Student residence on cards for Glebe Park

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October 29, 2020

JQ - Student residence update - 2-web — Fleming College and Dysart et al revealed plans to build a new student residence in Glebe Park Oct. 27. File photo.

Dysart et al council is supporting in principle a new student residence building at Glebe Park for the Haliburton School of Art and Design.

A delegation from Fleming College presented to council Oct. 27 about progress on the development. It’s their first public presentation after months of closed-session discussions, according to Mayor Andrea Roberts.

The two are working towards shifting the lot lines around Glebe Park, from the main parking lot to the heritage buildings, to allow the college to build a student residence with 80-100 units.

Council voted in favour of changing the lines in principle. Roberts said the residence is a significant need.

“That has been identified for many, many years,” Roberts said. “The difference is now we have the college taking a lead on this and not waiting for someone else.”

The development will require the removal of a building currently used by the Nordic Ski Club. Roberts said they are cognizant of the college’s neighbours and the idea for the residence received unanimous approval by the Glebe Park Committee, which includes representatives from each of the organizations that use the park.

However, director of planning, Jeff Iles, said the location has been discussed but not yet confirmed.

Fleming College President, Maureen Adamson, said a student residence in Haliburton remains part of the college’s strategic plan, which they have not wavered on despite the pandemic. She said they have started a team to work on the initiative and a kickoff meeting with municipal planners is scheduled for Oct. 29.

“We really hope that it will achieve more than just expanding programming for Fleming,” Adamson said. “But it will also be a thriving economic vehicle for the local community.”

Recent efforts to create a new student residence date back to November 2018, when Greg Bishop proposed a location along College Drive on part of a 16-acre lot. Previously, the Haliburton County Development Corporation received a $50,000 grant in August 2019 to develop studies for sewer services to the stretch of land.

HCDC executive director Patti Tallman said the college took over the project from Bishop and HCDC is now working with the college. She said the previous location would have been significantly costlier than anticipated and the grant funding is now going towards studies at the new locale.

“It really looks like it’s going to come to fruition, so we’re excited to be part of that process,” Tallman said.

Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy asked about the timeline for groundbreaking. Adamson indicated she could not provide one yet.

“It’s a priority,” Adamson replied. “These projects take, I think, three years anyway, in around there. But it is not a complicated build, so certainly, we want it to happen as quickly as possible. I know that’s wishy-washy.”

Roberts said she can recall there was a lot of nervousness when the college first came into place at its location, but it has proven to be a great neighbour.

“I’m hoping through this public process, putting it out to the public now, that there won’t be a nervousness. That we really have, as a council, working with the college, addressed all the needs that we are foreseeing that you the public might be concerned,” she said. “This is going to be a great addition for our community.”

Haliburton Dance Academy opens new studio

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Lisa Gervais

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October 27, 2020

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JQ - Dance Academy return - 1-web — Haliburton Dance Academy owner Chyna Schell stands outside her new studio. Photo submitted.

Haliburton Dance Academy owner Chyna Schell said she has worked for years to buy her own studio.

After going through a purchasing process since August 2019, she began getting ready to move her academy from the old Victoria Street School site to Industrial Park Road for fall 2020. She said she wanted the space to accommodate the business’s growth.

Then the pandemic hit in March, ending the dance season prematurely. The world and economy ground to a halt, but there was no way to back out of the purchase.

“To be told seven, eight months in that the world’s shutting down and there’s a global pandemic, I have to laugh because otherwise, I’ll probably cry,” Schell said. “The loans had been fulfilled; the paperwork had been done.”

So, despite the circumstances, the academy reopened on Oct. 19 at its new location. New health measures are in place, including social distancing and limited class sizes.

It is a matter of survival for the business, Schell said.

“Everything is different, everything changes and financially, you don’t know if you’re going to see tomorrow,” she said. “The reality was I need to take it very seriously.”

But Schell said the business is getting support from the community and beyond. It received help from the COVID-19 Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, distributed through the Haliburton County Development Corporation. The township has also provided the zoning approvals needed to proceed so far.

