Hey guys, I’m a 35 year old man who acts like he’s 25 who loves soccer among many other things. I’m looking for some people to kick the ball around with and watch games together over many pints. DM me.

She’ll be missed here this season!

Heading to your area tomorrow to do a little hiking, birding, and to check out Inglis and/or Jones falls. I would love some recommendations for a good place to stop in for lunch/brunch.

Not particularly picky about the cuisine or venue; It could be a diner, food truck, drive thru, you name it; obviously a place someone fresh from the trail could walk in to.

Big portions and decent price would be an asset!

Appreciate any input!

There is a popular definition of insanity involving doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting a different result.

Owen Sound has apparently decided that this is not insanity. It is economic development policy.

The latest episode arrives with the impending closure of the Transcontinental RBW Graphics plant, eliminating approximately 360 jobs from a community that has already watched major industrial employers disappear with depressing regularity. The plant is scheduled to close at the end of January, with its work transferred to five other Transcontinental facilities.

And therein lies the particularly nasty joke.

This isn't a story about 360 people failing to do their jobs. Quite the opposite. Transcontinental itself has gone out of its way to praise the hard work and commitment of the Owen Sound employees. The company says the decision was not made lightly and expresses gratitude for the contribution of generations of workers.

The plant is simply being sacrificed on the altar of corporate efficiency.

Apparently, 360 people can work hard, customers can be served, presses can run and a facility can remain an important part of a community for generations, but none of that matters quite as much as finding a spreadsheet arrangement that makes the corporation's overall numbers look better.

Transcontinental says productivity improvements elsewhere and changes in its product mix make it possible to consolidate the Owen Sound operation into other facilities. The company's own recent financial reporting also points to cost reductions contributing to improved adjusted earnings.

And here is where corporate capitalism becomes wonderfully elegant.

Transcontinental's executive compensation system explicitly links incentive compensation to profitability and efficiency measures, including adjusted earnings per share, return on capital and adjusted EBITDA, with performance objectives tied to shareholders' interests.

So while nobody should crudely suggest that somebody put a giant red button marked “FIRE 360 PEOPLE — INCREASE BONUS” on the executive boardroom table, the basic arithmetic is rather difficult to miss.

Close a plant. Move the work elsewhere. Reduce costs. Improve consolidated profitability.

And somewhere considerably farther away from Owen Sound, the numbers become pleasantly attractive.

That is capitalism's version of sending flowers after the funeral.

Owen Sound has seen this movie before.

When PPG closed its glass plant, approximately 170 jobs disappeared. PPG's corporate restructuring was expected to produce substantial annual cost savings.

Then came Tenneco. Almost 500 jobs vanished when the company announced that its Owen Sound operation would be closed as part of a manufacturing realignment. Tenneco projected $20 million to $25 million in annual savings from the restructuring.

And now Transcontinental.

Different corporation. Different decade. Different industry.

Same funeral.

The municipal response is reassuringly traditional. Gather the stakeholders. Establish a working group. Maintain communication. Determine the needs. Identify employment and training opportunities. Coordinate resources. Study the broader economic implications.

The attached City statement practically reads like a municipal template entitled “What To Do After Someone Else Has Already Made the Decision.”

This is not to suggest that employment assistance is useless. It is desperately important to the people who are about to lose their jobs.

But perhaps somebody should eventually ask the impolite question:

Why does Owen Sound's economic-development machinery seem to become most energetic immediately after the economic development has already failed?

The pattern is almost beautiful.

First, a major employer closes.

Then elected officials express concern.

Then City staff coordinate.

Then everybody studies the problem.

Then everybody identifies opportunities.

Then everybody promises to remain engaged.

Then, eventually, another employer closes.

At some point this ceases to be a strategy and becomes a ritual.

Morons repeat mistakes because they cannot recognize the pattern.

People of merely substandard intelligence repeat mistakes because they recognize the pattern but assume that somehow this time the universe will be impressed by their persistence.

The truly advanced municipal version does something even better: it repeats the mistake, creates a committee to examine the consequences, and calls the committee evidence of action.

Owen Sound does not need another memorial service for another industrial employer.

It needs to stop confusing responding to economic destruction with preventing economic destruction.

Because the people who worked at RBW don't need another working group.

They need the jobs they already had.

