One-Sentence Summary

Council heard Professor Emeritus Ron Stagg depute regarding Ryerson Park renaming, reviewed Chief Ambrose’s revised budget adjustments reducing increases from $749 to $723, and addressed the motion directing staff to prepare a community ambassador award report by 2026.

Whole Meeting Summary

Professor Emeritus Ron Stagg deputed regarding the renaming of Ryerson Park to defend against false claims linking Edward Ryerson to residential schools and argued any decision must be based on misinformation rather than historical fact while asserting that Edward Ryerson was a real person regardless of how his legacy is interpreted. Speaker 01 provided a verbal report stating that Grey County Council convened an online meeting featuring a late agenda before dissolving the Budget and Finance Committee for the upcoming fiscal year. Final approvals were issued by City Council for illumination requests submitted under the Safe & Sound and Grey-Bruce Coldest Night of the Year programs as part of items 11A to 11F on the consent agenda. Speaker 04 reported regarding a consent agenda item where final approvals were issued for business licences, noting that revised 2026 draft budget adjustments reduced an anticipated increase from seven hundred forty-nine dollars to seven hundred twenty-three dollars based on known actuals before submission to City Council. The committee approved renaming Ryerson Park due to lack of historical ties to Egerton Ryerson, ratified a vendor lease agreement for a sanitizer vending machine at the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Center with full operator liability assumption, and recommended funding a commemorative tree planting based on requesters. The committee unanimously agreed that general rate taxpayers should not subsidize non-compliant entities concerning meter replacement and infrastructure installation costs, establishing a clear fiscal boundary for municipal utility expenditures without inventing further outcomes or approvals. Council confirmed proceedings in committee of the whole and directed staff to prepare a report on potential components for a community ambassador award by 2026, concluding this motion that the Committee rises and reports without further deliberation or vote required at this stage.

Most Newsworthy Items

  • Council member Speaker_008 thanked staff and sponsors for a successful New Year’s: Council member Speaker_008 thanked staff and sponsors for a successful New Year’s Eve event featuring children using facilities like balloon animals and face paint, noting it was meaningful to families who had no other plans.
  • Taxpayers Should Not Subsidize Non-compliant Entities: The committee unanimously agreed that general rate taxpayers should not subsidize non-compliant entities regarding meter replacement and infrastructure installation costs.
  • Councillor Farmer introduced correspondence from AMO regarding concerns over Bill 68’s: Councillor Farmer introduced correspondence from AMO regarding concerns over Bill 68’s proposed changes to OMER governance, which would replace the current corporate board structure with a Sponsors Council lacking independent resources and municipal oversight. The initial motion requested that OWSA oppose these legislative changes due to increased financial risks for municipalities already under strain, but Councillor Farmer subsequently withdrew this request after Deputy Mayor Greig expressed a need for further investigation before supporting an initiative based solely on email correspondence. Consequently, the assembly voted to forward the letter and associated concerns regarding pension fund stability directly to the Corporate Services Committee for detailed consideration rather than immediate action.
  • Recovery of Armed Court Officer Costs Via Grant Funding: The armed court officer’s costs are included in provincial court security funds, with only a portion recoverable through grants as the funding stream does not cover entire provincial expenses.

Meeting Recap

7.a Deputation from Ron Stagg Professor Emeritus of History Toronto Metropolitan University

Professor Emeritus Ron Stagg deputed regarding the renaming of Ryerson Park to defend against false claims linking Edward Ryerson to residential schools. He argues that any decision to rename must be based on misinformation rather than historical fact, asserting that Edward Ryerson was a real person regardless of how his legacy is interpreted by some.

10.a Verbal Report from the Speaker 03 Council

Speaker 01 reported that Grey County Council met online with a late agenda and dissolved the Budget and Finance Committee for the upcoming year.

11.e Final approvals issued for the following City Hall Illumination Requests

Final approval was issued for illumination requests including Safe & Sound and Grey-Bruce Coldest Night of the Year, while City Council received items 11A to 11F on the January 12, 2026 consent agenda.

11.d Final approvals issued for the following Business Speaker 05 reported that the revised 2026 draft budget will be submitted to City Council for approval after adjustments reduced the increase from $749 to $723 based on known actuals.

Approve Minutes Recommending Park Rename Vendor Lease Approval and Commemorative Tree Planting

The committee approved renaming Ryerson Park based on historical research showing no connection to Egerton Ryerson, ratified an agreement for a sanitizer vending machine at the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Center where the operator assumes all liability, and recommended planting a commemorative tree funded by requesters.

Taxpayers Should Not Subsidize Non-compliant Entities

The committee unanimously agreed that general rate taxpayers should not subsidize non-compliant entities regarding meter replacement and infrastructure installation costs.

16 MOTION THAT COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE RISE AND REPORT

Council confirmed proceedings in committee of the whole and directed staff to prepare a report on potential components for a community ambassador award by 2026.

Links

Read full transcript: https://helpos.ca/transcripts/owen-sound/council-meeting-regular/2026-01-12

Agenda page: https://helpos.ca/agendas/owen-sound/council-meeting-regular/2026-01-12

Official meeting page: https://pub-owensound.escribemeetings.com/MeetingsCalendarView.aspx/Meeting?Id=3a71944c-9b6f-47cc-b721-3ae412a85e3e

Original video: https://video.isilive.ca/owensound/New Encoder_CM_2026-01-12-05-30.mp4