“We felt exponentially supported. I can’t express enough gratitude for how happy I am that this town has just been incredible,” Schell said.

Beyond keeping her business afloat, Schell said she wants to provide her young students with something for their physical and mental wellbeing. She said it was difficult seeing her students’ heartache at not being able to finish their season and show off what they learned, but she is excited to get back in the studio with them.

“To see them again and see the joy dance brings them and to pass the joy along to little ones in this town, it’s my favourite thing in the world. I just can’t wait.”

Some of those dancers have kept busy over the summer, with 12 participating in an Acrobatic Arts program virtually, run by an external company. All of them got top marks, Schell said.

Twelve-year-old Madelyn Walker was one of them. She said it was difficult, but it felt good to participate.

“I was really happy to still dance,” Walker said. “It felt nice to still be a part of something and not just sit at home.”

Walker said it was a letdown that their last season was cut short and she is looking forward to returning.

“I’m really excited but I’m also nervous too, I just don’t want the season to end again.”

She added her dance classmates and instructors are like a second family.

“It might be different this year, but we’re still really close with each other and we all love the same thing.”

Heritage Ballet back at it

Meanwhile, Heritage Ballet started its new season with new safety measures in place at the end of September after being closed since the spring. A big change will come with the traditional production of The Nutcracker this December.

Owner Julie Barban says this year the performance will be outside. It was a decision Barban says she has been thinking about since June.

“The more I thought about it, the more I thought, why not? People stand outside for the Santa Claus parade. People stand outside for dog sledding when it’s -28 degrees in February, so I thought I’m going to try it.”

Normally, The Nutcracker is performed at The Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion in Haliburton but with the province limiting the size of indoor gatherings, Barban had to make a decision on how the annual show could go on.

“It would be sad to not do it at all because so many people look forward to it, so (I thought) maybe I can present it in just a different way.”

As of now, the performance is expected to go in early December at Head Lake Park in Haliburton. (With files from Carolyn Allder).

Land Trust opens reserve for dose of ‘Vitamin N’

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Lisa Gervais

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October 26, 2020

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JQ - Barnum Creek - 1-web — Haliburton Highlands Land Trust board chair Gregory Wickware cuts the ribbon for the opening. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust welcomed the public to its newest property with the opening of Barnum Creek Nature Reserve in Dysart et al Oct. 15.

After two years of preparing it, the Land Trust officially opened the 500- acre property to the public. It’s located five kilometres southeast of Haliburton village. The organization has created three recreational trails on the property, including maps and signs.

Leopoldina Dobrzensky, whose family donated the property in 2018, said the new reserve was made possible by the tremendous will of the Land Trust and its volunteers.

“In today’s challenging times, we need something called Vitamin N – which is Vitamin Nature – more than ever,” she said.

The trails total nearly seven kilometres through the property, which the Land Trust will maintain. The landscape also features forests, grassland and wetland. It is also home to a wide range of wildlife, including at-risk species.

Margaret Dobrzensky, Leopoldina’s daughter, said donating the land made sense.

“Why would we not? For us, it was always about the land, always was protecting the sensitive ecosystems home to a diversity of plants and wildlife,” she said.

She added the family has had the property for years and they worked to restore the forest area.

“We marvelled at nature’s ability to renew itself. Now the forest has matured and resolved and it’s ready for its next chapter,” she said. “Enjoy the magic of the Barnum Creek Nature Reserve as it awaits you.”

The reserve will allow hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and some bicycling. Motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs and camping are disallowed.

Land Trust board chair Greg Wickware said they expect the reserve will prove popular. Although not previously open to the public, it has played host to guided hikes during the Hike Haliburton Festival.

“We think it will be very busy,” he said. “This is a well-known property.”

He said a lot of effort went into readying the property and the Land Trust will protect it.

“It’s almost like the impossible dream come true,” Wickware said. “We’re just so thankful that we’re now open and people within the County, and all of Canada, can enjoy it.”

