Huskies top conference after perfect start to season

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September 15, 2022

The Haliburton County Huskies made a huge statement during the opening weekend of the 2022/23 OJHL season, putting two rival teams to the sword and climbing to the top of the South/East Conference standings.

The Dogs got off to the perfect start Sept. 10 with a dominant 5-2 home win over the Cobourg Cougars, following up with a 5-3 road victory over the St. Michael’s Buzzers Sept. 11. Coach Ryan Ramsay was delighted to get four points on the board early and commended his new-look team for the way they approached the games.

“I’m happy to see things come together the way they did. We started a little slow [against the Cougars] but the guys managed to turn it around, played hard on the forecheck, moved the puck quickly and started to play Huskies hockey,” Ramsay said. “We knew we had a strong core coming into this season, but it was still great to see a lot of the new guys stepping up and playing well. The returning guys led by example. There were a lot of positives to take away.”

It was a packed house at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena for Saturday’s tilt with the Cougars – a rematch from last season’s second-round playoff series. The Huskies quickly put the ghosts of that defeat behind them, taking the game to the visiting team in the early goings of the first. The top line of Patrick Saini, former OHLer Ty Collins and captain Christian Stevens saw lots of time, helping the hometown team take control.

It was a new face that opened the scoring, Alex Cunningham slotting home at 18:13, assisted by Lucas Stevenson and Myles Perry. The Cougars responded well to falling behind and, with the clock ticking down, tied the game with 14 seconds remaining in the period, through Tyler Hunt.

The Huskies picked things up in the second frame. They peppered Matthew Sbrocca in the Cougars’ goal, notching three quick goals late in the period through rookie Leo Serlin, Collins and Stevens.

They kept things going in the third but struggled to find an answer for a game Sbrocca. Hunt gave the Cougars a glimmer of hope, notching his second at 15:57 on a two-man advantage, but the Huskies held on. Stevens added a late empty-netter, giving him a three-point night.

“Couldn’t have asked for a better night. I think we showed how dangerous we can be with our speed, and we have scoring right through the roster – it was a big night for Leo, he’s only 16 so to get his first goal on his debut was really special,” Stevens said.

Winning in the big city

Saini made a statement in Sunday’s 5-3 win over the Buzzers, notching his second career OJHL hat-trick.

Two quickfire goals from Perry and Collins gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission, with Saini adding a third at the midway point of the second period. The Buzzers immediately hit back through Brandon Cohen, before Saini potted his second. Matthew Milic and Bryce Sutherland got on the scoresheet to make it a one-goal game, with Saini completing his hat-trick with an empty-netter in the final minute.

Stevens felt it was important to make a strong impression over the opening weekend, with the Huskies among this year’s favourites for the Dudley Hewitt Cup. The hometown side was ranked in the top five teams nationwide by the Canadian Junior Hockey League last week.

The Huskies will return to action Sept. 16 on the road against the Lindsay Muskies before hosting the Buzzers in Minden Sept. 17. Puck drop at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena is 4 p.m.

Famous red doors open to creative futures

By

Sam Gillett

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September 15, 2022

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“I came to Fleming because I decided to be a professional potter,” said Ursula Miller-Gareri, standing outside the Haliburton School of Art + Design’s pottery workshop.

“This was the best and safest way I could figure out how to run a ceramic studio without having to take a four-year degree,” she said.

Miller-Gareri was one of dozens of students who dropped by the college’s student services fair Sept. 13 as they settled into life in Haliburton.

Classes officially began after Labour Day. Students are enrolled in creative disciplines such as glassblowing, fibre arts and blacksmithing.

Miller-Gareri decided to pursue her dream of ceramic arts after the passing of a close friend.

“He was an amazing human being who was always striving to better himself. He was always very positive,” she said. “I figured out when he passed away that the best way I could honour him would be to do something amazing for myself. So, I decided to follow my dream of becoming a potter and come here.”

Returning student Zenon Bigg also dropped by the fair. He said he’s enjoyed living in Haliburton so far. Last semester, he said finding housing in the area was “a bit stressful… but I had it set up for this semester.”

Scott Michael Walling, who works at HSAD, was on hand to greet students and hand out swag.

“It’s really nice to watch the star-struck faces of everyone walking in and looking up to see the ceilings and the beautiful architecture… just realizing this is a small nice campus they can feel comfortable in.”

For the first time since 2019, the school is kicking off a semester without social distancing protocols, mandatory masking, or vaccination policies.

“We are excited to welcome new and returning students back in-person at all of our Fleming College campuses for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began,” said executive vice president of academic and student experience Sandra Dupret in an email. “The Haliburton School of Art + Design is returning to its creative and spirited environment and we are very pleased to feel the energy and excitement students bring while they are on campus and in the community.”

Illegal camping complaints spiking in HE

By

Sam Gillett

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September 15, 2022

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Highlands East is seeking solutions after a “dramatic” rise in complaints about illegal camping on municipal boat launches and beaches adjacent to Crown land.

At a Sept. 13 meeting, council voted to request a meeting with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to discuss camping on Crown land, which the township cannot control.

Bylaw officer Wayne Galloway said, “the biggest issue with dealing with these complaints is there are no definitive boundaries for what is and what isn’t Crown land.”

Camping is permitted up to 21 days on Crown land, but not on municipally-owned land. Often there aren’t boundaries to mark the difference.

Galloway suggested council meet with the MNRF to discuss the issue and consider having the lands surveyed, to determine municipal boundaries.

“If it’s not municipal property, it’s Crown land, that’s up to the MNRF to police,” Galloway said. “It’s probably time we bit the bullet and had these places surveyed. What’s Crown land and what’s shoreline?”

Highlands East shoreline ownership extends 66 feet from the high-water mark in these areas, such as a boat launch on North Bay beach and an area on Telephone Bay Road.

Galloway said he found campsites that were on Crown land, but had chairs and tables located on municipal land.

Coun. Suzanne Partridge said she found previous discussions with the MNRF “very disappointing.”

She said they suggested residents keep track of whether campers were there for more than 21 days.

“I don’t think it’s fair they ask private citizens to do their job,” Partridge said.

Deputy mayor Cec Ryall said he’s received numerous complaints about the use of Crown land in the area, including fire pits, garbage left behind and human waste.

“Is there anything at all we can do? Or are we strictly in the hands of the MNRF in those particular issues?” he asked.

Galloway said the recreational use bylaw only permits enforcement on municipal property, not Crown land.

A troubled bridge over IB&O trail waters

By

Sam Gillett

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September 15, 2022

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A bridge often used by snowmobilers, hikers and cyclists in Highlands East will be closed after it was deemed unsafe by an engineering firm.

At the recommendation of the trails and outdoors committee, Highlands East hired an engineer to assess the wooden bridge in April 2022.

The firm, Greer Galloway, recommended the IB&O bridge be shut immediately due to structural issues. The inspectors said it was beyond saving.

“There are no suggestions to repair the bridge as it would be cost-prohibitive..” said economic development coordinator Joanne Vanier at a Sept. 13 meeting of council.

Jon Cumming, president of the Paudash Trailblazers snowmobile club, which has a trail over the bridge, said “an unsafe bridge is an unsafe bridge. We’re disappointed it’s gotten to this point but we’re hopeful Highlands East council will come up with a solution.”

He said the group has no current plans for a bypass of the bridge since snowmobiling across the creek below it would be unsafe and temporary bridges are costly.

“We’re a volunteer-based organization – we have limited numbers of people to help us do the work,” Cumming said. “Losing any link in our system is definitely a difficulty we have to spend time working around.”

CAO Shannon Hunter said the township is aware of the impact of the closure to snowmobilers and other users.