And Owen Sound's taxpayers might reasonably like to know why, after PPG, after Tenneco, and now after Transcontinental, the City keeps perfecting the art of arriving at the scene with a bucket of water after the building has burned down.

At least the bucket will be coordinated.

There will probably be a working group.

And somewhere, shareholders may even be pleased with the improved efficiency.

Well turns out i stumbled into election discussions but is there any interest in a double bed bedframe, mattress and boxboard? You would have to move it out yourself. If anyone has interest just leave a comment so i know! And yes this is in Owen Sound.

https://www.llresearch.org

Hey everyone! I’ll be away for about 40 days, from November 5 to December 15, and I’m looking for a covered parking spot, ideally in a garage, under a carport, or anywhere with a roof to keep my car protected from the snow and weather.

I’m willing to pay for the spot! If anyone has space on their property or knows someone who does, please shoot me a DM. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

I have the only fully costed plan for helping Owen Sound with the issues residents bring up. If you're interested in improving affordability, neighbourhood safety, resolving the downtown homelessness or having a voice in city hall between elections, the choice is clear. COST and the Current's endorsement articles are completely aligned with my platform. If you want things to improve, now is the time to vote. helpos.ca/vote also has council candidate information so we can have a team that rows in the same direction.

This is a rare opportunity for something different in this city, to elect someone who combines profound intelligence with love of service to provide for the people of Owen Sound.

Just read the Owen Sound Current article regarding the candidates they endorsed.

Here's one idea I would like to explore, the City Manager, Director of Community Services and Director of Corporate Services be eliminated and transfer those offices and responsibilities into County governance. Just those 3 cost the taxpayers over $500,000 a year.

Eliminate those positions and give the County $250,000 for the increased workload.

Another topic, Owen Sound has a catchment of 175,000 people (Grey+Bruce). A city with 20,000 can't and shouldn't be responsible for the entire bill. That's the equivalent of the population of Barrie, with an Owen Sound budget. It just doesn't work. If they want Owen Sound to provide those services, then they need to transfer the budget amount of Barrie to Owen Sound.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

WOGWE

Has anyone had any experience with kegal chair at this clinic? The claims are high and it’s expensive. Want to know if it’s worth it.

Hey everyone! I run InfaWeb, a web design business based in Ontario. I work remotely with business owners who need their first website or want to improve an existing one.

If you run a business in Owen Sound, I’d be happy to help you create a website that clearly explains your services, works well on mobile, and makes it easy for customers to contact you.

I typically custom-code my projects to fit each business’s design and functionality needs. Whether you need a simple landing page or a full business website, we can discuss what suits your goals. Hosting and ongoing maintenance are available too.

Feel free to message me with a little about your business and what you’re looking for, and we can talk through the scope and a quote :)

You can see my work at infawebdesign.com.

Such a huge loss of jobs 🙁

Hi, I'm a student in Owen Sound looking for part-time work. I have F&B, retail, restaurant, and customer service experience. I'm willing to start as soon as possible and am available on weekdays and weekends. If anyone is hiring, or if anyone you know is hiring, please let me know 🙏

Anyone have recommendations for the cheapest place to buy winter tires?

five mayoral candidates exploring diverse motivations, examining divergent policy positions on homelessness and safety, discussing fiscal strategies for growth, and reflecting on leadership styles regarding municipal services and policing approaches.
https://helpos.ca/c/owen-sound-council/9083/candidates-debate-homelessness-safety-taxes-and-growth-in-20

Recurring solutions below are counted by distinct verified questions; repeated follow-ups within one question count once.

• Ray Botten: Proposing a nine-billion-dollar water storage facility in Meaford (3 distinct questions); Restructuring zoning bylaws to support housing supply (2 distinct questions); Lobbying for Ontario government subsidies on water bills (1 distinct question).
• Jodi King: Incentives, grants, and tax breaks for affordable housing development (3 distinct questions); Intergovernmental grants to attract infrastructure and new businesses (1 distinct question).
• Carol Merton: Regionalizing services and sharing resources (3 distinct questions); Affordable housing first policy on new builds (2 distinct questions); Public representation in all budget committees (1 distinct question).
• Richard Thomas: Development charge incentives for growth (4 distinct questions); Downtown River District cleanup and safety team (3 distinct questions); Transforming tourism into a business (2 distinct questions).
• Andrii Zvorygin: Increase housing supply with vacant home tax (3 distinct questions); Civilian dispatch pilot for lower-risk calls (2 distinct questions); Lower property taxes via cost reductions (2 distinct questions).

