It will still be two years before some Haliburton County residents, and visitors, can make and receive phone calls on major roadways, as well as do email, web browsing, social media, video conferencing, movie streaming, and other more data intensive applications.

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network’s (EORN) director of communications, Lisa Severson, updated County council May 8 on the cell gap project that began in 2021.

When complete, the plan aims for 99 per cent coverage in the region for calls; 95 per cent for email, web browsing and social media, and 85 per cent for more data-intensive applications. Partners, the federal and provincial governments, the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus, and Rogers, are investing more than $300 million, including about $31 million in Haliburton County.

Severson provided a concrete example of the project’s goals. She said she was in Belleville for a course recently and was not connected to their Wi-Fi network

“I went out to my car and I was able to do a Zoom meeting. It’ll enable things like that. Or, if you have your EMS folks, or your public works people out on the roads, they’ll be able to connect with the hospital in the event of an emergency.

Only one of 29 new towers online

They can livestream with the emergency room. So, that’s very important. It also means there’s more capacity in the network. So, it’s not just about coverage, but also the ability to grow that network.”

Severson said it takes a year to two years to complete a tower. They need to find a property, negotiate a lease, conduct archaeological and natural heritage assessments, follow a land use process with municipalities, then notify the province that a site is ready. After that, they have to do site preparation, order and receive supplies for construction, schedule crews to build the tower and submit layout plans for utilities, build the tower, hook up power to the site, and test the tower.

Severson added that EORN has a duty to consult with 18 indigenous communities and organizations.

“It took 13 months to satisfy the requirements of meaningful consultation to allow construction to start,” she said. She added they’d done archeological and natural heritage assessments on 178 new tower sites across Eastern Ontario.

For Haliburton County, the progress report is that 21 of 21 sites have been upgraded. However, new builds are lagging, with just one of a planned 29 new builds in service. They’ve done two of four co-locations.

Severson made reference to the fact there are still 11 land use authority or LUAs outstanding in the County, and, “we’re getting close to a point where if we don’t start moving on some of the towers and the LUAs, it’s going to put completing those towers in jeopardy.”

Coun. Bob Carter said the work is for cell phones, but asked about high-speed internet and broadband, “which is the second part of all of this.”

Severson said while it is a cell gap project, the equipment can do both. She said it will be up to Rogers as to if, and when, they roll out that service to customers. “They may not do it on every tower, but they are offering it in some areas with their broadband. We can try and find out more information about what that looks like for Haliburton County. I do know that there is a need for it here.”

Coun. Cec Ryall said there were complaints about public consultation with Rogers in the early stages of the cell gap project. “Do you know if that has been investigated and resolved, because it created unnecessary stress?”

Severson said when they hear of issues, they immediately report them to Rogers, “because everybody should be treated respectfully and you want to ensure that’s happening.”

Warden Liz Danielsen also asked Severson to publicly comment on why they are not looking at Crown land to site towers. She said it’s because they would need environmental assessments and it would make the timelines prohibitive.

With the Cockwell family and Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve Ltd. this week contributing $500,000 towards the new CT scanner and CT mammography unit at the Haliburton hospital, the campaign is now at 60 per cent of its goal.

Melanie Klodt Wong of the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation said that as of May 13, they had raised $2.59 million of their $4.3 million goal. That includes $1 million from the County of Haliburton, proceeds from last year’s Matt Duchene charity golf tournament, previouslyraised funds and gifts, and the CockwellForest’s half-a-million dollars.

Klodt Wong said, “we need another $1.7 million to achieve our goal but I’m an optimist. I don’t want to just achieve it. I want to exceed it.

“This is the beginning of important and desperately-needed upgrades at HHHS and we want to make sure that the things they need are possible – and so we will continue to pursue gifts of all sizes and ask folks to dig deep for this important cause.”

Malcolm Cockwell, managing director of the Forest, said, “as a major employer in the County, we want to ensure that our employees, their families, all residents and visitors to the region have access to lifesaving diagnostic tools locally, if and when they need them.”

The Forest employs about 70 people in Haliburton County, who all have families, and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Cockwell added they were “honoured” to make the gift to help ensure the best health care resources are available in the area. “I hope that this gift will encourage others to support this important initiative.”

The Foundation announced the fundraising target of $4.3 million for the expansion of diagnostic imaging services at HHHS in the fall. Soon after, Haliburton County committed $1 million to the campaign on condition they had a seat on the HHHS board.

Lead volunteer for the campaign, Tayce Wakefield, said they were very appreciative that Haliburton Forest and the Cockwell family had made the significant contribution. “Along with the County commitment, this is a strong start for our fundraising campaign to improve local health care services.”

Warden Liz Danielsen, who now sits on the HHHS board, said it was “extremely heartening to see such a substantial donation being made by a local private enterprise. Our sincere thanks are extended to the Cockwell family and Haliburton Forest for this significant contribution towards health care in the County.”