Finding normal in extraordinary times

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Lisa Gervais

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October 25, 2020

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It is not easy finding “normal” these days.

Eight months into a pandemic, it is something I think we are all seeking. When I visited a Highland Storm practice last weekend, I heard from parents about the joys of finding a sense of normal in taking a child to the rink, even with the masks and the social distancing.

Of course, the public health rules mean it is not quite hockey – or life – as usual. The rules we live under are understandable but can wear on us all. As we embark on the last stretch of the year, we must accept a perfect sense of normalcy is not coming soon – and that is okay.

Hockey season would usually be coming into full force this time of year. The Highland Storm’s incredible efforts have allowed the minor hockey season to go on in some form, even if limited to 3-on-3 play without travel. Getting in and out of the rink is also more complicated and the arenas will be emptier.

It is not perfectly normal, but hockey is still back. Players and parents can still enjoy the game on the ice, even with its limitations. Kids can still have fun playing with their friends and making new ones. It will not be the same and that thought may linger. But it is still a chance for kids to get into Canada’s sport. The Highland Storm deserves all the praise in the world for making that happen.

Other recreational activities are staring up again too. The Haliburton Curling Club and Haliburton Dance Academy will also try to keep programming going despite the circumstances. Even if compromises must be made to follow public health rules, the incredible resiliency these and other groups are showing to offer something resembling normal should be commended.

The holiday season is also a time where people will seek tradition. Many likely bent rules to visit family for Thanksgiving and even more will do so for Christmas. Months apart has made our hearts ache for friends and family. However much we are willing to risk in these visits, they will not be quite like holidays of years past. But whether through a screen or at a distance outdoors, we can still find a sense of warmth and companionship with our loved ones.

None of this is to say we should forgo public health rules to find normal again. We must still be vigilant and wary where COVID-19 cases rise. If we want things to get back to how they used to be, following the best public health practices is our only option. Distancing, masks, sanitizer – those are part of normalcy too, now, and will likely leave their mark on the normal of tomorrow.

We can seek out our familiar comforts, but they are all going to remain a little off. That can make it hard to feel normal. But it is something we should accept about ourselves and our reality. It is normal to feel bad about these difficult days.

We still have a long way to go in this pandemic. We are in a marathon and we are all sick of it. Nothing but its end will set things quite right again.

But we will make it through. For people, that is normal.

Parents welcome hockey days

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Lisa Gervais

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October 24, 2020

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JQ - Storm parents return- 2-web — Storm U11-Blue team player Hunter Hamilton controls the puck during a practice drill. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Taking a child to hockey practice is a different experience for parents amidst the pandemic.

At the A.J. LaRue Arena, the warm lobby sits empty on practice days leading into the season. It’s a safety precaution. Parents must instead sit in the cold stands, socially distanced with masks. With only one adult allowed to accompany one child to the arena, the stands are emptier than they might be otherwise.

It is not hockey as usual, but parents attending practice Oct. 17 said they welcomed the changes and a sense of returning to some normalcy.

“It’s part of regular life, so it’s nice to have regular activities that we participate in,” parent Graham Borgdorff said ahead of an U-11 practice at the Haliburton arena. “There’s a little bit of disappointment that we aren’t able to do it as a family right now, but physical activity is important and some normal things are important.”

About 160 kids have returned to the practice ice for the Highland Storm. The season will be different, with only 3-on-3 and in-house competition. Off the ice, players and parents must wade through additional safety precautions.

Shannon McCracken said the new rules can be a little frustrating at times, such as the doors only being open 10-minutes before the practice and locked if missed. But she said her son is excited to start hockey again and they are thankful it is going ahead.

“Everybody is doing their best and we just have to figure it out within those guidelines,” she said.

Cynthia Hutchinson said her son loves being out on the ice and the new restrictions are understandable.

“It means the world just to be able to get out of the house and do something, be active,” Hutchinson said. “We’re just happy to be out on the ice so we’re going to do whatever it takes to be out there.”

Games are due to start this weekend, the product of months of effort by the Highland Storm to keep the hockey season alive, even if restricted. So far, there are no confirmed COVID cases stemming from the practices.

“They’ve put in an incredible amount of works and hours just to make this happen,” McCracken said of the Storm executive. “I’m truly thankful for the amount of dedication they have to youth playing hockey.”

Outdoors and creativity at heart of Highlands’ vision for tourism

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Lisa Gervais

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October 23, 2020

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JQ - Tourism Visioning - 1-web — MMGY NextFactor senior vice president, Greg Oates, presents at a town hall event for a Destination Development Plan March 3. File photo.

Stakeholders envisioned how to make Haliburton a place where anyone can “celebrate the essence of Canada’s outdoor and creative spirit.”

That was the guiding vision pitched Oct. 19 by consultant MMGY NextFactor as part of a Destination Development Plan it is making for the County. More than 25 people attended an online visioning workshop to provide more feedback before it is brought to County council next month.

The draft plan was made with public input collected by surveys and town halls dating back to May 2019. NextFactor senior vice president, Greg Oates, said the plan will help the County grow while addressing challenges identified by stakeholders, such as youth and worker retention.

“In Haliburton Highlands, you’re completely, it seems, based on the data, leaving money on the table. Because there’s demand for businesses but not the people to support those businesses,” Oates said. “It’s a more long-term, overarching, sophisticated thinking that realizes that certain challenges need to be addressed in alignment with the marketing and driving growth.”

The draft plan is still subject to change but featured four strategic goals: optimizing the year-round visitor economy, diversifying destination development, enhancing the destination brand and strengthening community collaboration. To achieve those, NextFactor suggested many different strategies based on feedback, such as more gatherings amongst the tourism sector, expanding events and business hours and exploring options for more revenue such as a bed tax.

Attendees offered a range of feedback, such as how to improve marketing. Oates quoted one anonymous stakeholder as saying, “half of the people we speak to in Toronto don’t know about Haliburton Highlands.”

“We work at the tourism trade shows every year and concur with this statement,” Barbara Kraus said. “The 50 per cent that have heard of us generally have a family/ friend’s cottage, so the exposure, for the most part, does not come through our marketing.”

A point of contention was the promotion of Algonquin Provincial Park, 12 per cent of which is in Haliburton. Oates said that brings cache to the destination, but stakeholders pushed back and said there should be more promotion of other outdoor experiences.

“Algonquin Park is overused. Brand may be useful but we have great (maybe better) Algonquin landscapes and experiences,” Barrie Martin said.

NextFactor identified other challenges to tourism in the area, such as the need for more programming, transportation and long-term planning. Although outdoor recreation is the primary tourism driver, Oates said other initiatives such as arts, culture and food are also needed to increase visitor spending.

Ontario Highlands Tourism Organization executive director Nicole Whiting said it was important for Haliburton County to trust in the process, even in the pandemic.

“With everything happening right now, I find it super exciting we have an opportunity to focus on a discussion that is focused on possibilities. We’re living through a very stressful and difficult time but eventually, it will be behind us,” she said. “I have 100 per cent confidence this process is going to position Haliburton Highlands for a solid recovery.”

New master plan for Head Lake Park

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Lisa Gervais

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October 22, 2020

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JQ - Head Lake Park Master Plan - 1-web — A new design for Head Lake Park as part of a draft master plan unveiled Oct. 20. Photo via Basterfield and Associates.

Dysart et al unveiled a vision for Head Lake Park Oct. 20 with a proposed master plan that would add a variety of new features.

Peterborough-based architectural firm Basterfield and Associates was hired to oversee the plan’s creation and revealed its draft to a group of municipal officials and stakeholders Oct. 20. The plan envisions a massive transformation of the park and proposes additions such as a splash pad, off-leash dog park, a new northern bridge and pathway improvements.

A wide range of community representatives offered feedback, including members of the local Rotary Club, Lions Club, the snowmobile association and the Haliburton County Farmers Market. Landscape architect Brian Basterfield said he was glad to hear from a range of sources.

“You can’t get a good design solution unless you get everybody at the table,” Basterfield said. “We’re pretty darn close to something that can be truly a master plan that speaks to the future opportunities.”

The plan also proposes a new walkaway around the stage area, a large central green area, a library park plaza, an expanded playground, a reconstructed water feature replacing the fountain and new tree planting.

Basterfield said this is a long-term plan that could take 10-20 years to fully implement but would allow the municipality to take advantage of grant opportunities as they come.

“We’re all going to be much poorer at the end of this COVID response in terms of government funds,” he said. “It’s not to say things can’t continue to move forward in a very staged process.”

“It will be up for council to decide the priorities and what gets done.” Mayor Andrea Roberts said. “Unless you want your taxes to go sky high, we’ll never get this all done at once.”

Attendees made several suggestions to adjust the plan, such as a new dock on the north end of the park and adding fruit trees. Group representatives also raised questions to ensure the new features would not hamper the park’s ability to accommodate their regular activities.

Additions like the splash pad, proposed for the north end of the park near Rotary Beach, will take further technical work before coming into being.

“This needs to be viewed as a blueprint for moving forward with ideas and locations,” Basterfield said. “There would be a whole series of design exercises attached to establishing a splash pad.”

Basterfield said they will adjust the plan based on feedback before presenting it to council for final approval, likely in December.

“I really want to thank the stakeholders for your interest and dedication in helping make sure this project is right for our community now and in the future,” Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy said. “Lots of exciting things to come.”

Picketing for change to long-term care homes

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 21, 2020

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LG-long-term care coalition 1 (1) — Terry Hartwick was one of the local Long-Term Care Coalition Haliburton-CKL members who held an information picket in Haliburton Oct. 8. Photo by Lisa Gervais.

With a sign attached to her windshield reading ‘LTC action day – our seniors matter,’ Terry Hartwick said she came to a Dysart municipal parking lot with other members of the Long-Term Care Coalition Haliburton-CKL on Oct. 8 to raise awareness.

“One of the things is people in general, and communities in general, don’t really know how long-term care is run unless they’ve had a loved one in a home. So, I think that it’s really important that we make it known,” Hartwick said.

Other placards coalition members placed on their cars included, ‘seniors, not profits,’ ‘fix LTC – seniors matter,’ and ‘put the love back in long term care’.”

They gathered in the municipal parking lot across from Baked and Battered.

Hartwick said, “we’re a grassroots coalition for Haliburton-City of Kawartha Lakes and we’re doing this in Haliburton today. We’re wanting change in long-term care and we need it now.”

She said that 80 per cent of deaths from COVID have been in long-term care homes. She acknowledged that locally, she knows of no positive cases of COVID-19 and no deaths in any Haliburton County long-term care homes. She said they are lobbying on behalf of the “wider” experience.

“So, we’re looking for some short-term and long-term goals, for instance, getting rid of four-bed wards, giving PSWs more pay and more benefits, more staffing in general so that there’s four hours per day minimum per resident of direct care and staff working in only one facility. We’re also looking at an increase in infection prevention and control,” Hartwick said.

She added the other main goal is getting long-term care included under the Canada Health Act. She said proponents are hoping to make a submission to the federal government by Feb. 1, 2021.

The local coalition spokesperson added they are collaborating with other entities, such as the Services Employees International Union, the Ontario Health Coalition, and the Ontario Medical Association and local doctors. “So, we’re working together with lots of people to have a strong voice.”

Hartwick added the reason she is taking a lead role in the local coalition is that her parents were in long-term care in Haliburton’s Highland Wood. Both have now passed away, including her mom in 2019 around the time of the Highland Wood roof leak evacuation.

“So that was a hard move for everybody right … really hard … I’m honouring both of my parents.” She added that at 72, she herself could be looking at a move into long-term care “in a few years from now.”

For more information, contact: hckllongtermcarecoalition@gmail.com or go to their Facebook page: Haliburton-CKL Long-Term Care Coalition.

Dysart residents want action on speeding

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Lisa Gervais

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October 21, 2020

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JQ - Speed Limits - 1-web — Haliburton Lake Cottagers’ Association president Glenn Scott (left) and Fort Irwin Residents’ Association treasurer Joe DiFrancesco stand next to a new (slow down) sign put up at Haliburton Lake Road July 4. Photo submitted.

Residents and visitors’ need for speed in Dysart et al was a topic of discussions at the Oct. 13 committee of the whole meeting.

There was a request by taxpayers for warning signage on Loon Lake Road, and to lower the speed limit on Wigamog Road. Director of public works, Rob Camelon, said he didn’t know if requests were being made because the municipality has done traffic counts, “but it just feels like the floodgates are opening on people concerned with vehicles travelling perceivably fast on municipal roads.”

Camelon said he had concerns with what was being asked for in the Loon Lake Road area.

“I don’t think there’s a speeding issue there if they’re doing 50 km/h,” he said of the majority of drivers. “What I’m finding now is there is a lot of perceived speeding on some of these roads.”

Camelon said that might have to do with road alignment or brush “but I don’t think it’s something that signage is going to fix.”

He is further worried about setting a precedent creating sign pollution. The Haliburton Lake Cottagers Association and Fort Irwin Residents Association received approval in the summer to post signs in the Fort Irwin area. The association provided the signs, and council the poles and installation.

Mayor Andrea Roberts asked if that could be done in this case.

However, Coun. John Smith said there was no data to prove the Haliburton Lake signs had made a difference and council should adopt a more holistic approach, including community safety zones. Camelon stressed he’s not an advocate of signs.

“If they don’t want to pay attention to the black and white signs saying 50 km/h, they’re probably not going to pay attention to the other ones.”

He added if they approve signs for Loon Lake Road, other requests will pour in.

Coun. Larry Clarke wondered if the township could ascertain where things such as sightlines make it sensible to have signage for safety reasons, versus a community initiative.

Deputy-Mayor Pat Kennedy said it’s people’s neighbours that are speeding and perhaps it’s about education by lake associations and OPP enforcement.

“It’s your neighbour that’s speeding, not Joe Blow from Kokomo driving through to get from one area to another … Perhaps a letter from council to the OPP asking for some presence for the $2.2-million a year we’re giving them to help the speeding on some of our side roads may also be beneficial,” he said.

Coun. Walt McKechnie agreed with lake associations getting the message out that people need to slow down.

When it came to the ask to reduce the speed limit on Wigamog Road, Coun. Nancy Woods-Roberts said it is a busy road, narrow, densely-populated, pedestrians cross the road to access the lake, and there is a school bus using it.

“I think we should reduce the limit on that somewhat if we have the capability,” she said, suggesting at least to 40 km/h.

Camelon pointed out it is a shared road with the Township of Minden Hills so they would have to consult with them.

Kennedy stressed it’s about education there as well, since some people walk three abreast on both sides of the road. Staff were again concerned about setting a precedent.

“If we do Wigamog, why not Wonderland, or Peninsula?” Camelon asked.

Roberts agreed that Camelon should come back to council with a bigger picture report on the issue.

Council received both requests for information only.

McKecknie said at the end of the day, it comes down to common sense.

“You can’t fix stupid. We’re all driving too fast.”

Police investigating fatal collision in Highlands East

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 17, 2020

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121968482_2197813220353522_2299913061575978336_o — Emergency responders on the scene of a fatal collision on Glamorgan Road Oct. 16. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Police are investigating a fatal single-vehicle collision in Highlands East on Glamorgan Road Oct. 16.

In a press release, Haliburton Highlands OPP said they responded to the scene around 7:50 p.m. alongside the Highlands East Fire Department and the Haliburton County Paramedic Services.

Paramedics transported the driver of the vehicle, 44-year-old Jeffrey Teatro of Haliburton, to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. A post-mortem examination is scheduled.

Glamorgan Road was closed for several hours while the OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigators attended the scene, but police have since reopened the road.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation.