Places for People’s (P4P) Nataly Mylan said her non-profit’s upcoming Sleeping in Cars fundraiser is all about enduring short-term pain for long-term gain.

The event returns to the Head Lake Park parking lot March 27, where Mylan expects around 50 people to rough it overnight in their vehicles. Now in its seventh year, Mylan said the fundraiser provides perspective to participants on how fortunate they are to have a roof over their heads.

“It’s uncomfortable, a little on the chilly side, but it’s all about making sure people have gratitude and don’t take the niceties we have in life for granted,” Mylan said. “When you’re stuck in your car and your legs are going to sleep, you’re going to be reminded about how comfortable and beautiful that bed is at home and how grateful you are to have it.”

After raising north of $40,000 last time out – the event’s best return yet – Mylan is aiming to hit $60,000 this year. As of March 11, they’d brought in $8,770.

Gaining momentum as a grassroots community effort, Mylan said Sleeping in Cars is gaining more traction in the County’s business community this year. Andria Cowan Molyneaux has confirmed her business, ACM Designs, will have a team slumbering outdoors again, with Matt Renda’s Boshkung Brewing also pitching in.

The Mill Pond Restaurant in Carnarvon is donating $1 from every coffee sold through March, with all proceeds going to P4P, while Haliburton Gold Group, RE/ MAX Professionals North and MyPortal Marketing have also donated to the cause.

Cowan Molyneaux said it’s an effort close to her heart. She’s been participating for three years, after finding out that one of her employees spent time living in their car.

“Sleeping in Cars raises critical funds and awareness while shining a light on a reality that often goes unseen in our community – housing insecurity,” Cowan Molyneaux said. “While Haliburton County is known for its beautiful lakes and strong sense of community, access to safe, appropriate and affordable housing remains a serious challenge for many young families and working professionals. Too often, homelessness is hidden through temporary solutions like couch surfing or sleeping in vehicles.

“Housing insecurity isn’t just an affordability issue; it’s a supply issue… the ripple effects touch everyone,” she added.

Mylan said P4P is doing its part to address that shortfall in affordable housing. It currently owns 21 units in the County and has plans to add 15 more next year, once Habitat for Humanity completes its 35-unit build overlooking Grass Lake.

With P4P a partner in that project, Mylan said the project is on schedule to break ground in 2027. She said building permits should be finalized by this fall. The nonprofit has said it will likely take millions of dollars to purchase the 15 units once construction is wrapped.

“We are moving forward on this with lightning speed… I think now more than ever we’re beginning to realize the scope of the housing problem in our area. We’re also discovering that, unless we as a community are the ones to step up and take on the challenge, that nobody else is going to do this for us,” Mylan said. “We want our community to thrive, to be resilient, and the way to do that is by making sure there is space for everyone to live affordably.”

To donate, search ‘sleeping in cars 2026’ on www.zeffy.com

Alex Labelle built a four-foot birch bark canoe last week while fielding questions from students at J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School.

Some of the queries included how much bear fat he uses in waterproofing his crafts; if he has ever sunk a canoe; and how old he is.

Trillium Lakelands District School Board’s Indigenous student success team and Indigenous guides at JDH and Stuart Baker elementary school brought the 20-year-old in last week.

Labelle built the canoe in the JDH foyer using traditional practices.

He is a Métis canoe builder of Algonquin ancestry from Mattawa. He learned the craft from his grandfather, Marcel Labelle, and shares his knowledge with others through presentations and in-house construction of canoes.

While working on the canoe last week, Labelle told The Highlander he mixes the bear fat with spruce gum as a sealant. He added, “the bear in our culture is also a strong, protective spirit, so we’re protected on the water.”

Labelle said his grandparents taught him not just about canoes, but about the outdoors and living off the land, including trapping, hunting and fishing. “You learn from the older generation.”

Labelle said his grandparents were his daycare, after school, and on weekends, so he has been trailing them since he was a toddler.

“That’s why I enjoy the process of building canoes. It’s a sense of peace; just slows everything down, and requires patience. You’re working with natural materials. They are not going to be perfect. Just taking your time is a big lesson.”

He has been going into schools since he was 14. He thinks kids relate to him because of his age.

“The big thing is connection. I hope – if people are separated by beliefs, or anything that causes them not to be friends – that seeing that connection is important. Because connection is what brings this canoe together.

“I hope they take away that you need to slow down in life. Bad things happen when you speed through. Sometime it’s okay to take a step back and realize how far you’ve come.”

JDH Grade 5 teacher Erin McKnight-Sisco said Alex’s visit was part of a joint learning series. Every month or so, they have hosted an Indigenous guest with a different background or ancestry.

She said the theme is “what does it mean to be a good ancestor?” She hoped Labelle’s visit would connect students with nature. She said there were also learnings in science, technology, engineering, math and social studies.

Sherry Telford of the Indigenous program added, “canoeing is a passion for many in Haliburton County, so there’s a natural interest in how canoes have been traditionally built in this area. If we look carefully in the forests, every material in the canoe can be found near us.

“As we observed and asked Alex questions, we learned about Indigenous culture and understandings, in this case Algonquin and Métis, and about the gifts that each material in the canoe provides in order for the canoe to function. We learned about respectful harvesting, so there is always enough for others and for future generations. We witnessed perseverance, problem-solving and patience. To me, that’s amazing learning.”

Skyline Dance Studio brought its spring showcase to Haliburton March 7, with 39 dancers from its pre-competitive team performing in two shows at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion.

Skyline’s Amanda Conn said the showcase, “gives dancers the opportunity to show their family, friends and community what they have been working on this dance season and allows them to practice on stage under the lights before going to competitions later this spring.”

There were 51 different numbers over the weekend, including routines in ballet, jazz, contemporary/lyrical dance, musical theatre, hip hop, acro and various open categories.

The Skyline team will be competing at DanceAttack in Cobourg later this month, Breakthru in Ottawa in April and Shooting Stars in Huntsville in May.

In memorializing Ian “Scotty” Morrison, who passed away last week, Carol Moffatt said he was “a fine man, a loving father, an National Hockey League (NHL) icon, and a good family friend.”

While tributes have been pouring in from the NHL, the Hockey Hall of Fame, national sports streaming channels, and national newspapers, Scotty is being remembered locally for his time in the Highlands.

He and wife Joan lived in the GTA during Scotty’s career as an NHL official, referee in chief, executive, and later as a president, chairman, and chief executive officer, of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The couple moved to the cottage in Haliburton County before Scotty left for B.C. in 2018.

Moffatt recalled how her mom and dad, Bruce and Betty, visited often with the Morrisons “and, of course, with Scotty’s immeasurable contributions to the community, they saw each other often when out and about.”

‘He was just this lovely man’

She went on to describe Scotty as a man “of fierce pride, integrity and conviction. His generosity was incomparable and his contributions abundant.”

CanoeFM manager Roxanne Casey met Scotty when she was working with Community Care, and through his involvement with the Scotty Morrison Charity Hockey Tournament. She then had dealings with him when he was honourary chair of the Canoe board 2017-2019. She recalled how she had a cousin visit from Scotland and Scotty toured her cousin by boat around the lake. 705-286-3167 • 94 Bobcaygeon Rd DOWNTOWN MINDEN info@riverview-furniture.com www.riverview-furniture.com

“He was just this most lovely man. He would do anything for Haliburton County. He was involved with so many organizations. There was nothing you could say about him that wasn’t gentlemanly. If you were lucky enough to have him involved in your organization, he was a champion for whatever organization he was involved in.”

Scotty also did a once-a-week hockey talk show with Paul Cameron on CanoeFM. “Scotty loved doing that. If he was away from here, he would phone in. If he was here, he would come in. And he was always giving away Hockey Hall of Fame tickets.” He would tease Casey, as she didn’t like hockey.

Casey added that Scotty also worshipped his family. Former NHL player, and Dysart et al deputy mayor, Walt McKechnie, said, “he was just such a positive, upbeat guy in the community. He always did all kinds of things for charity. He loved the community.”

Surprise party

The community surprised Morrison with a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers on Dec. 28, 2016. About 120 people were on hand, along with the Stanley Cup. VIP’s included former Hockey Hall of Fame president and CEO Jeff Denomme, former OPP commissioner Julian Fantino, and senior vice president of hockey operations with the NHL, the late, Jim Gregory.

A surprised Morrison thanked the crowd “from the bottom of my heart. This has just been a very special day that I will obviously never forget. I will wear the small badge with honour.”

Speaking to the hockey tournament, former HHHS foundation chair Don Popple said on the night, “we got the NHL, we got the Stanley Cup, we got the hall of fame and we got this group of hockey personnel that classed up our tournament completely. Scotty has a great deal of passion towards any job he decides to do and that is why we are celebrating today.” The tournament ran for seven years.

On the night, Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey spoke of Morrison’s commitment to community, no matter where he’s been.

“When he came to Haliburton, he was instantly accepted and fit in and he got involved. It was his personality. He is just a very good, solid person, with a love of family.”

Morrison was born in Montreal in 1930 and died in B.C. Feb 25 at the age of 95.

Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey told County of Haliburton council at its last meeting that his township will continue to fight a proposed development of 25 residential lots, 38 cottage lots, and three blocks for waterfront access, as well as condominium roads, fronting Elephant Lake.

Director of planning, Elizabeth Purcell, brought the file to the Feb. 25 County council meeting. Her report included background information on a proposed draft plan of subdivision and common element condominium.

She said some of her initial key findings are that the land contains provincially-significant wetlands, watercourses, and regulatory floodplain areas, “creating significant environmental constraints.”

She added her preliminary review, “identifies potential consistency issues with the 2024 Provincial Planning Statement, particularly regarding rural development, natural heritage, and flood hazards.”

She said the developers are proposing private wells and septic systems, with multiple technical studies having been submitted to support the suitability. She said other, key, supporting studies, such as an environmental impact study, hydrogeology, lakeshore capacity, boating capacity, stormwater, archeology, and landfill review are now under third-party peer review.

Purcell noted a related official plan amendment was denied by Dysart et al council and appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

During a short discussion, coun. Jennifer Dailloux asked about the sensitive wetlands, and the fact the developers are saying property owners would not be able to access them to get to the shoreline. Rather than every lot accessing the lake, the plan calls for three blocks for waterfront access.

Fearrey condemns development on sensitive wetlands

Dailloux asked how that would be enforced to ensure people are not accessing the lake from their lots. “Who would be responsible? How often would they be checking. What’s the teeth behind that?”

Purcell said it was a bit of a “precarious situation because people are people and if you have a shoreline lot, a lot of people would like to access the water from their own lot. It would be an enforcement matter through the Municipality of Dysart, or through the province, as it is a provincially-significant wetland.”

Dailloux then asked Dysart what it thought would be possible from an enforcement standpoint.

Fearrey told her, “that’s one of the reasons we turned it down. We can’t handle this. If they get this approved, then we might as well forget about trying to protect our lakes and our wetlands. It’s just a terrible proposal. So, we’re going to fight it as hard as we can to make sure it gets defeated.”

Purcell said the land is now vacant with existing access via Benoir Lake Road. She said the site is 122 hectares, with a little over 1.6 km of frontage on the road, and more than three kilometres on the lake.

The planning director said the County received the file Feb. 9. Staff will make its recommendation at a later date.

People can submit comments, be notified, or get additional information from epurcell@haliburtoncounty.ca or 705-286-1333 x 222.

Purcell noted if a person, or public body, does not make written submissions to the County before the approval authority gives, or refuses to give, approval they are not entitled to appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

When Sara Burtch was in elementary school, she remembers filling out a career aptitude test giving students a list of jobs their personality and interests most align with.

“I got plumber – and everybody made fun of me for it. So, I never really looked into it the way I should or took it seriously,” Burtch said.

Now, years later, she’s enjoying a fulfilling career working with G.J. Burtch Construction. Four years into her foray in the trades, Burtch tells The Highlander it’s the best decision she’s ever made.

“It’s funny, because now I can do a lot of the things a plumber does. I can change filters and swap out toilets. It’s made me wonder how, if everyone hadn’t laughed at me, would I have gone down this path years ago? I have a daughter who is interested in construction. I don’t want women growing up today going through the things I did, thinking ‘I can’t do that because that’s a man’s job’.”

With that in mind, Burtch is one of the driving forces behind the Haliburton County Home Builders Association’s (HCHBA) new ‘women in construction’ group. She and Aggie Tose, HCHBA’s executive officer, got the idea after attending a Canadian home builders national conference last fall and hearing from other regional entities how successful they’d been developing women-only meets.

An inaugural gathering is being held at The Link in Haliburton March 6 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

“We’re hoping to get more women out to volunteer and start having more of a presence in the community. Our long-term plan is to have our own board for women in the trades,” Burtch said.

Over the past few months, Burtch said she’s been developing her own inventory of women that she knows are working in the industry – noting, after talking with her husband, Andrew, and father-in-law, Gary, that numbers are way up from even 10 years ago.

“There have always been a few around Haliburton, but it was not really talked about. Even for me – a lot of people know my husband, but I’m often the one carrying the extra load that he can’t get to. I’m hoping to reach a lot of these women in the background that perhaps we don’t know about who might be willing to come forward and start to get more involved,” Burtch said, noting the group is open to anyone – not just HCHBA members.

Burtch will be at Hal High next month for HCHBA’s annual job fair. While she’ll be actively promoting opportunities at her firm, she’s also willing to discuss all potential career paths in the trades for young women. Through this new group, she’s hoping to develop a pool of workers willing to go into the high school to talk about how they broke in.

“Something where we can bring a female plumber or electrician in to speak to kids about their journey, because we all have a story,” Burtch said.

She noted HCHBA routinely assists young professionals – men and women – starting on their path to purchase tools and get help with training.

Burtch believes encouraging more women to pursue careers in the trades would benefit the industry.

“And not just in terms of numbers, but in perspective too,” Burtch said. “Don’t be put off by failing or feeling like you don’t know enough. When I first went out working with my husband, I thought it was a huge mistake. Then the more he talked about things, the more I learned. Before long, I was making suggestions to him about how to try something a different way.

“Men and women look at things differently, so to have both perspectives, I find, it really helps to see things a little clearer and get more of a full picture,” she added.