“But we’ve had an engineer’s report that says we shouldn’t be using it… we have to think about the liability,” she said.

Staff presented two options to council: close the bridge completely or just to vehicle traffic.

Vanier said it would be difficult to stop vehicles, such as dirt bikes or bicycles, even with barricades that would permit pedestrians.

Initially, mayor Dave Burton said he’d favour allowing pedestrians to use the bridge, however, Hunter said she’d caution against that as it would leave the township open to liability if anyone injured themselves on the bridge after it was deemed unsafe.

Councillors unanimously voted to close the bridge.

“I hate to say that, and I know that snowmobilers are the lifeblood of our community in the winter… I do not want to take the chance of the municipality getting into any sort of liability trouble,” Coun. Suzanne Partridge said.

According to a staff report, council can direct staff to seek quotes for a replacement bridge, to be incorporated into the 2023 budget.

Listen: What are we doing? About shorelines

By

Sam Gillett

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September 14, 2022

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Some people love it, some people hate it – but one thing remains true. We all want to see our lakes stay healthy. Our townships recently enacted a shoreline bylaw, and today we’re going to talk all about it.

Join us as we figure out what we’re doing about shorelines!

You’ll hear from some of the supporters and opposition to this bylaw as well as from council and how they reached these decisions! You’ll also hear some background on the science behind this project and what we can be doing better to ensure the future of our lakes.

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Join our next episode by sending a voice note! Visit: https://anchor.fm/whatarewedoinghighlands/message or email us at whatarewedoinghighlands@gmail.com.

Created by Justin van Lieshout in partnership with The Highlander, featuring Mike Baker, Lisa Gervais, and Sam Gillett.

Music by Mackenzie Robinson AKA. Kashaga‘. Find his music here: https://linktr.ee/Kashaga

Artwork by Jason Yates @jy.ink

New bivalent COVID-19 boosters available for Haliburton County

By

Sam Gillett

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September 12, 2022

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A new vaccine targeting the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is available for at-risk people in Haliburton County.

The Haliburton Kawartha Lakes Pine Ridge District Health Unit announced Sept. 12 that people aged 18 and older can book a dose of the bivalent COVID-19 booster through the provincial booking portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre (PVCC) at 1-833-943-3900.

A bivalent COVID-19 booster means it targets both the original strain of COVID-19 and the new Omicron variant, which has become the dominant kind of COVID-19 spreading around the world.

As of Sept. 14, only the following populations can book a shot, with more availability incoming:

Residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, elder care lodges and individuals living in other congregate settings that provide assisted-living and health services.
First Nation, Inuit and Métis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members aged 18 and over.
Moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals aged 12 and over.
Pregnant individuals aged 18 and over.
Health care workers aged 18 and over.
Individuals aged 70 and over.

“I would like to encourage all residents aged 18 and over to receive the bivalent booster dose as recommended by the Ministry of Health,” said Dr. Natalie Bocking, medical officer of health for the HKPR district health unit.

“We know that vaccine protection decreases over time, and now is the time to better protect yourself for the upcoming fall season with the bivalent booster.”

The health unit currently doesn’t have vaccine clinics located in Haliburton County.

Clinic dates and locations include:

Sept 13, 15, 21, 23: Lindsay Office (108 Angeline St S, Lindsay), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment only
Sept 19, 20, 26, 27: Knights of Columbus Community Centre (232 Spencer St E, Cobourg), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment only
Sept 28 and 29: Lindsay Exhibition Centre (354 Angeline St N, Lindsay), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment only

The HKPR said the bivalent booster dose will also be available through pharmacies beginning September 19, 2022.

“Individuals are recommended to receive the bivalent booster at an interval of at least six months from their previous dose (and are eligible to receive the bivalent booster at a minimum interval of 3 months), regardless of how many boosters they have already received,” the health unit said.

Haliburton resident was brakeman for 1959 royal tour

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 8, 2022

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By Hope Thompson

My sister finds some old letters while cleaning out our parents’ possessions collected over 60 years of marriage. Some of the possessions, like these letters, belonged to our grandparents and ended up mixed in with the piles of things that were looked at once, deemed too important to discard, and never looked at again until now. Written in the spring and summer of 1959, the letters are addressed to “Trainman H. A. Elstone.” Three are from officials at the Canadian National Railways, and one is from a representative of the royal family. Slipped inside this letter is a photograph of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Harry Anthony Elstone was my grandmother’s second husband. A child when they got married, I have only dim memories of Harry. I was surprised to learn that he was both a brakeman for the Canadian National Railways, and that he played a role in the 1959 royal tour.

The job of the brakeman is to set the train’s brakes, oversee switching tracks and lines, and to be an extra pair of eyes on the tracks. There’s a brakeman at both ends of a train but the letters indicate that Harry was at the head of the train. On July 1, 1959, and after Dominion Day speeches at Rideau Hall, Harry Elstone was the chosen brakeman on the train that transported Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip from Ottawa to Toronto, arriving at 10:05 p.m. at Union Station.

The tour was designed around the official opening of the St. Lawrence seaway and was the longest Canadian royal visit to-date, lasting a grueling 45 days starting in late June and finishing in early August. No doubt making matters worse was the fact that Queen Elizabeth was pregnant with Prince Charles, a secret which was only made public upon her return to England.

The royal couple visited every province and territory and attracted cheering crowds along their cross-country route. Sixty-three years later and much has changed in the world, including for the royal family and the commonwealth. During their recent Caribbean tour, Prince William and Kate Middleton faced more protestors than pleased crowds.

What interests me is, if Harry, who was born in Haliburton, was working on the royal train in 1959, when did he return to Haliburton and marry my grandmother? No one in my family remembers the year, let alone the precise date of their marriage, and the memories they do have are contradictory. I contact the Anglican Diocese Archives and a few days later, I get a call from an archivist who finds a notation in a Vestry Book. On Oct. 1, 1971, a nuptial eucharist service was conducted at St. George’s Church in Haliburton village. Twelve years after performing his duties on the royal train, Harry married my grandmother, Agnes Appleby.

I know more of her side of the story. Agnes moved to Haliburton with my grandfather in 1959 (coincidentally, the same year as the royal visit) and moved into a little white house on Highway 121 (now County Road 21) just west of the village of Haliburton. The house was next to a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, which has since moved across the road, and closer to Minden. Agnes was a nurse and worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses and drove around the County in an orange Buick Skylark providing outpatient services. A few years after my grandfather died, Harry and Agnes met and married—and lived together in the same little white house.

Both are long dead now but walking in the Evergreen Cemetery on Haliburton’s Pine Street, I locate Harry’s gravestone and am surprised to discover that he died on Dec. 1, 1971—only two months after he married Agnes. The gravestone states that Harry was the “Beloved Husband of Agnes Appleby.” He was 63 when he married my grandmother and I wonder if she was his first wife. Despite their short time together, I am happy they found each other.

From the honour of being a chosen brakeman on the royal train to finding love late in life, the letters fill in some of the gaps in the story of my family in Haliburton and provide a window on events both personal and regal, from over half a century ago.

NB: If anyone can contribute more information to this story, I would be happy to hear it.

How we’ll cover the election

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 8, 2022

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With just over six weeks to County municipal elections, we wanted to let readers know our plans for coverage this time around.

As readers already know, there have been a number of acclamations.

Murray Fearrey is back as mayor in Dysart et al. Walt McKechnie will return but now as deputy mayor. Tammy Donaldson retains her ward three seat and Barry Boice is the new councillor for ward five.

Naturally, then, we will focus on covering the races for ward one, in which there are four candidates, ward two, with three vying for the seat, and ward four, which also has four contenders.

In Minden Hills, we again know the mayor-deputy mayor tandem of Bob Carter and Lisa Schell have been acclaimed. Bob Sisson also got a free pass in ward three.

So, we will look to have in-depth discussions with candidates for councillor at large, ward one and ward two.

There will be mayoral races in Algonquin Highlands and Highlands East.

In a rematch from 2018, incumbent Dave Burton will be squaring off against Cheryl Ellis. We plan to provide readers with some perspective when we meet up with these two candidates. There is also a race in ward two we will place a spotlight on.

And, finally, we will chat with Algonquin Highlands mayoral wannabe Liz Danielsen and her competitor Mike Lang. Ward two is also shaping up to be interesting with four candidates.

We will be interviewing each of the candidates to get a feel for where they stand on some big-ticket items that we have been reporting on in our podcast, What are we doing?

That means we will ask them about our lack of affordable housing, poverty, amalgamation, health care, the recently passed shoreline preservation bylaw and the soon-to-be adopted short-term rental plan.

We will also glean what sets these candidates apart and if they are qualified for office. We’d like to find out their visions for the future, not just for their townships but the entire County.

Our newspaper coverage will go hand-in-hand with our podcast, offering two venues for people to learn about this election’s candidates, the challenges they face, the solutions they plan to bring to the table.

Gone are the days when candidates are offered free space in the newspaper to write what they want to write. It’s time to up the game. They want a job to represent taxpayers. It’s our duty to treat them as job candidates. Do they have the right stuff to represent their townships and the County?

In the meantime, we encourage any community groups who are looking to set up in-person or online candidate debates to let us know about them. If your organization is sending out questionnaires, we’d also like to know. As a community, we can work together to ensure voters know everything they need to know to make the best choices come Oct. 24.

And, most importantly, we encourage everyone to ensure they are on the voter’s list for their municipalities. With so much online voting [only Minden Hills has a paper ballot option this time around] there is no excuse for not casting your ballot.

OPINION: What are we doing about housing?

By

Mike Baker

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September 8, 2022

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“Crippling, dire, critical, grossly unaffordable” – all terms used by people asked to describe Haliburton County’s housing situation in a single word or phrase.

It’s no secret we have a housing problem in the Highlands, both in terms of availability and affordability. While a recent surge in inflation has exacerbated the issue, this is something low-income families have been dealing with for many years.

Over the past several weeks, Highlander staff have been digging into some of the biggest hot-button topics heading into October’s municipal election. While our focus shifted from poverty to health care, transportation to the labour force, there appeared to be one key theme bubbling under the surface feeding into the others.

Haliburton County has experienced tremendous growth since the turn of the millennium, with our population increasing by 25 per cent since 2001. But housing development has not kept up. As a result, house prices have spiked – more than doubling over the past 10 years – leaving many in the County fearing for their futures.

Gord Polhamus and Diane LePage moved to the Highlands in 2007. Both working professionals, they wanted to lay down roots in the community. They dreamed of, one day, owning a home of their own. Fast forward 15 years and the couple, along with their three young children, are preparing to leave Haliburton County for good.

They feel they’re being forced out due to “crazy” rental rates. When they moved into their current four-bedroom house on Mountain Street in 2011, their rent was less than $1,000 a month. They have been given until April to find new accommodation, with their landlord looking to sell. After making some enquiries, they found that a similar place would cost them between $2,500 and $3,000.

“How do people afford that?” Polhamus asked.

Michelle Corley is a housing manager in the human services department of the City of Kawartha Lakes. She helps in the operation of the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Housing Corporation. The organization provides supports to low-income families and the homeless. Demand has skyrocketed in recent years, with Corley estimating around 2,300 households are on a waitlist for subsidized housing. She indicated the average wait time to receive assistance is 10 to 14 years.

This all comes back to a lack of inventory. Corley said the housing corporation developed a 10-year plan with the County in 2019 to build 750 new homes in the Highlands by 2029. Three years in and we haven’t seen a single new unit.

In his 2021 report Baby Needs a New Home, Canadian economist Mike Moffatt said, to keep up with current demand, there would need to be 1,200 new homes in Haliburton County in the next decade.

Liz Danielsen, in her capacity as County warden, said the regional municipality is trying to bolster the local housing stock. While acknowledging a lack of action at the County table had contributed to the issues we’re seeing today, Danielsen said they are investing $500,000 annually into a fund to bring more affordable units.

That’s a start, but given how far behind the eight-ball we appear to be, is it enough? People are struggling. Services designed to provide emergency assistance cannot keep up.

We need to be better. This isn’t a problem unique to Haliburton County, so we should look at what other communities are doing. Maybe tiny homes, a new feature in communities across the GTA, is the answer? Perhaps businesses should look to invest in residential properties so they can house desperately-needed workers, as is done in Banff.

The solutions are out there. More onus should be put on our elected leaders following this election to find them.

Haliburton County Huskies sweep Panthers in pre-season tilts

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 8, 2022

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With the intensity of a playoff game, the Haliburton County Huskies ousted 2021-22 league champs, the Pickering Panthers, 4-1 in an exhibition tilt at home Sept. 4.

They also mauled the Panthers 3-0 Sept. 2, preparing the team for its regular season home opener, Sept. 10.

Head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay said with players fighting for a spot on both teams, he wasn’t surprised at the level of play.

“We have too many D (defencemen) and too many forwards. Every night you have guys sitting out so, if guys are in the lineup, they’re trying to stay in the lineup so it’s a good, competitive atmosphere. It just challenges the players to be better,” he said.

On Sunday, the Dogs opened the scoring when Christian Stevens fired one home at 6:37 of the first period, assisted by Alex Cunningham and Patrick Saini.

The Huskies were the first on the board in the second as Saini put in an early one, at 3:12, from Myles Perry.

The Panthers answered back, with Ryan Johnstone potting one at 7:54 of the second, assisted by Mitchell Ferras. But the Dogs came out on fire in the third and took advantage of a steady Panthers’ parade to the penalty box to close this one out.

Haliburton was two for 10 on the powerplay. The Panthers did not score on their lone attempt with the man advantage. At the 3:31 mark, Cunningham scored on the powerplay, from Saini and Isaac Sooklal and then Josh Sordo potted one with the man advantage, unassisted, at 11:57.

Christian Linton was solid between the pipes, turning away 19 of 20 shots. On Friday night, Linton picked up the shutout.

After a scoreless first, Stevens got the home side on the board at 12:57 of the second, with an assist from Saini. Perry was next up at 13:44, assisted by Lucas Stevenson and Nicholas Dowling. Nathan Duplessis padded the lead at 6:39 of the third, with Cunningham getting the helper.

The Huskies end the pre-season with a record of three wins and one loss. On Aug. 25, they beat Stouffville 4-3 and on Aug. 28 lost 2-1 to the Spirit.

Ramsay said although it was pre-season, and the Panthers are not the same team that hoisted the cup in the spring, “the way we played gives our team confidence … I think we played the right way, in the right style that I want to play.”

He said he did not feel the same way in the Stouffville back-to-back. This weekend, “the guys responded well and they were really working hard.”

The coach prefers intensity, hard work, and competitiveness every night, not taking games or shifts off. However, Ramsay conceded they have 11 new players this year.

He noted skaters are getting used to a different system, teammates, and some are away from home for the first time. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. “Once they get comfortable on and off the ice, that helps as well.”

The general manager doesn’t think he’ll shuffle the playing deck as much as he did in the fall of 2021.

“We’re a better opening day roster team than we were last year.” He said he liked the way they played in the Cobourg playoff series in the spring and, “I’m confident. I like our style. I think the guys have really come together in the last couple of weeks and worked hard so I like it. I think we have a really good team this year.”

Puck drop Sept. 10 against the Cobourg Cougars is 4 p.m. at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena.