Tues Jan 6 – Local News + Editorial: A Call to Reclaim Owen Sound's DIA
Owen Sound area news and submissions involving West Region OPP, City of Owen Sound, Grey Bruce Farmers Week, Bruce Power, Bruce County Museum, Owen Sound River District, and more
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This morning, we’re publishing a rare editorial from The Owen Sound Current’s founder and publisher, Maryann Thomas, also the longtime owner of Ginger Press Book Shop & Cafe.
In it, she raises serious concerns about the governance of the organization once known as the Downtown Improvement Area (DIA), now rebranded the River District and functioning, for all intents and purposes, as a City Committee.
Maryann argues the organization has drifted far from its original purpose: to represent the downtown businesses and property owners who fund it through a special levy. With more than $273,000 collected this year — and nearly half of it paid to the City of Owen Sound for “free” parking — she’s asking the questions many downtown stakeholders have been quietly raising for years.
In this editorial, Maryann shares the same two proposals she presented to the DIA board and senior city staff in November 2025, designed to restore the DIA's independence and refocus its resources on reviving the heart of our city.
Her piece lays out a clear, urgent case for reform and challenges both the City and the DIA Board to conduct a serious re-examination of how the organization functions, who it answers to, and whether it still represents the people paying for it.
Editorial: A Call to Reclaim the DIA’s Independence & Revive Downtown Owen Sound
EDITORIAL OPINION: In 2026, the organization expects to collect $273,907.21 from property owners within the DIA mandate area like myself, purportedly for the beautification and promotion of our downtown. Given how those funds are being allocated, I have several questions and suggestions for those tasked with the fiscal management of that fund — and a call to action for the DIA and its members.
Keep reading for upcoming events, obituaries, and local news, including:
Results from OPP West Region’s holiday RIDE blitz, including charges laid by Grey Bruce and South Bruce detachments
Charges for an Owen Sound man accused of driving into the oncoming traffic lane on Highway 10
A look ahead at a new textiles and fibres exhibit opening soon
Our new Local Governance section for subscribers: see what’s coming up in municipal politics
Lots more
Miranda Miller
Editor
Local News
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