“Promising” signs prompt easing COVID-19 rules

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January 20, 2022

Highlands restaurants, gyms and bars have been cleared to re-open at 50 per cent capacity on Jan 31.

“The evidence tells us that the measures we put in place to blunt transmission of Omicron are working,” said Premier Doug Ford in a Dec. 20 press release. “We can be confident that the worst is behind us and that we are now in a position to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures.”

Along with easing business restrictions, indoor gathering limits will raise to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. The Minden arena and other sporting or performance venues will be able to run at 50 per cent capacity.

On Feb. 21, capacity limits in restaurants and bars will be lifted completely, as well as most indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required.

In March, all indoor public spaces won’t have capacity limits, and private indoor gatherings will be capped at 50 people, with no capacity limit outdoors.

Find a full list of updated rules at the bottom of this article.

Local signs of hope

HKPR Chief medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking said she sees “promising indicators” the region’s COVID-19 infection rate is close to plateauing.

The region’s test positivity rate, at about 13.3 per cent, is down from a peak of 21 per cent seen in early Jan.

While PCR COVID-19 testing is limited to high-risk people or those who work in high-risk settings, Bocking said the infection number and positivity rate can still indicate a falling caseload.

On Jan. 19, the health unit reported an incident rate of 254 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people, down from over 400 on Jan. 4.

“We could see a peak at the end of the month, or fingers crossed, potentially a bit sooner than the end of the month,” said Bocking at a Jan. 19 media information session. “We do have reason to have some optimism and looking forward to coming out on the other side of this wave.”

Haliburton has recorded 315 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with 10 cases currently unresolved.

Dr. Bocking said that while the unit is recording more hospitalizations due to COVID-19 than ever — 22 patients on Jan. 20 — the Omicron variant is often less dangerous than previous waves of COVID-19.

“We are not seeing the same level of illness in the first wave,” she said.

Roadmap to reopening

The following rules will come into place Jan. 31 at 12:01 a.m.

Increasing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
Increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50 per cent in indoor public settings, including but not limited to:

Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities;
Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies)
Shopping malls;
Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms;
Cinemas;
Meeting and event spaces;
Recreational amenities and amusement parks, including water parks;
Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions; and
Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
Religious services, rites, or ceremonies.
Allowing spectator areas of facilities such as sporting events, concert venues and theatres to operate at 50 per cent seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.

On Feb. 21, the following rules will be in place:

Increasing social gathering limits to 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
Removing capacity limits in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including but not limited to restaurants, indoor sports and recreational facilities, cinemas, as well as other settings that choose to opt-in to proof of vaccination requirements.
Permitting spectator capacity at sporting events, concert venues, and theatres at 50 per cent capacity.
Limiting capacity in most remaining indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is not required to the number of people that can maintain two metres of physical distance.
Indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies limited to the number that can maintain two metres of physical distance, with no limit if proof of vaccination is required.
Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there is dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs.

On March 14:

Lifting capacity limits in all indoor public settings. Proof of vaccination will be maintained in existing settings in addition to other regular measures.
Lifting remaining capacity limits on religious services, rites, or ceremonies.
Increase social gathering limits to 50 people indoors with no limits for outdoor gatherings.

‘Righting a wrong’ – murals to go up in June

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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Two new murals depicting esteemed local athletes Taly Williams and Lesley Tashlin will soon be added to Haliburton’s sports wall of fame.

The siblings, who grew up in the area and excelled in sports at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School before going on to make a name for themselves professionally, will be recognized after a group of Grade 7/8 students at J.D. Hodgson Elementary School lobbied for their inclusion to the mural wall.

Last spring, the students, flanked by teacher Marina Thomazo, approached Dysart council to ask why the pair of Black athletes hadn’t been acknowledged in the same way as hockey stars Bernie Nicholls, Ron Stackhouse, Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene, and footballer Mike Bradley, who all have images emblazoned on the side of A.J. LaRue Arena.

Tashlin represented Canada at the 1996 Summer Olympics, participating in the women’s 4×100 metre relay, while Williams played two seasons in the CFL during the mid 1990s.

