Greens announce provincial candidate for HKLB

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March 17, 2022

The Green Party of Ontario has announced that Tom Regina has been nominated as its candidate for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock ahead of the 2022 provincial election.

“Tom is a long-time resident and member of the region and understands the key challenges facing the area,” said Ontario Greens Leader Mike Schreiner in a news release.

“He gets it. He’s a strong community builder and will be an authentic and real voice for his neighbours at Queen’s Park.”

A resident of Haliburton for more than 30 years, Regina taught music and was the head of arts at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School.

As a teacher in a rural community, the party said he has seen the challenges faced by many families regarding equitable access to housing, transportation and jobs.

“I’m concerned about the divisive political culture that stands in the way of putting forward real solutions to improve people’s lives, green solutions like affordable housing, accessible transit and good, green jobs,” Regina said.

“We need to start collaborating more in politics and focus on building a greener, more caring and equitable Ontario.”

Regina said he is a strong advocate for arts education and community building through arts participation.

He is a founding member of two community choirs, a local music festival for students of all ages, and the Highlands Summer Festival, which provides theatre experience for community members in a semi-professional setting.

He is joined so far in the race by Conservative candidate and incumbent Laurie Scott and NDP candidate Barbara Doyle. Regina was one of the founding members of the HKLB Green Association which launched in 2021

Minden closes book on Bob Lake launch

By

Sam Gillett

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March 17, 2022

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Minden Hills council voted against funding a new Bob Lake boat launch due to estimated project costs and location constraints.

A report from Tatham Engineering estimated a new boat launch at the lake would cost the municipality $180,000.

A previous municipally-maintained boat launch was closed in 2016 after it was discovered to be located partially on private property.

Councillors Lisa Schell, Jennifer Hughey, Jean Neville, Bob Carter and Mayor Brent Devolin voted to accept staff’s recommendation to not pursue the longstanding matter any further. Coun. Pam Sayne voted against the motion.

CAO Trisha McKibbin said she discussed the price estimate, which the Bob Lake Association (BLA) has contested, with staff members who said it appeared to be accurate. Tatham Engineering is an Ontariowide engineering service.

Included in Tatham’s report is a description of location-related factors contributing to the estimate, including tree removal, topsoil stripping, granular subbase and base placement, ditch drainage improvements, earth excavation and grading, and dredging parts of the lake bottom.

Tatham estimates $150,000 in further fees not included in construction costs, including blasting fees, legal consultations and topographical surveys.

The BLA, which funded 50 per cent of the engineering report, said the estimate is “severely inflated.”

In a letter to councillors and staff, the BLA included quotes based on Tatham Engineering’s design but from local contractors, quoting lower prices. Hawk River Construction estimated the project would cost $61,401.46 and Tom Prentice and Sons estimated $53,253.46, “clearly indicating that the launch can be constructed for less than $100,000,” wrote the BLA.

The BLA points to material estimates they’ve received which show concrete estimates from alternative companies could bring the price down by $33,000, and gravel costs by $12,000.

Sayne said she’d like to see staff meet with the BLA to discuss the report and the project estimate.

“We’ve taken a lake, and we’ve turned it into a private lake where there’s no public access,” she said. “How do we then take away access people have had for a long time? I wouldn’t want to see this as a trend.”

Hughey said by commissioning the report council has “fulfilled our responsibilities to these individuals.” She said the financial impact of building this launch would hamper the fixing of others. “As the CAO said, boat launches are in dire straits.”

The staff report said “it is staff’s recommendation that repair and maintenance occur to existing infrastructure before new infrastructure is constructed. Otherwise, the existing boat launches will fall in further disrepair and either have to be decommissioned or fully rebuilt.”

Carter said, “we on council try to truly represent all our constituents. That’s our constituents who want this boat ramp and the constituents on this lake who’ve written to us that don’t want a boat ramp.”

