HHHS prepares for Epic software

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November 4, 2021

HHHS is preparing for a major shift in healthcare record keeping. In partnership with six other healthcare service centres in Ontario, the services will launch Epic, a new clinical information software system, Dec. 3.

HHHS CEO Carolyn Plummer said it will streamline patient information across the service.

It also requires new equipment such as vital sign machines and Workstations on Wheels, funded by the HHHS foundation.

“Staff are going through training and there’s a lot of work to be done,” Plummer told the HHHS board Oct. 28. “It’s a very significant change in their practice.”

First rolled out in Canada in 2015, Epic is a growing medical software system, which is now used in 134 Canadian hospitals.

The system means Haliburton patients’ medical records will be synced between all seven hospitals that have partnered together to implement the system.

“Because we are a small hospital, we rely very much on the services offered by other hospitals in our region,” Plummer said, explaining how many Haliburton residents receive care in Peterborough, for example.

“It will mean one medical record can be securely accessed by each medical provider.”

Previously, a new medical record had to be created for each medical centre they might receive service in.

“The healthcare professionals will be able to have better information at their fingertips, and patients won’t have to be asked the same questions over and over again,” Plummer said.

She also said the system will automatically prompt nurses, physicians and aides when certain care procedures are needed.

“I think it’s going to have a really positive impact on patients,” Plummer said.

Patients can also access their own records online, view and cancel appointments and communicate with healthcare providers.

Nursing Advisory Committee meets

A new committee is focused on supporting and improving the experience of HHHS nurses.

The Nursing Advisory Council had its first meeting Oct. 25.

Plummer reported that the committee is meant to “better understand the current nursing environment and determine ways to support it.”

She said the committee has already begun to review service areas such as dietary workflow on inpatient services. She said that early in October nurses conducted a walk-through exercise in the Haliburton emergency department to determine improvement opportunities such as changing supply quantity orders and improving communication processes.

New call systems at LTC

Work is set to begin on installing a new call bell system in Hyland Crest and Highland Wood long-term care homes.

Funded by the HHHS foundation, the call systems are an electronic notification system which will allow residents to call staff. It’s the same as is currently in use at the health service’s main hospital location.

It will correspond with additional display stations so that nurses and PSWs don’t have to report to a nurse’s station to see the location of the call.

“The residents won’t really notice any change,” Plummer said. “There will still be a button they use to call the nursing staff. But the nursing staff and PSWs in the team will certainly notice a difference.”

Huskies hang on for win over division rivals

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2021

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The Haliburton County Huskies held on for a 5-4 win over division rivals, the Lindsay Muskies, in a fast and physical game at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena in Minden Oct. 30.

With some costumed fans in attendance for the Halloween weekend tilt, the Huskies endured a couple of scares. They made five consecutive trips to the sin bin from 14:53 in the first until 11:12 in the second, giving up two power play goals in the game. Then, with Muskies’ goalie, Ethan Fraser, on the bench late in the third, the fish scored at 17:29 to tighten the game. However, the Huskies held on for the win, improving their record to 7-4-0-0.

The Huskies opened the scoring at 11:28 of the first, with Bryce Richardson scoring his first goal of the season, assisted by Nathan Porter and Riley Rogers. Just a little over a minute later, they scored their second goal, an even strength marker, by Christian Stevens, his first, with helpers from Patrick Saini and Oliver Tarr. The dogs started to get into penalty trouble and late in the period, the Muskies scored on Christian Cicigoi, at 17:54, to make it Huskies 2-1 going into the second period.

Stevens scored again at the 11 second mark of the second to put the Huskies up 3-1, with Richardson and Nick Athanasaskos getting the helpers. But another Huskies’ penalty put the Muskies on another power play and they found the back of the net at 8:10 to make it a 3-2 game. The Huskies’ Tarr answered back at 17:05, assisted by Stevens, to make it 4-2 Huskies heading into the third.

The Muskies kept fighting back and made it 4-3 at the midway mark of the last frame. But the Huskies replied with a second Richardson goal from Jack Staniland to pull ahead 5-3. With Fraser watching from the bench and the Muskies with six skaters, they found the back of the net to make it a nail-biting 5-4. But the defence and Cicigoi closed the door.

Two-goal scorer, Stevens, said it was a nice win to get under their belts. “We played hard, a little sloppy in the end, but we got the job done so it doesn’t really matter.”

Commenting on a four-game win streak, he added, “streaks mean a lot in this game so if we stay hot, I think we’re going to keep going and I’m excited to be here and I think it’s going to be great.”

Richardson, who also notched two tallies, said, “It’s been a slow start for me this year so two goals tonight is definitely really nice, a couple of good bounces, a great play by Jack Staniland on the second one there. But it’s just nice to get the win.” He said the Nov. 5 game against Trenton will be a good test for the team.

The Huskies return home Nov. 6 against St. Michael’s and play in Cobourg Nov. 8.

School board reports fewer suspensions

By

Mike Baker

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November 4, 2021

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In what staff are calling “a bit of an anomaly,” Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) saw a significant decrease in the number of suspensions and expulsions dished out to students in the 2020/21 school year.

Superintendent of Learning, Paul Goldring, informed TLDSB trustees Oct. 26 that there were 780 infractions recorded last year – with 471 of those for secondary students and 309 for elementary. The main reasons listed for suspensions were conduct injurious to moral tone, fighting and/ or violence, conduct injurious to others, opposition to authority, vandalism and bullying.

When compared with statistics from the prior year, 524 for secondary and 625 for elementary, that represents a near 33 per cent drop.

“It’s important to note that we had two periods of remote learning last year for significant blocks of time. In terms of looking at the last two years of data, it’s difficult to compare year-to-year and establish any sort of trends.”

During 2018/19, the last full school year that wasn’t interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 809 secondary suspensions and 915 elementary suspensions.

Goldring noted that this past year was the first time that elementary infractions had exceeded secondary infractions.

The board permanently expelled eight students in 2020/21. Goldring noted expulsion was a “last resort” for the board, and were only considered after failed mediations with the student and parents.

“Mediation is something we have started to use more and more. The idea is it allows students to stay in school, but receive some level of support,” Goldring said. “The key factor here is we are looking at the situation and making sure the student is not a risk to the school, and other students.”

Further explaining the process, Goldring said school principals tend to take the lead with mediations.

“They will reach out to family and then try to come to a settlement. They will look at the period when the student can return to school, what type of support is needed before they return, and, in a lot of cases, what ongoing support they will need after they’ve returned,” Goldring said. “We see mediation as a very successful tool for us to use. I really like it as it keeps kids in school and gets them the support they need. I see it as a tool we will use more often if we can.”

Property ban lifted

Director of education, Wes Hahn, said visitors would be allowed back on TLDSB premises to attend outdoor functions, but maintained a ban on indoor visits.

“We are slowly moving in that direction (to open up schools to visitors), but there are timelines from the province for when that will take place. For now, we continue to limit visitors to school buildings,” Hahn said. “Even though the different seasons are coming to an end, we have decided to allow spectators to attend sporting events, while wearing a mask and [social] distancing. This is for outdoor only.”

Hahn said the main thing holding the board back from allowing indoor visits is requirements surrounding monitoring of vaccination statuses. He said it would be impossible to have staff on hand to check each individual’s status, and that the board could not have people in the building they’re “not certain of.”

With many indoor sports and clubs set to start up heading into winter, Hahn hopes to receive direction from the province regarding reopening their facilities in the coming weeks.

“We will let parents and the community know when things change,” he said.

Vaccinations

Haliburton County trustee Gary Brohman asked Hahn if TLDSB was tracking data on vaccination rates of its staff.

“We are, and I am pleased to report our vaccination rate is at approximately 87 per cent for staff,” Hahn said. “Our process is that staff have to report being fully vaccinated, being medically exempt, or if they’re [choosing] not to be [vaccinated].”

Any member of staff who isn’t vaccinated is required to participate in an education program highlighting the benefits of the vaccine, and submit to weekly COVID-19 testing and incident screening.”

A Blue Moon rises with new Haliburton online retro store

By

Sam Gillett

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November 4, 2021

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Shawn Butchart spent many hours in a small shed on his parents’ property near Redstone Lake this year, poring over topographical maps of Haliburton’s lakes.

He wasn’t charting a nautical journey; he was designing art for his new brand, Blue Moon Gift Shop.

Launching Nov. 4, Blue Moon will be an online shop featuring hyper-local posters, T-shirts, wall art and sweaters.

“The thing I really love about being in Haliburton is everywhere you look is a picturesque, beautiful view. Everywhere you look is beautiful,” said Butchart. “I thought if I could capture even a little portion of that and put it on a poster that I’d have something pretty good.”

His designs range from the real-life overhead maps of Kennisis and Koshlong to apparel that celebrates tall tales and local culture, such as “Wilberforce Bigfoot Field Research Team” and Cardiff Motorcycle Club hats.

“I’ve got a real retro vibe going,” Butchart said. With a background in graphic design and web development, Butchart said he enjoyed trying to convey the hazy summer atmosphere of a time long past. “The whole concept behind Blue Moon is I wish I woke up in 1970, and everything kind of looks like that.”

Butchart calls the online store a “labour of love” which marks a shift in his career. “I sort of decided I want to get back into more creative design: fun stuff that I really enjoy making,” he said.

For Butchart, Blue Moon is also a way to celebrate the community he moved to 10 years ago – a place he and his partner plan to move to full-time when they start construction on a home next spring. “

I feel so at home and comfortable, I just love Haliburton,” he said. “It’s hard to put into words. I’m a more visual person so maybe you can see the love for it come across in my work.”

Blue Moon Gift shop can be accessed at bluemoongiftshop.ca .

Concerns voiced over shoreline permits

By

Sam Gillett

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November 4, 2021

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While County council will discuss the draft shoreline preservation bylaw at a special meeting yet to be scheduled, stakeholders have had a week to pour over the consultants’ final draft.

The Haliburton County Home Builders Association (HCHBA) said in a written statement they’re “pleased with the progress” that’s been made but are concerned about proposed site alteration permitting processes.

“The requirements for this process are far too extensive, time-consuming, and costly,” wrote Aggie Tose of the HCHBA.

“The HCHBA is also concerned with time delays to receive approvals. Currently, our local building departments are overloaded and are having a hard time keeping up with the demand. How many more County or municipal employees will be required to make sure this application process operates efficiently and effectively?”

At council’s Oct. 27 meeting, Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt said recommendations in the draft need to be paired with a discussion of “who, and with what money, and under what timeline” the bylaw would be implemented and enforced.

“In order to really discuss sort of what resources are required to implement a bylaw we really need a firmer understanding of what will be in the bylaw,” said County CAO Mike Rutter.

Schedule ‘A’ of the draft bylaw outlines a permitting system that would be handled by municipal building departments.

It contains fewer precise requirements than previously suggested in a Countydeveloped draft tabled in Jan. 2021.

Landowners would not have to provide the location of soil or material stockpiles on a site nor the location and dimensions of staging areas for heavy machinery. The permit requirements can be waived if planning officials judge the work’s impact to be minimal.

The draft states all major construction and site alteration activities “will be required to apply for and receive permit approval before such significant projects and activity are undertaken in the buffer area” of 30 metres from a shoreline’s high watermark. It also establishes opportunities for residents to speak to council when permits are not approved or delayed.

Concerned Haliburton Waterfront Property Owners, an unofficial group of more than 160 cottage owners, have advocated for a smaller setback of 10 metres, a buffer that peer-reviewed research estimates would eliminate 65 per cent of sediment. The group also lobbies for a less onerous permit system.

“Before this schedule is finalized,” states the group’s written response to the draft, “we strongly encourage County officials to meet with the representatives of the homebuilders, landscapers and site services companies to negotiate better requirements in Schedule A that aren’t unnecessarily difficult, expensive or inflexible.”

Other permitting requirements include documenting existing topography of the site and land within 30 metres of the site, and the locations and dimensions of stormwater management or drainage systems such as ditches and roads within 30 metres of the site.

Environment Haliburton! president Terry Moore, instrumental in the Love your Lakes lake health monitoring project, has studied the environmental impact of development on Haliburton’s watersheds for years. He said the permitting approach looks to be far more effective than an after-the-fact complaint system.

“Hopefully this bylaw will begin to alter what is happening on the shoreline, and we’ll be able to save more, stop the erosion of natural shorelines and restore what we’ve lost so far,” said Moore.

Moore added that the County’s official plan already indicates a minimum setback of 30 metres from the water.

The document states that “development and site alterations shall be set back a minimum of 30 metres from the high watermark of lakes, rivers and streams.”

Unlike the previously proposed draft, the bylaw currently on the table suggests a shoreline buffer of fewer than 30 metres can be permitted if it’s not possible for reasons such as lot depth.

The HCHBA said it’s “confident there will be more opportunities to speak with council ahead of the bylaw being passed. HCHBA is looking forward to continuing this process and reaching an effective and amicable conclusion.”

Rail Trail ready for snowmobile season

By

Sam Gillett

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November 4, 2021

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The Haliburton County Rail Trail looks to be in fine form for the winter’s snowmobile season, said Haliburton County Snowmobile Association president John Enright.

After checking out progress on the granite overlay, Enright said the club is “beyond excited.”

“From my memory it’s never been in this good a shape going into the season,” Enright said, mentioning how the smoother surface means sledders can ride with less snow and maintenance.

The cost of resurfacing 23.3 kilometers of trail totaled $232,751, funded by an Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) grant.

That left 5.7 kilometers of trail which Hawk River Construction is set to complete by 2022, funded by the County.

The County will spend an additional $42,390 to complete rail trail resurfacing this year.

In a report to council, director of public works, Robert Sutton, said that staff approved the extra work since the contract “is currently mobilized and time was of the essence.”

Staff propose approaching ICIP for additional funding opportunities, using remaining ICIP funds, money allotted to rail trail maintenance and approximately $21,000 from the rail trail reserve fund in the meantime.

The report states granite screenings are “native to the County and as such they are in keeping with the natural setting of the trail as well as they are more environmentally-responsible and costeffective in comparison to importing limestone.”

Limestone is estimated to cost 23 per cent more than granite, and must also be trucked in from much further away. Sutton told council, “there’s a significant greenhouse gas effect” of importing the material.

Dysart mayor Andrea Roberts said she’s noticed parts of the new surface make the trail difficult to use.

“What we have in that section has so much sand in it you cannot ride a regular bicycle.” Roberts said. “It feels like you’re walking on a beach.”

Sutton said the surface should compact, and that staff “are looking at ways we can address a consistent surface.”

Also planned are $27,005 in accessibility improvements, including 15 stone benches and 500 meters of barriers.

Haliburton Highlands Museum director Kate Butler and Curve Lake First Nations representatives will consult on what culturally and historically important spots along the trail could be marked with signage.

The next Haliburton County Rail Trail round table meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m.

Devolin will watch election from sidelines

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2021

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Minden Hills mayor Brent Devolin says he won’t be seeking a third term in office.

Devolin hinted at his political future in a social media post Oct. 25 when he said he would be watching the 2022 Minden Hills election “from the sidelines.”

He said he had planned to make an announcement Jan. 1, 2022 but took the lead from Toronto Coun. Joe Cressy, who told the public about his pending departure a year out from the next municipal election, scheduled for the last Monday of October.

Devolin said his friends and colleagues in Minden Hills and on County council knew he would be leaving but he wanted to give potential candidates time to prepare.

“It takes you a year worth of legwork if you’re actually, legitimately, honestly wanting to do the job,” Devolin said in an interview Nov. 2.

Into his eighth year as mayor, Devolin said another factor is that he’s tired. “There is a lot of politician and staff fatigue after COVID.” He foreshadowed that many will leave municipal politics by next fall. Devolin added he is a firm believer in term limits.

He said he first ran in 2014 as he was unhappy with the state of affairs in Minden and at the County.

He is pleased with the work he has been able to do on the flooding portfolio, including better communication with the Trent-Severn Waterway and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, as well as lobbying for multi-million-dollar funding for work on County dams. He is also proud of the LiDAR mapping that has been done.

“That’s a big part of what I wanted to achieve and it’s either done or substantially done.”

He is also pleased the township was able to build a new fire hall and community centre as well as two affordable housing structures with a third public-private venture on the way along Highway 35 by the legion.

Working with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network on connectivity has been “icing on the cake” he added. “We’re in the early days of the actual construction project for the next four or five years for the mobile broadband wireless that we’re going to have.” With a projected 95 per cent connectivity for Haliburton County, “those are huge lifetime achievement things for me personally.”

He said his one regret is that he was not able to push to consolidate local government. “I have no hard feelings for those that have a different perspective.”

But in the end, he said, “Its been a good ride. I’ve had some successes and failures. And I don’t care whether you’re talking baseball or whatever, nobody bats 1,000, right?”

In Minden Hills, he thinks the greatest challenge is unprecedented growth and the impact on the environment.

He also believes the role of a municipal politician has changed drastically since the days of part-timers working off the backs of envelopes.

However, he said “It is now time to apply my efforts to something else other than this and move on. Just because I’m not going to be elected anymore doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be engaged in my community or be involved with things that I think will move the needle.”

Hughey calls out council on arena pledge

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2021

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Frustrated at pushback for better website promotion of the arena fundraising committee, Coun. Jennifer Hughey reminded council at its Oct. 28 meeting that it had publicly made promises it had not fulfilled.

When the arena was given the green light on Feb. 14, 2019, Mayor Brent Devolin boldly suggested the community could raise $1 million towards outstanding items. A committee was struck in the summer of 2019 and set a $750,000 goal. COVID-19 largely killed all momentum until Hughey resurrected the committee on May 25, 2021 with a more modest target of $300,000.

During the meeting, she asked for council approval to canvass for new committee members; use already-raised funds to buy signage for the facility to promote fundraising; and create a pop-up or microsite on the township website.

While council eventually voted in favour of all three, it came after a lengthy discussion in which CAO Trisha McKibbin initially recommended against since a new website is now being worked on to be unveiled in January.

Coun. Pam Sayne was also against. She didn’t want busy staff thrown another task especially for the arena. She said she wanted the township to get “back to main business and caught up.” She suggested other strategies besides better website promotion.

Devolin suggested a more extensive conversation was needed between McKibbin and Hughey. But Hughey explained it would be a page within an existing website.

Coun. Bob Carter said he didn’t want the committee work delayed until January, which would cause it to lose all momentum. He thought something could be added to the site, such as the current COVID-19 information box that pops up when people go there.

Coun. Jean Neville agreed, “We have to get our fundraising going. It just keeps falling flat. This is an important area to get fundraising up and going and momentum going.”

Deputy mayor Lisa Schell said it was an opportunity “to get some of that [money] back via seat sales, I’d like to see it happens sooner rather than later.”

Hughey said, “I will reiterate some of the feelings that some of the council members had with regards to this facility. It’s very important to continue in the line of already existing media saying that we’re going to raise a certain amount of funds to pay some of the mandated items that we’ve listed. So, as a committee, we’ve basically stressed our goal to be only $300,000 and we feel it is very important to raise those funds for the facility … “

At the moment, Hughey and long-time volunteer Betty Mark are doing most of the committee work with another member resigning. They have been trying to promote a Take a Seat campaign, where residents and businesses can sponsor one of 294 sets in the new arena with a $500 donation. A plaque acknowledging the financial contribution will be affixed to each seat, and tax receipts will be issued.

Hughey told the meeting when they relaunched the committee, the momentum only lasted four or five days and they had not had a call in three months. She said they want to promote buying metres of ice and the walking track as well.

“By no means am I trying to cause any fuss. I’m merely trying to act as chair of this committee,” she said.

End of an era as Bishops sell Sir Sam’s

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2021

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Some of Chris Bishop’s earliest memories at Sir Sam’s ski hill were falling off the T-bar because he didn’t know how to use it. As he got older, he got to run the lift, and remembers getting the odd Friday afternoon off of school to ride snowmobiles up and down the hill to pack the snow for the coming weekend.

Bishop said the family decision to sell Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride isn’t bittersweet at all although it has stirred up memories.

“It’s time to move on. We’re all excited and happy. There is certainly sweet but there’s not bitterness about it at all,” he said.

The Bishop family announced via a news release Nov. 2 that they had sold to the Wilkinson family, long-time cottagers and ski hill afficionados who hail from Oshawa.

Chris Bishop said the Wilkinsons have been skiing at Sir Sam’s for 15 years so know the local business well and liked what they saw. He added they are younger and enthusiastic about trying new things. That will include renovations to the chalet and introducing a new food experience, Rhubarb on the Hill, in December. He added they have ideas for more off-season events.

Members of the Bishop family are staying on this winter to help with the transition and some might remain as employees.

The Wilkinsons have so far declined to comment.

Bishop said another lasting memory from their 56 years at the hill is the many lifelong friendships they have made. He thanked customers, suppliers, tradespeople and staff. Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride was founded in 1965.

“We could not have done this without your support,” the Bishop family said in the media release. “Our father and mother, Bob and Noreen, had a dream and a vision all those years ago to create a winter skiing facility that would promote Haliburton and Eagle Lake as a winter destination and that it would become an economic driver for the entire Haliburton Highlands. They accomplished this goal.”

A cheap way to buy votes

By

Mike Baker

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November 4, 2021

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So, Ontario’s minimum wage is going up. As per Premier Doug Ford, baseline pay for employees across the province will increase on Jan. 1, going up by 65 cents to $15 an hour. This follows an earlier move, which came into effect in October, to up it by 10 cents to the current $14.35.

While I’m sure most full-time workers currently earning minimum wage will be pleased to hear that their annual pay packet will receive a bump of $1,352, it must be said that this increase is miniscule compared to what’s actually needed.

And Ford knows that. It really grinded my gears on Tuesday when the premier was all smiles in making this announcement, putting on a charade that he has long been the champion of increasing pay rates in Ontario.

“For many… wages haven’t kept up with the increasing cost of living, making it harder than ever to make ends meet,” he first said.

This is true. Canada’s inflation rate hit a near 20-year high last month, sitting at 4.4 per cent according to Stats Canada.

Taking a deeper dive into those statistics, the price of gasoline has increased by 32.8 per cent since Sept. 2020, while food prices have gone up, on average, 3.9 per cent in the past year. The cost of housing climbed too, up by 4.8 per cent. So. while this 4.3 per cent increase to pay is being presented as some huge saviour for minimum-wage workers, the truth is they will still find themselves behind from where they were this time 12 months ago.

And for Ford to say that he “always said workers deserve to have more money in their pockets” is an outright lie. When he was elected in 2018, one of the first things he did was cancel the previous Liberal government’s plan to increase the minimum wage to, you guessed it, $15 an hour by 2019.

At the time, Ford claimed a $15 minimum wage was bad for workers and would lead to substantial layoffs.

What’s changed? If anything, businesses are in even more of a precarious position today than they were three years ago, thanks to the pandemic.

The only real difference from now and then is that Ford is coming up to the end of his term in office, rather than just starting out.

A provincial election is just six months away.

The cynic in me is looking at this move as a cheap way for him to buy votes.

Just about the only real positive to come out of this announcement is that servers and bartenders will see their hourly rates brought up to par with other workers, up to $15 an hour from the current $12.55.

Given that many restaurants around Haliburton have struggled to find staff over the past several months, this should give them a bit of a boost.

But what overall impact is this rise going to have on minimum wage workers in Haliburton County? Likely not much. In 2019, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge district health unit said a ‘living wage’ in Haliburton was $19.42.

It has undoubtedly risen since then. So, what can be done?

A universal basic income, piloted in nearby Lindsay to some success in 2017, is an interesting concept, but surely far too expensive to ever come to fruition. We need to see more creative thinking from our leaders if we’re going to help our most vulnerable people get out of this mess. Because one thing’s for sure – increasing the minimum wage by 65 cents an hour isn’t going to change a thing.