“It just goes to show the power of children,” said Jim Blake, chair of Dysart’s cultural resources committee and one of the figureheads behind the mural movement.

The murals will be installed in June, Blake said. Montreal-based artist Annie Hamel has been commissioned to complete the works. She visited Haliburton in early December, and has met with Tashlin and Williams virtually to find inspiration for the pieces.

The athletes will play a pivotal role in the process, Blake said, with Hamel set to complete three concepts that the pair will choose from.

“Annie’s work is absolutely extraordinary. She was one of two artists we were considering for the project, and it was Lesley and Taly that made the final choice,” Blake said. “All artists that applied had to create a concept, and Annie’s work really exemplified what they were looking for.”

The trio will meet again virtually over the coming weeks to narrow down a final version of the murals. Hamel will need several months to complete the finished works, which will measure 12 foot high and 18.5 foot wide and be done on aluminum panels. The pieces will then be transported to Haliburton and placed on frames on the side of the arena.

Blake said it was important that the murals be mobile in the event that they need to be moved.

All in, the project is expected to cost $35,000 and will be fully funded through donations. Blake said around 90 people had contributed, most of them local.

An unveiling ceremony is being planned, with Blake aiming to have it take place the same weekend as the grand opening of the new Haliburton Sports Hall of Fame. He hopes to have Williams and Tashlin in attendance.

Thomazo, and many of her students, will be there too.

“This has demonstrated what young people are capable of doing when they want to push for actions and changes that reflect the world they live in,” Thomazo said. “I look up to this young generation. Their voices make sense and they matter. This journey has taken us on a much grander path than we anticipated … now these beautiful murals are only a few months away from being unveiled.

“This heartwarming, feel-good journey has made us all question ourselves on what our present and future world should look like … I couldn’t be any prouder of my students,” Thomazo added.

Parenting in pandemic times

By

Sam Gillett

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January 20, 2022

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Learning on Zoom, canceled trips and sports tournaments, and not seeing friends for months. For many kids and teens, COVID-19 has been tough.

Some studies show worrying mental health trends among younger Canadians.

SickKids published a study in 2021 showing more than half of 758 kids aged eight to 12 years old and 70 per cent of 520 adolescents reported depression symptoms during COVID19’s third wave in Canada.

“For kids already experiencing preCOVID mental health challenges, we know the pandemic has in some cases ratcheted up anxiety for kids, and made it more impactful,” said Marg Cox, executive director of the Point in Time Centre for Children, Youth and Parents.

“It seems like there’s an increase in stress related to meeting practical needs, emotional needs,” added child youth and family therapist Rachelle Stephens. “I would say a lot of things coming up for people and causing stress is lack of predictability. No one knows what things might look like, which causes a lot of stress for parents and youth and children.”

Cox and Stephens dove into some ways parents and caregivers can help their kids and teens navigate the stress and uncertainty of the continuing pandemic.

Viewing things differently

Stephens said kids often view issues such as the pandemic in black and white. It can seem like it will go on forever. “It’s hard for them to understand the nuances and complexities,” she said.

Cox added that “right across all development stages, including youth, kids take their cues from parents.” Cox said teens lacking peer-to-peer “sounding boards” in classmates and friends can mean they process the events of the pandemic differently than other crises.

Since social activities can be so central to a kid’s development, cancellations of hockey or dance class can have an outsized impact on mood and mental health.

Cox said teens are left “without the same space they would normally have, in trying to be safe and not seeing many people. [It’s] the reverse of what should be happening at that stage of life developmentally.”

Tough talks

“How do you say ‘I don’t have all the answers’?” Cox asked. “You say ‘I don’t have all the answers’ and you make sure as you’re describing things it’s developmentally appropriate,” she said.

Parents might consider creating a time to check in on their kids and teens, suggested Stephens, “to say how are you doing today, how are you feeling right now’?” She encourages parents to ask specific questions about what feelings a kid might have, as opposed to broader questions such as ‘how was school’?”

She said being “non-judgmental” in responding to a kid and teen is important. “Validating the feeling regardless of what that feeling might be for them,” she said.

Safe spots

Without many extracurriculars and with snowy weather, family living can feel a bit cramped.