Devolin said Minden Hills has “exhausted every opportunity and it’s unfortunate. The scale of it financially for me has made my decision.”

BLA urges ‘due diligence’

Robert Roszell, BLA vice-chairperson, said the organization will attempt to continue the conversation with council.

He said council’s discussion did not include mention of alternative funding methods for the launch, such as cost-sharing with Bob Lake residents or using reserve funds.

“It was very evident it wasn’t discussed, and other funding for this wasn’t discussed,” he said.

The BLA said local realtors say lack of public lake access lowers property values, which in turn will decrease the tax base in the area. The lack of a launch, said Roszell, turns Bob Lake into a “private lake.”

BLA board member Ross Gladwell added that the environmental impact of numerous private boat launches constructed around the lake will likely be worse than that of a professionally-built launch with plans for re-vegetation.

Roszell said council should discuss these factors, as well as the alternative cost estimates, as a matter of due diligence.”

He said the BLA will continue advocacy on the issue.

“Our group is very tenacious, we’re going after this thing and it’s not going away,” he said.

HE votes against support of Centre Lake lots

By

Sam Gillett

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March 17, 2022

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Highlands East council voted against supporting and application for lot creation on a portion of Crown land abutting Centre Lake.

In a recorded vote, all but Coun. Cecil Ryall voted in favour of declining the application for lot creation adjacent to the lake. The application includes plans to build 28 cottages, a 60-suite commercial resort and spa and wellness retreat accessed via an unopened road allowance.

The County of Haliburton, which can still vote to approve the application, will host a virtual public meeting on the application April 27.

The MNRF previously requested township feedback on the disposition of land. Council voted against supporting the disposition of a 200-foot Crown land reserve.

In a draft response to the County, which asked for Highland East’s input, planner Chris Jones outlined multiple concerns including lack of shoreline ownership to the water’s edge; the scale of use and servicing of the resort hotel; construction of undetermined buildings or structures or communal docking facilities on or over the lake; recreational carrying capacity of Centre Lake; and designation of the area as wetlands.

“The municipality questions the merit of a development application which is predicated on access over an unopened municipal road allowance that is neither owned or authorized for the proposed use by the applicant,” reads the draft.

Jones said, “I don’t see how council is in a position to support the application in an upcoming public meeting.”

In an emailed statement after council’s vote, Steven Megganety, representing the Granite Shores development said the project has received more than “2,000 direct contacts, questions, comments and reviews of the submitted plans and studies on the Granite Shores project alone. We are engaging with all the stakeholders and interested parties who have expressed interest in this $40M economic development project in the region and, hopefully, we can move forward.”

A website produced by Granite Shore to solicit community feedback is no longer active.

Members of the public have voiced concerns over the development’s use of Crown Land, and disruption of the currently undeveloped lake ecosystem.

Michael Thomas, president of the nearby Paudash Lake Conservation Association, said in an email, “I was pleased with Highlands East’s decision yesterday which has them, by recorded vote, being against the Crown reserve being released to the developers and also against the application made by Granite Shores to [the] County.”

The MNRF said public consultation on the disposition of the land closed on June 25, 2021. It’s final decision on the matter, regional manager Pauline Capell said, will be made after receiving township and County feedback.

Highlanders react to dropping of mask rules

By

Sam Gillett

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March 17, 2022

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Highlands businesses are looking to the March 21 provincial lifting of mask mandates and figuring out what they are going to do.

Businesses, schools and indoor public spaces will no longer enforce mask wearing as of next Monday. And all remaining COVID-19 health measures will be dropped by the end of April.

Wilberforce Legion president John Glassey said, “I think everybody is pretty happy with it.” He anticipates some members will continue to wear masks into the legion for weekly darts games and other social events.

There is still choice as to whether or not to enforce masking.

Dave Camelon of the Minden Legion said members haven’t decided how to proceed but the veterans’ organizatin previously voted to continue requiring attendees to be vaccinated.

