putting the active case count locally at 17, according to public health’s daily situation report. There are also 83 active high-risk contacts in the region and two Grey-Bruce residents are in a local hospital with […]

For the second Wednesday in a row, the Northern Tornadoes Project has sent a team of investigators to Bruce County to survey damage caused by a severe late-summer storm. David Sills, executive director of the Western University-based NTP, said the team was headed to Cargill, north of Walkerton, as well as Dungannon in neighbouring Huron […]

Police continue to search for a 64-year-old Georgian Bluffs woman reported missing about 9:30 a.m. Monday. Grey Bruce OPP issued a public plea Tuesday for assistance in locating Maryanne Epp, whose disappearance police said is described as out of character. Police had no new details to share about her Wednesday but confirmed they are still […]

With days left until the federal election ends, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound candidates fielded questions in a live-streamed event from downtown Owen Sound Tuesday night. For two hours they answered questions from nine topic areas selected by meeting organizers, plus some emailed in by the public. One about TC Energy’s Meaford pumped-storage plan was the only truly […]

Joan Matthews didn’t go into the Haliburton Forest 100-Miler over the weekend expecting to even finish the gruelling trail race. But the 44-year-old runner from Allenford far exceeded her own expectations, not only completing the 29-hour overnight run through the Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve near Algonquin Park, but finishing fourth overall and first […]

Owen Sound is working on a COVID-19 vaccination policy for council and staff. City council unanimously approved, in a recorded vote Monday, a motion from Mayor Ian Boddy to direct staff to present a report on such a policy, which the resolution says will be designed to protect employees, contractors, volunteers and the public. “There’s […]

Owen Sound council has directed staff to present a first-draft financial blueprint for 2022 with an operating budget increase under 2.5 per cent. It has also asked staff to include in the budget a dedicated one per cent levy increase for capital spending, which would increase tax-supported capital spending to $3.05 million, and allocate all […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported just one new case of COVID-19 on Tuesday. The case was in a resident of The Blue Mountains, according to the health unit’s situation report for the day, which includes case counts and vaccine data in the 24-hour period prior to midnight on Monday. The health unit is now […]

While the unemployment rate for the region that includes Grey and Bruce counties increased from 3.6 per cent in July to 3.9 per cent in August, it remained the lowest among economic regions in Ontario. Between July and August, the labour force in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula economic region decreased by 1,500, while unemployment increased by […]

Grey-Bruce home sales were down in August as supply remained tight, while prices stayed high in the region. Home sales totaled 325 units in August 2021, a decline of close to 19 per cent from August 2020. Sales for the month were just over five per cent below the five-year average and 1.6 per cent […]

Deputy-mayor Brian O’Leary withdrew his motion to request a staff report on how Owen Sound could roll out a paid parking system for non-residents at certain parks and facilities after city officials discovered council had passed a similar directive nine months earlier. “When I did this notice of motion at the last meeting, I had […]

Though Grey-Bruce’s COVID-19 case count grew by seven Monday, overall the area continues to limit the spread of the pandemic virus, the medical officer of health said Monday. Four new cases had been high-risk contacts of people the health unit was following and the other three weren’t high-risk contacts of known cases, Dr. Ian Arra […]

Two local people hit the lottery jackpot, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced late last week. Winston Hawkins, of Flesherton, won $100,000 by matching six of seven Encore numbers in the May 7 Lotto Max draw. He brought the winning ticket at the Bargain Centre in Markdale. Owen Sound resident Leslie Macleod won $100,000 […]

The Nature Conservancy of Canada says it has finalized the purchase of 160 hectares of forest and wetland near Lion’s Head. Called the Britain Lake Wetland and Woodlands property, the new conservation area in Northern Bruce Peninsula connects adjacent protected areas to form a “conservation corridor,” between Britain and Otter lakes, the national not-for-profit land […]

Two new cases of COVID-19 were reported over the weekend in Grey-Bruce. Both were reported Saturday, with one from Southgate and one from Arran-Elderslie. No new cases were reported Sunday. There are now 20 known active cases of the virus and 95 active high-risk contacts in the twin counties, according to the Grey Bruce Health […]

Owen Sound’s Victoria Park wasn’t filled with the sounds of midway rides and games or roars of the demolition derby as is normally the case on the second Saturday of September. But the Owen Sound Agricultural Society still held a few events, including an antique tractor pull and regional 4-H shows, that are traditionally part […]

Drew MacKinnon was at high school on Sept. 11, 2001, when a pair of hijacked commercial airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City. Like most people who were alive on that fateful day, he can recall where he was and what he was doing when he heard […]

The number of high-risk COVID contacts spiked by nearly 50 people in the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s daily COVID-19 update Friday, though just two new confirmed cases were reported. The health unit reported two more COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the number of active cases in both counties to 20. The latest confirmed cases were from […]

