Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

Jennifer Korpela spent two years as the acting head secretary at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School during the pandemic. If elected, she said she’ll become a full-time councillor. Korpela volunteers with non-profit Walkabout Farms and was a member of the

sports wall of fame mural fundraising committee. “I’m an excellent listener. If on council, I would listen to the voice of the community, do my own research and make decisions based on facts rather than hearsay or fear.”

Issues in Dysart et al

Listing housing as her number one priority, Korpela said she’s also committed to keeping taxes low. “Lots of people

are struggling.” She also wants the township’s next council to focus on waste management. “Right now, we’re taking our garbage elsewhere. We’re not dealing with our own mess. I’d like to really look at our landfills and see what options we have.” Korpela said she also wants to work with stakeholders in the tourism industry to make Dysart more of a year- round destination.

Amalgamation

Korpela said she is against amalgamation. “It just doesn’t sit well with me. The most effective government is the government closest to the people. When you move a step away from the people you serve, I don’t think that is in the best interest of our communities.”

Health

“It may not be a popular opinion, but I do believe we could be a bit more efficient if we have one hospital. To me, the cost of having two separate buildings, two separate staffs – I think it would be very beneficial to our community to have one facility serve as a main hospital, and the other be turned into a full-scale long- term care home.” Korpela said having

one facility could help HHHS lobby the province for upgraded equipment, such as a CT scanner.

Housing

“A good majority of our issues, like poverty, labour shortages, all come full circle to our housing situation. That is something the new council is going to have to face.” Korpela said the township needs to rethink its zoning bylaws. She would be in favour of people turning bunkies or accessory buildings on their properties into legal rentals. She would like council to look into expanding Dysart’s sewage treatment plant, which she believes would open the door for significant development around Haliburton village.

Poverty

Korpela said she’s been in touch with the Haliburton Kawartha Lakes Poverty Reduction Roundtable to understand why poverty is so rife in the Highlands. “The group indicated there’s 11 different resources that need to be topped up in a community for individuals to thrive. They have identified four key areas and made a number of actionable suggestions on what can be done.” Korpela said focusing on food security, employment and education, children and youth, and housing are key.

Shoreline preservation bylaw

“I’m disappointed the bylaw was passed. I think it’s full of holes. It’s not clear or concise. It’s open to interpretation.” Korpela doesn’t believe it does much to address lake health. “For properties that have already been clear cut, there’s nothing in there to renaturalize… I think the bylaw needs to be amended and made a little more concrete, because right now there’s not much in there that’s enforceable.”

Short-term rentals

Korpela accepts short-term rentals have

a place in Dysart. She would like to see them regulated. “There are nuisance, safety and environmental concerns with them… Short-term rentals have become a bit of a commercial enterprise. I think that needs to be tightened up.” She would like to see the township hold owners accountable when complaints are made.

Transportation

Korpela is a fan of Dysart’s Dymo bus service and believes the township should look into establishing a wider transit system. “If we look at other small communities’ steps ahead of us, one being Innisfil. They have a ride share service and the municipality provides discounted rates for people going to town hall, the rec centre or to get groceries. People can also apply for a different level of service where they get four free trips to the food bank each month, or to childcare services… If we speak to communities that have these systems in place, we could come up with a fantastic plan for Dysart.”

Vision for the future

Korpela wants to help Dysart meet its

full potential. “We want to move forward and get ahead with the times as far as [internet and cell] connectivity, and the medical system, but at the same time we need to hold onto our smalltown charm.” She’d like to expand on the municipality’s strategic plan, passed by council earlier this year. “It’s a bit generalized and open to interpretation… hopefully the new council can massage it and use it to help drive creative solutions for some of our major problems.”

Focus for 2023 budget

Korpela said her focus would be on fiscal responsibility and ensuring several “long overdue” projects come to fruition next year. “Replacing the playground at Head Lake Park, I’d like to rework the budget to see if there is a place where we can afford do to that. I’d also like a little bit more money for our roads.”

Jennifer Korpela the candidate

Korpela moved to Dysart et al with her family in 2017. “It was a good choice for us. We’ve really enjoyed living here and immersing ourselves in the culture of the community… I have a lot of experience dealing with lots of people from lots of different walks of life, hearing their stories and working head-to-head and heart- to-heart with them on issues that affect their lives. Then trying to come up with solutions. That’s something I really enjoy doing and is part of my motivation for running

Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

Dan Roberts spent most of his professional career in banking and

the corporate sector before recently retiring. He grew up in Haliburton and while he moved away for work, always maintained a presence in the Highlands. “I’ve basically spent every weekend in Haliburton for I don’t know how long. I have a lot of long-time friends here from high school that I’ve kept in touch with, so I know what’s going on here. I know what the community is all about.” He feels his background in business would help him come to grips with the councillor position.

Amalgamation

Rather than see all four lower-tier municipalities in the Highlands come together with the County to form one single-tier government, Roberts would like them to work together on several key files. “Maybe we could have one roads department instead of four. Our ambulance service covers the whole County. I don’t see any reason why our fire department couldn’t work that way.”

Health

Roberts believes the province should have focused on establishing one hospital site in Haliburton County several years ago, but that now Haliburton and Minden each have facilities of their own it would be difficult to amalgamate them. “Do we need two hospitals? I don’t think we do.

I think we need one good hospital for an area the size of ours, but I’m not sure how we go about doing that now. That would have to be something we were really sure on, that we’ve spent time debating and consulting [with the community].”

Housing 

“We need housing. It’s going to take a lot of work, not just from council but from the whole community.” Roberts believes Dysart needs to take a look at its building code. “We have to be a little more forgiving on what we’re doing as far as getting permits and giving people the ability to build houses. We have to speed things up a little bit.” He said he would be willing to take

a look at, and keep an open mind about, any proposed housing development that crosses council’s table.

Poverty

“When I hear people say we’re one of the poorest counties in the province, I find that really disappointing because there is a lot of wealth here. This isn’t something we’re going to be able to deal with overnight. It’s going to take a complete change of thinking.”

Shoreline preservation bylaw

Roberts believes any bylaw is useless without effective enforcement. “You can put bylaws in all day long, but if you can’t get people to police them, then it doesn’t really matter. I’ve read the proposal and, honestly, I’m not really sure what we are accomplishing here. Most of the people who live on the waterfront take care of their property, they care about the lakes and their shoreline… I’m not sure this was necessary, or money well spent.” Roberts believes the lower-tier townships should have been more involved in the process.

Short-term rentals

Roberts believes regulating short-term rentals could be a good revenue generator for the County and lower-tier townships. He believes there will be issues surrounding enforcement. “One of our biggest issues in the County is following up on things. We just don’t have the manpower. Bringing in another bylaw is great, but it doesn’t address one of the key issues, which is how would we actually police this thing?” 

Transportation

Roberts believes Dysart could make a public transit system work, but only if it operates on a limited basis. “We have a lot of roads in Dysart. I don’t think we could service them all with a bus, but you could definitely service some of the more major areas. Then you see how that goes and build the system from there. We don’t need to have regular routes running all the time, but maybe if you had a bus running at eight in the morning, and then again at four in the afternoon… that could give people the opportunity to run just one car and still be able to get around the community.”

Vision for the future

“Dysart and Haliburton County are kind of a retirement community for a lot of people. I don’t think we’ve done enough over the years to promote industry and trades. We need something to keep our young people here, and they’re key to the future growth of the community.” He said Dysart could be a good landing spot for a call centre, or light manufacturing and technology-based businesses. “To have those companies here, there’s a couple of things you have to do. Tax wise, you need to help them out a little bit. And second, employees need housing. We need to make some real inroads there.”

Focus for 2023 budget

Roberts says Dysart’s next council won’t have any choice but to focus on housing. His second priority is attracting more healthcare workers. “We need to be more diligent with how we’re spending our money, and we also need to work more with the province and the federal government to get grants and bring more money in here to help develop our County.”

Dan Roberts the candidate

“I plan on living the rest of my life here, so I’d like to see Haliburton do well. I’d like my grandson to stay here, and my other grandchildren to be able to move here… I’m not afraid to stand up and going to be the right decision in a lot of people’s minds. You’re not going to please everybody, but as a councillor you’ve got to do what’s best for the community and that’s something I’d focus on.”

Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

Nancy Wood-Roberts considers herself a seasoned municipal politician, having served 14 years on Dysart council. She has also spent 40 years as a frontline nurse at Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS). “I don’t have an agenda to bring to the table. I listen to our community and value consensus-based decision- making.” She believes her communication skills have enabled her to be an effective councillor during her previous terms.

Issues in Dysart et al

“Protection of our lake health and our roads are big issues. We have to have safe roads. We have to have good infrastructure in place to provide safe and efficient services for all of our residents, and that includes broadband service as well.”

Amalgamation

“Amalgamation does not create a smaller government. It creates a more complicated structure. It makes it much more difficult for the public to engage with council. I just don’t think it’s going to work here.” With the County investigating areas where the four lower-tier townships could work better together through its service delivery review process, Wood- Roberts believes waste management and planning departments across Haliburton County would benefit through improved collaboration

Health

Wood-Roberts believes Haliburton County is better served by having two hospitals. “It’s going to be very expensive to try and do one [hospital] site here. I think the most efficient use of money would be to put in a CT scanner, that way our ambulances wouldn’t forever be on the road transporting people [to hospitals in Lindsay or Peterborough].” She believes the staffing shortages at HHHS facilities can be alleviated by creating more housing options for potential workers.

Housing

“Our essential workers don’t have a place [to live]. Young people with families don’t have a safe space. We need to support sustainable and safe housing development.” Wood-Roberts said she would be in favour of changing Dysart’s zoning bylaw to allow more secondary dwelling units, such as basement apartments. She said at some point the township will need to expand its sewer line to allow for more development in Haliburton village. She believes vacant land along County Road 21 could be developed and turned into housing

Poverty

Wood-Roberts said she’d like to bring more post-secondary programming to Dysart. “We need to encourage [Fleming] College, or other colleges, to have programs here that are skill-based so people don’t have to leave the community to find other opportunities or learn a trade.” She also believes Dysart needs to continue supporting programs for children living in poverty. “We have agencies we work with together to combat poverty – Point in Time, SIRCH Community Services, the 4Cs Food Bank. There’s no money to be made, but some of our programs are very, very well received by the community.”

Shoreline preservation bylaw

“I think it needs some work. I’ve had many, many people reach out to me with concerns. I do think we need a bylaw, but there needs to be some changes. Right now, enforcement could be very expensive and Dysart taxpayers would be paying 40 per cent of the cost [for policing the bylaw]. That’s a lot of money… And for people who aren’t on a waterfront, I can see why they are totally against [spending that money].”

Short-term rentals

Wood-Roberts believes short-term rentals that are operating like a business should be regulated. “If I have a cottage and the place beside me is being rented out 52 weeks a year, that’s not a cottage anymore, that’s a commercial enterprise. There should be a municipal accommodation tax on places like that.” She’d like to see the township implement a three-strike policy where, if there are issues with a rental unit or specific owner, Dysart could revoke their license.

Transportation

Due to Dysart’s geographical landscape, Wood-Roberts doesn’t believe a transit system with buses running regular routes would work. “It’s incredibly difficult to provide equal service to everyone everywhere. Transportation systems are never revenue neutral. They come at a great cost to taxpayers… I’m not sure if there would be a big appetite to support such a system [in Dysart or Haliburton County].”

Vision for the future

Wood-Roberts believes the strategic plan Dysart council adopted earlier this year will help guide municipal direction for years to come. “I would like to see that living document move forward, that we follow those principals and guidelines that we’ve set out for ourselves and the community. Dysart needs to grow, but it has to be sustainable and safe. We need to look at how we can improve our services and help all our residents, permanent and seasonal, to enjoy what we have to offer.”

Focus for 2023 budget

“Roads would be a priority. Just driving around areas in ward 2, there are some areas that need brushing, for visibility and safety for pedestrians. Also, I’m not sure housing is going to necessarily be a budget issue, but it’s on the forefront of my mind and is something I will be pushing for.”

Nancy Wood-Roberts the candidate

Wood-Roberts is a lifelong resident of Dysart. She served as ward 1 representative on council from 1998 to 2003, returning to the role following the 2018 election. She is now looking to represent ward 2. “I just feel to be a more rounded councillor, I need to be able to represent more of the municipality.” She said she is proud of the work she has put in over the past term, having played a pivotal role in the formation of the township’s strategic plan. “My goal would be to improve our service delivery and quality of life for everyone in the municipality.”