Stephens said it’s important for families to respect each other’s “need for alone time.” That also means trying to get outdoors each day for a bit of extra space.

Cox mentioned headsets can be a way for teens to find privacy, or trying a schedule for alone time when bedrooms are shared.

“People do better when they have regular meals, when they have enough sleep and regular exercise.” She encouraged families to talk about “what the structure of a day can be.”

Caring for the carers

“We’re all doing the best we can,” Stephens said. “By caring for ourselves we’re also caring for others.”

By regulating a parent’s own emotions and mental health, that can help support kids too.

“As adults getting our own support is an important piece of that,” she said.

Cox added that ensuring parents have the time and space to treat themselves, even for half an hour, to something restful. “Netflix, reading, giving yourself a bath, whatever it is,” she said.

Warning signs

A child or teen’s mental health sometimes calls for expert help. Stephens said parents should keep an eye out for a change in a child’s “baseline. When you’re noticing a change in their behaviour in their social functioning in their emotional functioning.”

Cox added that changed sleeping and eating habits can be a sign there are more serious mental health issues at play, as can more anger, or having trouble playing with friends like they once did.

“I would add that there’s never a wrong time to reach out for help,” Stephens said.

Tender or in-house?

By

Lisa Gervais

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January 20, 2022

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Watching a five-hour shoreline preservation bylaw meeting Jan. 17 somehow reminded me of that story of a Toronto man who spent $550 building a set of stairs in his community park.

The city said he should have waited for a $65,000-$150,000 city project to handle the problem. The city subsequently tore down the stairs saying they were not built to regulation standards.

Retired mechanic Adi Astl took it upon himself to build the stairs after several neighbours fell down the steep path to a community garden in Tom Riley Park in Etobicoke. His neighbours chipped in on the project.

Astl said at the city price, he thought they were talking about putting in an escalator. So, he hired a homeless person and they built the eight steps in a matter of hours.

At the time, Mayor John Tory said his staff had been asked to revisit the project and come up with a more realistic estimate, as the last one was based on projects in other parks.

It’s about common sense.

In the case of the shoreline preservation bylaw, one thing that became abundantly clear is County director of planning, Steve Stone, seemed to know as much or more than the expensive consultants on the project during the meeting this past Monday.

Stone is the former director of planning for the Township of Seguin. He told council that while there, his department was responsible for three bylaws dealing with shorelines: blasting, tree removal and filling.

He then went on to provide numerous examples of how the township handled the bylaws. In one instance, it became very clear how someone attempting to do minor landscaping would be separated from someone doing hardscaping.

Some councillors commented they had no idea that Stone used to be with the planning department in Seguin or that he had such a good working knowledge of its shoreline bylaws. They should have.

It was pointed out by the consultants that they had reviewed the Township of Seguin but with the volume of paperwork on the portfolio, it’s easy to see how it could have been overlooked by councillors.

It left me wondering why County councillors didn’t first have a chat with Stone about the draft, and then bring in the consultants at a later date. Perhaps Stone could have answered a lot of their questions and saved a day of consultants’ fees.

In general, I think County council and the lower-tier municipalities are often too quick to go to consultants. In this case, one of the missing pieces of the puzzle was that the consultants were unable to get community comparatives. Stone was the only one to provide that type of context during the meeting.

I’m not anti-consultant. In this case, County councillors felt it prudent to hire an independent, third party since the process was turning downright ugly. In addition, the directors of various departments at small municipalities are very busy.

However, I sometimes wonder if the expertise these directors have – not to mention local knowledge – is being missed.

In the same vein, I’m pondering a County committee of the whole decision last week to proceed with a request for proposals to hire a consultant to create an economic development strategy. Bits and pieces of this work have already been done. Why hire a new director of economic development and tourism only to have that person field out what some would argue is his job to an expensive consultant?

It might be argued the new director doesn’t have the local knowledge, and has enough on his plate. It could be argued a consultant won’t have the local knowledge, either.

I urge County and lower-tier councils to be a bit more stingy in future when going out to consultants and to turn a bit more to in-house expertise. Not only will it save us money, it might help to keep good staff around a little bit longer.