Masking rules will still be in effect for health care, such as the area’s two hospitals, congregate living settings, public transit, long-term care homes, shelters and jails.

Dr. Aerin Greidanus of Highlands Chiropractic & Wellness Centre, said she anticipates confusion at her clinic if people are uninformed as to which spaces will still require masking.

She said at her clinic, “… masks will still be required, along with active screening for COVID symptoms and increased cleaning and sanitizing practices.”

The Highlands’ top doctor Natalie Bocking said masks are still key in preventing the spread of the virus.

“We know that masks are an effective and easy way to slow transmission of COVID19,” said Dr. Bocking, Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge’s chief medical officer of health at a media information session Mar. 9.

“What is key is we continue to be aware COVID-19 is still in the community, there are still people who will get COVID-19,” she said.

Bocking said “time will tell” whether the decision to remove masking rules comes too soon.

“It does place the onus on individuals to assess risk for themselves, and the impact on other people,” she said.

Bocking added that businesses and other settings have the ability to maintain masking rules, acknowledging the possibility the decision might prove contentious.

“The pandemic has been a long pandemic and certainly has the potential to continue on: it’s very unfortunate in some settings [masks have] become divisive,” she said.

Isolation rules change

If you’re over 18 with a booster dose or considered fully isolated, you won’t need to isolate if someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19. The isolation period for vaccinated people remains five days. For unvaccinated people who have COVID-19, as well as unvaccinated close contacts, the isolation period remains 10 days.

As of Mar. 11, the province also will change how it reports COVID-19 deaths. It will specify whether COVID-19 caused a death, contributed to a death or if the cause of death is unknown.

Council leans towards 20 metre setbacks

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Lisa Gervais

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March 17, 2022

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A majority of County councillors indicated March 9 they would not support a 30-metre buffer zone if they pass a shoreline preservation bylaw.

Councillors Cecil Ryall, Carol Moffatt, Dave Burton. Andrea Roberts and Lisa Schell all expressed a preference for 20 metres.

Warden Liz Danielsen and Coun. Brent Devolin said they would like to stick to the recommended 30 metres. Coun. Patrick Kennedy went on record with 10 metres to a maximum of 15. However, for the sake of getting the bylaw passed, the three said they were open to compromise.

“It sounds like we’re definitely agreed on 20 metres for now,” Danielsen said.

The County committee of the whole held a special full afternoon meeting to discuss the latest draft of the bylaw that has been in the works for five years. A revised draft is expected to be tabled in April.

With regards to setbacks, consultants J.L Richards (JLR) and Hutchinson Environmental Services Ltd. (HESL) recommended 30 metres.

They said it would achieve “an effective range of ecological services.” That includes removing up to 85 per cent of pollutants and sediment and 75 per cent of nitrogen. Further, it would provide 100 per cent of woody debris input, maintain water temperature and protect chemical, physical and biological components of aquatic systems. Thirty metres conforms to the County’s Official Plan, is consistent with provincial guidance, and is inline with the approach used in other comparable municipalities.

Their draft added 20 metres would achieve 85 per cent removal of sediment.

Ryall said in all of the reports presented to council “there is really not a great amount of difference between 20 and 30 metres.” He added when the County surveyed the public, 63 per cent of respondents wanted 20 metres or less.

Similar to Ryall, Moffatt said her understanding of consultant and outside advise is that “at something like 20 metres, there’s still a good level of protection.” She added there are external factors beyond the County’s control that are affecting lake health. They include things such as wakes made by boats, invasive species, damage from geese, cormorants, and climate change. Yet she said, they were asking property owners “to bear the burden of their half of the lake health when there’s nothing we can do” about other factors.

Burton, Roberts and Schell did not elaborate on their reasons for 20 metres.

Devolin commented, “the only way to really know is to do it and whether we have success or not. If we choose a lesser (zone) and our water quality degrades, we’ll know we made a bad decision … it’s (30 metres) a number we’ve historically picked and I haven’t had good cause to deviate from that.”