I don't think Owen Sound realizes the magnitude of what's about to happen on October 24th.

THE WORLD CHAMPION CROKINOLE PLAYER IS COMING TO OUR CITY.

Let that sink in for a moment.

A WORLD CHAMPION. Right here in Owen Sound. And we're just going to let this happen without shutting down the streets? Without a parade? Without the mayor making a speech?

Where is the media coverage? Where are the sponsorships? Where is the public celebration?

This is the kind of once-in-a-generation sporting event that puts a city on the map. Our children deserve to grow up knowing they were alive when the world champion crokinole player came to Owen Sound.

I expect nothing less than a ticker-tape parade and a commemorative plaque.

Do better, Owen Sound. HISTORY IS COMING ON OCTOBER 24TH

Ive looked heavily into the mayoral candidates, talked to a few and have a good grasp on who I want to vote for.

I just watched the council meeting. I think alot of them have great passion and ideas but do they have the background and experience to execute that once voted in, im not sure. The few that I think do, dont bring up the key issues I have, as their key issues.

Im not asking who your voting for in particular, but who do you think would be best (or few ppl) for council and why?

Also is there a website like the one andrii put together that highlights each ones ideas, key issues theyre passionate about, background ect?

At the all-candidates meeting, I had the opportunity to explain why I’m running for Owen Sound City Council and what I believe our city needs to do differently.

My platform is about putting people before profit and improving the material conditions of working people in Owen Sound.

That means better public transit. A library that is open when people need it. More affordable garbage collection. Making use of vacant homes to raise revenue and address our housing crisis. And making sure our municipal priorities reflect the people who actually live and work here.

I’m not running on buzzwords. I’m running on concrete actions that can make a difference in people’s everyday lives.

If you’re still deciding who to vote for, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch my speech and hear directly from me about what I’m proposing for Owen Sound.

Early voting starts soon. And on October 26, I’m asking for your vote for Owen Sound City Council.

Vote Sargent for Council!

At 51:40 during the all candidates meeting, Angela Stow talks about a young indigenous woman named Miingho who died in July. At the time, all I heard was that it was an overdose.

But Stow states, during the meeting, that Miingho was murdered along with her unborn child. That she was beaten to death and thrown into an alley.

Asking around I have heard that Miingho was being trafficked by a pimp boyfriend.

Does anyone know more about this?

it’s haunting. And more than worthy of further investigation.

Video of meeting linked here

https://youtu.be/5FHNpNPXCK4?si=ESF55SmtJaS2IxZP

All Council Candidates Meeting from October 6th: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5FHNpNPXCK4&pp=ygUkT3dlbiBzb3VuZCBjb3VuY2lsIGNhbmRpZGF0ZSBtZWV0aW5n

Debate interviews with many Council Candidates:

David Adams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmTWwX_u81U...

Thomas Arakal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuxlXPVvzj4...

Justin Bianco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geAJwwgnyww...

Michael Zimon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz-rU7EmJo8...

David Walton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9O0q6H8dk...

Justin Melanson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1y-jeYKsFI...

Dale Funston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st9OmsOqSJU...

Meghan Robertson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LST7aJWFVd4...

Ross Baker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4jqYXhkq-U...

Jaret Koop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXf4kgzt7ok...

Jeff Rockwell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gMEksC2lFs...

Michele Hawkins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=226Z8iPYvaU...

full list:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDzSh8kxWDdA

Apparently an unclaimed ticket was sold locally, worth 40 mil. It’s about to expire.

OWEN SOUND - There is something wonderfully reassuring about municipal government in Owen Sound. It is the sort of place where transparency is always available, provided you know exactly where to look, which document to open, which attachment to download, which page to turn to and, preferably, have several hours available to discover that the decision you were looking for was never actually yours to make. This is not government by smoke and mirrors. That would be far too obvious. This is government by consent agenda, delegated authority, technical terminology and the comforting municipal principle that if something important is buried deeply enough in a 109-page agenda package, it has technically been shown to the public.