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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New screening measures

Students across Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) are having to adhere to more stringent COVID-19 screening measures since returning to school.

Director of education Wes Hahn told a Jan. 11 board meeting new testing was necessary as health units are no longer collecting or reporting COVID data and cases as of Jan. 17.

“The message we have for families, staff and students is, if you have any symptoms do not attend school,” Hahn said.

He said it could lead to problems if significant staff absences force classrooms, or entire schools, to revert back to virtual learning temporarily.

Paul Goldring, superintendent of learning, said the new tool is more detailed than previous questionnaires. New regulations indicate all members of a household are required to isolate if another member is experiencing COVID symptoms, regardless of vaccination status.

“In the past, there was some leeway in terms of people being vaccinated, now that leeway is gone,” Goldring said. The screener is available at tldsb.ca/board/ covid19. It contains seven questions, and should be completed daily before a student leaves for school.

Extracurricular activities are also paused.

Goldring noted teachers are required to wear N95 masks, while “high quality” three-ply cloth masks are being made available to students. Additional HEPA filters have been distributed to schools to help improve air quality inside classrooms.

Regular semesters

Secondary students will return to regular semesters Feb. 7, Hahn said.

“We are completing the current quadmester, then aiming to revert back to our regular semestered system for high school students. Lockers will be made available when regular semesters resume,” Hahn said.

Trustee John Byrne questioned the decision saying the Omicron variant, considered more contagious than previous variants of concern, is an airborne virus and would spread much easier among students, especially if they’re moving around the school more frequently for additional classes. He also pointed to concerning data suggesting infants are more susceptible to sickness from Omicron.

“As of [Jan. 10], 61 children between the ages of zero and four were hospitalized. They represent the second largest age group, the other being people over 60. My concern is, unbeknownst to them, a student or a member of staff could take this home and infect an unvaccinated young person,” Byrne said.

Hahn said all data staff have studied suggest moving back to regular semesters. He added students weren’t cohorting and were gathering in large groups before the holidays, when Omicron was first starting, and it didn’t bring any major concerns.

“It’s a balancing between the safety and wellbeing versus what’s right for students and their learning,” Hahn said. “We know that, from a learning perspective [regular semesters], is the best situation for kids … we’re confident at this point we can move forward safely.”

Some numbers

Superintendent of human resources, Traci Hubbert said 92 per cent of staff are fully vaccinated.

“We have had a very positive uptick with staff vaccinations in recent weeks,” Hubbert told the board. A staff-only booster clinic in Lindsay Jan. 8 was well attended, she added.

Hubbert said TLDSB wasn’t running into issues finding supply teachers but there are contingency plans in the event new screening and isolation requirements leave the board shorthanded.

Jennifer Johnston, special education services with TLDSB, said 186 students whose needs could not be met virtually returned to in-person learning Jan. 10. This equated to approximately one per cent of TLDSB’s student body

Health unit encourages people to get Moderna

By

Sam Gillett

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January 20, 2022

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Nearly 10 per cent of vaccine clinic attendees decline COVID-19 shots due to the manufacturers, Dr. Natalie Bocking said.

“I have to admit I don’t fully understand all the hesitations on the Moderna vaccine,” she said during a media information session Jan. 12.

She added there’s “very good” data indicating Moderna works. It boosts immunity and has similar side effects to a Pfizer shot. “It’s certainly equivalent to a Pfizer booster dose if not better,” she said. “Both are equally effective.”

Those under 30 will get Pfizer shots at HKPR vaccination locations, due to a provincial shortage of the Moderna vaccine. Moderna has been associated with infrequent instances of heart inflammation in the age group.

Earlier in the pandemic, there were reports of countries not recognizing vaccination matching, for instance receiving an AstraZeneca shot and then a Moderna shot.

Now, Bocking said there is widespread agreement that mixing shots is effective, and travelers need not be concerned. A booster shot, she said, is vital in decreasing the risk of “both symptomatic illness as well as severe illness.”

In the 70-plus age group, 70.4 per cent of people have received a booster dose, as well as 43 per cent of people 18 and older. “We’ve made incremental increases in the coverage among five-11,” she said.