Danielsen said 30 metres was her preference for consistency as well as the recommendations of the consultants.

“I really feel strongly about the importance of protecting our lakes. And we’ve all agreed that we want to implement this document in a form that’s acceptable to us all so I’m open to 20 metres if that is what everybody is agreeing to. And if we find that we’ve made an error, in the future, we have an opportunity to change it. We may find that it works just fine,” the warden said.

For information on other revisions, the meeting was recorded and can be accessed via the County of Haliburton website. The agenda documents are also available there.

Curlers earn medals at college finals

By

Mike Baker

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March 11, 2022

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It was very nearly a clean sweep for three Haliburton teens who each secured podium finishes at the Ontario College Athletic Association’s [OCAA] curling championships in Sault Ste. Marie Feb. 17-21.

Jessica Byers earned gold and Jacob Dobson silver representing the Humber Hawks, with Byers curling second on the women’s’ team and Dobson serving as lead on the men’s team. Liam Little, curling lead for the Mohawk Mountaineers, claimed gold at the event.

“It’s a huge testament to the calibre of our local curling clubs, and the efforts they have put into their youth curling programs to have three elite athletes not only competing in a provincial championship, but to walk away with three medals,” said Cynthia McAlister, Byers’ mother. “Our local curling clubs and members in both Haliburton and Minden should be immensely proud of their youth curling programs.”

Byers played a pivotal role in her team’s 8-6 victory over the Niagara Knights in an exciting gold medal game.

Speaking after the win, she credited her experiences curling in the Highlands with providing her with the technical and mental know-how to compete on the provincial stage.

“The volunteers provided me with an atmosphere to continually grow, improve, set and achieve bigger and bigger goals as an athlete and as a person. If I think about what curling means to me, I find myself almost at a loss for words. It’s become part of who I am,” Byers said. “When I curl, surrounded by so many inspiring and talented people, I forget about anything else going on in the world, focus on one shot at a time, and support one another. We all come back and love the sport for that reason.”

After a pulsating, back and forth encounter, Little led his Mountaineers side to a 5-4 victory over his former HHSS teammate Dobson. The pair thanked the likes of Scotty and Jane Boyd, Russ Duhaime and Hugh Nichol for their support and guidance through their formative years playing in Haliburton County.

Dobson pointed to the steady stream of curling prospects that have come out of the Highlands in recent years, saying it was important that local clubs continue to engage with youth and encourage them to hit the sheets.

“I’d like to stress how important it is to continue to rebuild the youth curling programs now that we’re on the back end of the pandemic,” Dobson said. “Haliburton and Minden have been able to produce some of the top curlers on every level of the game. This all starts at the grassroots level of getting kids into the game at the elementary level and showing them what it possible.”

Highland Storm blow away Mariposa in impressive win

By

Sam Gillett

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March 10, 2022

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The Highland Storm U-18 team started their playoff round Friday night (March 4) versus the Mariposa Lightning in their home barn.

The Storm skated away with a 3-1 win, giving them their first victory against Mariposa all season. It was a good start to the six-game playoff format. Saturday night (March 5) saw a packed home game against the Orono Leafs.

Their only meeting was a 2-1 victory in a tournament in Brighton. The Storm attacked fast and furious scoring three goals in the first five minutes.

The offensive power lines of Kaine Brannigan, Kyan Hall, Aiden Perrott and Will Craftchick, Nick Phippen and Avery Degeer dazzled the crowd with multiple chances and talented puck movement to provide the opening goals.

The lead was short-lived when Orono battled back to tie the game 3-3. The Storm U-18’s never gave up and never stopped skating after the tie. The tremendous offensive ability and defensive wall from Ty Mills, Hunter Winder, Mathew Wilson and Ben Robinson continued like they have done all year long and stopped any further damage and provided a few more goals to pad the lead.

