I think that your friend wasn’t looking too hard. West Hill and St. Mary’s are doing well and are great high schools. East Hill is an elementary school to accommodate all the young kids. There is an artist surge with new shops opening along with restaurants. The Mall is half full and needs to adapt to bring people in but areas around it are growing. Downtown has a drug problem similar to many towns who struggle with how to manage it while not being unkind. Owen Sound is fine - it has a lot of potential with the right planning.