An initial strong uptake amongst families has “leveled off” in the age group. It’s recommended to wait eight weeks between doses for kids.

She encouraged parents to research the vaccine’s safety record: no serious side effects have been recorded in the vaccine’s testing and rollout. There are numerous resources such as kidshealthfirst.ca that answer questions and offer ways to speak one-on-one with clinicians about the vaccine’s effectiveness for kids.

While early studies show Omicron to be a milder variant than previous strains, exponential case growth in the beginning of January caused multiple hospitals in Ontario to sound the alarm over staffing shortages and rising hospitalizations.

Walk-ins available

As of Jan. 18, immuno-compromised people and those over the age of 50 can get a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine without a prior appointment. Walk-ins are now welcome between 1-4:30 p.m. any day the clinic is operating at the Minden arena. Dr. Bocking urged those 70 and older to get a shot as soon as possible.

“Older adults have a greater risk of getting sick from COVID-19, and that’s why we encourage anyone age 70 and older who still needs a booster dose to get one,” she said in a press release. “Book an appointment or walk into any of our clinics in the afternoon, and we will be happy to provide you one.”

The health unit will be at the Minden arena Jan. 20, 21, 24, 27, 28 and Feb. 3, 4 with more dates announced regularly. GO-VAXX bus returns The GO-VAXX bus will be returning to Haliburton County next week.

The retrofitted bus that serves as a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be available to provide first, second and booster doses to eligible individuals, including children aged five to 11. It will be at A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton on Jan. 29, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Appointments can be booked starting at 8 a.m. Jan. 28 through the provincial booking system, or by calling 1-833-943-3900. Individuals wishing to receive a vaccine should bring their Ontario health card. If you do not have a health card, or your health card is expired, bring another form of government ID such as a driver’s license, passport, status card or birth certificate.

The GO-VAXX bus will also be at Lloyd Watson Community Centre in Wilberforce Feb. 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will be back at A.J. LaRue Arena Feb. 12, also from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are unable to book an appointment with the GO-VAXX bus, the health unit has appointments available at various COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the region.

A list of dates and times is available at www.hkpr.on.ca. Some pharmacies are also providing vaccines.

Council looks for ‘hammer’ to stop bad actors

By

Lisa Gervais

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January 20, 2022

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JQ - TripAdvisor passed - 1-web — Tourism committee chair and County Coun. Carol Moffatt said a controversial TripAdvisor marketing campaign should not be garnering so much outrage. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Coun. Carol Moffatt said the most important part of any shoreline preservation bylaw is enforcement.

Speaking during a five-hour, line-byline review of the draft during a Jan. 17 meeting, Moffatt said council can do anything it wants but “if we don’t have a bigger and clearly outlined penalty policy and process we will never stop what we want to stop.”

The current draft stipulates that a first offence could attract a part 1 provincial offences act (POA) ticket of $925. On a second and subsequent offences, a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $100,000 is recommended.

In addition, the court may order the person to correct the contravention by: rehabilitating the land; removing the fill dumped or placed contrary to the bylaw or permit; restoring the grade of the land to its original condition; removing the topsoil stored on the land; planting or replacing of trees or prohibiting the continuation or repetition of the contravention.

But Moffatt said, “at a $925 fine, that’s a trifling which many consider just the cost of getting what they want.”

She said it is fine to encourage landowners to regenerate and plant “but what’s happening right now, which we have lamented over the past year, is the number of people who are racing. They’re panic projects to get things done before they won’t be allowed to do them.

“So, even if we can’t come to some final answer on what this entire process looks like, we should at the very least find a way to be able to go after those bad actors with a hammer so that those panic projects can’t happen.”

The bylaw will be coming back to council after the review raised more questions than answers during Monday’s meeting.

Moffatt went on to say, “if we want to stop people now, I want someone to tell me … where our hammer is to stop the people who are willingly and knowingly out there clear cutting and hardscaping. It’s happening around us all the time.”

County planning director Steve Stone said if a person, director or officer of a corporation continues there can be a part 3 court summons to pursue much larger fines.

He said the existing bylaw reads $100,000 but if a person were to continue to cut from Monday to Friday, for example, they could be fined an additional $10,000 a day. However, County Warden Liz Danielsen said, “but we need to be prepared to do that, to follow through with that. That’s a direction that has to come from council.

If we’re going to go ahead and try to protect our waterbodies we can’t lay fines unless we have a document in place that lays out what the rules are.” Moffatt added, “have we ever done it, are we going to do it, and how swiftly is council going to have a discussion about entertaining that? You can give someone a $925 fine and they pay it. But they’ve got all their trees cut down for their view and then you make them replant trees. Well, they’ve got 30 years of a good view because they got what they wanted. It’s great to have part one and part three. I get it. It’s not working. People are still doing it.”

Coun. Pat Kennedy said he agreed, and would prefer to see the first fine taken out and replaced with a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $100,000.

Coun. Brent Devolin added, “I’m on the record as wanting to have as big a fine for contravention of the existing bylaw that we have and I wouldn’t have spent the last two years of my time if I wasn’t looking for steel-toe boots to deal with these issues.”

Danielsen asked if council was “looking for a hammer when needed” and said during the Zoom meeting she received “nods all around.”

Huskies add OHL vet for championship run

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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The Haliburton County Huskies bolstered their blueline over the weekend with the addition of five-year OHL veteran Simon Rose.

Drafted by the North Bay Battalion in 2017, Rose dressed in 185 games at the OHL level. That experience, and quality, will be invaluable to the Huskies down the stretch, says head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay, who has his eyes firmly set on a franchise-first league championship.

“Simon is going to be one of, if not the best defenceman in the league. He’s an exceptional talent who has great pedigree having played so long in the OHL,” Ramsay said. “I’m sure he had his pick of pretty well every team in the OJHL, so for us to land him is huge.”

Huskies forward Christian Stevens played a pivotal role in getting the deal over the line. Having played with Rose for several years during his time with the Battalion, Stevens sold the blueliner about what life is like in the Highlands.

That piqued Rose’s interest, and once he got on the phone with Ramsay, the coach was able to seal the deal.

“We just told him what we are hoping to achieve as a team this season, and our philosophies on hockey,” Ramsay said. “It seemed a pretty good match.”

Already boasting defensive talent such as Nathan Porter, Jonah Cochrane, Ryan Hall, Will Gourgouvelis, Jack Staniland and Isaac Sooklal, Ramsay feels his team now possesses the best D core in the league.

The team is expected to welcome Payton Schaly back into the fold over the coming days. Now into his final year of junior hockey, and hoping to secure an athletic scholarship stateside, Schaly moved down to Long Island, New York after Ontario’s lockdown shut down OJHL play. He recorded two assists in five games with the Islanders Hockey Club.

The Huskies are scheduled to host the North York Rangers Jan. 28, two days after Ontario’s lockdown is expected to end. Puck drop at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena is set for 7:30 p.m

Huskies’ newest fans based in South Korea

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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The Haliburton County Huskies have gone international thanks to a local grandmother.

Davis Lake resident Dorothy McIntyre was on the hunt for Christmas gift for her grandchildren just before the holidays.

As they live in Busan, South Korea she always has a hard time finding things small and light enough to ship.

With two boys, five-year-old Owen and nine-year-old Liam, to buy for, she wanted to get them something that would remind them of home.

Exhausting options, McIntyre was at her wit’s end when, while buying groceries at Dollo’s Foodland in Minden, she saw the answer staring her in the face.

“Haliburton County Huskies sweaters!” McIntyre exclaimed. “We had to think of something that wasn’t too heavy and could be easily packaged, and I just thought a gift from home, of a new hometown team would be perfect. Something that helps us keep a connection with them” she said.

McIntyre has become a huge Huskies’ fan since they relocated to the Highlands ahead of this season.

While she hasn’t been able to attend a game in-person due to health concerns, she has kept up with their progress online and through The Highlander’s coverage.

“I think it’s great that we have a hockey team in the community again. The players all seem like great kids, and the team is doing well too,” McIntyre said. “They’ve been a wonderful addition.”

She explained as much in a letter accompanying the sweaters, telling Owen and Liam about the team.

The gift, she said, provided the pair with three links to Canada.

“First, there is the link to Haliburton County, the part of Canada they know best.

“The second is hockey, our national game.

“And the third is the dog, the Husky.

Huskies were dogs raised to pull sleds for the Inuit, people who live in Canada’s far north,” McIntyre said.

“I wrote all of that in my note, giving them a bit of history and my thoughts behind the gift.”

Hockey isn’t popular in South Korea, McIntyre noted. Her grandsons are more interested in baseball, but were happy when they opened their gifts Christmas morning. They immediately put on their new sweaters and took photos to send to grandma.

“They were happy and smiling. I think it’s actually the first bit of hockey merchandise they’ve ever gotten,” McIntyre said. “This gives them the chance to spread the word about hockey. I’m sure their friends will ask about the sweaters, now they’ll know what to tell them.”

McIntyre hopes the boys will make it back to Canada this year.

They usually visit every other summer with dad, Colin, but had to cancel last year due to the pandemic.

With the Huskies’ pre-season typically kicking off in August, she hopes to take Owen and Liam to their first ever hockey game.

“That really would be quite something. For the boys to get out and see the Huskies play, and maybe meet some of the players. That would be an amazing experience for them,” she said.

Gourgouvelis taking game to the next level

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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The evolution of hockey over the past 15 years has really opened up doors for players such as Will Gourgouvelis.

A silky, skilled offensive defenceman, Gourgouvelis has taken the OJHL by storm in his debut season with the Haliburton County Huskies, suiting up in 29 games and logging big minutes on one of the strongest bluelines in the league.

Despite his slender frame, 5’10” and 154 pounds, Gourgouvelis has forged a reputation as one of the most aggressive defenders on the team, never afraid to throw himself into a big hit. While that willingness to embrace the physical side of the game has endeared himself to fans and coaching staff, it’s when the puck is on his stick that the Huskies’ number 21 excels.

He showcased his skills during a big 2-1 road win over the Lindsay Muskies back in November. Deep into the second period, with the Huskies behind, Gourgouvelis picked up the puck deep, carried it into the zone, danced past three defenders and flicked it backhand over the goalie’s glove to tie the game, capping off a fine individual play.

His biggest inspirations growing up have been Morgan Rielly, the longest tenured Toronto Maple Leaf, and inaugural Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano.

“I like to say that I’m a 200-foot defenceman prioritizing my puck moving skills. I’m good in the D zone, and always trying to work on my offensive game. I’m probably best when I’m getting the puck up ice quickly, just turning the game around and going towards offence,” Gourgouvelis said.

Growing up in Whitby, he developed through the Wildcats system, eventually playing AAA midget. When he was 16, he moved on to play with the Ajax-Pickering Raiders U18 team, racking up 34 points in 35 games. That put him on the radar of several OHL teams and, in April 2020, he was drafted by the Sarnia Sting in the second round of that’s year priority draft.

Due to the pandemic, Gourgouvelis missed out on playing any hockey last year. That stunted his development and killed any hopes he had of cracking the Sting’s roster. So, when the opportunity came for him to head to the Highlands this past summer, he jumped at it.

“I had committed to the Whitby Fury last season, and played in eight exhibition games, but then COVID-19 set in and everything was cancelled. I was surprised when I found out the team was moving, but it was exciting too. Coming up and living in the north is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I knew we would have a good team,” Gourgouvelis said. “This is a pretty great place for me to play hockey.”

He is billeting with Jim and Cheryl Waddell in Haliburton village.

Still eligible for two further OJHL seasons beyond this, Gourgouvelis said he’s focusing on improving his game and learning all that he can from his teammates and coaching staff.

“Already my development has gone up quite a bit since getting here to Haliburton. Up here, we get to focus on hockey and hockey alone, there’s no distractions. We’re at the rink the majority of the day and working on all aspects of our game,” Gourgouvelis said. “Long-term, I just want to be able to play at the next level, wherever that is. That’s my ultimate goal right now, being able to do this past just junior.”