Two Haliburton men – who illegally used an excavator last summer to remove woody debris and aquatic vegetation along the Lipsy Lake shoreline – have been convicted and fined for unlawful use of machinery on lake shore lands.

The Ministry of Natural Resources said on May 22 that the men were fined $2,000 each after pleading guilty to unlawfully dredging shore lands without a permit.

The Ontario Court of Justice heard that on Aug. 11, 2025, the men were operating an excavator on the shore of Lipsy Lake, in Dysart et al, north of Haliburton.

“While attempting to remove woody debris and aquatic vegetation along the shoreline, the excavator was driven into the waters of Lipsy Lake,” the MNR said.

They added the lakebed was scraped and dredged using the heavy machinery, without the men having obtained a permit.

“Witnesses observed the excavator in the water and immediately reported the incident to the ministry TIPS line. The ministry’s district staff responded to the incident, completing a damage assessment before handing the investigation over to conservation officers,” the ministry said last Friday.

Justice of the Peace, Joel Kulmatycki, heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, City of Kawartha Lakes, Feb. 24.

Incident used for public education

There was no remediation order associated with the conviction.

As the incident happened in Dysart et al, chief building official Karl Korpela said their bylaw enforcement officer conducted a joint investigation with the MNR and, “it was determined that this was outside of our jurisdiction as all of the work was completed below the high-water mark.”

Haliburton County master gardener Carolyn Langdon told The Highlander that two weeks ago, she was able to stop a person in mid-destruction from doing a similar thing. She said she convinced the man to return the shoreline elder bushes and soil from the lake back to approximately where it was.

Check before you remove

With the recent conviction and fine, and Langdon’s experience, U-Links program coordinator Frank Figuli said it’s a good reminder for full-time and seasonal residents about the do’s and don’ts of shoreline health.

“From an ecological standpoint, shoreline and near shore areas are some of the most sensitive and productive habitats within an aquatic system. People typically perceive aquatic vegetation and woody debris as a nuisance or a hinderance to enjoying the lake. But they truly do provide important ecological functions like fish habitats, shoreline stabilization, erosion resistance, nutrient cycling, and just overall benefits to water quality protection.”

Figuli said they have done an aquatic plant inventory of Lipsy Lake, indicating an absence of invasive plant species.

He said using heavy equipment, such as an excavator, in a lake below the high-water mark can result in sediment disturbances, possible destruction of habitat, lead to shoreline destabilization – and can impact other properties and the larger lake ecosystem.

He said people should use their lake associations as a resource.

“Cooperation with lake associations should be front of mind, particularly because they are working with organizations such as the Haliburton County Master Gardeners, U-Links, Abbey Gardens, etc. You can get more informed decision-making potential by checking in versus just going off on your own.”

The Highlander asked the MNR how one obtains a permit, and how it ensures work is done properly. We did not have a response as of press time.

To report a natural resource problem, or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, visit ontario.ca/MNRTips.

By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Nearly 400 community and social workers in Peterborough, Lindsay, and Haliburton walked off the job on Monday (May 25), and joined a coordinated province-wide strike of 4,500 public sector employees.

Members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 358 are striking against Community Living Trent Highlands. The workers are demanding a 6.5 per cent retroactive wage increase and a strict “no layoffs” guarantee following the repeal of Ontario’s unconstitutional Bill 124, which capped public sector wage increases at one per cent.

Direct provincial ministry staff received financial remedies after the wagecap legislation was struck down, but community-based public service sectors were excluded.

“Because the cost of living keeps going up, the time is now,” local union president Jessica Bushey told The Highlander.

The Local 358 president said that even top-earning, long-term staff who have specialized degrees are having to take on secondary jobs or use food banks to make ends meet.

“We have members going to the food bank to not only pick up stuff for the folks we support because they can’t afford it either, but neither can we,” Bushey said. “There’s something wrong here, right?”

The union boss noted that, according to the financial accountability officer, her sector faces an ongoing $1.5 billion provincial funding shortfall. Bushey said workers report that the underfunding directly impacts vulnerable residents, adding that some supported individuals are left with food budgets of just $14 a day.

In a statement to The Highlander, the provincial government said it has “made historic investments in the development services sector, including nearly $4 billion this year, an increase of $1.6 billion since we took office in 2018 to provide people with access to the services they need, when they need them.

“While collective bargaining is a matter between the employer and the union, we expect every service provider to have strong contingency plans to protect residents and ensure their care is never disrupted,” a spokesperson said.

The labour dispute faced a critical deadline this week, when Community Living Trent Highlands forced a final offer vote through the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Local union leadership fiercely urged members to vote down the proposal.

“They’re trying to get us off the strike line, but their deal comes with layoffs,” Bushey said. “We shouldn’t have to fund a wage increase with the blood of our own members.”

Bushey said she’s concerned about the health and safety of the vulnerable people the workers care for during the job action, noting that the specialized care is being handled by temporary workers.

OPSEU launched a family landing page on its website to support affected households, and the results of the OLRB vote will be posted on the local’s public Facebook page.

Haliburton Forest Biochar management is still assessing damages after an early morning fire at its Kennaway Road facility May 22 took out one of the business’ production buildings.

Malcolm Cockwell, managing director of Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve – the parent company of Biochar, told The Highlander the blaze broke out around 1:30 a.m. No injuries were reported.

“Efforts to secure the site and investigate the incident are ongoing. The extent to which the incident will disrupt Haliburton Forest Biochar’s operations is yet to be determined,” Cockwell said.

Introduced in 2016, the division uses leftover wood chips, shavings and powder from the Forest’s sawmill operations to produce biochar – a highly-porous charcoallike substance primarily used to improve soil health and capture carbon. Acting like a sponge, biochar helps soils retain water and store nutrients.

It’s also used in manufacturing, replacing fossil fuel products like carbon black and coal coke during the production of bioplastics, green metals and other materials.

Stacey Parish, deputy fire chief with the Dysart department, said the fire call came into the station at 1:35 a.m., with first responders arriving at 1:55 a.m. She said 22 firefighters from three departments – Dysart, Algonquin Highlands and Highlands East – tackled the blaze, with officials on-scene for 11 hours.

While the fire was reported to the Ontario Fire Marshal, Parish said there’s no concern for public safety.

“Nothing to be concerned about as it is a natural product,” Parish said.

Jim Demetriou from the fire marshal’s office said an investigation is underway.

“At this time, the incident remains under active investigation and there is no information available to share. The Office of the Fire Marshal is unable to provide further comment while the investigation is ongoing,” Demetriou said.

Cockwell confirmed clean-up is underway. The fire is the first major incident at the site since Haliburton Forest invested $10 million to expand the division in 2022. The Ontario government pitched in an additional $4.6 million last year to support a transition into engineered biochar, opening the door for more growth in advanced manufacturing.

Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region is seeking a $12.5 million loan from Infrastructure Ontario to help pay for its planned 35-unit affordable housing build on Peninsula Road in Haliburton.

CEO Susan Zambonin was at County council May 27 to request the upper tier reach-out to provincial officials on Habitat’s behalf.

“It would be construction financing for up to three years. Affordable housing projects can be considered for this type of loan,” Zambonin told council. “This would help us to have a low-interest loan, as opposed to going through the bank and only getting 60 per cent of what we need as a construction mortgage.

“This is one way the County can help us without costing you anything,” she added.

Council did not make a decision, instead directing staff to report back on the request at a future meeting.

Habitat is partnering with County-based non-profit Places for People (P4P) on the project. While Habitat is handling construction, P4P has committed to purchasing 15 of the 35 units, which it intends to offer for rent at below-market rates. Habitat will sell the remaining 20 units to the public through its homeownership program.

To qualify, Zambonin said applicants require a household income that supports homeownership but is less than $95,000 a year, no outstanding debt, and a credit score of 600 or more. People must secure an initial mortgage through an eligible credit union, with Habitat making up the difference through a second mortgage.

Through Habitat’s model, Zambonin said people never pay more than 30 per cent of their income towards housing costs – which includes insurance, condo fees and property taxes.

All units will be one and two-bedroom, with Zambonin telling The Highlander last fall they will likely be priced under $400,000. The building is slated to be three storeys, with main floor units being mostly accessible. There will be an elevator for people on higher floors.

Planning is well underway with Habitat hiring an architect, Neil Campbell from Aside Architects, and a construction manager, Haliburton resident Travis Braun from Braun Custom Builds. Campbell has worked with Habitat on previous builds, including a recent 41-unit development in Peterborough.

Zambonin said she had a pre-consultation meeting with County and Dysart et al staff last week and hopes to finalize building permits this fall, with the project expected to break ground in 2027.

She’s been spending a lot of time in the County since the build was announced last September, making connections with local tradespeople who will help bring the units to life.

“Haliburton has been an incredibly supportive and welcoming community and we at Habitat look forward to breaking ground and launching a build that will offer much-needed affordable ownership and rental units to the County,” she said.

Bunkie auction

Fundraising efforts are now well underway to help P4P pay its share, with the nonprofit’s founder, Fay Martin, saying it will likely be millions of dollars.

Local developer Paul Wilson has already committed $500,000 to P4P’s cause, part of the proceeds from selling the land on Peninsula Road to Habitat for $1.2 million last year. After bringing in just shy of $60,000 at its annual ‘sleeping in cars’ event in March, P4P is back at it again with a bunkie auction, running until Canada Day.

Launching May 16, people can bid on a seven-by-10-foot bunkie constructed by volunteers during an annual womens’ build retreat Habitat hosted in Haliburton last fall.

“The completed structure was built with one goal in mind: to support the future of affordable housing in Haliburton County. For all 60 women who participated, it was an opportunity to help build something meaningful. For many, it was their first time swinging a hammer or using construction tools,” Zambonin said.

“It takes a village to build a home – and an even bigger village to build 35,” she added.

All the materials for the bunkie were provided by Habitat, who donated the finished structure to P4P.

The bunkie is valued at $7,500, with the top bid as of press time $4,000. People have until 11:55 p.m. June 30 to register their interest. The winning bid will be announced by P4P on Canada Day.

“Whether it’s storage, a guest bunkie or a creative retreat, this is your chance to add something truly unique to your property,” said P4P president Susan Tromanhauser. “The structure is solid, thoughtfully crafted and full of potential. Finish it your way and make it your own.”

P4P said it will deliver the bunkie within a 50-kilometre radius of Haliburton Home Hardware, where it’s being stored. Bids can be made virtually through Zeffy or on information cards at select local businesses.

To place a bid, visit www.placesforpeople. ca/news/bid-on-a-bunkie-with-charityauction-for-places-for-people.

Other projects

Zambonin also delivered an update on Habitat’s partnership with the County to develop 60 affordable units at the Wee Care property in Haliburton.

“We’ve put together a concept of four different buildings where we could stagger the construction, if necessary, to then be able to provide additional daycare space, should the daycare decide that’s what they’d like,” she said.

The plan calls for two 16-unit buildings and two 12-unit buildings, with space for a new daycare facility. There’s currently no timeline for breaking ground.

Zambonin revealed Habitat has also made an offer to purchase the Haliburton Heights timeshare building at 1699 Wigamog Rd.

Their plan is to convert the property into 22 condos for affordable home ownership – six studios, six one-bedroom units and 10 two-bed units. She noted the project would require rezoning and an amendment to Dysart’s official plan.

“It’s a very well-maintained property… we have met with a few councillors from Dysart and had conversations with the planning department,” Zambonin said.

She asked County council to go to Infrastructure Ontario to request a further $3.5 million loan that Habitat will use as acquisition financing. For both, this project and the one on Peninsula Road, Zambonin said Habitat would aim to pay back the loan over three years, once it has recouped money from selling the units.

Readers have been enthralled with crime, and true crime, for as long as the genre has existed and part-time Haliburton resident, Hope Thompson, has added to the bookshelves.

Thompson recently published Dark Thoughts & Other Stories: a collection of 11 crime stories, with many having a “noir quality.”

She described it as, “set on city streets from the 1930s and 50s, to the present day and beyond, these stories bristle with the grit of noir. While some are lighter, and others darker, all are about people forced by circumstance to escape their situation – or die trying.”

Thompson, who splits her time between Haliburton village and Toronto, said she has always been interested in noir. “So, these stories draw on that. They also draw on the cozy crime stories; say Agatha Christie; a little bit of everything. Some of the stories are historical, some are present day.”

Thompson said the short stories are mostly driven by “outsider characters; like single women, unmarried women, people who are kind of navigating patriarchy in some way; navigating the world from an outsider space. It’s very different from crime stories where it’s the male detective as the main lead.”

The author noted, “characters are cornered, caught and facing their own demise.” For example, an advice columnist receives a letter from a murderer. A drifter obsesses over a serial killer. A painter contemplates her final brush stroke – with death.”

As to why people love reading crime and true crime, Thompson said she thinks it’s partly escapism.

“The fact the world is in such a horrific place right now. It’s, ironically, going to a story that involves murder and what have you, as a form of escapism. It almost always is, and has been, since the invention of the genre. It’s always had this popularity and is the highest-selling genre.”

This is Thompson’s first book of short stories. She is also working on a novel. Add to that, a true crime project with Ellen White of the podcast Whereabouts Unknown.

Thompson has worked in film and television, including writing for the CBC sketch comedy hit Baroness Von Sketch Show. She has a future project with a production company in the Yukon. She also does freelance work to help pay the bills. Thompson has also taught courses for Haliburton School of Art + Design.

Asked how she keeps track of it all, she said it comes down to time management.

“I’ve got a white board with a lot of deadlines, some of which I have missed. I keep writing up lists and trying to strike things off.”

Dark Thoughts & Other Stories is available on Amazon, and at Master’s Book Store In Haliburton.

Thompson also plans to bring the book to Bookapalooza in Minden June 20. She hopes to plan another book reading event while in town for that. “I’m looking forward to being at my first Bookapalooza.”