In the aftermath of what he calls the worst storm to hit Saugeen Shores in decades, fire Chief Phil Eagleson says the sounds of roaring chainsaws and gas-powered generators filled the air in pretty much every corner of the town. “It was eerie because there were no streetlights on,” he said Friday, three days after […]

Tuesday’s severe storm produced an EF-2 tornado that reached 1.3 kilometres in width and created a 19-km path near Lucknow as well as downbursts that caused destruction in both Port Elgin and Southampton. Those are among the findings of Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project, which sent two teams of investigators to Huron and Bruce counties […]

This is no bull. Chesley’s Big Bruce has outperformed a mammoth cheese, enormous golf bag, giant thimble and even Sudbury’s famous big nickel to be crowned the winner of TVO’s Great Ontario Roadside Attraction Showdown. “We’re pretty happy here in Arran-Elderslie,” Mayor Steve Hammell said Friday. “We became aware of it early in the competition […]

Twelve non-fatal drug overdose reports since Sept. 1 caused the Grey Bruce Health Unit to sound the latest alarm about the damage drugs are doing in Grey-Bruce. Five of the overdoses were in Owen Sound and the others were in Meaford, Southgate, Hanover, Kincardine and South Bruce, said Katie Cuillerier, who recently became manager of […]

SweetWater Music Festival returns for four days starting Sept. 16, with music concerts outdoors, indoors and online. Internationally acclaimed Canadian musicians will perform classical, jazz and contemporary music. There will be mainstage concerts, a special celebration concert and noontime community concerts. “After the great response to our outdoor concerts during SweetWater Surreal in 2020, we obviously wanted […]

More than 150 people took part in a climate march in downtown Owen Sound as part of a national day of action supported by the climate advocacy organization 350.org. The “Canada on Fire” campaign seeks to put politicians’ feet to the fire and advocates for immediate action and policies to ensure existing climate targets are […]

Grey County has officially put an indefinite hold on its project to build a new 128-bed Grey Gables in Markdale. County council approved Thursday the minutes of its Aug. 26 special committee of the whole meeting, which formally confirms a motion – passed in a 50-40 recorded vote during that session – to pause the […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported two new COVID-19 cases Thursday. Both of the newest infections were found in Owen Sound. The health unit’s situation report said there are now 19 active and confirmed cases in the region as well as 30 associated high-risk contacts. Three people with COVID-19 are at a local hospital, while […]

Some call him loud. Others say he’s a good motivator. He’ll tell you he’s a players coach. People want to know all about the Owen Sound Attack’s new head coach, and how he plans to turn the team back into an OHL championship contender. “People always ask me what kind of coach I am, well […]

The Owen Sound North Stars junior B club continues their tour through Grey and Bruce counties with a four-team tournament in Wiarton Saturday. The lacrosse event was originally scheduled to be played outdoors at Cape Croker, but the Chippewas of Nawash have extended their state of emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic to Sept. 30 resulting […]

South Bruce Peninsula now has all the policies in place to launch a program to licence and regulate short-term rentals in the town. Mayor Janice Jackson said the plan is to begin the program Jan. 1, which is also when the town intends to introduce a new four per cent tax for all short-term accommodations. […]

Ontario will do everything possible to keep kids in class throughout the school year, Education Minister Stephen Lecce says. As students at the last major school boards head back to class Thursday, the minister said the province’s top public health doctor believes the improvements in ventilation and other public health measures will ensure schools stay […]

The Grey Bruce Health Unit reported five new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. The newest infections were found in Chatsworth (2), Northern Bruce Peninsula, Saugeen Shores and Owen Sound. The health unit’s situation report notes there are now 18 active and confirmed cases in the region as well as 32 associated high-risk contacts. Three people with COVID-19 […]

Tornado damage survey teams were investigating in western Bruce County Wednesday as cleanup efforts continued in the region following a severe summer storm that blew into Grey-Bruce, toppling and uprooting trees, damaging structures and facilities and knocking out power to thousands. “This was probably a Top 5 event for me in Ontario. I think if […]

The candidates running in the federal riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound wanted to ensure rural voters will pick them as their choice to “fight for farmers” on Tuesday night. The Grey and Bruce federations of agriculture held a virtual all-candidates meeting featuring five of the six confirmed candidates running in the riding. Conservative Alex Ruff, who […]

The Grey Bruce OPP is asking people to stay away from a closed section of Bruce Road 13 north of Southampton while crews clear trees and hydro lines downed in a severe storm Tuesday afternoon. Bruce Road 13 is closed between Pashwood Drive and Eckford Avenue, the OPP said in a news release Wednesday morning. […]

Organizers agree the Denis Bester Memorial Shootout enjoyed a successful second season, running in tandem during the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular. The shootout, which has existed among friends for years, became an official fundraiser in 2020 and raised $20,000 for local charities. The final tally for 2021 is still being added up, but according to […]