The new diagnostic imaging suite is currently under construction and the CT scanner is expected to arrive in June. The digital mammography unit is anticipated later this year.

Klodt Wong added, “this positive impact speaks to the theme chosen for this campaign: ‘Here for You’. I recently spoke to a medical radiation technologist who mentioned that having services side-by-side will positively impact the experience of their patients.”

She added the new equipment will significantly improve the quality and speed of access to diagnostic imaging services for patients and is the first step in building a strong complement of healthcare services.

The announcement was timed to coincide with the Victoria Day weekend, which traditionally brings seasonal residents back to the County in droves.

Klodt Wong said, “we wanted to get the word out that this is a big campaign. There’s still a lot of money to raise and we want to make sure folks are aware of this happening. We have to get the rest of the dollars in the door so that it’s paid off.”

The volunteer fundraising team led by Wakefield has representatives from across the County, including Kurtis Bishop, Bob Bullock, Michael Harrison, Peter Henry, Pat Kennedy, Mike McKeon, Klara Oyler, Roger Trull and Dale Walker, supported by the HHHS Foundation board of directors.

Klodt Wong noted other upcoming fundraising includes the annual Duchene tournament, at Blairhampton July 19, and the Health Radiothon Aug. 15-16. For more information, go to the Foundation website: hhhs.ca/foundation.

For more information about the campaign, and to discuss how you can get involved, contact Klodt Wong (mklodtwong@hhhs.ca). 705-457-1580

Proponents of the Granite Shores development on Centre Lake in Highlands East brought a revised plan to council May 14 in hopes of getting the stalled project back on the books.

John Ariens, of Arcadis, said the purpose of his delegation was to present the altered drawings, he hoped, “will address the concerns raised by council and members of the public previously.”

He asked council to consider his slide deck, “and the benefits (the development will) bring, and hold another public meeting, and obtain public input, and make a determination of the desirability of this project either with or without a Crown reserve being in place, and, of course, also to make a final determination on a road closing that’s required.”

He was representing a GTA-based client who has owned the property for more than 10 years. “Their goal has always been to develop a seasonal cottage development along Centre Lake, looking to use the balance of the land for a maple syrup harvesting facility.”

Ariens said the client has other developments in the region, including on Bigfools Lake in Hastings County and in Bancroft. The Highlands East property is just west of Cardiff, and comprises three separate parcels, separated by a road allowance. It’s just under 1,100 acres, and along the lake is a 200-foot wide Crown reserve.

He said the plan fits in with the County’s and township’s official plans.

One of the obstacles has been a 200-foot Crown reserve on the lake, which Ariens said was established when the province sold mining rights, to protect the lake from mining activity. He said his client had since purchased the mineral rights, donating them back to the province.

“So, the need for the Crown reserve is no longer there to protect the lake from any mining activity. The only real function that the Crown reserve has is that it does provide public access to the lake.”

The original paperwork called for cottage development along Centre Lake with a couple of backlots. There was a block of land earmarked for a resort and wellness centre and spa, which would have included about 60 suites and 28 lots for a total development of 88 units. A Hwy. 118 commercial block was also in the original plans.

At a public meeting on the Crown reserve disposition a few years ago, concerns were raised about public access to the lake, possible destruction of the natural environment, the scale of the development and potential impacts from radon gas.

Council did not support removal of the Crown reserve, or the Crown land use policy amendment. It said the development was too intense, and while access points would remain open, the character of the lake would change, with potential for negative adverse impacts.

Ariens said ever since, “the application has stood still.”

However, he said they have been working on the redesign. They have removed the wellness centre and resort and spa component, added a few more shoreline lots, and now sit at 33 lots.

He also addressed public access to the lake, saying it’s now a narrow, steep driveway, with no real parking area and poor sightlines.

“What our client is prepared to do is to enhance that public access by coming in off the condominium road to provide direct access to the lake together with a parking area, picnic area, possible camping spots, and really enhance the public access to that particular lake.”

Deputy mayor Cec Ryall said the public was concerned about not just access to the lake, but a developer over-developing the shoreline.

Ariens said there could be setbacks established, “preventing boathouses, gazebos, that type of encroachment and maintaining that vegetative shoreline, which is so important for maintaining the quality of the lake. The removal of the reserve doesn’t automatically mean that people can go nuts on that particular shoreline, they would still be subject to normal and proper environmental controls.”

A group of Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS) students were attracted to the Haliburton Crew booth at the Haliburton County Home Builders Association (HCHBA) job fair May 8.

Handed a set of plans, and instructed to use Styrofoam blocks, they began building a basement foundation.

Allie Todd was one of them. In between placing blocks, she said, “I think it is actually really fun and interesting. I had no idea how to even think about building a basement. It’s a great way to show kids what this job would really be about. I thought it was a great learning experience.”

Todd said she has considered working in the trades, and wants to learn more about the prospect. She still has questions but, “I’m really a hands-on person. I don’t like textbook stuff. This might be something I’m kind of interested in doing.”

The HCHBA’s Aggie Tose said 32 companies attended the job fair in the high school gym last Wednesday.

“It’s been very successful,” she said, with companies looking for co-op students and apprentices.

She added the home builders and school had communicated well in advance so the high school knew who was coming, and what they were going to be offering.

Commenting on the new fast-track skilled trades program, Tose said there would be room for students “that want to work” in construction.

Angie Horner-Xerri was there from Quantum Passivhaus in Minden.

“It’s a community thing and it’s outreach to kids to know what is possible in terms of work, whether it’s with us or someone else,” Horner-Xerri said of the business’ first time attendance.

She added, “we like people to know prefabricated building is an industry of its own. Also, because we’re in Minden, and one of the local folks that do it, we want people to know we’re here, and this is a great opportunity for us as well to meet all the kids.”

Quantum Passivhaus’ human resources person, Jenna Terrill, said while they now employ 24 people, they are looking for carpenters, project coordinators, and project managers.

Horner-Xerri added they enjoyed talking to the other construction professionals as well, so the day served as a networking platform for employers.

And it wasn’t just those in the construction and renovation industries looking for help. Included in the vendors were Dysart et al council, EMS, Fleming College, Into the Blue Pizza and more.

Tori Hawley credits the education she received at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, as well as J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School, with springboarding her towards her goal of international law work.

Now 25, Hawley recently completed an internship with the head judge of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

She is now back in Liverpool, UK, the city in which she graduated with a university law degree, and is working towards her qualification exams, and becoming licensed. She is also toiling for a start-up firm, with hopes of joining a larger outfit in London in the next year or two.

Speaking with The Highlander from Liverpool recently, Hawley talked about her “amazing experience” with the European Court of Human Rights, where she interned for four months.

Going into it, she didn’t know what to expect. “I was going to be an intern. I would say my expectations were more like, ‘I’m going to be getting coffee,’ but that was so not it.”

The daughter of Sean and Marilyn Hawley said the European Court of Human Rights is a “huge institution that is super busy, so their interns are really important.”

Within her first week, she was editing a speech for the president of the court, Siofra O’Leary, who has both judicial and political responsibilities. Hawley said she mostly supported the political functions. That first week, she also prepared answers for an interview O’Leary was preparing for.

She recalled being afraid of the responsibility that comes with editing the speech of such a high-ranking world figure. Within two to three weeks, she was writing “from scratch, to ambassadors and judges, or briefing notes if political figures were coming to the court. It was incredible.” She added, “the level of responsibility, and the significance of the tasks, was way beyond what I thought it was going to be.”

She felt the University of Liverpool law school had prepared her, though.

The work of the Court is weighty. When Hawley was there, they heard cases concerning Russia and Ukraine. The entity is still dealing with Russian cases even though the country has now been expelled from the European Court of Human Rights. “There’s individuals challenging governments, but there’s also governments challenging each other, so there’s these really complicated cases.”

One ongoing case when Hawley was there stemmed from six Portuguese youth filing a complaint against 33 countries, alleging the respondents had violated human rights by failing to take sufficient action on climate change, and seeking an order requiring them to take more ambitious action.

“It was a super, super busy day at the court, which was full of people coming to watch. I was greeting journalists and showing them where they would be viewing the hearing. It was a really big deal.”

She also experienced life in Strasbourg, where she met peers from all over the world.

“Growing up in Haliburton, I have a bit of a preference for smaller cities. I just find them a bit easier to get used to. Strasbourg was perfect because it’s very quaint. But there’s so much going on at the same time. And you’re so close to everything.”

She’ll continue with the start-up in Liverpool with plans to move to the London firm in a year or two to gain more on-the-job experience towards getting her license. Her dream remains international law.

“I think that growing up in Haliburton, I always had this curiosity about the rest of the world. I’ve always just been a really motivated and ambitious person. I’m career-oriented. I like having big goals. And what bigger goal could you have than an international career? It’s exciting to me.

“I also love people. It’s just really powerful and beautiful to connect with people who have such different backgrounds. It’s just an amazing experience to realize how similar we all are even though we have all of these differences that make us so unique.”

She thinks she is in the perfect field. She says she is eternally optimistic but also realistic. She said the law is intellectually rigorous. “You’re thinking really hard about these systems and how they’re working and where they’re going. But, at the same time, you’re thinking about the solutions to problems. I want to do good in the world and I want to use my skills for that.”

When Hawley graduated from HHSS, she wrote a letter to her Grade 7 teacher, Laurie Bowker at JDH. “She had made such an impression on me.” She thanked the teacher for giving her confidence and said her goal was to work in an international court. “It’s really cool that I pulled it off.”