County dodges OPP changes for time being

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November 17, 2022

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say it has “paused” any structural changes to command at the Haliburton Highlands detachment until a new police services board is established.

County council, at a Nov. 9 meeting, said there were rumours the detachment would have its management consolidated with the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP, essentially making Haliburton Highlands OPP a satellite, but that had been dispatched for now.

Mayors of Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills, as well as the township’s CAOs, met with OPP brass, including central region chief superintendent Dwight Peer, Nov. 2. The meeting was called to address the issue of possibly removing the detachment commander from the Highlands, and replacing that position with a manager answering to the Lindsay-based OPP detachment commander.

After going into closed session at the County meeting, County warden Liz Danielsen emerged to say after hearing “consistent rumblings” about command consolidation, mayors Carol Moffatt, Andrea Roberts, Dave Burton and Brent Devolin feared, “a serious impact on the services provided in Haliburton County should that take place.” She said the County brokered the meeting with OPP to get clarification.

During the council meeting, councillors passed a resolution that would see the matter discussed at each township, since they are invoiced by the OPP for services, not the County, before the end of the year, with each rejecting any such move and letting the OPP know

However, Danielsen said the mayors came away from the Nov. 2 meeting hopeful no consolidation of command will occur.

“The chief superintendent assured those present the consolidation of command was not finalized, in fact only an option being discussed as a possible means to achieve efficiencies. The chief superintendent assured us the proposal would not proceed if local municipalities were opposed to the concept,” she said.

However, Peer made no such assurance when approached by The Highlander. A spokesperson for Peer told the paper on Nov. 14, that one of the mayors’ concerns was they are awaiting a response from the province on their OPP detachment board submission. When the province mandated community safety and wellbeing plans, the County was told it needed a local police services board.

“While staying committed to improving staffing levels at the detachment, we have paused any structural changes to command at the detachment until the dedicated Haliburton Highlands OPP Detachment Board is established,” the spokesperson said.

“Central Region Command and Haliburton Highlands Detachment staff are committed to working collaboratively with the local OPP Detachment Board, once established, and the municipalities it represents to make the best possible decisions regarding public safety and policing services within Haliburton County and its municipalities,” the spokesperson added.

Gosia Puzio, a media relations officer with the OPP, further said, “the OPP continuously evaluates its operations to seek efficiencies in support of public safety. Our focus remains the delivery of the best possible service to the community, and we will explore all avenues to do so, which includes command consolidations. Any proposed changes would not reduce frontline policing service.”

‘Unacceptable’ says Moffatt

At the Nov. 9 meeting, Devolin said the County had been stung in the past with rumours leading to “fait accomplis”, such as a controversial increase in OPP billing in 2014. He said with the newly-adopted community safety and well-being plan and a planned police services board locally, the rumblings surprised municipal councillors and staff. He said he was pleased the County was able to broker a meeting on behalf of the townships.

He panned the lack of community engagement. He said the townships are “paying the tab” and if major changes are being considered, “they need to dialogue with us.” He is eager for a police services board “so this sort of thing never happens again.”

However, he thought the meeting was “productive … I think we got some guarantees that if the community doesn’t want this, that won’t be the case.”

Coun. Carol Moffatt agreed. “The way this unfolded was really unfortunate. There was no ahead-of-the-game consultation but a series of events that got ahead of themselves with no details whatsoever.”

She said the change would have impacted the services, “especially in the face of the growth that we’re seeing.” The 2021 Census put County growth at 14 per cent.

“Suggesting moving the detachment commander position and replacing it with a manager is absolutely unacceptable and I think is an insult to our community. A lot of people have worked very, very hard for the establishment and retention of police services in Haliburton County and our growth requires more policing services, more robust policing relationships, not less.”

Time for OPP to step up

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 17, 2022

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Talk of command changes at the Haliburton Highlands OPP detachment are disturbing, to say the least. We were first alerted that something might be up when told of a Nov. 2 meeting – brokered by the County – between the four mayors and CAOs with top OPP brass. The meeting was called by the locals, not the OPP, because they’d been hearing rumours that changes were coming.

Those rumours were that the detachment commander position would be eliminated in the County, and replaced by a manager.

They’d heard they’d essentially be a satellite of the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP. It appears the two sides had somewhat different takeaways from the meeting. The mayors interpreted the message as, if the townships don’t want this to happen, it won’t. However, the OPP interpretation, as of Nov. 14, is a bit different. They told The Highlander they would pause discussions until there is a Haliburton Highlands police services board.

It’s been mandated by the province but has still not been struck. Once the board is in place, discussions about efficiencies could resume, the OPP told us. They didn’t give us the impression if the townships don’t want it, it won’t happen. We’re certainly grateful for the pause on such a big decision.

Although the OPP say it wouldn’t affect day-to-day policing or manpower, we’re not convinced. Already, we have a detachment commander who has just returned from a lengthy secondment to Orillia.

This happens on a regular basis. We’d hate to see her replaced by a manager. The nuances of the position requires someone who knows policing and the area, not a pencil pusher or someone who can organize good spreadsheets. However, the most irksome thing is that rumours had to circulate for this discussion to take place. Our townships spend about $6 million on the OPP every year and they deserve more respect.

Changes being discussed must be shared with local politicians and the community. We know part of the problem is that we lack a proper police services board. The old community policing advisory committee (CPAC) never really worked. Basically, the commander would sit down with the mayors every month or so and discuss who was misbehaving in the community. All behind closed doors.

The media was excluded, and thus, the public was excluded.

It was a far cry from the police services board meetings in Lindsay for example. Criminal statistics and trends were discussed, while still maintaining the integrity of ongoing investigations. We do need a police services board so that politicians and civilian watchdogs can keep an eye on what they are getting for that $6M we are spending.

For far too long, the Haliburton Highlands detachment has been somewhat of an afterthought. Faced with a population that has grown by 14 per cent, that mentality has to change. We face challenges that include our geography. We cover 4,025 square kilometres.

Compare that to the province of P.E.I., at 5,660 sq km. And like all of Ontario, we have pressures due to our growth, in addition to high rates of poverty. We need more and better policing, not less.

Former Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt is right. Suggesting we lose our detachment commander or become a satellite of CKL is insulting and a slap in the face to the Highlands. It’s time for the OPP to step up.

Province aims to put winter fishing on ice

By

Mike Baker

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November 17, 2022

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Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is proposing new legislation that would outlaw ice fishing of Brook Trout and Lake Trout on all lakes in Haliburton County considered to have low natural populations of the species.

The ministry posted a new draft management plan for Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) 15, which encompasses the Highlands region, to its website Sept. 29.

A 60-day public consultation is to run until Nov. 28. “The anticipated environmental and social consequences of this proposal are positive,” the ministry states. “The approaches presented aim to balance the ecological and socioeconomic objectives of the region.” FMZ 15 also covers Bancroft, Parry Sound, Pembroke and parts of Peterborough and North Bay.

The MNRF, in its plan, says the zone is experiencing high pressure from a wide group of users, including commercial tourist operators, resident and non-resident anglers, and Indigenous subsistence fishers. Anita Tamrazi, ministry spokesperson, said the changes are being proposed to protect natural Coldwater fish populations, which, she says, have declined in recent years. The current Brook Trout fishing season, which runs from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, was deemed “excessively liberal” by the MNRF, which wants to cut it in half.

The new proposed season for at-risk Brook Trout lakes is the fourth Saturday in April to Sept. 30. For Lake Trout, the ministry is proposing from the third Saturday in May until Labour Day for all lakes less than 500 hectares in size.

For larger lakes, it’s a one-month season during the winter, from the Saturday before Family Day to the third Sunday in March. For this, only one line may be used when angling through the ice. Fishing on lakes considered to be fully stocked will be permitted, though the MNRF has not released a list of fully stocked lakes, nor outlined what they consider to be a fully stocked lake.

‘Attack on small business’

Rob Berthelot, owner of Sandy Lake Resort on Halls Lake, criticized the timing. “It feels like this is an attack on small business,” Berthelot said. “COVID was bad enough, can we not get a reprieve for a little bit? I’m not saying this might not be the right thing to do, but the timing sure does suck. The least they could do is give us a transitional period, so that we can prepare.”

Tamrazi told The Highlander the earliest any proposed change could come into effect is Jan. 1, 2024.

While Berthelot does not directly offer ice fishing tours and expeditions, choosing instead to partner with an operator, he said changes would have a significant impact on his business.

“I get people who come up and stay with me because they want to ice fish. For a lot of people, that’s their main reason for coming here. If that goes away, what am I going to do in the winter? How do I replace that revenue?” Cameron Ferguson is the operations manager at Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve. He said he was initially made aware of the possible changes last year.

If passed, it would have a significant impact on business, Ferguson said. Haliburton Forest partners with Yours Outdoors for ice fishing.

Spokesman Barrie Martin said he sold 27 guided ice fishing experiences in the Forest last winter, and was hoping to increase this year.

He said if people can’t fish on certain lakes in Haliburton Forest, he would see a big drop in sales.

Thinking about the environment

Ziad Halasah has owned the Red Umbrella Inn on Twelve Mile Lake for 15 years.

When he took ownership of the resort in August 2007, ice fishing was a big money maker. He has steadily built the operation, with his most successful year in 2019, bringing in more than $100,000 between January and mid-March.

This year, from that same period, he brought in $4,180. “I am not making money on ice fishing anymore. I am losing money,” Halasah said. He said anglers have boycotted the lake because of its low fish population.

He believes the MNRF is doing the right thing, implementing legislation and giving lakes time to repopulate naturally. “Twelve Mile Lake is dead right now… I haven’t seen trout for the past three years,” Halasah said.

“Whatever the environment needs, we must help. Otherwise, the next generation is not going to be able to enjoy what we have had for the last few decades.”

Comments on the draft FMZ 15 fisheries management plan can be made at ero.ontario.ca/ notice/019-5715.

Haliburton County Huskies bound through frantic week of games

By

Sam Gillett

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November 17, 2022

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SG-Huskies-1- — Haliburton County Huskies' goalie Aidan Spooner salutes after a 8-0 win Nov. 12.

Goalie Aidan Spooner said he was “feeling good” after anchoring the Haliburton County Huskies during the first of a flurry of mid-November OJHL tilts.

The Dogs cruised to an 8-0 victory over the St. Michael’s Buzzers in front of a raucous Minden crowd Nov. 12.

“It was a full 60 minutes we played out there, couldn’t ask for a better game,” Spooner said. Patrick Saini opened the scoring at five minutes, after a pass from Christian Stevens left the goalie flailing and the net unguarded.

“We’re working really well together,” Saini said after the game.

In the second period, Ty Collins added another, catching a pass right near the blueline and flicking a shot into the top shelf. Isaac Sooklal joined the scoresheet soon after before Lucas Stevenson capitalized on a bad deflection from the St. Michael’s goaltender to nudge the puck home.

The goals kept coming, and the crowd of 486 kept cheering: Boyd Stalhbaum, Collins, Declan Bowmaster and Alex Cunningham all capitalized on a St. Michael’s team that cracked under the pressure.

At the final buzzer, the team skated to Spooner, who recorded 32 saves, including one diving save to deflect a shot from the blueline and a steely-eyed handling of a Buzzers breakaway.

Was he thinking about the shutout before the whistle? “Not really, it’s more just playing your game,” he said.

“Doing everything you can to not think about it because in the back of your mind [the shutout] is obviously there.”

Victory in North York

The Huskies’ net stayed empty for 60 more minutes during a Nov. 13 4-0 victory over North York. This time Tyler Hodges was between the pipes, saving 25 shots.

Stahlbaum, assisted by Stevenson and Sam Solarino, opened the scoring late in the first period before Stevens, Saini and Josh Sordo added points to the tally.

The Dogs showcased defensive grit in the third period after Solarino received a two-minute minor penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for abusing the officials. The team held the Rangers at bay during the fiveon-four penalty kill.

A home defeat

The Huskies fell 4-3 to the Trenton Golden Hawks in Minden Nov. 15. After going one down in the middle of the first period, Sooklal and Stevens each scored in quick succession, taking the Dogs up 2-1.

Trenton scored the only goal in the second period, ratcheting up the tension into the third period where a shot by Saini regained the lead.

Then the win slipped through the home team’s fingers: Trenton scored two late in the period to snatch victory. The Huskies head to Lindsay Nov. 18 before playing Coburg Nov. 19 and Burlington Nov. 20 at the Minden Arena.

Mask up to protect young and vulnerable says health unit

By

Sam Gillett

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November 15, 2022

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With respiratory illnesses on the rise, the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit is urging Highlanders to wear masks indoors.

“The focus has shifted from COVID-19 to the earlier than normal rise of RSV [Respiratory syncytial virus] and influenza, where we are seeing higher numbers of seriously ill children than had been expected,” said chief medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking in a Nov. 15 media release.

“Therefore, I support and strongly recommend wearing your mask at indoor public settings, including schools and childcare centres. It’s our children, the very young and vulnerable, that require our collective action right now.”

COVID-19, influenza, and RSV are contributing to a “surge” in children being admitted to hospitals in recent weeks. The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto announced on Friday it would be limiting surgeries to redeploy staff to urgent care.

The HKPR said most impacted by influenza and RSV are children too young to mask properly.

“By wearing a mask at indoor public settings, as well as schools and childcare centres, and if/when respiratory symptoms are noted, we can protect the most vulnerable in our community during this challenging respiratory virus season.”

Bocking also urged Highlanders to get their flu vaccine.

“Vaccination against influenza remains especially important during this respiratory season,” she said. “Children six months of age and older, pregnant individuals, families and caregivers with young children, healthcare workers and elderly, and those with underlying health conditions should get their flu shot as soon as possible.”

The health unit provided the following tips to limit exposure to respiratory viruses this winter:

Wear a mask at indoor public settings, social settings and in schools and childcare centres
Children aged two to five years old should also wear a mask when supervised and if they can tolerate it
Staying up to date on vaccinations, including getting your flu shot as soon as possible
Screening for respiratory symptoms daily
Practice good hand hygiene and regularly clean high-touch surfaces, which is especially important for RSV and flu viruses
Stay home if you are sick

Locally, there are many ways to get the flu vaccine:

Dozens of pharmacies in Haliburton County, Northumberland County and the City of Kawartha Lakes can provide flu vaccine to anyone two years of age and older. High-dose flu vaccines for people 65 years of age and older are also available at pharmacies. A complete list of local pharmacy locations providing flu vaccines is available at www.hkpr.on.ca.
Contact your primary care provider to see about getting the flu vaccine. Children six months to

two years old can only get their flu shot from a doctor, nurse practitioner or local public health unit.

A broken animal welfare system

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 15, 2022

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When it comes to animal welfare in Haliburton County and beyond, things have changed and not for the better. Incidents, such as an Oct. 30 attack on a resident and her dog on her own property, have again highlighted a broken system locally and across Ontario. The resident claims the dog that attacked her, and her pet, had been on her land before, and was known to roam the area.

She further claims the dog is a foster from a rescue organization that had been flagged as not being good with other dogs, or cats. We live in the country and generally like to give our domestic animals a little more freedom than in the city. We also know that containment isn’t always 100 per cent guaranteed.

Despite our best efforts, sometimes dogs get out. However, if we are in care of an animal that has a question mark or exclamation mark on its record, we must be hyper-vigilant. The most recent attack wasn’t the first and won’t be the last in our area.

The broken system unfortunately ensures that. It used to be that the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) had a larger influence in animal welfare matters. However, the organization divorced the Ontario government in 2019 after a century of service.

It said it would no longer take a lead role in investigating and enforcing animal cruelty laws.

It shifted into a support role in investigations, providing animal shelter, forensic evidence collection and vet services.

The closest operations are in Bracebridge and Orillia. It was replaced with the Provincial Animal Welfare Services or PAWS. People can find a website and call a toll-free number 1-833-9-ANIMAL but the focus is on animal cruelty, not domestic dogs at large or attacking people and their pets. In the case of the Oct. 30 attack, the victim called the OPP.

They subsequently laid a charge against the dog owner, which they can do under the Dog Owners Liability Act. The police told us they notify bylaw in the area and provide the pertinent details. Then, bylaw may implement their procedures, given the nature of the situation. However, the OPP could not confirm whether bylaw was notified in this case, although the victim did contact the department.

Bylaw departments in other jurisdictions can do things such as issue a muzzle order, charge or fine dog owners. There appears to be a lack of communication between responsible agencies, whether PAWS, OPP, bylaw, and the health unit (they can order a dog to be quarantined to ensure it does not have rabies).

On top of that, our townships don’t have the resources to respond to the majority of animal call-outs. The bylaw departments are one-or-two-person operations attached to the planning and building department. With the explosion of new construction and renovation, they’re busy doing inspections, not responding to animal complaints.

Nor do they have a pound for animals they’ve picked up. To say there are gaps in the system is an understatement. There are huge cracks and unfortunately it is victims of animal attacks, and in some cases, helpless animals, that generally fall right through them.

What can we do? As a community, we have to be responsible for the animals under our care. It means making tough decisions, such as having to fence that yard or tie that dog up, even though we would love our animals to have freedom.

And it means that we must provide food, water, shelter and love to the animals in our care, whether household pets or working animals, such as hunting dogs or horses. It’s up to us as a community, since the systems are unable to do it for us.

Housing Act a good move

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 15, 2022

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The Ontario government’s More Homes Built Faster Act isn’t perfect, but if passed, will certainly help the Highlands housing crisis. In case you missed it, the province introduced the Act Oct. 25.

The plan is to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. The minister of municipal affairs and housing said what it is proposing will ensure towns and rural communities grow with a mix of ownership and rental housing types that meet the needs of all, from single-family homes to townhouses and mid-rise apartments.

The change with perhaps the biggest impact locally will be removing exclusionary zoning, which allows only one single detached home per lot.

Instead, it would permit property owners to build three units without lengthy approvals and development charges. I have personally encountered people in the Highlands who have quite a bit of land and want to build a second home on their property for an aging parent, or a son or daughter.

This would allow them to do that. It is crucial to providing more, and affordable, housing for locals. It also means the building of more triplexes and garden suites. This fits in with our community housing profile, as opposed to townhouses and mid-rise apartments. However, there are places for those types of developments as well.

The government is also targeting delays and red tape to get more homes built faster and local developers will tell you that has been a problem in the County, sometimes exasperated by having to go through a lowertier municipality and then the County.

The changes also look to reduce government fees, which should help with the cost of inflation and how it is impacting the building industry. Some other measures include increasing the non-resident speculation tax rate to 25 per cent, from 20, to deter non-resident investors, making home ownership more attainable for Highlanders. There’s lots of good things in this bill. However, one concern is that regional authorities won’t have the same chance to review and comment on development applications.

How much could that affect the environment? Limiting public hearings and resident appeals will cause concerns, and is aimed squarely at eliminating NIMBYism.

Some will see this as undemocratic. It would have been nice to see more empowerment for regional and municipal governments to directly build affordable housing on land they own, either on their own or with partners. Some have said they should allow four accommodations per property, up from three. A lot of people like the direction, however, including the MacdonaldLaurier Institute. They said the government is finally recognizing the root cause of high prices is a lack of supply due to overburdensome fees, regulations, zoning restrictions and time-consuming application processes.

The Ontario Real Estate Association likes the tack the government is taking as well. They favour the rolling back of exclusionary zoning, lowering fees for new home buyers and pushing back on NIMBY forces. However, many say even the 50 actions in the Act do not go far enough and more is immediately required. We agree. For example, Ontario should give first-time home buyers instant relief by getting rid of the land transfer tax, or upping the existing rebate. The tax can add thousands to closing costs.

Eliminating it would be a welcome bonus for families looking to get into the market.

One person deceased after structure fire in Minden

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 10, 2022

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Haliburton Highlands OPP say a person was found dead following a structure fire in Minden Hills Nov. 4.

In a news release issued Nov. 10, police said emergency services responded to the fatal structure fire just before midnight last Friday.

“On Nov. 4, 2022, at 11:59 p.m., members of the Haliburton Highlands detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, Minden Hills fire department, Haliburton fire department, and Haliburton EMS, responded to a structure fire in the Township of Minden Hills. A person was located deceased in the structure,” the release stated.

It added, “At this time, the fire is believed to be non-suspicious.”

The Haliburton Highlands OPP in conjunction with OPP Forensic Identification Services, the Office of the Fire Marshall and the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario are continuing to investigate the incident.

No such thing as a free lunch?

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 10, 2022

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SIRCH has brought back its Lunch is on Us program. It will continue until the end of March. It’s every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the SIRCH Bistro.

It is dine-in only as long as food lasts.

Donations are appreciated.

Here, Eva Hayes and John LeBlond serve guests. Executive director for SIRCH Community Services, Gena Robertson says “the goal of Lunch Is On Us is, ultimately, to help create more resilient communities for individuals and families and to improve mental well-being through connection with others.

It’s really for anyone.” Aside from Lunch Is On Us, the Bistro & Bakery is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for breakfast and lunch, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Highlands clash makes for perfect Storm

By

Sam Gillett

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November 10, 2022

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The Highland Storm’s Up Right Roofing U11 LL team faced off against the Highland Storm Car Quest Minden U11 LL in a 6-6 tie Nov. 5.

The excitement was evident from both teams right from puck drop.

Callum Merritt opened the scoring early in the first period, assisted by Rowan Little and Kora Reid. Car Quest responded quickly to tie it at one apiece.

Merritt continued his attack, scoring for the second time, with a response from the opposition tying it with two minutes left in the period.

The back-and-forth scoring continued throughout the second period. The trio of James Gooley, Maddex Reynolds and Liam Milburn worked well together to create quality scoring chances.

The second period ended with Up Right Roofing trailing 4-3

Up Right’s netminder, Bobby Walker, made some timely saves to keep his team in the game, allowing Little to tie the game at 4-4 early in the third.

Reed Brown and Jaxon Demerchant were solid on the offensive blue line making it difficult for the opposition to clear their zone while Madison Foisy mucked it up in the defensive zone, causing trouble for her opponents.

Car Quest managed to find the back of the net two more times creating the biggest lead in the game up to that point. Corbin Elliot helped Up Right claw back late in the third with his forecheck keeping the puck deep in the offensive zone.

Up Right Roofing tied it up at 6 with goals from Little and Milburn, assisted by Gooley and Reynolds. Both teams played hard right to the final buzzer.