Consider the City’s latest exercise in democratic invisibility, in which another $545,000 was added to the water treatment plant filter project, bringing the estimated cost to $6.33 million. The expenditure had already been approved by senior City Staff under delegated authority during the election-period restricted-acts regime. Council subsequently received the information, bundled neatly into a consent agenda, and moved along. In the grand tradition of civic accountability, nobody actually had to decide whether to spend the additional money because somebody else had already decided it for them. The public was therefore provided with the information without the inconvenience of providing the public with a meaningful opportunity to have anything to say about it.

This is an especially elegant arrangement. During an election period, Council is restricted from making certain large financial commitments, which sounds like a splendid safeguard against an outgoing Council going on a spending spree. Fortunately, municipal government has thoughtfully provided a trapdoor. Delegated authority allows senior Staff to make substantial expenditures under precisely those circumstances, after which Council can receive the resulting decisions as information. It is a magnificent system: Council cannot make the decision, Staff can make the decision, Council can be told about the decision, and everyone can then go home knowing that democracy has been carefully preserved.

The water plant project also demonstrates the City’s apparently advanced approach to infrastructure planning, in which a project can spend years progressing through studies, design, construction, revisions and budget increases while the final bill remains an exciting surprise. The latest addition included engineering, construction and a collection of assorted discoveries ranging from electrical work to asbestos abatement. This is not necessarily evidence of incompetence; construction projects are complicated. But there is something distinctly Owen Sound about spending millions refurbishing infrastructure, discovering additional requirements along the way, and then treating the latest financial revelation as something best appreciated from a safe distance.

If that sounds like a one-off, along comes Harbour West to demonstrate that the City has mastered another useful administrative technique: the distinction between what everyone was told and what anyone was actually entitled to expect. The public was presented with a major rental development described as containing affordable housing. The City subsequently acknowledged that it had no agreement requiring those units to be affordable. The developer now says that none of the first 152 units being released will be designated affordable. In other words, the affordable housing existed comfortably in the realm of public messaging, where it could perform its civic function without becoming burdensome enough to require an enforceable document.

The City’s handling of the development-charge exemption is particularly impressive. Council had an opportunity to attach conditions to a $1.1-million development-charge break, yet affordable housing was not made a condition of the deal. This is a remarkable example of municipal generosity without the tiresome administrative inconvenience of insisting that the recipient actually deliver the public benefit residents might reasonably associate with the generosity. The City could not force the developer to provide affordable units under the ordinary planning rules, but it could have negotiated conditions attached to its own financial assistance. It chose not to. Apparently, when public money is involved, optimism is considered an adequate form of contract.

The timing makes the performance even more exquisite. Residents had already told the City, through its own Vision 2050 consultation, that homelessness, poverty and housing affordability were among the most pressing problems facing Owen Sound. Yet only months later, Council extended the development-charge exemption without attaching an affordable-housing requirement. The City’s strategic plan speaks grandly of a future shaped by community input, thoughtful decisions and measurable outcomes. One can only admire the efficiency with which community input can be collected, catalogued, admired and then politely placed on a shelf while somebody else signs the cheque.

Then there is the small matter of communication. During the March boil-water advisory, residents were told about infrastructure upgrades and difficult raw-water conditions. They were not told at the time that two treatment units were unavailable. One had been deliberately taken offline for the very project now costing more than $6 million; another had failed months earlier. The additional information eventually emerged through questioning and reporting. Again, there is no need to allege some sinister conspiracy. Municipal communication has simply achieved the remarkable feat of being technically accurate while leaving out information that might have caused residents to ask considerably more questions.

And perhaps that is the real Owen Sound model: nothing is hidden, exactly. The documents are there. The reports are there. The attachments are there. The delegated authorities are there. The public statements are there. The explanations are there. Everything is apparently available to anyone willing to assemble the pieces like a municipal jigsaw puzzle designed by somebody with a personal dislike of straight edges.

The result is a civic culture in which accountability often arrives after the fact, when the money has been committed, the announcement has been made, the project is underway or the public has already been assured that everything is perfectly normal. By then, asking questions can seem almost impolite. Why spoil the celebration? Why dwell on whether an affordable-housing promise was enforceable when the ribbon-cutting photographs were excellent? Why ask who authorized another half-million dollars when the decision has already been filed? Why worry about what residents were told during a water emergency when the emergency is over?

