May 21 - Local News + A Community Poll
Plus: Do you feel heard? Have your say in our latest community poll on whether the City of Owen Sound's public consultation efforts are effective.
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Perspective
Public consultations are coming fast and furious out of City Hall. The City of Owen Sound is currently seeking input on key updates to its Official Plan, Zoning By-law, and brand-new Urban Design Guidelines—important documents that will help shape how our city grows and develops.
But as the surveys and engagement opportunities via committees multiply, so do the questions about how the public feedback provided is actually being used.
We’re now more than 18 months into the Vision 2050 process, and many residents are still wondering what became of the input shared through that ambitious (and expensive) initiative. To that end, The Owen Sound Current filed a second Freedom of Information request concerning Vision 2050 on May 7, seeking clarity on how this investment of public funds is being handled.
In response, the City issued a preliminary estimate of more than $7,000 in fees to access the 13,057 emails exchanged between City staff and their consultant between November 10, 2024, and May 7, 2025—even after duplicates were removed.
That number raises eyebrows.
For such a volume to be accurate, staff, council, and consultants would have had to have exchanged an average of 73 emails per day, seven days a week, for six straight months. And that’s only one-third the duration of this project.
We’re now awaiting a finalized quote for that FOI.
So, while the City is busier than ever with Service Review, deputations to committees, strategic planning, and community surveys, the question remains: Is all of this extra work for all parties actually more effective? Do you feel heard?
Public Notices
City of Owen Sound’s Community Services Committee meets today, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. On the agenda: Dave Aston of MHBC Planning will present a 38-page discussion paper on the Official Plan Update, Zoning By-law Update and Urban Design Guidelines; a staff report on City fees and charges updates for 2025, and more.
Grey County Council meets on Thursday, May 22, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Grey County Administration Building. The agenda is posted on their website.
Local News
Keep reading for community events, our original reporting, and curated local news updates. Today: a black bear went on an adventure in Owen Sound; proposed changes to Community Services Fees; the City gets an update on provincial legislation on housing and infrastructure; and a lot more. Read on.
~ Miranda Miller, Editor
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