The official website of Grey/Bruce411
Find older news here from the past days
NEWS FROM APRIL 8th 2024
SOLAR ECLIPSE
The Grey Bruce region will be able to catch a rare celestial event next week.
Canadian Space Agency Mission Scientist Bill Archer says while the once in a lifetime near total eclipse will not plunge the region into complete darkness, there will be interesting visual effects at 95 per cent totality on April 8.
Archer adds while eclipses are not uncommon, usually happening around two to five times a year, being in the path of totality is a once in a lifetime occurrence. The last time Grey Bruce was in the path of an eclipse was in 1925.
“If you are in the path of totality, you sort of have one to three minutes of really night time in the middle of the day, and all sorts of weird and interesting experiences happen because of that and you are not going to get any of that if you aren’t actually within the path of totality,” says Archer.
He says one of these visual effects to look out for includes trees.
“If you look at the light passing through the branches of a tree and it makes a dappled pattern on the ground, we sort of think of that pattern as being formless or just formed entirely by the tree, but each and everyone of those little dots is a little image of the sun. When there is an eclipse going on, each and everyone of those little bits of sunlight passing through the branches of a tree, is going to be a little crescent moon,” says Archer.
To get a better look at the visual effect, he recommends people get anything with holes and let the light pass through.
“These things don’t come to any given location on Earth very often,” says Archer. “Things have to line up just right for effectively the shadow of the moon to actually land directly on the Earth.”
He recommends if people are able to travel to a spot with 100 per cent totality to do so.
“I think it will probably be worth the little bit of travel either to get to an area of totality or alternatively make sure you are somewhere it is going to be clear skies,” says Archer.
In Ontario, Archer says the eclipse with start around 2 p.m., reach its climax around 3:15 p.m., before ending around 4:30 p.m.
Grey Bruce Public Health is out with a reminder you need proper eye protection to view the eclipse safely. Glasses with special lenses, not just regular sunglasses, are necessary.
“To safely view the eclipse, ISO-certified eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard must be worn,” the local health unit says in a release.
South Bruce OPP are asking people to keep an eye out for a car that was stolen, and it’s one you really can’t miss.
A bright blue, antique 1923 Ford Roadster was reportedly stolen March 24th from an address in Walkerton.
It was reportedly last seen on the 24th in Scarborough.
It has very large back wheels, a covered, blue bucket seating area and an exposed engine area.
They’re asking anyone with information to contact them. Visit Antique Car Stolen In Walkerton | Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre
News for Wednesday March 20th 2024 From Bounce 92.3 Owen Sound
WEATHER UPDATE
Environment Canada has issued a snow squall watch on the first day of spring.
Across our region, including Barrie, Collingwood, Hillsdale, Midland, Coldwater, Orr Lake, Dufferin, Innisfil, Grey-Bruce counties and as far north as Parry Sound, Muskoka could experience blowing snow and see accumulations between 15 to 35 centimetres.
The national weather agency says "A sharp cold front is expected to move south through the area today," in its press release.
Heavy flurries with northwest winds gusting up to 70 kilometres-per-hour could cause a sudden drop in visibility to near zero.
Lake-effect snow is expected to develop this afternoon and persist into Thursday afternoon.
As expected, travel may be hazardous due to shifting changes in the weather.
Environment Canada asks travellers to consider postponing non-essential travel.
Poilievre plans to move non-confidence motion in Trudeau, call for 'carbon tax election' This A Devopling story countine to check back for updates
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he plans to move a motion of non-confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and call for a "carbon tax election."
Rallying his caucus on Parliament Hill on Wednesday morning, Poilievre spoke about his party's ongoing efforts to pressure the federal minority Liberals over their stance on pollution pricing.
"Today I'm announcing that I'm giving Trudeau one last chance to spike his hike. One last chance and only one more day," Poilievre said.
"Today I'm announcing that if Trudeau does not declare today an end to his forthcoming tax increases on food, gas and heat, that we will introduce a motion of non-confidence in the prime minister."
All week, emboldened by the growing cross-Canada resistance to the April 1 hike from premiers both Conservative and Liberal, Poilievre's party has been pressing the Liberals on the carbon price.
After question period there will be a vote on Tuesday's opposition day motion(opens in a new tab) that called on "the NDP-Liberal coalition to immediately cancel this hike," citing the "70 per cent of provinces and 70 per cent of Canadians" opposed to the 23 per cent increase to $80 from $65 per tonne of carbon emissions.
Now, with another opposition day debate and vote scheduled for Thursday, it appears the Conservatives are ready to up the ante.
Poilievre has put a motion on notice that reads in-part: "That the House declare non-confidence in the prime minister and his costly government... and call for the House to be dissolved so Canadians can vote in a carbon tax election."
This is not the first time the federal Conservatives have threatened an attempt to bring down the Trudeau government.
In 2020, just 20 sitting days into the last Parliament(opens in a new tab), the party looked to table a motion of non-confidence, before backing away.
It is also not the first time the party has called for a "carbon tax election."
In November, amid a week of heavy political scrutiny over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's exclusive carbon-price carve-out for home heating oil, Poilievre called on Trudeau to pause(opens in a new tab) the carbon tax on all home heating until Canadians go to the polls.
At the time, the Liberals welcomed the idea of fighting the next election on the marquee pollution pricing program, with Trudeau stating Canadians are "deeply concerned about the need to continue to fight climate change."
Since, the government has focused their communications around the rebate component of the carbon tax system, with Trudeau taking the stance that his job is "not to be popular," but rather "to do the right things for Canada."
The Liberals and New Democrats have a supply-and-confidence agreement designed to keep Trudeau's government in power until June 2025, in exchange for progress on NDP priorities.
This is a developing story, check back for updates...
Former First Nation's Finance Director charged with fraud
In March 2021, the Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation Police Service commenced a fraud investigation after receiving a complaint from the Band Councils for the First Nation communities of Saugeen and Chippewas of Nawash of irregularities in account activities and expenses paid from the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Finance Corporation (SONFC) accounts.
The investigation was then continued by the Ontario Provincial Police Anti Rackets Branch (ARB) and the Grey Bruce OPP Crime Unit.
On March 13, 2024, members of the OPP ARB and Grey Bruce Crime Unit took an individual into custody without incident.
Charged with the following offences is 53-year-old Darrell Michael Jacob (Jake) Linklater of Neyaashiinigimiing with the following Criminal Code offences:
· Fraud over $5000
· Use, deals, acts on forged document
· Make forged document X4
The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice located in Owen Sound on April 18th, 2024.
Body of Owen Sound teen found in Sydenham River
Owen Sound police have concluded their search for a missing teenage girl after her body was discovered in the Sydenham River.
The family alerted police to the 16 year old's disappearance Saturday afternoon.
A social media post went up with photos and a description of the girl identified as Meredith.
Tips began coming in and the search was focused on the Jubilee Bridge area on 2nd Ave East.
While officers scoured the neighbourhood, members of the Owen Sound Fire Department searched the river near the bridge.
On Sunday the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit was called in and found the body around 1pm about 100 feet west of the bridge.
The death is not considered suspicious.
Police say they're appreciative of the public's help in this matter.
Scammers posted obituaries declaring them dead. They were very much alive
Obituaries for writer Deborah Vankin popped up online in January, complete with morbid images and flattering prose.
In videos accompanying the announcements, “news anchors” discussed her death and used background photos of a car wreck, a coffin leaving a funeral home and a flickering candle next to her portrait.
They did not specify how or when she died.
“Deborah Vankin, an esteemed journalist whose eloquent storytelling and insightful narratives illuminated the world around us, has passed away,” one of the obituaries read.
But Vankin was very much alive, scrolling through news and videos of her own demise on her cellphone days after they were posted.
Without her knowledge, Vankin had become the latest victim of scammers who fabricate death announcements to get clicks and ad revenue.
Some of the so-called “obituary pirates” are turning to AI to create death announcements padded with key words for Google searches, spreading alarm and misinformation, experts said.
On that January morning, as Vankin read about her own death while sitting in a Santa Monica hospital waiting room where a friend was undergoing surgery, she felt a whirlwind of emotions.
“I oddly didn’t panic. I was mostly confused at first, then outraged,” Vankin, a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, told CNN.
“I was sad – reading your own obituary is a surreal experience. After speaking with experts, I was scared – for myself, for all journalists, and for our society.”
Google announced new policies this month to keep clickbait obituaries and other spammy, low-quality content out of search results. But for a few weeks this year, Vankin was among a group of people who’ve faced their own mortality as hoax news of their deaths spread online. Experts warn that growing AI technology will only make these disorienting scenarios worse.
Obituary pirating adds a new twist to old death-related scams
Death-related scams have been around for ages, but scammers mostly focus on impersonating funeral homes to get cash from grieving families, said Joshua Klopfenstein, co-founder of Lindenwood Marketing, which offers digital services to funeral homes.
Clickbait obituaries like Vankin’s are a sophisticated twist fueled by the popularity and proliferation of low-quality, AI-generated content, he added.
The obits are posted on sites that publish a continuous stream of unrelated articles on random topics. They don’t contain much information, but are filled with key words to capitalize on what people are searching on Google.
Vankin found out about her obituary from her dad, she said, after he was alerted to it by an aunt who gets Google updates every time her name appears online. In an essay for the Los Angeles Times, Vankin shared her reluctance to read the obituaries and how the experience changed how she thinks about death.
She’s not sure how scammers picked her to kill off, she said, but believes it’s due to a spike in online traffic on a piece she’d written about her anxiety when driving on the freeway.
The scammers probably thought they’d get more views for their content because she is a writer and has a thriving social media presence, she said.
Klopfenstein said the scammers’ rationale on targeting obituaries makes financial sense for them.
“These scammers are correct in realizing the amount of traffic that obituaries drive,” he said. “For most funeral home websites, obituaries account for 80 per cent to 85 per cent of all visitors. That said, a scammer needs to pirate a ton of obituaries … to get enough traffic to generate significant ad revenue.”
A rash of sketchy obituaries have made headlines in recent months, with people on Reddit and other social media platforms sharing similar hoaxes featuring deceased relatives or people who are still alive.
Google said it’s constantly updating its systems to restrict spam and combat spammers’ evolving techniques.
“With our recent updates to our search spam policies, we’ve significantly reduced the presence of obituary spam in search results,” a Google spokesperson told CNN. “On YouTube, we fight this content by rigorously enforcing our spam, deceptive practices, and scams policies.”
The new policies target obituary spam and low-level content to ensure they’re not ranking on searches. “They are produced at scale with the primary intent of gaming search ranking, and offer little value to users,” Google posted on a blog detailing the changes.
Fake obits also target grieving loved ones
Brian Vastag’s former partner, Beth Mazur, died by suicide in December. Days later, after an organization Mazur co-founded posted a message about her death, at least six obituaries appeared on random sites claiming both people had died.
Vastag, who lives in Kapaʻa, Hawaii, was headed to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Mazur had died, when he saw reports of his death circulating online. The fake obits pushed the real one further down in web searches, making it harder for Mazur’s vast network of friends to get the right information, Vastag said.
Vastag and Mazur had advocated for people with often-overlooked chronic illness and written articles together, and he believes that’s how the obituary pirates were able to connect them.
“The recent passing of Beth Mazur and Brian Vastag, both grappling with the challenges of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity,” the fake obituary read.
News of their deaths caused confusion among a few friends who thought the reports were real.
“I was dealing with the shock of losing somebody and I was really upset that the obituary about me caused some stress,” Vastag said. “At least three or four people thought it was real.”
Most of the hoax obituaries for Vankin and Vastag no longer show up in searches after Google enacted its new spam policy.
Earlier this year, obituary pirates also spread false information about Matthew Sachman, who died in an accident on New York City subway tracks. Scammers flooded search results with hoax obituaries, including one claiming that he was stabbed to death, according to a New York Times report.
The paper traced one origin of the false reports to an internet marketer in India. He told reporters that he doesn’t know Sachman, but monitors Google trends data for words like “obituary,” “accident” and “death,” and uses an AI tool to create a blog post that generates a few cents a month in ad revenue.
Fake obituaries are cheap and easy to create, expert says
Creating fake obituaries is as easy as asking AI to generate some facts about a person, said Robert Wahl, an associate professor of computer science at Concordia University Wisconsin and an expert on AI technology.
“There’s very low startup costs for this. You can use free services that are available on the internet. And you can generate this for little to no cost. And it can pay some revenue, so there’s an incentive to do it,” he told CNN.
Some of the scammers seemingly operate from overseas, making the minimal revenue sufficient for their cost of living, he added. The international aspect of it adds another layer of complication, with other countries’ laws making it harder to prosecute the scammers.
“It may or may not be illegal in all countries. So the challenging situation is trying to determine whether it’s illegal activity — even though it’s certainly done in poor taste,” he said. “And so this is for the most part something we cannot avoid. We just have to learn to identify the hoaxes.”
Vastag hopes his story will empower people to be savvy online consumers and be aware of where they’re getting information from.
“The internet has turned into a pile of nonsense. There’s so much misinformation and information pollution,” he said.
Vankin, the Los Angeles Times writer, said the experience reminded her to be grateful for the life she has.
“It’s hard not to think about your own mortality when something like this happens,” she said. “I can’t say that I wanted to make any major changes in my life right now — which is a good sign. But I do have bucket list travel plans brewing — it lit a fire.”
It’s also made her aware that one day, her real obituary will run. And when it does, she said, she hopes it will be written by a real person.
NEWS from march 12 2024
Kincardine addressing pier safety
The Municipality of Kincardine is taking steps to reduce the hazards associated with the pier.
Director of Community Services Jayne Jagelewski said council established the Pier Safety Ad-hoc Committee (PSAC) in the fall of 2023 to address the 13 drownings that have occurred in the waters near the Kincardine piers since 2008.
"Unfortunately, there was a drowning and a near miss that occurred this past summer in August of 2023," explained Jagelewski. "And council at that point, established what we call a Pier Safety Ad-hoc Committee. And it was really to review the incidents that have occurred to date in and around the piers, review some of the previous reports that had been conducted and to develop some recommendations that could reduce the hazards that are associated with the usage of the pier."
Last week, council approved the committee's recommendation to spend $92,000 on improvements in 2024.
Jagelewski said there are a total of 37 ladders around the pier but one of the top recommendations was to add ten new ladders.
"We recognize that there are some that needed to be replaced. Also with the ladders too is, you know, typically, they're the items that are used the most if someone needs to get out of the water for emergency purposes," noted Jagelewski. "And as we experienced fluctuating water levels, sometimes the bottom of those ladders can be exposed and outside of the water, which makes it even more difficult to get out of. So we recognize the need to have a ladder that can that can work with those fluctuating water levels."
She pointed out the number of lifesaving stations will be doubled.
"We also talked about the need to increase the number of life saving stations from two to four on the on the piers themselves," she revealed. "The piers are relatively large structures and in the commotion of an emergency, or conducting an emergency, sometimes they're not necessarily easy to access and those that are conducting the emergencies may need to travel a bit of a distance to get to them. So they need to have them strategically placed in areas which makes them easily accessible. "
Jagelewski added the town will make changes to the north end of Station Beach near the pier, including removing the big blue chairs from that location.
"We're going to be removing those so that we don't entice users to go to that area to have their picture taken in the chairs and then enter the water," continued Jagelewski. "That area of the beach off the northern part of Station Beach, we're looking at bringing it back to what we call a more of a dynamic beach where we've got dunes that'll start growing, and that it maybe isn't that desirable for patrons to be at, because again, we want to encourage them to go to the more southern portion of the beach."
The committee also recommended the municipality set up a volunteer Beach Blazers Program. Jagelewski said the Beach Blazers are not life guards, and will not enter the water to perform rescues.
"But they are ambassadors to the municipality. They can provide insight into amenities and services within Kincardine for patrons utilizing the beach if they want to find more information about Kincardine," revealed Jagelewski. "They may on occasion conduct surveys based on the direction from staff. If they witness an act that may be impacting the safety of patrons or themselves, then they can initiate a phone call to OPP or to municipal bylaw."
The report also called for the painting of the pier perimeter bright yellow with enhancements and enhanced signage to reflect risks along with the 911 location. The non-swimming area located south of the south pier will be expanded from 100 meters to 200 meters.
The group advised that both piers could remain open year-round with appropriate signage and education. Jagelewski stressed the ban on jumping from the pier will remain in place.
"We recognize the fact that that many individuals jump off the pier and whether it's for nostalgia purposes because their father did it and their grandfather did it, or they're doing it every time they come up to the beach for their visit, the beach has long been associated with jumping off piers," she said. "But we recognize the fact that it is a hazard and it is technically not permitted at this point. There is no bylaw prohibiting it, but certainly it's our intention, as we discussed with council, to monitor that, and if at such time Council decides that they wish to have to have it fineable then that certainly will be a recommendation that we'll bring back to council."
Council approved the recommendations as presented along with adding a maximum of $92,000 to the 2024 budget to implement this year’s projects.
"Staff will work through a procurement process, ensuring that the ladders are secured as well as the updated life saving stations," Jagelewski added. "The order of signage will be developed and a detailed development of the beach. The beach blazer program and training that will occur as part of that too. We anticipate that those recommendations will be enforced for the summer."
Jagelewski said municipal staff will continue to monitor pier safety.
"Staff will certainly ensure that annual reviews and upgrades are ongoing to ensure that the sustainability of the recommendations are inherent," she concluded. "And it's equally important to ensure that the municipality has the mitigations in place to provide a safe space and beach for all users and that the patrons understand the inherent risks that are associated with beach use."
Charge laid in multi-vehicle crash
Perth County OPP have charged a Cambridge native following a three vehicle crash.
On March 11 just before 8 a.m., police responded alongside Perth East Fire Services and the Canadian National Railway to a report of a motor vehicle collision involving three vehicles in the Township of Perth East, near the railway.
A passenger vehicle and two commercial vehicles collided on Perth Road 107, south of Shakespeare. No injuries were reported as a result of the collision.
A 48-year-old resident of Cambridge is facing a careless driving charge as a result of the collision.
The Spills Action Center was alerted due to a spill of diesel fuel. The road was closed for cleanup and removal of the vehicles from the road and railway, but has since re-opened.
-----Hanover joins FoodCycler pilot project
Hanover has joined the list of local communities taking part in the FoodCycler pilot project.
The FoodCycler is an in-home composting unit that takes organic kitchen scraps, like meat, vegetables, and fruit, and turns it into an odour-free fertilizer. It helps divert that material from going to the landfills.
Ron Cooper, Director of Public Works for the town of Hanover, believes this will have a positive impact for both the town and residents.
"[Organic waste] is a product that can be diverted and it's a good process to handle it individually through homes and reduce overall waste at the landfill," he said.
The first 100 applicants will be in line for getting one of the units. For households of one or two, the FoodCycler FC-30 can be purchased for $150 plus tax.
For homes of three or more, the FoodCycler Eco5 can be bought for $300 plus tax.
Residents have until March 22 to register. You can do so here. Pickup is set for early April.
Farmland continues to be more expensive across Ontario and Canada
Canada's top financier to the agriculture industry is reporting that the average value of Canadian farmland jumped by 11.5 per cent last year.
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) said the increase, however, is slightly less than the 12.8 per cent rise reported in 2022, but ahead of the 8.3 per cent increase in 2021, adding this year’s increase is the second highest since 2014.
Exeter hospital temporarily closing Wednesday night
The South Huron Hospital's Emergency Department will be temporarily closed overnight on Wednesday.
According to the hospital, the temporary reduction in hours is due to "planned and required power distribution."
Bruce County Library seeks input
Bruce County Public Library has launched a comprehensive review of its programming offerings, and residents will have a chance to voice their views.
Online and in-person surveys are now available to gather feedback from residents and patrons. Survey responses will be collected until the end of March.
The programming review aims to enhance Library services and ensure they align with the interests and needs of the community.
The online survey will be available through the Library website, while the in-person survey can be picked up at any of their 17 Branches, and on the Bookmobile.
You can also access the survey directly at www.surveymonkey.com/r/JZ99QN9. Participants will have the opportunity to share their preferences, suggestions, and ideas.
"Bruce County Public Library is committed to its role as a trusted community connector, digital community facilitator and community sharing place. Consisting of 17 Branches and a Bookmobile BCPL provides access to information, resources, and programs throughout Bruce County," according to a release from Bruce County.