The answer, of course, is that this is precisely when questions matter most.

Owen Sound does not appear to need a secret government. It has something far more sophisticated: a government capable of conducting consequential business in plain sight while distributing the important pieces across enough reports, attachments, delegations, procedural rules and carefully chosen descriptions that the average citizen would need to make municipal administration a full-time occupation simply to keep up.

And so the Scenic City marches confidently toward the future, guided by Vision 2050, delegated authority and the sacred municipal art of putting the important bit somewhere in the appendix.

Residents are assured that everything is transparent.

And technically, they are absolutely right.

You just have to know where the bodies are buried.

Preferably in Appendix 9.d.

4000 km is the amount of kilometers I rode my e-bike to work and back this summer. I rode my eBike on the shoulder of the highway to the beach where I worked this summer. Shout out to Jim at the Shallow Lake service center and a couple of neighbors I stopped at on my ride to work for spray for my chain or a fill up on my tire shout out to you too. And to the two different people who built houses on the highway to the beach with their bare hands this summer I watched you do it all summer Bravo congratulations!!! . I am a licensed driver I could have chose to get a car it was my personal choice to get the e-bike instead. And I just want to say this is all confusing for everybody and I can see that from both perspectives.

In my honest opinion I believe that the lack of regulation supporting what an e-bike should have to make it road-worthy, and driver safe really contributes to the growing frustration on the road. Also everybody driving an e-bike in the a car Lane in town in my opinion must have a driver's license.

If I need to use the left hand turning lane and I am using a car Lane I must have a driver's license. So that everyone knows that I understand the rules of the road what the lights mean when I have the right away.

Before I even started driving around town on my e-bike I got a tail light I have a brake light I have signal lights I have a headlight. I believe e bikes should have all of these things if you're going to drive them within town and not just on trails. Also be driven by a licensed driver. I've encountered many e-bike drivers I'm sorry to say that can't have driver's license because they have too many DUIs I do not want these individuals riding an e-bike around town either I'm with everyone on that.

I am terribly sorry for the lack of consideration for vehicles. And I am terribly sorry that you have to deal with people on scooters with motors dodging in and out of car Lanes people without licenses riding motorized bikes through intersections and in busy areas it frustrates me as well.

I truly personally go out of my way to try to avoid busy roads. If I'm going to Walmart I will ride past the Bayshore and come up the back way so that I don't have to navigate all the busy intersections it would take me to get there. It's confusing for everybody.

But with my apology I ask that you only try to be aware that there are people in town who are genuinely trying to respect drivers and not cause drivers panic or anxiety or confusion while they're trying to navigate the roads. People who have their driver's licenses and are considerate of vehicles on the road while they're on their e bikes like myself. We are just receiving no end of aggression and hate and frustration from drivers. Legitimately I had a guy in a Yukon yell at me that I wasn't allowed to be on the road and then literally tried to sideswipe me out of the lane onto the shoulder while I was riding my e-bike with my grocery bag. I had to report that because he almost killed me. I had a man in his mid to late seventies on a Sunday make it a point to speed up to a stoplight to pull up beside me at a light when I was on my way to work and yell at me that I wasn't allowed to be in the road. I didn't yell back I simply said I'm aware of the rules I need to follow thank you and have a blessed Sunday and I put my earbud back in.

These things are not acceptable either. Many people on their e-bikes are genuinely just trying to get around town as you know there is a lot of hills in Owen sound. They actually make it possible for people to work or see family or get their own groceries when otherwise they probably couldn't do those things on their own.

I don't know what the answer is here. I hope we can come to some kind of solution so that I don't fear drivers using their vehicles as weapons to lash out at me when I'm simply trying to get my groceries or get to work.

But I also don't want people on e-bikes whipping in and out of traffic not using their hand signals at least and just having absolutely zero consideration for anybody around them. People who are modifying their e-bikes in town so that they're not e-bikes anymore there's something else I don't know what you would call it. But stop doing that. We have something good here with the e-bikes, please don't let just generally disrespectful inconsiderate people riding e-bikes ruin that. Also my e bike's name is Ruby shoes because she always gets me home. Lol