Renewed OPP Search Underway for Missing Man at Inglis Falls Conservation Area
OPP have resumed active search efforts for missing Georgian Bluffs man James Van-Veen at Inglis Falls, deploying specialized units after a winter pause.
Ontario Provincial Police have resumed active search efforts for missing Georgian Bluffs man James Van-Veen, returning to the Inglis Falls Conservation Area with a large, multi-unit operation after weeks of limited activity due to hazardous winter conditions.
Police say the renewed search began this morning and includes a significant deployment of specialized units, including the OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT), Canine Unit, Aviation Services, and the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. Crews are focusing on trail systems, escarpment terrain, and surrounding areas within the Inglis Falls Conservation Area.
Grey Sauble Conservation Authority announced mid-afternoon Tuesday, March 24, that the Inglis Falls CA would be closed for “an OPP operation,” leading community members to speculate as to whether Van-Veen had been found.
To support the operation, the conservation area parking lot has been closed to the public to allow for the establishment of a command post. Police are asking residents and visitors to avoid the area so search teams can operate safely and without interruption.
Van-Veen was reported missing after failing to report to work on Monday, January 26, 2026. It was determined that he’d last been seen around 4:00 a.m. dressed in dark overalls, a high-visibility orange sweater, and steel-toed work boots.
Later that morning, his vehicle was found parked at the Inglis Falls Conservation Area — a location known to be personally significant to him — prompting an immediate and extensive search.
Police appealed for any information that might help locate the slim man with grey hair, brown eyes and glasses.
In the days that followed, Grey Bruce OPP deployed multiple specialized units, including the Emergency Response Team, Canine Unit, Aviation Services, and the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.
Crews searched steep escarpment terrain, wooded areas, trails, and riverbanks surrounding Inglis Falls and along the Sydenham River.
That intensive search effort continued for five days before being suspended on February 2, when police cited dangerous winter conditions — including deep snow, unstable ice, and hazardous terrain — that made it unsafe for crews to continue.
While the formal search was paused, the investigation remained active.
In the weeks that followed, volunteers — including members of Please Bring Me Home — continued daily search efforts in the area, regularly checking the river and surrounding terrain and organizing coordinated searches when conditions allowed.
As winter conditions began to ease, search activity expanded again. In early March, an OPP helicopter was observed flying low along the Sydenham River through Owen Sound, scanning open sections of water as the spring thaw began to expose areas that had previously been inaccessible.
Nick Oldrieve, founder of Please Bring Me Home, said the group had a specialized drone coming from Oakville on Wednesday to continue the search. That was called off due to the enhanced OPP search and conservation area closure, though Oldrieve said they will reschedule their effort for this weekend.
Police have continue to ask the public for assistance throughout, including requests for dashcam, trail camera, or surveillance footage from the area around the time of Van-Veen’s disappearance.
The closure of Inglis Falls Conservation Area for a police operation marked a significant development in a case that has remained centred on the same location for nearly two months.
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