Fri Mar 13 – Local News, Top Stories & Weekend Events
News and updates involving MPP Paul Vickers, OSDSS and St Mary's students, Township of Georgian Bluffs, Neyaashiinigmiing, the search for James Van-Veen, City of Owen Sound, and more
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This week’s most-read stories come as no surprise:
As we wrap up for the weekend, we have an update from the Township of Georgian Bluffs, the municipality in which this incident took place.
We asked Ryan Thompson, the township’s CAO, if there is an estimate of costs for this rescue effort. We also asked if Georgian Bluffs might consider trying to recoup costs from this or other rescues, and whether there be a municipal discussion about more formal warnings about thin ice.
“Because this response involved multiple agencies from across the region, we do not have an estimate of the overall cost associated with the rescue,” Thompson responded by email.
“Emergency response is a core public service supported through municipal taxes, and incidents like this demonstrate how well mutual aid agreements work, allowing departments from across the region to provide additional personnel and specialized equipment when it’s needed,” he added.
The Township does not currently have a policy that automatically recovers costs from individuals in situations like this, Thompson noted.
However, he said Georgian Bluffs and Grey County will conduct a debrief following this incident to review the response and identify lessons learned, which will include consideration of cost recovery policies.
We’ll bring you any further information as it’s available.
In the meantime, another important news update should not be overshadowed. James Van-Veen is still missing, and the search continues. You can learn more about those efforts here:
Public Notice
Harrison Park Good Cheer Rink is Closed for the Season - City of Owen Sound
Notice of Tree Maintenance at McCarroll Park - Municipality of Meaford
Localized Flooding on Bruce County Roads - Bruce County
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Today: Students protest rising education expenses and disappearing grants, more info on the AI system being deployed at our local emergency call centre, and the announcement of a new bus service between Toronto and Tobermory this summer.
Miranda Miller
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