Two Possible Futures for Owen Sound

This Appears to be where Owen Sound is Headed Today		This is What Owen Sound Looked Like Just a few Years Ago

These two AI-generated images illustrate two very different futures for Owen Sound. One depicts a downtown struggling with open drug use, illegal activity and public disorder. The other shows a vibrant downtown filled with shoppers, activity and community pride.

Unfortunately, you don't have to look far to recognize which direction our downtown has been heading.

Walk through downtown today and you may encounter people incapacitated by drugs in what is commonly called the "Fentanyl Fold," people screaming at passersby’s, and open drug use. Visit the Library and you'll see the growing tent encampment in Jervis Bay Parkette, across the street.

This is not the downtown many of us remember. Banks have locked their after-hours ATM vestibules. Businesses are increasing security. Residents are increasingly uncomfortable shopping and spending time downtown.

We have a serious housing crisis, but we also have a growing problem with public disorder, illegal drug use and the apparent loss of control over public spaces.

How did we get here—and why has City Hall failed to turn things around?

Apparent Double Standard: Who Is the City Choosing to Enforce Its Bylaws Against?

One of the most troubling questions facing Owen Sound is the apparent inconsistency in bylaw enforcement.

Illegal tenting continues in public spaces. Open drug use and public intoxication are visible downtown. Residents and businesses are left wondering whether the City's rules are being enforced at all.

Yet we have witnessed a very different approach in the prosecution of a Georgian College student over an Amazon box found in a municipal garbage bin.

The student has faced a prosecution lasting more than six months, despite questions about the legal basis for the case and opportunities to resolve it earlier.

Meanwhile, residents have reported people scattering their recycling in search of returnable containers—a violation that raises questions about the same bylaw. In response to a complaint, Bylaw Enforcement reportedly explained that officers were too busy dealing with downtown issues to extend enforcement into the community. The City's stated approach to recycling scavengers was education.

Education can be appropriate. But why does the City appear prepared to pursue one resident through a lengthy prosecution while taking a much more accommodating approach to other alleged violations?

And why are residents seeing such limited visible enforcement of the rules governing public spaces downtown?

This is about more than one prosecution. It's about fairness, consistency and whether the City is applying its own rules equally.

If City Hall can pursue a case against a student, residents are entitled to ask why it cannot demonstrate equally clear, consistent and effective enforcement of the bylaws governing illegal tenting and public disorder.

A city cannot restore public confidence if its rules appear optional for some and relentlessly enforced against others.

Eight⁺ Years of Leadership: What Has Changed?

The past two Councils have had years to address the deterioration of downtown Owen Sound. Six (6) candidates, most with more than eight years of Council experience, are now asking residents to return them to office.

During this period, residents have watched municipal costs rise, visible drug use and homelessness become increasingly concerning, businesses adapt to growing security concerns and public confidence in downtown conditions decline.

These are difficult problems, and no single Council is responsible for every cause. But that does not absolve these candidates, who previously sat on council, of their failure to lead, establish priorities, enforce municipal bylaws fairly, work with Grey County and other partners, and protect the accessibility and use of public spaces.

After more than eight years in office, what specifically would these experienced candidates do differently now, if we were to reelect them?

If their approach has not produced the results residents need, why should voters expect another term to produce a different outcome?

Experience matters. But experience should also come with accountability for decisions made, priorities established and results achieved.

New Candidates. New Ideas. New Hope.

This election also offers residents a choice of candidates who have not been part of the Councils presiding over these years of change.

Four candidates in the mayoral race have no previous Council experience. Seventeen candidates for Council are also bringing new perspectives and proposals to the election.

They may not all agree on the causes of Owen Sound's problems or the solutions required. And being new does not automatically make someone a better leader.

But new candidates offer an opportunity to question established practices, reconsider priorities and bring fresh approaches to problems that have persisted for years.

Voters should ask every candidate, incumbent and newcomer alike:

• Illegal tenting: Will you establish and enforce clear rules for camping in public parks and other municipal spaces?
• Open drug use and public disorder: What practical steps will you take to address these problems while connecting people with appropriate services?
• Fair enforcement: How will you ensure that bylaws are enforced consistently, proportionately and without arbitrary exceptions?
• Downtown recovery: What measurable actions will you take to make downtown safer, more accessible and welcoming for residents, shoppers and businesses?
• Accountability: What will you accomplish during your term, and how will residents know whether you have succeeded?

We cannot expect a different future if we are unwilling to question the decisions and practices that helped bring us to the present.

The Future Is in Our Hands

The choice before Owen Sound is not simply between experienced candidates and newcomers. It is between different records, different ideas, different priorities and different approaches to leadership.

Do we want another term of the same leadership and the same approach, or are we prepared to consider candidates offering a different direction?

Do we accept a downtown where illegal tenting, open drug use and public disorder increasingly shape the experience of residents and visitors? Or do we expect City Hall to take a more active, consistent and accountable role in restoring public confidence?

No candidate can promise an easy solution. But every candidate should be prepared to explain what they would do, how they would do it and how they would be held accountable.

Examine the records. Question the promises. Compare the proposals. And don't assume that doing more of the same will produce a different result.

The future of Owen Sound belongs to its residents. This election is your opportunity to help shape it.