About Richard

Richard Thomas is a broadcaster and journalist who moved to Owen Sound in 1986. He has been running his own business, Richard Thomas Communications since 1999, producing corporate and promotional videos, writing newsletters and corporate communications and more recently has devoted his time to digitizing home movies, videos, slides and photos. 

 

Richard has served 24 years on the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library Board, many of those as board chair. He served on the Owen Sound renumeration committee twice, and served as a city councillor from 2014-2022. He is a former member of the Owen Sound Hospital Foundation Board, the founding president of the Community Waterfront Heritage Centre, chair of the Georgian College Community Engagement Committee, and is currently a member of the Owen Sound Tourism Development Fund, and is vice-chair of the River District Board. In his time on city council, Richard chaired the Economic Development and Culture Committee, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery Advisory Committee, as well as sitting on the corporate services, operations, community services and Festival of Northern Lights committees. 

 

Richard volunteered with the MRI Campaign and the Oncology Campaign at the Owen Sound Hospital, and also worked on the Regional Recreation Centre Campaign. He was a literacy tutor at the Adult Learning Centre, and coached soccer for several years. 

 

He began writing in 1990, and has written more than twenty books, both fiction and non-fiction. The first of his eight D.B. Murphy novels, Gas Head Willy, was shortlisted by the Crime Writers’ of Canada for the best first novel of 1996.

 

Richard has been recognized by the Ontario Historical Society, Grey County Historical Society and the City of Owen Sound for his contributions to local history.