Art gallery keeps drums beating

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December 1, 2020

JQ - Drum circle - 1 — Toby Fergenbaum participates in a drum circle at the A.J. LaRue Arena Nov. 20

Upstairs at the A.J. LaRue Arena, the beating of the drums echoed through the walls.

A small group kept the rhythm steady, headed by Rails’ End Gallery Curator Laurie Jones. Masked and spaced apart, the players improvise, as they have done throughout the pandemic.

Diane Burchert joined the circle in the summer when it started back up after a pandemic-induced hiatus. She does not remember drumming without a mask.

“It’s very empowering,” Burchert said. “It’s really quite satisfying to pound on it and perhaps let go some of the frustration of days and weeks past.”

The drum circle has been one of the programs the gallery has kept running in the pandemic – moving indoors this month at a new location to get out of the cold. Jones said it has run successfully and helped keep people connected in a difficult time.

“It’s a form of nonverbal communication that is very powerful,” Jones said. “It’s not like we’re planning to go on a stage or rehearsing numbers of performers. It’s a very in-the-moment experience and so it’s good for your brain, it’s good for your body.

“COVID is a very stressful time for a lot of people so we wanted to do something that is joyful and also restorative.”

The gallery has continued to run programming and exhibits during the pandemic. Jones said they have prudent fiscal management and reserves but have struggled six months into COVID-19.

“It’s not sustainable the way it is. But if we don’t plan for the future, there will be no future, so we have to act like everything is going to be okay and keep innovating,” Jones said. “I don’t know how you monetize all this stuff. That’s the big question for everyone in the arts.”

For the drum circle and some other programs, any fees are kept low to maintain accessibility. Despite some of the pandemic’s limitations, the gallery has kept the art – and music – beating steadily.

“It’s a chance, an opportunity to connect with people to enjoy learning a new skill and make some music in a very safe, COVID-friendly environment,” Burchert said.

Affordable housing units get landing spot

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Lisa Gervais

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December 1, 2020

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JQ - P4P Land - 2 — Places for People has found the land it plans to use for a new affordable housing development in Haliburton. File photo.

Places for People (P4P) will build Haliburton’s newest not-for-profit housing development on Wallings Road with the blessing of the municipality.

Dysart et al council passed a resolution of support in principle to dispose of the property to begin the process of providing it for P4P. The not-for-profit is planning to develop affordable housing units for $2-$2.5 million by fall 2022, raising money with community bonds.

Since P4P first proposed this in August, deputy mayor Patrick Kennedy said the municipality has worked with them to find a municipal property that would work for the development. The road is off County Road 21 just past the high school, next to the Haliburton Bus Lines site.

“It’s a suitable piece of property, we believe. It’s close to the town for walking, very close on the sewage line,” Kennedy said. “I’m excited about moving this project forward.”

Mayor Andrea Roberts said the municipality will work on a memorandum of understanding and a subcommittee with P4P to get all the needed elements in place to advance the project.

P4P chair, Jody Curry, said the group has assembled a design team including an architect and a planning consultant ready to go to work. She said they know how to develop this land and plan to incorporate green space.

“We’re excited to hear it may absolutely be possible you may grant us this property,” Curry said. “For us, this is just a perfect fit, so we can’t say enough about this piece of property.

“Thanks, Dysart, for providing a great, big, exciting light in our future. And we’re hoping you’re going to make it a green light.”

Coun. Larry Clarke said the project is vital to address the housing shortage in the area.

“You talk to any business in town and there’s no place for them to house staff, even if they want to hire,” Clarke said. “This is a critical element for this community.”

“We’ll keep the ball rolling on this one,” Roberts said. “You guys are shining lights of volunteerism in our community.”

International gratitude for local Lions

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 30, 2020

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Lion Mary Lawr (2) — Lion Mary Lawr was awarded the International Leadership Medal for her role as local club Service Chair

The Haliburton and District Lions Club has received recognition at the international level thanks to the dedication of two members.

Mary Lawr was awarded the International Leadership Medal for her role as club Service Chair, with the club placing among the top 20 in Canada. Betty Mills was awarded the International President’s Medal as Global Service Chair for local District A-16, which was counted as one of the top 10 districts in Canada.

These honours are made even more important by the club’s small size, at 32 members. The club covers Stanhope, West Guilford, Haliburton, Wilberforce, Harcourt, Cardiff and Highland Grove regions.

Due to pandemic precautions, the certificates and medals were couriered to the winners.

“I was very honoured and proud, but I would not have received this medal without the work of our club members,” said Lawr.

Mills called her award “a wonderful surprise” and also pointed to her team for their part in the achievement.

Lawr’s service has included tree planting and gathering food for the Food Bank. She operated the Good Food Box program, which is now overseen by the local Rotary Club branch.

“My passion with Lions is really Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program and raising funds through our Walk for Dog Guides, and of course our wonderful Santa Claus parade with our great float,” said Lawr.

As Global Service Chair, Mills worked for two years to help the 52 clubs in District A-16 improve their service reporting.

“Those clubs were doing lots of service work, they just weren’t telling anybody about it,” said Mills. She held workshops and increased reporting significantly.

Mills noted that service reports help the international office prove to large investors that funding Lions projects is worthwhile. They also enable clubs to encourage local fundraising by demonstrating effective results.

The local club raises at least $15,000 annually from the popular Polar Plunge alone. Fundraisers such as the toll bridge campaign have gone virtual because of the pandemic. With everything the club takes on, it appears there’s never a pause in finding good causes. According to Mills, local Lions are now investigating whether service clubs can be helpful when coronavirus vaccinations are available to be administered.

Lawr and Mills have been full club members for 15 and 14 years respectively and highly recommend the experience.

“Being there for the community when they need us is important and if you decide you want to join our club be prepared to work hard, enjoy social events, and just be proud to serve your community,” said Lawr.

“Consider joining a service club, helping others and enriching your life,” said Mills.

A safe festive season

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 28, 2020

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Minden Hills held a Christmas in the Village event Nov. 21.

There was an afternoon gathering followed by a ticketed nighttime tree lighting.

It was strange during these COVID times to see cars parked along the road and people lined up.

There is no doubt that organizers did a good job. They had a fenced in and barricaded area. There was a sign-in table with hand sanitizer. The number of people entering and leaving was tracked. I was told there was someone from the health unit on site. Organizers requested everyone wear masks, and they did. They had pavement markings to ensure social distancing but there were instances where people were not six feet apart as they walked through the outside heritage village.

It was interesting to see the social media reaction. Some people could not believe a township would organize such an event as a second wave of COVID-19 continues across the province. Others pointed out we are in a green zone and we can still host outdoor gatherings of 100 people. They said it was wonderful to have something festive to do with their family and friends.

By contrast, I attended an Algonquin Highlands council meeting Nov. 19 in which that council voted to scrap any in-person gatherings for this festive season. They have instead opted to do a virtual tree lighting in Stanhope, Dorset and Oxtongue. The only people who will be there are the councillors and their families and whoever is operating the Zoom link.

Every community is adopting a somewhat different approach. Haliburton put up its village tree Nov. 22 but it was not a public event, only some Lions Club members such as Jim and Marilyn Frost, some folks from Emmerson Lumber and some Dysart volunteer firefighters were there. And the Rotary Community Christmas Party will be a drive-through format at Curry Chevrolet Dec. 5.

As most of us know by now, another major event, the Christmas Shindig, will be presented virtually this Saturday night.

Before judging anyone, the public should familiarize itself with the rules and restrictions for regions in the green zone. For example, here in the Highlands, we’re still allowed private gatherings of 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors; we can still have organized public events and gatherings of 50 inside and 100 outside; our restaurants remain open; our sports and recreation fitness facilities are allowed to be open with limited numbers. We can still meet, like the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association did for its AGM this past Sunday, by limiting numbers. Our retail stores remain open.

Some confuse what’s happening in hotspot areas, such as Toronto and Peel, with what is happening here.

As we head into the festive season, people are trying to come up with innovative ways to still gather, or fundraise, or do the things we traditionally do this time of the year. We’re not going to like some people’s choices. Some people are not going to like our choices.

But as a community, as long as everybody follows the rules and regulations that are in place at any given time, there’s no reason we can’t have a safe festive season.

Schmale says Fed slow to okay rapid tests

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 28, 2020

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MP Jamie Schmale criticized Health Canada for being slow in approving COVID-19 tests when he spoke at the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association annual general meeting Nov. 22.

At the in-person AGM at the fish hatchery, Schmale said in his opinion, Health Canada could be more “vigilant and responsive” when it comes to approvals.

“Where I think Health Canada has a role, as we move forward, is rapid testing. Health Canada, in my opinion, has been a little slow in terms of approving some of these tests,” Schmale said.

He said a number of new tests have been approved in the United States and the European Union, adding experts say the EU is the gold standard. However, he said the same tests have been waiting for the green light by the Government of Canada.

Schmale said one test he has personally witnessed takes about three minutes to determine whether someone has COVID, does not, or has ever had the virus and now has antibodies. He said it is similar to a diabetes prick test that presents a small droplet of blood for analysis.

“So, it’s pretty amazing. Three minutes,” Schmale said.

He said with rising numbers across the globe and some Canadian cities going back into lockdown, rapid testing is key.

“Because I can test myself almost daily, and people can take themselves out of circulation. Right now, you could go days without actually knowing you have it. You could be infecting people all along the way.”

Preparing for Christmas, he said families and friends could know within three minutes whether anyone has COVID. He added when it comes to frontline workers in long-term care homes, they could also test themselves before every shift and have an answer within three minutes, thus limiting exposure to vulnerable seniors.

Schmale also touched on vaccines, saying he knows of three that are currently showing good signs of battling the virus with people of all ages. He noted that some require extreme cold so may be more problematic to store and disseminate. He said others are not requiring such extreme storage conditions. Schmale said the news is “encouraging, and will hopefully get us back.”

He added for those who are concerned about being vaccinated, rapid testing remains an important part of the process.

Schmale also briefly touched on his new role in the Opposition Conservative government, that of Shadow Minister for Families, Children and Social Development. He also discussed his Save the Walleye project.

Referendum on MAID

Schmale is also asking constituents to vote on Bill C-7: the Medical Assistance in Dying Act (MAID). Bill C-7 proposes amendments, as MAID is already legal Schmale has committed to voting based on constituent response. County residents are receiving information in the mail and Schmale expects Third Reading before the end of December.

Putting the general store back in mercantile

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 28, 2020

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The new owners of Minden Mercantile and Feed Co. Inc. are hoping to stick to the tradition of a good, old-fashioned general store, while looking to add and improve moving forward.

Marc and Cyndi Wilkens officially took over the 131 Bobcaygeon Rd. business on Nov. 3.

The couple, who have lived in Kinmount for seven years, said they’d spent the past five years looking for a business to buy in the area but found options were few and far between, especially for something they were interested in.

Their passions include a 75-acre property with horses, chickens, and three dogs. They love the outdoors and Marc likes to hunt. And they do a bit of farming and homesteading. In fact, Marc said he’d been coming to Minden Mercantile as a customer for several years.

A few months back, he was chatting with Kelly Pearce, who was at a crossroads.

“And something just popped into my head, I said, ‘Kelly, have you ever thought about selling the business?’ We decided to think about it more, to pray on it, and to come back together. And we worked on it over a couple of months,” Marc said.

As Marc runs an online business but wants to transition full-time to the store, Pearce helped him get some new staff in.

Marc said the business is in an older building in town that’s been around awhile in a few different iterations.

“The term mercantile was the general store. You think back in the olden days. People would go to the mercantile to get their food, their feed, to pick up sewing supplies, whatever. And one thing we both realized in this area is you’ve gotta’ drive 20 minutes here, or 40 minutes there, or an hour, to get the things you need. And locally here there’s certain things that farmers, bird lovers, homesteaders need that they have to drive a fair distance to get, so we see an opportunity to expand the business here and be a bigger part of the community.”

Marc said that could involve expanding the size of the warehouse and the retail space.

They also want to use the yard, whether it’s an outdoor cage, permanent gazebo with chicken coops, fencing, wiring, gates, shovels, wheelbarrows, hardware for farming, for seasonal items, such as skids of salt.

But before doing any of that, Marc said they are talking to customers, trying to get to know them, understand them and find out what they want. He said it is a diverse customer base, from someone who buys bird seed for art, to a cat sanctuary owner to farmers and homesteaders.

Cyndi adds, “and they want to learn about homesteading and how they can be more self sufficient so we want to be able to fill that need.”

Marc added they are also contemplating hosting events, for example speakers for people who want to learn about horses, chickens or gardening.

They’re now on Facebook and hope people will post about their animals, whether wild or pets. They’re also incorporating online ordering and curbside pickup.

“We’re already getting great feedback from people and have already activated new products in store. We’re excited and we’re having fun doing it,” Marc said.

Unknown hunter fires door-destroying bullet

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 28, 2020

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JQ - Hunting Crime - 1 — Dan Molenaar stands next to a door frame at his home, busted by a stray bullet that also pierced the glass door behind it. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The Molenaar family recently came home to an unpleasant surprise – something had smashed their glass patio doors.

At first, they thought it might have been a bird, but the force required to break the glass made that unlikely. But after canvassing their neighbours, the source was discovered: two loud gunshots, heard earlier in the day.

Dan Molenaar said police would later investigate and find the bullet, likely shot by a hunter, embedded in an exterior wood wall on the deck of their Eagle Lake-area house.

“My concern is that this is a fairly populated neighbourhood in the community,” Molenaar said. “The fact that somebody would recklessly discharge a firearm without knowing the backdrop of where that projectile could potentially hit was just extremely reckless behaviour.”

Haliburton Highlands OPP confirmed the account. However, after police spoke with neighbours, Molenaar said they determined nobody from the area was hunting that day. The culprits are unknown, and the investigation reached a dead end, leaving the family to clean up and pay for $6,000 in damage to the impacted doors.

Molenaar said he is an experienced hunter. He said he has never encountered something such as this.

“Ethically hunting is a fantastic sport, but obviously there are individuals out there that may think differently and unfortunately give all hunters a bad name,” he said. “Police were shocked – I thought it might be something that’s fairly common. Apparently not.”

He said he and his wife were away at the time, but the bullet passed by areas of the house they frequent.

“I don’t think the hunter realized he could have endangered somebody’s life,” he said.

The couple is not sure if the culprit is aware of what happened. They hope that by sharing their story, the persons responsible might come forward.

“That’s what I’m struggling with,” Diane Molenaar said. “Just disappointed that nobody’s come forward.”

Anyone with information can contact the Haliburton Highlands OPP at 705-286- 1431, 1-888-310-122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Pandemic fate still in Highlanders’ hands

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 27, 2020

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JQ - COVID update - 2 — A microscopic image of the virus that causes COVID-19. Photo via Flikr.

With COVID-19 cases projected to spike dramatically across the province, health officials say Haliburton County can still mitigate the impact within the area.

Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table provided an update Nov. 12 that the province could reach more than 6,000 new cases per day by mid-December. That has yet to be felt in Haliburton, which has reported five new cases since Nov. 4.

Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR) medical officer of health, Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, said the district is seeing more cases. But she added the local trajectory of the virus is still in our hands.

The projection “is a worrisome finding, but also a call to action,” Noseworthy said. “People have the power to bend the curve – just as we did last spring – by following important public health measures that control the spread of COVID-19.”

Minden’s Dr. Nell Thomas echoed the sentiment. She said higher case numbers are avoidable if people are responsible, such as by limiting close contact to only people within their social bubble.

“It is not inevitable,” Thomas said, adding countries such as New Zealand have successfully contained the virus. “It is simply a reflection of human behaviour.”

However, the medical world has criticized the public policy measures in place for virus control as insufficient. Thomas said frontline healthcare workers and emergency responders are hurting and being treated as fodder.

“How long is that going to happen? Because pretty soon, we won’t have enough of them.”

Haliburton Highlands Family Health Team Dr. Norm Bottum said an increase amount of cottagers staying in the area over the winter months will also add more pressure to acute care and ER.

“We want to remind everyone if they have an issue of a minor nature or need medication renewal they should contact their primary care provider, regardless of where their practitioner is in the province,” Bottum said. “Our ER continues to be busy and given COVID protocols will be significantly pushed to keep up with the usual winter demand if it is significantly busier than usual.”

Some cases excluded

As more cottagers opt for extended stays in Haliburton, the exact number of COVID cases within the community is uncertain. Cases are tracked via primary address, meaning a case assessed here for someone from elsewhere but staying in Haliburton, would not be included in the local count.

Thomas said that is a significant problem for accuracy.

“When people say the numbers are low, we say, ‘no, not really’,” she said. “Those numbers aren’t shared with our community and it’s falsely reassuring.”

Noseworthy said there is an effective contact-tracing system in place and health units are in daily contact with individuals who test positive and their close contacts.

“The bottom line is that regardless of where a person lives or is tested for COVID-19 in Ontario, the provincial case and contact management system is very methodical, comprehensive and thorough.”

Holiday caution needed

The holiday season is approaching, but doctors advised health precautions need to be maintained.

Noseworthy said it would likely be prudent to celebrate with immediate household only. For those farther away, she said people could connect virtually or over the phone.

“I would strongly recommend local residents avoid any non-essential travel outside of our region – especially to areas with high COVID-19 case counts,” she said. “All of us need to redouble our efforts to follow important public health guidelines.”

Thomas said it is a manageable thing to do. She further said people can take solace that COVID-19 is something they can help control.

“Do not be complacent, do not be overwhelmed, do not feel hopeless,” Thomas said. “Be empowered.”

Retailers remain optimistic about holiday shopping

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 27, 2020

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JQ - Christmas COVID business - 1 — Glecoff’s Family Store owner, Clay Glecoff, said he is optimistic about the holiday shopping season due to increased traffic. Photo by Joseph Quigley

Despite a pandemic and the end of summer, Glecoff’s Family Store owner, Clay Glecoff, said business is going very well.

With more people staying in the County over the winter – including snowbirds staying home and cottagers escaping the city – he said traffic is significantly higher this fall.

“Based on current trends, our outlook is extremely positive,” Glecoff said. “This could potentially be our best winter we’ve ever had.”

Haliburton’s downtown businesses are expressing optimism about the holiday shopping season. Even with cancelled promotional events, Haliburton BIA administrator Angelica Ingram said there are plenty of businesses faring well.

“It’s not all bad news,” she said. “Some have seen a better year than normal because of people flocking to the Highlands more and staying.”

“We’ve seen a lot of people Christmas shopping already,” Lockside Trading Co. owner, Andrea Black, said. “A lot of locals want to do it in town.”

But Ingram said the outlook is not great for everyone. She said restaurants have had struggles, given dining restrictions.

Molly’s Bistro Bakery owner Molly McInerny said the Minden restaurant has seen less dine-in traffic, but it is faring better than the start of the pandemic. She added the restaurant has been able to do well with its takeout meal service.

“Everything’s a little different, it’s all shifting and you sort of have to pay attention to how,” McInerny said. “I’m hoping – and planning – that as far as the baker part of it, and frozen food part of it, it will be busier.”

As COVID cases spike across the province – though not in Haliburton – Ingram said there is concern about the possibility of another lockdown.

“People are a little anxious,” Glecoff said. “It doesn’t look like we’re trending the right way as far as the pandemic goes. We anticipate a possible lockdown, but until we do, it’s business as usual.”

Meanwhile, the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce is encouraging people to shop local. It got support from all four lower-tier townships for a BuyCloseBy season running from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31.

“It was just really borne out of recognition that our businesses have never seen conditions like this, especially as we face a second wave and a potential lockdown,” chamber executive director Jennifer Locke said. “We need to support them now more than ever.”

E-Commerce site launches

Meanwhile, TechnicalitiesPlus launched the ShopCloseBuy website Nov. 5 to support local businesses in the online shopping world versus the likes of Amazon.

The site is aimed at giving a local centralized e-commerce platform. Owner Donna Enright said it launched later than hoped and currently has only 10 vendors – though one of them is the arts council which will feature multiple artists.

“Making sales online is really beneficial for business especially at Christmas,” she said. “I hate seeing all the packages coming in from Amazon and other retailers who aren’t part of our community and really want to see us try and find a way to shift that.”

She added there are still 10 subsidies available to cover start-up costs.

Locke said there has been a global awakening about the importance of shopping local.

“They’re our neighbours, they’re our friends, volunteer organizations. You know these people. There is a little bit of comfort to be had with that.”

Jump rope returns from the playground

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 26, 2020

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CA-jump rope — Danielle Maia Carney of Rise Jump Rope. Photo submitted

by Carolyn Alder

There have been many trends in the exercise world, such as Zumba, water aquatics, and Pilates but the latest is jump rope. It’s similar to what you did in the playground at recess with your friends when you were a child.

Owner of Rise Jump Rope, Danielle Maia Carney, is hoping to bring back that playfulness with her online classes of interval jump rope.

“The reason I wanted to do this is because a lot of workout programs out there are by people in their late ’20s or ’30s and often times men, and I found I couldn’t keep up with a lot of those workouts so I wanted to create something that was an opportunity for people wherever they’re at to try something out,” Carney said.

Carney started jumping rope for exercise a couple of years ago at the suggestion of a friend. She’d not been as active as she would have liked. The single mom says when she first picked up her rope, she was shy to do it in front of friends and so began at home by listening to music and jumping in front of a mirror.

“At the beginning it was a bit more clunky and awkward because I was trying to figure out technique and posture. As everything was coming together it became easier.”

Carney then began holding her high intensity, low impact, interval training classes for her co-workers outside at Living Librations in Haliburton. She was going to expand her classes to include more when the pandemic started and she changed her idea to teaching online.

“It inspired me to keep going as a way to engage and move at home and stay connected with people. [The online classes] feel warm and being able to see and talk with each other supports that. It’s a social space. I wanted to create a safe supportive space as a woman for women without excluding men.”

Angela Andrews has been taking the online classes from the start. She said, “if you’re looking to try something new, it’s a lot of fun and a great workout and no one can really see you because you’re too focused on jumping that you don’t often look at the screen.”

Beginning classes run Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. while intermediate classes are Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. Blended classes are offered Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. Carney is offering a complimentary class Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. For more information and to register, email risejumprope@gmail.com before Dec. 4.