HHHS says no to vaccine mandate

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September 30, 2021

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) will not mandate vaccines for employees.

“It was not an easy process going through the decision-making for how to proceed,” said CEO Carolyn Plummer at a Sept. 23 HHHS board meeting. “We took into consideration a number of factors including choice, including the availability of human resources in our organizations.”

Workers who are medically exempt from the vaccine or those who choose not to be vaccinated will be routinely tested and must partake in a vaccine safety training course.

Many hospitals in Ontario, including Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH) and hospitals in Toronto, Windsor and Kingston, have recently announced staff must be vaccinated or risk termination.

“Patients and families expect those who take care of them to be vaccinated,” said Carmine Stumpo, OSMH CEO, in a Sept. 1 press release. “Many of our team members will also be greatly relieved and reassured to know their colleagues are fully vaccinated.”

Plummer said in rural areas like Haliburton, the decision to enforce vaccinations hinges on staff availability.

“The hospitals that have gone forward with policies that lead to termination for those who aren’t vaccinated have the capacity to fill the gaps if staff do leave the organization,” she said in response to a question posed by The Highlander. “We certainly don’t have that same kind of capacity.”

The ruling will apply to all HHHS workers in the service’s hospital, direct care and end-of-life care programs and more.

In her CEO report Plummer wrote that “some members expressed concern over having some staff who remain unvaccinated and whether they should wear full PPE at all times.”

Enforcing selective PPE wearing, she said, would be an infringement on privacy rights.

The decision is consistent with other similarly-sized healthcare services. Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s Pandemic Command Team announced in early September staff unable to be vaccinated or choosing not to would have to undergo regular screening and take vaccine safety training courses, but will not be terminating the employment of unvaccinated staff.

According to Plummer the decision also ensures “folks have a choice” about taking the vaccine. Currently, 85 per cent of HHHS staff are fully vaccinated, and Plummer added that no instances of staff to patient spread have been reported.

However, there have been instances of COVID-19 in HHHS locations. In February, Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden declared an outbreak of COVID19, after two staff members tested positive for the virus. One further caregiver tested positive in March.

All COVID-19 safety protocols will remain in place at HHHS locations.

Widespread staff shortages

Healthcare centers across Canada have been experiencing nursing and physician shortages and HHHS is no different, Plummer reported last week.

“It continues to be an ongoing challenge for us to cover all the areas that need coverage,” she said.

Besides nurses and other primary care staff, HHHS has struggled to fill physician roles. Plummer said many doctors choose to specialize in one role, as opposed to working in multiple capacities at once, “which is historically how physicians in this community and other small communities function,” she said.

Future of municipal airport at a ‘crossroads’

By

Mike Baker

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September 30, 2021

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While there was little in the way of tangible developments, Algonquin Highlands council spent another couple of hours discussing the long-term viability of the Stanhope Municipal Airport last week – coming to an agreement that a new, updated plan needed to be devised for the site.

In what has long been one of the most contentious and controversial issues in the municipality, the airport took central stage during a special meeting of council on Sept. 23. Algonquin Highlands CAO Angie Bird had asked council for direction on the facility as part of an overarching look at the township’s infrastructure priorities.

Tentative discussions over a number of big ticket items and projects took place in September of last year, and were revisited in July. It was determined that the airport required special attention given that plans for the site have changed drastically over the past decade.

“We’re here today because we have had a number of deferrals [on this issue]. We need to assess where we are, what the opportunities are, what’s changed externally and internally and what direction we can either continue to take, or [discuss] a different direction to take around items [relating to the airport],” Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt informed council. “Basically, I’d say we’re at a bit of a crossroads.”

The airport first came online in 1967, after the township approved the development of a 2,680 ft. grass runway, apron and taxiways and commissioned the construction of a public building, aviation fuel facilities and a hangar building to store aircraft. In 1989, after receiving funding from the federal and provincial governments, the municipality installed a paved 2,500 ft. runway.

Shortly after the turn of the millennium, in 2001, the council of the day launched a plan to develop a new 4,000 ft long runway after being convinced that the airport served as one of Haliburton County’s “strongest opportunities for increased investment.” Those plans were shelved in 2010, with the proposed runway project coming in for significant criticism from the local community.

In 2014, the municipality commissioned a land use and development plan for the airport. Since then, the municipality has developed a partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources that saw a new 20,000 sq. ft. forestry firefighting headquarters constructed and the development of a new access road, new hangars and improved taxiways at the facility. The township has also discussed the development of 10 new lots on municipal property adjacent to the new MNR headquarters. In September 2020, municipal staff presented a report highlighting the cost to build a new 1,500 metre square access road to service those lots would run the municipality approximately $100,000. Due to financial difficulties and uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, those plans were shelved.

There is a clear divide among council regarding the airport, with some elected officials believing it to be a significant asset to the community, lobbying for continued investment at the site, and others questioning the benefits of pouring more money into it.

“I’m a little more pro-development and proactive about the airport,” said deputy mayor Liz Danielsen, who spoke in favour of an eventual rekindling of the runway project, and the benefits of carrying out work on the proposed new service road to bring those 10 lots – slated for industrial development – online.

Coun. Jennifer Dailloux is firmly on the other side of the fence.

“I would not feel comfortable putting taxpayers’ money towards further development of that space … until we know for sure if we build it they will come,” Dailloux said, referencing the 10 lots in question. “I think the big thing that was missing from [the 2014] study was the half of the market analysis that is not ‘here are the things you can do’, but are ‘here is what the people want.’ When it comes to the development of the industrial lots, for example, we knew from the study that it was possible to do that, what the study was not mandated to do was to find out if there was a demand for an industrial lot in a space such as our airport.

Referencing the land the municipality owns that was originally intended to house the previously proposed 4,000 ft. long runway, Dailloux said she would be more in favour of using the land for other purposes.

“I do not believe an extended runway is a good idea for the benefit of the taxpayers of Algonquin Highlands. I think there are other ways of using taxpayer money to directly support our community,” Dailloux noted.

Moffatt was quick to clarify that the municipality has no intentions of building a new runway anytime soon – saying there would be no way they could afford such a project. Instead, she is focused on making sure the airport is as viable as it can possibly be right now.

She asked for an update on the cookshack – built at the airport by volunteers a number of years ago. CAO Angie Bird noted the facility had some fire code challenges. She also pointed out the main terminal building required extensive work to ensure it met new accessibility requirements (set to come in by 2025), and that many of the hangars also required attention.

Bird said the municipality may be able to secure federal funding to bring the terminal building up to code.

While discussing the cost of these projects, Dailloux suggested that Algonquin Highlands reach out to the regional council in the hopes it will take on some of the financial burden.

Danielsen suggested that would be a hard sell. Moffatt said she would raise the topic at a future meeting of Haliburton County council. In the meantime, council again delayed making any substantial decisions for the site. Danielsen though was adamant in her belief that the township had a responsibility to make the airport “the best little recreational airport it can be.”

Dailloux immediately retorted, “I would love to see this airport be the best little municipal recreational airport it can be, but not for its own sake. If we’re going to make a go at this, it has to be for the benefit of our township and the taxpayers thar are funding it.

OPP investigate fatal offroad vehicle accident in Minden

By

Sam Gillett

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September 27, 2021

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OPP-web — Police have arrested three people in connection with an ongoing investigation into a theft and drug ring. File photo.

A man from Fergus, Ontario, has been pronounced dead after a single-vehicle collision on County Road 121 in Minden on Sept 26.

At approximately 6:04 p.m., Haliburton Highlands OPP, along with the Haliburton County Paramedic Services and Minden Hills Township Fire Department, responded to the crash involving an ATV.

A single 45-year-old male rider, Tom White of Fergus, Ontario, was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

County Road 121 at Rice Road was temporarily closed while Technical Collision Investigation (TCI) officers investigated the scene.

The OPP urges riders to “exercise caution and ride within laws that are designed to keep you safe while operating any type of ORV.”

Rainfall forces road closure, flooding in Minden Hills

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Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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Minden Hills has announced that Upper Dutch Road will be closed due to multiple days of heavy rainfall. The road is closed to traffic from the intersection of County Road 121.

In a press release issued at 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 23, the Township urged caution “around area lakes, rivers, creeks and other water sources such as ditches, as high water levels and swift currents can create unstable conditions.”

Portions of the Riverwalk in downtown Minden are currently underwater and the Township currently advises against using the the Riverwalk and Boardwalk at this time.

Minden Hills said they warn residents in areas near high water to take precautions to protect property that may be at risk.

More to come from The Highlander.

Editorial: Money well wasted

By

Mike Baker

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September 23, 2021

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By Mike Baker

Monday was a bit of a disaster for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada.

Five weeks after dissolving parliament and launching a 44th federal election, under the guise of offering the public the chance to choose whom it wants at the helm to help lead the country’s recovery post COVID19, and Trudeau is facing up to the reality that he will form yet another minority government.

Make no mistake about it though, this is not a win for the Liberals. The power play failed. When our prime minister made the decision to enter into an untimely early election, he did so with one thought in mind – to come away with a majority.

The end result?

Three additional seats. A grand total of $610 million spent to acquire three extra members of parliament. I have no doubts that Trudeau was confident of getting what he wanted, even as late as a few weeks ago. He and his advisors clearly felt the Liberals had garnered enough good will for the way it responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, where they supported millions of Canadians through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and other likeminded programs.

According to the Government of Canada website, as of Oct. 4, 2020 – the date that CERB benefits ended – a total of 8.9 million people had applied for funding through the initiative. Once all was said and done, the feds had doled out $74.08 billion in CERB payments.

One oversight, perhaps, was that a significant chunk of those who received benefits throughout the pandemic, around 42 per cent, were under the age of 35. In other words, not the demographic that typically makes sure to vote on election day.

It was intriguing when speaking with Jamie Schmale, who was re-elected for a third term as MP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock on Monday. He was, unsurprisingly, hyper critical of Trudeau’s decision to call an early election, saying it was unnecessary given he had the support of the house, with the Bloc and NDPs largely behind him.

Schmale intimated it was a power grab, and that he was pleased it had failed. It’s only fair to point out though, that Trudeau isn’t the first to attempt this sort of thing, and he certainly won’t be the last. The Conservatives have been just as culpable in the past – in fact, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper twice called early elections in attempts to secure majority governments, first in 2008 and again in 2011.

I think the difference is that we needed Trudeau to be better. We needed him to be more responsible. During this desperate time of need, as the country continues to suffer from the effects of a global pandemic, the last thing we needed, the last thing we wanted was an election. I can think of a myriad of ways that $610 million could have been better spent.

Thinking selfishly here in Haliburton County, how about affordable housing? Improved high-speed internet? Transit services?

Heck, I’d even have preferred to see that money go towards our national credit card bill, which, for the record, at present count is now in excess of $1 trillion. Instead, we’re left to reflect on an election that accomplished very little and, in the grand scheme of things, changed absolutely nothing.

Cadidates reflect on election results

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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(Look for coverage of local PC and Liberal campaigns in our recent news section)

Jamie Schmale’s third victory at the polls wasn’t a surprise for most Haliburton residents. Neither was Judi Forbes’ position as runner-up for the second election in a row.

However, all four other candidates who jockeyed for votes in the HaliburtonKawartha Lakes-Brock riding viewed their performance differently.

Zac Miller, who recently announced he is putting his political career on hold to
pursue a masters degree in information, said “it seems like we just wasted $600 million
dollars for a parliament that looks the exact same.” However he viewed the campaign as a success, despite predicting who would be heading back to Ottawa this fall. “On a local level, I’m not surprised but I’m quite
happy we were able to hold our numbers from 2019,” Miller said, who garnered 14.4
per cent of the vote.

Allison Davidson’s PPC Party nearly quadrupled its vote count, capturing
over seven per cent of the vote. “It’s encouraging: I mean it’s a little frustrating overall, with the across Canada results and we’re still in the same boat we were before,” she said. The PPC party did not
win any seats in Parliament this election.
“But, the thing about our riding is it’s about getting the word out. There’s still lots of
people who haven’t even heard about the PPC,” she said.

For Angel Godsoe of the Green Party, the election came while the local Party association was being reconfigured. “We had some great plans for publicity, we had great plans for outreach events [but] then we were thrown into the election…there wasn’t time,” she said. “But I feel we could
have done a lot better if we had time to mobilize.”

Gene Balfour, a Libertarian candidate who supported Jamie Schmale’s campaign,
said he was pleased with the results despite getting only 444 votes. “My goal was never
to get votes. I was trying to promote the ‘less government agenda,’ which feeds into the PPC which also feeds into the Conservative Party. Jamie is a like-spirited guy to me. A more responsible government
is what he’d like to see,” he said.

“This time around he got 53 per cent, Allison [Davidson] got 7 per cent, I got 1 per cent if you tally that up you end up with 61 percent in total as opposed to 51 per cent two years ago. As far as I’m concerned
that’s an indication there’s a lot of people in this riding that are very sympathetic to the ideas of conservatism in general,” Balfour added.

Turning cans and bottles into community food

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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ole Dobson and his mother Carolyn might have been the Beer Store’s most regular customers this summer, but they weren’t shopping for drinks.

The teen has spent the summer collecting more than 10,000 cans and 3,500 bottles from Koshlong Lake cottages, donating all $1,650 in proceeds to the Haliburton 4C’s food bank.

“It’s important to give back to the community,” said Carolyn, whose family lives in Stouffville. “The community is there for us, provides a wonderful environment to come enjoy with our family and friends and especially in COVID when people have lost jobs.”

Carolyn said she encouraged Cole to take up the project as a way to interact with the community and practice social skills. The teen is part of the ABLE Network, a program that helps people with intellectual disabilities develop job skills in placements and around their communities. Cole had been working at a bottle shop in his hometown, Carolyn said, prompting them to pick up a similar project at their summer community.

Cole said helping people is very important to him, and the project meant a lot of hard work. He and Carolyn spent about four or five hours a week collecting the empties from five drop-off bins around Koshlong Lake.

“And they have been full, very, very full!” said Carolyn, mentioning how the cottagers on the lake were supportive of the project.

The Koshlong Lake Association said in an email that “all those that participated on Koshlong are all very proud of what Cole and Carolyn Dobson have achieved and happy to have helped the Haliburton community.”

Judy MacDuff, of the Haliburton 4Cs food bank, said she was surprised when Carolyn and Cole approached her about the summer long bottle drive.

“It was wonderful!”

MacDuff said the donation will fund the program’s food boxes for an entire month.

“That’s what keeps us going,” she said.

Carolyn said she wanted to thank the staff of the Beer Store in Haliburton, who she said were accommodating of her and Cole’s large weekly returns.

Sketching the Highlands’ scenic views

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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In the ‘40s, celebrated painter and sketcher André Lapine wandered Minden’s backroads, forests and lakeside trails for days; rarely without paper, a pencil or a portable paint kit close at hand.

Many of his sketches of Haliburton County now hang in Minden Hills’ Agnes Jamieson Gallery.

“He always sketched. That was fundamental to whatever art he would produce,” said curator Laurie Carmount.

The gallery launched Sketch Out this year, a series of three outdoor art-making sessions where professional painters guide people through crafting art “en plein air” around the County. Gary Blundell met up with eager sketchers and painters at the Irondale Church, Sept. 18, to practice depicting the building in all its splendour. Carnarvon-based artist Harvey Walker will be hosting a session on Sept. 25 at the Gull River, where he invites any level of artist to join him as he paints the rushing rapids.

“You feel the emotion, you hear the noise,” Walker said.

For Walker, whose work has been exhibited in multiple group and solo shows, crafting art outside is fundamental to his practice. He paints spring blooms and flowers, sunny days at the beach midsummer, or beside frozen ice fishing huts during the deep freeze of winter.

“When you’re painting on location, you’re more connected to what you’re looking at,” Walker said.

He likens it to reading a police report of a situation, as opposed to hearing from an eye witness. If you just paint or draw from a picture, you miss some of the nuance, emotion and scale of the scene you’re creating.

But it can be hard to do, Walker adds. You don’t have the comfort of a living room chair or art studio. However, it’s a challenge artists of all levels have risen to for centuries.

“It’s a major step,” Walker said of creating outdoor art, “but it’s a lot of fun.” It’s also a way to appreciate the wonder of Haliburton County, he said.

Both Carmount and Walker said the program is tailor-made for both experienced artists and newcomers to art.

“You can just go out and do your thing. It’s really a sense of getting what nature has to offer at the time,” said Carmount. Those without equipment such as paints or pencils can buy a $20 drawing kit to bring along, and seasoned plein air artists are invited to bring their own supplies.

Walker said he encourages everyone to recognize art can be a “viable, life-changing hobby.” Sketching outdoors, he said “is the extreme sport version of painting.” He invites everyone to give it a try.

To register for Walker’s workshop, email gallery@mindenhills.ca or call 705-286- 3763.

Minden Monarchs ruled the rink in the 1950s

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 23, 2021

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The Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame Committee said the Minden Monarchs were the dominant men’s hockey team in Haliburton County in the 1950s.

They won the Central Ontario Intermediate “C” League Championship three years in a row, in 1956, 1957, and 1958.

The same seasons, they were Eastern Ontario Champions and Ontario Intermediate “C” Finalists.

“The village of Minden supported the Monarchs with unrivalled enthusiasm, and the Minden Community Centre was jammed with fans every Saturday night to cheer for their local heroes,” the committee said.

Leading the team to consecutive championships were: Doug Powell (playing coach), Mark Vasey and Garnet Lytle (managers), Bernie Trepanier (secretarytreasurer) and Willis Walker (trainer).

On Feb. 24, 1955, The Haliburton Echo reported that the Monarchs trounced the Lakeshore Saints, 13-2.

“A crowd of over 375 hockey fans paid their way into the arena to see Minden overwhelm the Toronto team,” the report said.

Goal scorers were: Gary, Glen and Hugh Vasey, Richardson, Farrell, Wheeler, Rogers, and Lougheed. Other players credited with the win were Watt and Struthers.

“A powerhouse of a team offensively and defensively,” the committee said.

“The Monarchs ruled the rink and teams from Cannington, Little Britain, Bobcaygeon, Coboconk, Haliburton and other Central Ontario hockey clubs knew they were the team to beat.”

Huskies cruise to pair of exhibition wins

By

Mike Baker

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September 23, 2021

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The Haliburton County Huskies kicked off their pre-season in style this past weekend with a pair of impressive victories over the Aurora Tigers.

In what was a special night Friday for the hometown team, competing in its first ever game, albeit an exhibition, the Huskies roared out of the gates on the road in Aurora, displaying great offensive panache en route to a 6-3 victory over the Tigers.

The very next night, in what was the organization’s home debut at SG Nesbitt Memorial Arena in Minden, the Huskies once again put the Tigers to the sword, coming away with a 7-4 win. A crowd of 195 people were in attendance at the game, generating an incredible atmosphere that the Huskies players responded to right from the first drop of the puck.

Ryan Ramsay, Huskies head coach and general manager, was pleased to pick up a pair of wins as the team prepares for its inaugural OJHL season.

“I thought we played pretty well. We’ve been working really hard over the past two weeks on our systems and getting everyone on the same page, so to see things fall into place and pick up a couple wins was nice,” Ramsay said. “There’s a lot for us to break down now – there’s still work to do, and we’ll keep pumping the systems on the ice in practice as we get ready for the season.”

The Huskies were particularly impressive when they had the puck against the Tigers on home ice on Saturday, creating a steady flow of chances that kept the away side on the back foot for the opening two periods. By the end of the second buzzer, the Huskies had racked up six goals and conceded just one.

The team’s top forward line in particular really stood out over this first exhibition weekend, with star forwards Bryce Richardson and Oliver Tarr showing what they can do when given time and space in the offensive zone. Richardson put up a hat-trick and an assit in Saturday’s game in front of the hometown crowd, with a further two goals on the road the night before in Aurora. Tarr had 10 points across the two contests.

“That line played really, really well. They really put a marker down,” Ramsay down. “We know what we have in those guys, and they have some really great chemistry, so we’re excited about that.”

Ramsay did say that his team would need some secondary scoring once the season gets underway, and that he was looking for some of his other forwards to step up and play a pivotal role once the season gets underway.

“Once we get into the season, everyone can see a stat sheet, so teams are going to put a big focus on our top line and our top players. That will create opportunities for some of our other players, so secondary scoring will be a big thing for us,” Ramsay said. “We have some guys that I think can step up, but we’re also still looking to acquire one or two forwards that can help us out.”

As the team prepares for another home and home exhibition series this weekend, this time against the Collingwood Blues, Ramsay says he’s looking forward to facing off against one of the stronger teams in the OJHL.

“This weekend is going to be a lot stiffer competition. That’s taking nothing away from Aurora, but Collingwood usually has a very good team. They have a great system there. So this will be a really good test for us moving forward to see where we match up with some other teams,” Ramsay said.

The teams will play in Collingwood on Friday, before a home tilt in Minden on Saturday. Puck drop at SG Nesbitt Memorial Arena is slated for 4:30 p.m