City of Owen Sound Shifts Focus of Downtown Safety Meeting and Imposes Conditions on Media Access

Business concerns sparked the meeting—now it’s invite-only, media are restricted, and the City’s reframing raises doubts about whether business owners' concerns will truly be heard.

The City of Owen Sound has invited local media to attend a meeting on downtown safety and business conditions—particularly concerning open drug use—on the condition that journalists RSVP in advance and agree to participate “as community stakeholders rather than in a strictly reporting capacity.”

Media have also been asked to “honour any requests for conf…