Attempted Murder Charges Laid in Midland
By OPP, Oct. 20, 2025
(MIDLAND, ON) – One individual is in custody following a serious incident that occurred on Hanna Street in Midland yesterday afternoon.
On Sunday, October 19, 2025, just after 5:30 p.m., officers from the Southern Georgian Bay Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to the report of a stabbing inside a residence on Hanna Street in the Town of Midland. Upon arrival, officers located a 64-year-old male suffering from serious injuries.
A suspect was found elsewhere within the residence and was taken into custody without incident.
Once the scene was secured by responding officers, the injured male received essential care from Simcoe County Paramedics and the Midland Fire Department. He was first transported to a local hospital and subsequently transferred to a Toronto-area hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
As a result of the investigation, Griffin BLACK, 19 years old, of Midland, ON, has been charged under the Criminal Code with the following offences:
- Attempt to Commit Murder
- Assault with a Weapon
- Aggravated Assault
The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on October 20, 2025.
Police presence in the area has decreased however officers continue to investigate at the scene of the incident. A thank you to community concern for a family pet that escaped the home during the incident, the pet is safe and has been returned.
Residents voice fears over potential changes to local bus service
By: Derek Howard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Source: MidlandToday.ca, Oct 16, 2025
Buses are a necessity for seniors and the poor, and when public transit is perceived as threatened, residents get worried.
In June, town councils with the joint Midland-Penetanguishene transit system announced that they were looking into the possibility to expand bus service, lower costs and make a better system for users – by means of a ‘microtransit’ provider. An RFP (request for proposal) was sent out by the two towns, offering interested companies to apply.
Local bus riders have been a fiercely protective group for years, having appeared at town budget discussions to defend their reliance on transit. When the microtransit press releases announced that potentially improved service could transform ‘and potentially replace’ the current system, that sparked uncertainty through the ridership.
Two public information meetings were held by the towns, with Penetanguishene hosting an afternoon session on October 8, and Midland during its regular council meeting on Wednesday night. Roughly 25 attendees at the Midland meeting were given a presentation by infrastructure management and town engineer executive director Mitch Sobil, containing much of the Penetanguishene presentation with additional slides for greater clarity.
“Microtransit is, essentially, a more flexible transit system,” said Sobil. “It can be on-demand, it can have many different forms, and it can work for communities of our size in different ways.” Sobil provided examples of schedule based pick-ups, different fare-payment options, alternative and modern route options, and that it could work in tandem with fixed routes.
Reference was made to breakdowns in June where four of the five shared buses were inoperable due to mechanical failure; the joint agreement meant Penetanguishene would suffer no service first so that Midland riders could continue limited usage.
Both Sobil and Mayor Bill Gordon explained to attendees that transit was a costly service paid by all taxpayers regardless if they used it, which provided needed accessibility but would cause any municipality to lose money; smaller towns like Midland and Penetanguishene fared better than larger cities in that financial loss.
Some residents were open and curious for reasons why microtransit was being explored, while others held misconceptions that the transit was going away and demanded answers to personal situations. A misconception that transit would end on January 1st was quickly corrected by Sobil, who said that possible consideration of enhanced service – not ended service – could potentially be explored by March or April.
Throughout the 80-minute discussion, Sobil and Gordon stressed that the current fixed route transit system would remain as is, but if the Midland and Penetanguishene councils were to agree to having a third party join, it would: enhance service and provide wider coverage, attract more riders and extend hours of operation, and allow for greater accessibility to residents.
The ‘if’ portion of that statement was glossed over by many concerned residents, as Gordon and Sobil also tried to explain that the RFP was an exploration to see if there were viable companies who could match the offer of what Midland and Penetanguishene councils were asking on behalf of all residents, not just regular ridership. No decisions had been made on altered transit service.
Even transit-adjacent service provider Community Reach appeared at the meeting, with Deborah Clyne stating “we are technically a microtransit system” that served roughly 1,700 riders in September in hopes to alleviate concerns. While resident worries were raised about perceived failures of microtransit in places like Kenora, Clyne offered that microtransit in Sault Ste. Marie was a more apt comparison as per geography and population demographics.
Rider Stephanie Gromard challenged the town on buying a new bus instead of fixing old ones; when Gordon explained that the bus manufacturer had gone bankrupt and parts for old buses were scarce to replace, Gromard countered that she had done research on the internet and claimed to have found Canadian parts providers.
Gromard also asked why funds from public art couldn’t be put towards transit, to the applause of attending residents; Gordon countered that provincial grants covered the cost of the installations.
Resident Diane Quinn expressed her concerns passionately, pounding the podium and spooking town staff and other residents as she demanded bus drivers be treated properly; Gordon replied that drivers were the first ones spoken to and had been offered the option – at their personal choice – of staying on as drivers or choosing a severance package, should an RFP be approved.
Following the meeting, Sobil told MidlandToday that it was of importance for the public to know that Midland and Penetanguishene staff were in the information gathering stage.
“We’re not looking at taking transit away,” stated Sobil. “It’s an important asset to our community and we understand the need for it. What we’re looking for is ways to improve the service level, consider costs, consider the areas in town that aren’t currently serviced, and where the future of transit is going
“There’s no decision made yet, and we just hope to make the right one for our community.”
Outside council chambers, Gromard told MidlandToday she was firmly against microtransit, and only by keeping the current buses and drivers would she consider the matter as solved.
“I don’t think they’re telling us the truth; (they’re hiding) that they’ve already got it planned,” said Gromard. “They’ve got pages on the bus for microtransit, which is really upsetting when people get on, to see that.”
Gordon said to MidlandToday that many of the same residents, questions and concerns were raised at the prior Penetanguishene session, prompting the Midland personnel to try to clear misconceptions on those “core issues” as a “lesson learned”.
“I wanted to make sure that I conveyed that even if I’m not changing hearts and minds, they can still be upset that we’re considering doing this – but at least they’ll be upset based on fact rather than fallacy, because there’s a lot of rumors going around out there,” said Gordon. “The main one I had to dispel was about us considering shutting transit down entirely just to save money.”
Regarding next steps in the process, resident comments (including a petition with over 900 signatures) would be included in the list of considerations that Midland and Penetanguishene councils ask RFP applicants, with a report on all findings anticipated following the interviews.
“I truly believe it is the right thing to do,” said Gordon. “I’m not trying to say that I completely know which way to go; I wouldn’t have invested the past year getting staff to work on this in the background – to see whether it makes sense or what other options we have about keeping our fixed route – unless I believed this was the right path to go. Councils clearly agreed as well from both municipalities, because we went ahead with the RFP.”
The slideshow presentation on exploring microtransit in Midland and Penetanguishene, is available in the council agenda on the town of Midland website.
Council meetings are held every third Wednesday, and can be viewed on Rogers TV cable channel 53 when available, or through the livestream on the Rogers TV website. Archives of council meetings are available through Rogers TV and on the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel
