Fri June 28: Canada Day Activities, Events & Thoughts

Plus: Local news updates from South Bruce OPP, Bruce County Libraries, Grey County Long Term Care, and more.

👋 Welcome to The Owen Sound Current, your source for what’s happening in and around Owen Sound. Community-contributed content is open to free subscribers, while full subscribers get premium content, curated news, local events, and commenting features in these weekday briefs. Thank you for supporting independent local journalism!

---

1. Enthusiastic crowd packed the Historic Leith Church for the Indo-Jazz-Pop-Classical gala opening concert June 22nd - Donna Phillips. 2. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Owen Sound Artists’ Co-op! A great gathering of current and past members as well as patrons and supporters - Maryann Thomas.

Public Notices

• Bruce County Administration Buildings Closed for 2024 Canada Day Long Weekend

• What’s Open & Closed in Owen Sound for Canada Day Weekend

This Weekend In & Around Owen Sound

Owen Sound is gearing up to celebrate Canada Day as part of The Sound Waterfront Festival, a free cultural event taking place at Kelso Beach at Nawash Park today through Monday, July 1.

Kicking off the festivities is the raising of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Joint Chief’s flag at the Gichi-Name Wiikwedong Reconciliation Garden on Friday morning.

See the full schedule of events and get planning your weekend:

Community contributor Nicole Egan has shared a fabulous set of recommendations for exploring Big Bay and Wiarton, too:

As many celebrate Canada Day this weekend, it’s also important to acknowledge the Territory of the Anishinabek Nation: The People of the Three Fires known as Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomie Nations. We further give thanks to the Chippewas of Saugeen, and the Chippewas of Nawash, known collectively as the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, as the traditional keepers of this land.

Territory Map: SaugeenOjibwayNation.ca

We recognize and acknowledge the harm done to First Nations people by colonization and the government of Canada, and that this is not a time of celebration for all. Over 150,000 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families to attend residential schools, where they were given new names, converted to Christianity against their will, and forbidden from speaking their native languages. This is not ancient history; the last of these schools closed in the 1990s.

This is not the only harm done, but one egregious example of it. First Nations people in Canada are disproportionately affected by our prison, policing, and child welfare systems, as well as violence of all kinds, even today.

As we collectively contemplate what it means to be Canadian this holiday weekend, let’s take a balanced and thoughtful look, both back and ahead. This is a time not only for celebration but for acknowledging our many opportunities to do and be better.

Full subscribers – keep reading for your local news headlines. The rest of you will next hear from us on Tuesday morning. Stay safe and enjoy the long weekend!

~ Miranda

P.S. Don’t forget to visit and bookmark OwenSoundCurrent.com. Full subscribers can access local events listings and our entire archive of content on the website.