September 11 Meeting Highlights

Grey County Council met September 11, 2025 in the Grey County Council Chamber and virtually on Zoom. The meeting was immediately followed by a session of Committee of the Whole. A recording of the meeting can be found on the Grey County YouTube Channel.

County Council

• Council accepted the minutes of the August 14 Grey County Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.  Council   Committee
• Council received the minutes of the June 27 Board of Health meeting.  Minutes

Committee of the Whole

• Council received a delegation from Brightshores Health Systems and the Brightshores Hospital Foundation. Delegates thanked the County for previous support of the Wellness and Recovery Centre in Owen Sound and shared some positive statistics of the impact of these new services after one year of operating. The facility has been at 100% occupancy since opening and 202 clients have completed their treatment plans, including 31 clients who were experiencing homelessness and are now transitioned into stable housing. Brightshores Health Systems President and CAO, Ann Ford, thanked Council for past support and invited Grey County to participate in upcoming strategic planning.   Presentation
• Council approved the minutes of the August 7 Planning and Economic Development Advisory Committee meeting. At this meeting the committee heard an update from the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurial Centre speaking to the first year of the partnership with Grey County at Sydenham Campus. The meeting also included a strategic progress report, a report from the season’s tourism summer students, and a roundtable discussion of sector trends and challenges.  Minutes
• Council accepted the minutes of the September 7 meeting of the Agricultural Advisory Committee. At the meeting the committee discussed the results of public engagement on wildlife management by-laws relating to beavers and coyotes. Feedback was varied from the public and interest holders and staff highlighted a need for more education around the issues wildlife can cause for the agricultural community, and more education about mitigation methods beyond trapping and hunting. The committee had a roundtable discussion about agricultural sector trends and challenges.  Minutes
• Council received the 2026 paramedic services response time plan. The same service level targets will be set for 2026 as 2025. Grey County met or exceeded all response time targets in 2024. In the first half of 2025, call volumes have risen by 8% compared to the same period in 2024. Patient call volumes have risen nearly 30% over the past five years.  Report
• The Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board is working towards building a new secondary school on the east end of Owen Sound along Grey Road 5. As part of the plans, a new roadway will be needed, which will create a new three-way intersection on Grey Road 5. Council supported a request from the MTO to prohibit any future expansion of the new intersection that would create a new road to the east. Further, Council discussed expected road enhancements needed on this stretch to support the new school and voted to direct staff to move forward with plans to design the road for an 80 kmph speed limit and to bring back a staff report regarding the potential reduction of the speed limit to 60 kmph.   Report
• Council ratified a new collective agreement with Unifor Local 302 staff at Rockwood Terrace, Grey County’s long-term care home in Durham.  Report
• Council received a report on a new optional Affordable Rental Housing Subclass that was introduced by the province in the spring 2025 budget. The changes allow municipalities to adopt a tax reduction for eligible units of up to 35% of the New Multi-Residential rate. One non-profit housing provider in Owen Sound has expressed an interest for this subclass to be adopted.  Report
• Council approved moving forward with roof repairs at the Grey County Administration building. Grey County will work with Garland Canada to preserve the existing warranty on the roof. Garland Canada has advised Grey County the current repairs, quoted to be at least $250,000, are not covered by warranty and will be funded by the 2025 surplus and Administrative Properties Reserve.  Report

The Clerk’s Department maintains the official records for Grey County. This publication is intended to provide meeting highlights only. For official records, please refer to the meeting minutes, or contact the Clerk’s Department at 1-800-567-4739.