Fri Dec 29: Thank You for Supporting the Owen Sound Current in 2023!

Plus: Brightshores Signage Updated; Georgian Bluffs Expands Compost Program

As we package up this final edition of 2023, Maryann and I want to share an enormous “Thank you!” to all Owen Sound Current readers, columnists, and supporters of the Writers’ Fund.

Thank you for cheering us on and inspiring us to give this new local publication a try.

Thank you for sharing our articles on your social channels and recommending our publication to friends.

Thank you for submitting your stories, news tips, events listings, and feedback. All of you are precisely what makes a community-based publication tick!

Like you, we believe that independent, locally-based media is essential for a healthy community. We are grateful for your confidence and support.

Now, I’m not sending this to our publisher before publication… she really doesn’t like to toot her own horn. But I’ve never met anyone else this whole world over who is as passionate about and effective at curating community voices as Maryann Thomas.

From day one, Maryann’s vision for The Owen Sound Current was to create a place to gather locally relevant info and amplify local voices that deserve to be heard. It has been a privilege and an honour to work on that mission alongside her, and by extension with all of you.

And we’re just getting started!

Already, we’ve built a great roster of Community Columnists, including master gardener Jennifer Deeks, outgoing Owen Sound Poet Laureate Richard-Yves Sitoski, and outdoor enthusiast Britt Kascjak, each of whom receives compensation for their writing thanks to the patronage of our community sponsors.

We’re getting thoughtful, informative submissions and Letters to the Editor, like this one from Lloyd Lewis challenging us to do better at urban planning, and this one from Bob Hope on the ethics of natural burial.

We’re getting access to groups and people in our community you may not hear from otherwise – the Young Field Naturalists, non-profit initiatives like Eat Local Grey Bruce, young moms seeking connection and support, and Student Trustees who take us inside schools to see what youth are up to.

We’re digging into the issues you say matter to you. We’re asking the questions we hear the community saying you want answered, too.

Why hasn’t City Council discussed the Hutton Report in open session, and what do they plan to do about its findings?

How can we improve public transportation and fix our broken taxi system?

What factors were truly behind local vets shutting down after-hours emergency services?

We won’t stop asking until we have definitive answers and justice: What happened to Sharif?

If you rely on social media to get your news, you may miss out on articles like these as we continue curating community stories and uncovering what’s really going on in Owen Sound.

Ensure you’ve subscribed, and if you haven’t taken the leap yet, consider upgrading to the full subscription. That gives you access to everything in our archives, premium content as it’s released, the ability to comment on articles and be part of the conversation, plus all content in our weekday news brief delivered straight to your inbox.

Local journalism takes time, resources, and dedication, and it’s just not possible without subscribers like you invested in the cause.

I look to 2024 with gratitude for this opportunity and great excitement for what comes next. Have something to share? Email us at owensoundcurrenteditor@gmail.com. The Owen Sound Current is a space for you to share, be heard, and have an impact on our community.

~ Miranda