City Hosts Facilitated Meeting on Downtown Owen Sound Safety Concerns
At a closed-door meeting convened by the City, business owners raised concerns about safety and responsibility. Key issues were aired, but outcomes remain vague.
The City of Owen Sound hosted a meeting Monday evening on business conditions and public safety in the downtown core, as requested by the Owen Sound Police Board in April. The invitation-only event took place at the Harmony Centre and brought together representatives from local businesses, social service agencies, law enforcement, and City staff for a professionally facilitated discussion.
The Owen Sound Current did not attend the meeting due to conditions placed on media access that were inconsistent with the publication’s reporting standards. As the meeting was not recorded and no official transcript is expected, attendees were invited to share their perspectives through this publication to help inform the public’s understanding of what was discussed.
Participants asked not to be publicly identified, and The Owen Sound Current has chosen to respect their anonymity in order to accurately report on the discussion while protecting individual participants.
According to attendees, the meeting began late, a little after 7:15 p.m., with roughly 100 attendees, including downtown business owners, social service providers, and other community members.
Participants — most seated in a large circle — were first invited to engage in rotating small-group conversations, responding to questions such as: What brought you here tonight?, What’s going well downtown?, and How do the challenges we face as a community impact you?
Later, attendees stood in place to indicate levels of agreement with a series of statements about downtown Owen Sound, ranging from support for social services to optimism about current conditions.
The evening concluded with small group discussions to identify concrete actions the stakeholder group could take. Four official scribes documented the discussion, and the City has indicated a summary report will follow.
Meeting Purpose Shifted from Hearing Business Concerns to Seeking Community Solutions
During the session, participants were asked to stand in response to a series of statements gauging their views on downtown Owen Sound. Responses, according to attendees, were as follows:
“I want Owen Sound’s downtown to be a place where businesses and all people thrive.” — Unanimous strong agreement
“I am satisfied with the status quo in downtown Owen Sound.” — Widespread disagreement
“Conditions in the downtown area are improving.” — More than half agreed (strongly or somewhat); the remainder disagreed
One prompt — “My organization or business has a role to play in projects to improve living and business conditions downtown” — received general agreement.
However, according to one attendee, “some businesses and social services said it’s not their job, they don’t have the training needed, or lack financial capacity.”
What the Owen Sound Police Services Board had requested in April was that the City “convene a meeting with the River District Board, the Chamber of Commerce, and all downtown business owners to discuss current business conditions in downtown Owen Sound.”
That request came in the context of a broader discussion about whether the City’s Nuisance Bylaw could be enforced to support the police service’s renewed commitment to laying charges for open drug use, in keeping with updated national policing guidance.
It remains unclear how or when that request evolved into a session focused on asking business owners to help inform solutions to complex social challenges.
Business Contributions to Downtown Improvements Ongoing
Property owners within the River District—a designated Business Improvement Area (BIA)—pay an additional 2% levy on top of their regular property taxes. In 2025, that amounted to $265,275, up $5,000 from the previous year.
Under Ontario’s BIA model, these levies are intended to fund improvements and economic development initiatives within the district. In Owen Sound, the River District Board sets the budget, which is then reviewed and approved by City Council.
This year, $96,000 of the levy was used to pay the City of Owen Sound for providing "complimentary" downtown parking. Another $94,075 covered salary and related costs for a Marketing Coordinator, a position that was previously co-funded by the City. Of the remaining $75,000, allocations include:
$31,000 for events
$8,000 for sidewalk cleaning and maintenance
$7,500 for flowers
$6,700 for administrative costs
$7,700 for board expenses, including a $5,000 annual celebration
$2,000 for a donation to Citizens on Patrol to support volunteer-based downtown security efforts
These figures illustrate the financial investment already being made by the local business community, even as some participants question whether it's reasonable to expect them to take on further responsibilities without more systemic support.
As one participant noted, “They felt that they had neither the resources nor the wherewithal to find solutions to homelessness and addiction. That is best left to social services and local government.”
Ideas Shared, But No Clear Path Forward
Attendees noted that while the meeting generated a range of ideas — most notably vocal support for a men’s shelter and 24/7 public washrooms — no concrete actions were agreed upon.
“It seems to me we know the problems; there have been quite a few different meetings about them,” one participant said. “Nothing concrete was decided, not even a tentative next meeting date.”
“We know they (a men’s shelter and 24/7 public washrooms) are needed,” they added. “No more talk about them is necessary.”
Another said, “As far as the format and content goes, it was alright, but many held out little hope that the business community could effectively bring about the substantive change that’s needed. The organizers promised to continue the discussion, but offered little in the way of a realistic way forward.”
City Manager Tim Simmonds told the Owen Sound Sun Times on Monday that he believes the meeting was an important engagement exercise.
“I think the important part of last night was hearing from the actual people in the room and not pre-designing something and saying ‘hey, we know best.’ I think we do a good job at what we do, but hearing from those people is important from an engagement perspective,” Simmonds said.
Still, not every business owner was able or willing to participate. For those already stretched by day-to-day operations, attending another meeting posed a challenge. One services-based business owner told The Owen Sound Current they declined the invitation, saying, “Who has the time for this?”
They added that the problems are already well-known, and that attending another meeting to talk about them doesn’t help keep their business running.
Another invitee who did not attend told us, “It’s just so contrived and has little room for any kind of broader discussion. I thought the issue was safety concerns. Now it looks like an economic development and marketing exercise.”
“Very disappointing, I am sure, to many folks,” they added.
A meeting summary outlining key themes, participant feedback, and any proposed next steps from the meeting is expected to be presented to Council in September.
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Good on OS Police Services for recognizing this issue as a community issue -and OS staff for responding and holding this forum. It is complex and requires decisive action by all support services , particularly the city’s own bylaw enforcement.
I was unable to attend- however - from some conversations w a few small business owners that attended- the evening was quite uneventful , lacked focus on the issue of open drug use, safety of citizens visiting the downtown , enforcement plans of city bylaw department and lack of enforcement of property standards downtown along with need for increased lighting to enhance community safety , location of used needle receptacles , location and target date for installation of 24 hour public washroom.
One thing I do not understand is the governance , funding and management of Safe n Sound. If this group receives any public money from Grey County ( I understand approx $140,000.00) why is there no accountability and/ or representation by way of OS Mayor & Deputy Mayor- as Owen Sounds county representatives. The crisis has passed , yet , there is still no plan of action from city leadership to partner and support OS police and community support services to ensure downtown is safe for all people. The board of Directors of Safe n Sound would benefit greatly ( and the residents of OS) with mayor / deputy mayor as active members on their board of directors at this critical time.
As a citizen I have met with Safe n Sound management - unfortunately my offer to volunteer was rejected with no response. This is concerning and speaks to the need for transparency and accountability.
The issue is here - now-
on Owen Sounds streets , negatively affecting our small business community, our visitor numbers , our perception of a safe and proactive community. Inaction and lack of accountability combined with inaction on behalf of council continues to drift - while small businesses struggle in an increasingly complex environment locally . An action plan with target dates and perhaps some real discussion around a facility to house all services , overnight shelter , support services and Oshare would be a start . What is needed is some leadership .
The meeting hosted by the City of Owen Sound was facilitated by Joel Pennington based on a community engagement model with 4 steps; respect, connect, reflect and direct. The facilitator's goal for the evening was “for participants to leave the meeting desiring more formal and informal dialogue to build collaborative relationships to address complex challenges.”
From what I have heard and read that goal was met. Hard topics were addressed in a collaborative and respectful manner and a sense of working together with the city was evident. There was no expectation that a 2 hour meeting would solve downtown's problems. Social agencies, businesses and people downtown are concerned about homelessness and drug issues and actively advocate for more supports. Some tangible suggestions such as downtown bathrooms, a men's shelter and a campaign to show a thriving downtown were shared. There is an openness to ongoing discussions and a report will come back to council in September.
I have faith in the capacity of people, in the community I am grateful to call home, to find positive paths forward.