Goaltending from Ethan Dobson was elite and he was able to secure rebounds and stop play when needed. This team, however could not be successful without the tenacity and relentless effort from Cooper Coles, Cooper Lloyd, Alex Hendry and the weapon, Brody Prentice. Lloyd threw a thundering body check to set the tone early in the third period.

The score ended 7-4 for your hometown Storm. With four games remaining, the U-18 Storm players are at full strength and full energy to finish the playoffs on a high and move on to the year-end tournament in Barrie.

Come out and support your U-18 Highland Storm team at their next home playoff games: Wednesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. in Haliburton vs the Brock Wild and March 25 at 8 p.m. in Haliburton versus their arch rivals, Sturgeon Lake Thunder

Celebrating 15 years of Rail Trail community

By

Sam Gillett

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March 10, 2022

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It was a blustery winter night at Camp Wanakita in February 2007.

Eighty-five people attended a community supper that sparked a new Highlands organization, The Friends of the Rail Trail (FoRT).

Chairperson Pamela Marsales described the night 15 years later at another community supper, this one to celebrate the group’s 15th birthday.

“We just came up with the slogan ‘connecting community and rail trail,’ and that’s what we’ve been doing ever since,” she said,

The dinner at SIRCH was titled “It Takes a Village,” a name which Marsales said is the theme of FoRT’s anniversary year.

The “village” has been a central part of FoRT’s history.

“We try to animate our community public green spaces by bringing history to life, and encouraging an appreciation of our natural habitats,” said Marsales in a prior interview.

The group made two documentary films sparked by an open mic at the first dinner at Wanakita. FoRT recorded people’s accounts of the railway’s history. DVDs of the documentaries quickly sold out.

“Every time we screen them it’s been to a standing-room audience,” Marsales said.

Inside a thick blue binder, Marsales has collected notices and flyers for dozens of FoRT events throughout the past decade and a half.

“Dark skies in the Lochlin Flats,” for instance, brought more than 77 people to a sparsely populated section of trail late at night in 2010. Alongside retired astronomer Dr. Carl Bignell, attendees gazed at the fiery Perseid meteor shower, sipped coffee and munched on desserts.

“It was a huge success,” said Marsales. FoRT has held art walks, countless bike rides, farm tours and even a canoe outing beside the IB&O rail bed during its 15 years.

Ute Wright, who helped found the group, said the trail has been a way to meet people in the community and relax amid nature.

“It was a link to the wider community,” she said at the March 6 event. “I learned about railway history, nature, community and pioneer history.”

Throughout its history, FoRT has been supported by the Haliburton County Development Corporation local initiative program.

“It’s one of those really great examples of a community resource that continues to need a bit of a [financial] injection. The energy Pamela has put in over the years is very admirable,” said HCDC program coordinator Heather Reid.

For the group’s 15th year, they’re planning 15 “Sunday Rambles,” starting March 27 at the town docks on Head Lake at 11 a.m. They’re suitable for families, pet owners, and people of all physical abilities.

Grant gives Land Trust new view of nature

By

Sam Gillett

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March 10, 2022

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During COVID-19 shutdowns, many Highlanders ventured out to the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust’s two public nature preserves, the Dahl Forest and Barnum Creek.

Thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Trust is equipped with a revamped website and a new video to introduce the public to these ecologicallyrich natural areas.

At a virtual event March 3, HHLT chairperson Shelley Hunt explained how the grant helped the organization “rebuild, recover from and adapt to the impacts of COVID-19.”

A new website makes navigating HHLT content more streamlined.

For example, there is a new section detailing the Trust’s efforts to protect the “Highlands Corridor” of sensitive wetland habitats.

Hunt said the site is “vastly improved” and will enhance the HHLT’s community outreach.

On the new website is a video, produced with Ontario Trillium Foundation funds.

Conservation in Action is a seven-minute production crafted by videographer Brad Brown. It showcases the two areas and includes interviews with HHLT members, trail users, Dysart mayor Andrea Roberts and more.

MPP Laurie Scott attended the virtual event and said “community engagement and education is so important to the mission of the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust and I’m glad this funding can help support local initiatives community members are passionate about in Haliburton County.”

The Trust also debuted Wonder in the Woods, a video in which Hunt delves into Haliburton’s forest ecology.

“Like any good story, nature is messy and complicated,” Hunt said in one scene. Produced by Sticks and Stones Productions, it takes viewers below the forest floor to explore fungi, ancient plants that dot local meadows and even the unusual food storage habits of birds.

She said both videos will act as an introduction to HHLT.

“It’s something that will live on our website and a way to connect with us if they’re not getting to an in-person event,” Hunt said of the video.

Both videos are live on the HHLT’s new website: haliburtonlandtrust.ca

Barnes retiring but heart will never leave food bank

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 10, 2022

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It’s a Monday morning at the Minden Community Food Centre and five-year-old Jack is the boss for the day, his grandmother Joanne Barnes jokes.

She’s watching the toddler while his mom and newborn baby sister are at an out-oftown appointment.

Barnes, who officially retires as manager of the food centre after 18 years March 30, is looking forward to spending a lot more time with Jack and her five other grandchildren, not to mention getting to her mountain of brand new books she’ll have the energy to finally read. She said Jack is already delighted at the prospect of having sleepovers any time as well as a summer at the pool.

“I know in my brain it’s the right time because the job is exhausting me,” Barnes said. “After a hard day here, I go home and I fall asleep at 5 p.m. until 7.30 p.m.” However, she added “My heart will never let go because I’ve helped people since I was a kid. So, it’s mixed feelings.”

She gave her notice in October, wanting to fulfill the centre’s Christmas hamper obligations first, and ensuring replacement staff. The new manager is Jean Munroe and assistant manager Victoria Lawson. Barnes said they’re keen “and I think will form a good leadership team.”

She added her daughters often tell her she’s lived her life backwards. She stayed home to raise her children and then cared for three senior grandparents. It wasn’t until after they died that she returned to church and accepted a call for help at the food bank. She quickly became the manager.

She recalled there were not a lot of systems in place so she began creating them and putting them on paper.

“When I first started, people came in and we handed them a couple of bags of food and that was it.”

Much has changed and grown since.

For example, Barnes said they have found many other ways people need help. Over the past five years, they have accepted donated wheelchairs, walkers and bath chairs, which are loaned to community members who wouldn’t be able to afford to rent, let alone buy them. They’ve found and repaired hearing aids, eyeglasses and teeth. “Any extra major expense they had no way of handling. I would advocate on their behalf with other agencies and we would all come together and pool our resources to come up with funds to help people with these things.”

During the pandemic, they worked with the County’s food banks as a distribution centre, utilizing donations from places such as CanoeFM. She can’t say enough about the community, and the food centres’ workers and volunteers over the years.

She was also instrumental in setting up Fuel for Warmth after visiting a mother who said her children had to wear their snowsuits inside because the family could not afford to both heat the house and feed itself. She heard of seniors wrapping up under several blankets with a pet to keep them warm.

Barnes was asked to describe a good day and a challenging day.

“When somebody out of the blue that you assisted years ago comes back in and says, ‘you really helped me when I was at my lowest. And I’ve just come in to tell you and to thank you for what you did’.”

She does not get into details of bad days, simply saying, “Some days are horrific and you just want to go and cry. And that’s part of why it’s time for me because I don’t get over things as quickly and it weighs heavy on my heart.”

Barnes said the work has been more like a calling. Growing up she recalls her family was not well off but if there was a family with young children in need, her dad was there either with a few dollars or some food and never expected it to be repaid.

“So, I learned that very early on. I was always taught to help, especially the underdog, the kid that’s picked on … in adult life, I’ve always felt great when I can help somebody.