Looking for a few good volunteers

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July 18, 2019

I was saddened to hear about the cancellation of this weekend’s Minden Hills Bluegrass Festival.

I was equally disappointed to learn last week that the Festival of the August Moon would have to take a one-year hiatus.

In chatting with Dennis Casey from bluegrass, and Heather Ross and Jeanne Anthon of August Moon, there is an obvious worrying trend unfolding here.

In the case of bluegrass, Casey said the average age of attendees is 60 and they are starting to wait before booking campgrounds, making organizers fearful about having the attendance to support the event. Why do they wait? Well, being older, they’re concerned about health issues popping up in the interim between booking and attending.

In the case of August Moon, it was not a financial concern that led to cancellation of the mid-August event. Rather, it was a case of the organizing committee running out of steam when faced with a few prickly issues. A reflective Ross said they don’t have problems getting volunteers on the day. It’s getting them out to planning meetings that is the challenge. They’ve also lost committee volunteers to health issues and the rest are strapped for time. It’s committee member succession that is their nemesis, she said.

Anthon agreed that finding a younger demographic of volunteers is starting to become a challenge for not just Festival Moon but other Haliburton County events. Ross talks about the garlic festival. Now that it has successfully partnered with Abbey Gardens, with access to staff, it seems to be doing very well.

For many other festivals, they still rely on activist committees, replacing staff with volunteers. But Ross is starting to wonder if this model has run its course. She ponders, too, if board-run clubs are having similar problems with recruitment. From what we are hearing, yes, many clubs and organizations are struggling to find people to step up as volunteers in varying capacities.

It’s hardly surprising when you consider 2016 Census figures for the county. We have an average age in the 50s and more than a third of us are 65-year-old plus. Many of these people form the volunteer base of Haliburton County but health issues are creeping in and they’re getting tired.

So, why is it so hard to find younger volunteers? For some, work is an impediment. For others, it’s family commitments. For some, it’s both. However, some of our clubs and organizations also need to consider how volunteer-friendly they are. For example, when they gather during daytime hours for meetings, it precludes working people from attending. And as Ross stated, many of our clubs and organizations – while they do a great job – are not attracting millennials because that age bracket isn’t interested in attending lengthy planning meetings.

One option might be remote meetings employing technology. In today’s age, there’s no reason that organizers cannot get together in the evenings over Facebook messenger, WhatsApp or other forms of videoconferencing. Ross’ approach is refreshing. She says they’ve done a poor job of succession planning. And she is considering what might be the best way forward for August Moon. We think all of our local clubs and organizations need to do the same exercise or it won’t be just bluegrass and August Moon cancelled in future.

The Outsider: Dumb and #dumber

By

Will Jones

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July 18, 2019

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I was having trouble thinking about what I should whinge, sorry, write about, this week and so I opened my Facebook account (yes, I am that old and boring), hoping it would give me inspiration. And you know what? It did.

In among the swathes of tedious posts from desperate folks trying to justify their pitiful lives by collecting likes, there were two that caught my eye for very contrasting but ultimately similar reasons. The first, from Moe, said: “#you #don’t #need #a #hashtag #for #every #word #you #post. #Settle #down.”

I chuckled, and, unusually for me, hit ‘like’. I don’t often express my emotions via the utterly lazy single click but for this damning digital diatribe I thought it particularly apt, only bettered I guess by commenting #righton.

For the avid hash taggers out there, clicking on #righton is a waste of time, believe me. I did it in the name of research. Twitter #righton is filled with random semiliterate posts by pointless losers saying nothing about anything, all completely unconnected with each other, other than they are obviously not ‘right on’.

You might already have guessed that I hate hashtags, or rather their improper use. Yes, go ahead young folks (and some older ones too) and hashtag My Haliburton Highlands, if you are in the business of promoting the area as a tourist destination, but #daddyatthebeach #wickednewmanicure #baconsandwich … Nooo! I won’t click on your link and neither will anyone else. They’ll simply stop reading your post as soon as you #start #adding #that #little #symbol #because #it’s #@#$%&ing #annoying.

Or, if they are older and wiser, they’ll wonder why you’re using the number or pound sign randomly throughout your post and correctly assume that you’re an idiot, and then unfriend you.

Our insistence on adding hashtags to otherwise perfectly interesting little posts is crippling the English language and dumbing down our lives to the point of click and ‘hope I’m cool like the other kids.’

That brings me on to the other Facebook post that caught my eye. An advert from the Royal Canadian Mint, no less. The royally-appointed authority that makes our money, has seen fit to, as it says on the ad, ‘capture Canadian pride on a coin.’ A glow in the dark coin. My son had a Batman glow in the dark T-shirt once. He also used to think glow sticks were cool. Note the words ‘used to’ in that last sentence. And the luminous Storm Trooper that his grandma bought him a couple of years ago? It sits on a shelf, unused. You see, he’s 10 now and he’s lost interest in ‘glow-in-the-dark.’

Has society regressed to the mental capacity of four-year-old children; to the point at which we are mesmerized by luminous trinkets? Is the minting of a new silver coin symbolizing Canadian pride not good enough, not collectible enough? Please people, let’s focus on the important issues of our days because there are many, large and small. Let’s not get caught up in any manufactured excitement surrounding a luminous-painted commemorative coin. Are you with me? #Canadianmintsucks #hashtagsaredumb #bringbackthepoundsign.

Turtle guardian wins major conservation award

By

Lisa Gervais

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July 17, 2019

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Conservationist Leora Berman’s days are busy as she gives children hands-on lessons about turtles and the value they bring to the ecosystem.

Berman is running summer camp to teach kids to be turtle guardians. Whether trying to save turtles, improve lake health, teach about shorelines or start a children’s museum, she keeps herself occupied.

“It’s just the way God built me. I can’t sit still,” Berman said. “I can’t look at a problem and not try to do something. I haven’t even reached the targets that I wanted. I’ve only just begun.”

The Haliburton native’s conservation work was recognized with the 2019 Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Roland Michener Conservation Award in June. She will also be featured in upcoming editions of the Canadian Wildlife and Biosphère magazine

“I’m over the moon,” she said about receiving the award. “It’s a different kind of humbling.”

Berman is currently the chief operating officer of The Land Between, a grassroots environmental organization which does work across eastern Ontario. She has also worked for Ducks Unlimited Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry over her 22-year career.

The eligibility for the award, named after Canada’s former Governor General, is “any individual who has demonstrated a commitment to conservation through effective and responsible activities that promote, enhance and further conservation of Canada’s natural resources.”
Berman’s friend Tracey McCann said she submitted the nomination and felt Berman was deserving.

“I don’t think she gets enough recognition for the work she does,” McCann said. “I figured she deserved a big thank you.”

Berman said all of her conservation jobs have motivated her. But she found The Land Between suited her especially well and gave her more freedom than government work. As the group’s co-founder, she said it started as a one-year project but ended up much larger than imagined.

“I don’t know if it is a problem but I always go big,” she said. “You’ve got to shoot high. Otherwise, you’re not going to make it.”

Winning the conservation award also helps put a new spotlight on the Haliburton Highlands, Berman added.

“It is encouraging to be able to represent the conservation sector in this way, but also to showcase the Highlands,” she said. “This area, also known as the Land Between bioregion, is so vibrant and also essential to our collective future and well-being in Ontario.”

She sees the area as something worth vital and worth fighting for.

“They’re certainly my heart and soul, the highlands,” she said.

Exhibition sparks environmental talk

By

Meagan Secord

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July 15, 2019

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Local, well-known artist Laurie O’Reilly takes a new and creative approach to the environmental discussion with her latest exhibition, Earthscapes.

She uses wax, found objects, sound, bones and more to create an exhibit that takes viewers on a journey into the earth and explores how pollution is changing it.

O’Reilly started her distinctive work after many years of travelling. She said she noticed garbage was becoming a huge problem and felt deeply saddened by it.

“It has to be important to everyone,” she said. “I used to dive and I noticed that boats were dumping their garbage into the ocean and I thought ‘no, you can’t do that’.”

The exhibition is split into four sections: earth gifts, transition, contact and outcomes. The different phases ultimately lead to the end of earth.

“If we don’t do something, it’s not going to be pleasant in the end,” she said.

She added that she wants people to see how special the planet is and how it needs to be respected.

Laurie Jones, curator for Rails End Gallery, said the new installment also depicts one of the gallery’s main focuses which is being more aware of their impact on the earth.

“No longer are we looking at it like an art show is one thing but what kind of light bulbs we use is another. No. We’re looking at it all from an environmentally-friendly perspective,” she said.

It seems the earth was a large focus for many people at the exhibitions opening night. Local art lover Christine Mino said the art puts pollution into perspective and makes people more aware.

“It’s a striking exhibition in terms of what it says about our planet,” she said.

The evening was filled with lots of discussions about not only the art, but the environment as well. Earthscapes is on display at Rails End Gallery until August 25.

Drag Lake cottagers donate to good causes

By

Meagan Secord

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July 15, 2019

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The Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association presented two charitable donations at this year’s annual general meeting.

A donation of $250 each was given to Abbey Retreat Centre (ARC) and Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) as a way to give back to the Haliburton community.

Doug Norris, executive director of ARC, said it is always nice when small associations donate to causes like theirs because it shows that the centre is making an impact in the county.

He said the centre is used as a retreat space for those undergoing cancer treatment and when there isn’t one planned, it is a rentable space for the community.

Monika Melichar, founder of WWS, explained to meeting attendees the importance of rehabilitation facilities for animals and went into detail about the work the sanctuary does.

“We’re 100 per cent volunteer based, which I think is pretty impressive,” she said. “We have over 100 animals in our care which keeps us hopping all day long so we’re very thankful for the donation that will help with the supplies we need.”

She noted that a portion of the land will soon be used specifically for injured turtles as the clinic in Peterborough is becoming over-populated.

Donations to local organizations is something the association does every year and will continue to do so as long as the money is available.

The annual meeting also featured presentations from Dysart deputy mayor Pat Kennedy, councillor Larry Clarke and fire Chief Mike Iles.

They spoke about things happening in the township that cottagers and property owners need to know, such as fire alarms, tax increases, composting and road repairs.

Committee “calms water” on fire halls

By

Lisa Gervais

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July 12, 2019

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The Highlands East Fire Committee addressed the concerns of its most vocally worried fire hall users in a series of questions relating to an ongoing service review.

The committee spent much of its July 8 meeting addressing a submitted list of questions from members of Station 2 in Highland Grove. The questions grilled the committee on its process for the review.

But committee chair Cam McKenzie and acting fire chief Chris Baughman made repeated assurances that no substantive decisions have been made. Station 2 captain Gary Burroughs attended as an audience member and called it a calming effort.

“I wanted to just hear if there’s clarity,” Burroughs said. “If I was to sum it up, I’d say they just calmed the water with everything.”

The committee has put forward a series of options to explore in its service review, including maintaining the status quo, shifting from five fire halls to three, searching for efficiencies in equipment and building a new central fire hall while either maintaining or closing other halls.

Station 2 made clear in their questions which option they preferred.

“We would like to see the status quo be the way forward,” one question said. “With the large coverage area, and the aging population that needs our services more than they ever have. Just because the number of fire-related calls are down does not mean we should cut fire equipment.”

“There’s been no recommendations to cut services or halls or equipment at this point,” Baughman retorted. “Anything presented to council will come to the public first in a public meeting.”

Baughman later reported to the committee about ongoing data collection for the halls. After reviewing three years worth of utilities, he said he could not find anything which stood out.

“No hall is much greater than the rest,” he said. “Saving the hydro bill on a hall isn’t going to make or break a hall.”

He added he is awaiting the completion of a municipal facilities review before submitting more data. That is not expected to be done until the fall.

Burroughs said although there are assurances no major decisions have been made yet, any big changes could get met with resistance.

“The proof will be in the pudding as soon as they come to an end,” he said. “If this gets shoved through without us knowing anything about it, there will be a big uprise for sure.”

HE following signs to economic development

By

Simon Payn

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July 12, 2019

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Highlands East is overhauling its municipal signage in an effort to better guide people around the township.

Council approved the implementation of a new sign policy July 9. The policy, billing itself as stage one, focuses on addressing signs, outlining regulations, amenities and wayfinding.

Economic development co-ordinator Joanne Vanier said those targets are to make the greatest amount of impact in a short amount of time.

“By replacing deteriorating signage and installing signage that has been lacking, we can effectively increase the visual identity of the municipality, identify assets, and enhance the visitor experience,” Vanier said.

The policy states they should include the municipal logo, which also highlights the motto “yours to explore” and the township website. Vanier’s report said because of poor marking, people are unaware of numerous municipal assets, such as more than 30 public boat launches.

“I was totally impressed by the amount of work that has been put into this,” Coun. Cam McKenzie said. “Well done team.”

New signs in this stage will also include internal information like landfill hours and park usage. Signs identifying amenities like parks and directing traffic will also be replaced.

Other categories, including municipal gateways, community buildings and community identification will be addressed later.

Deputy mayor Cec Ryall said the private sector also wants to be involved and have new markers directing people toward their businesses.

“It’s a great opportunity but it also has some great challenges associated with it,” Ryall said, noting sign pollution is a concern. “They’d be willing to absorb the cost for their particular entity. So, another opportunity for economic development.”

He also said although it would not be part of this first stage, private sector partnership could be explored at a future date. Ryall also raised county-wide signage at the county’s tourism committee meeting April 10.

Committee chair Carol Moffatt said although it has been identified as an issue, it will take more time to address at the county level. Highlands East has earmarked $40,000 for the initiative to be used by March 2020 .

TSW doing a good job

By

Lisa Gervais

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July 11, 2019

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I never thought I’d hear it.

I specifically went to the Soyers Lake Cottage Owners Association AGM this past Saturday because I wanted to hear the latest from the Coalition for Equitable Water Flow, or CEWF.

CEWF’s chair, Ted Spence, was the guest speaker.

I learned things about Parks Canada and the Trent Severn Waterway, as well as about CEWF, that I didn’t know.

For those who don’t know, CEWF is a volunteer organization established in 2006 to provide input to the Panel on the Future of the Trent Severn Waterway. It aims to represent the interests of more than 30,000 waterfront property owners on reservoir and flow-through lakes in Haliburton and Northern Peterborough Counties. There are 32-member lake associations, the majority in the county.

After viewing Spence’s 39-slide powerpoint, I now have a better handle on how complex managing the system is. I won’t be so quick to criticize and judge the TSW.

Neither is CEWF, with Spence saying the words I never thought I’d hear from CEWF. “They’ve done a pretty good job of it.”

Since 2016, the TSW has made their water management decisions based on a lot more data and analysis. For example, they’ve added real-time snow gauges to augment manual readings. They’ve upped their weather forecasting game. They do a better job of monitoring inflow and outflow. They do a precipitation and runoff model. They’ve also done routing models to see how the water flows.

Despite the fact we are seeing more extreme weather, such as milder winters with more rain and snow and more summer storms, we are not seeing the same flooding that we did in 2013 and 2017. In fact, more water ran through the system this year than in those years, and Minden was not flooded out.

As Spence pointed out, in 2019, even with 3.5 times the normal snowpack at the end of March and 180 per cent of normal rain in April, the flood levels were less than in 2017.

Of course, the Burnt River basin is taking the hit now.

Parks Canada announced the first of its summer drawdowns this past Friday. For most, it’s viewed as a good thing since the reservoirs are still quite high. With some predicting possible drought-like conditions, we’ll be interested to see how the rest of the summer unfolds.

Spence also provided some valuable information to waterfront owners that we would like to pass along.

Be aware of the increased risk of extreme flood levels, potentially with ice on the lakes.

Review your infrastructure and if appropriate make changes now to your dock systems, electrical and boat storage.

Be aware of the increased risk of low lake levels earlier in the season and at levels not previously experienced.

Finally, review infrastructure for low levels, including water lines, access, boat mooring, etcetera.

You can also do your bit by staying informed. Nowadays, people cannot say that they didn’t know, as both Parks Canada, the TSW and the CEWF provide volumes of information on their websites.

You can learn more about CEWF and monitor water levels at cewf.ca. For more on Parks Canada and the TSW, see www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/info/infonet

EORN finally crosses funding finish line

By

Simon Payn

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July 11, 2019

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After years of lobbying, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) has secured $71 million in federal funding it needs to proceed with a massive mobile broadband project.

The federal government announced July 4 it will help pay for the $213 million initiative. The project aims to improve cellular and network coverage in eastern Ontario. With municipalities, the province and the federal government all on board now, EORN is preparing to make the initiative happen.

EORN board member and Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin said there is relief in getting funding in place.

“It’s definitely years of hard work,” Devolin said. “I know it can’t happen fast enough for many of us within Haliburton County.”

The project’s goals include: achieving 99 per cent of the eastern Ontario region having voice call service levels; 95 per cent coverage for standard-definition service and 85 per cent coverage for high-definition service. EORN will also invest $34 million into increased capacity for high-density areas.

“This project will allow Eastern Ontario rural municipalities to be better connected and ensure that residents have improved access to online services,” Minister of Rural Economic Development Bernadette Jordan said in a press release. Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Jamie Schmale said although the announcement pleased him, he is unhappy about how long it took. The initiative has been in the works since 2016.

“While today’s announcement is a positive step forward, it also is met with frustration, as the government has had the EORN project application on their desk for over two years with little to no movement,” Schmale said.

Devolin said getting funding approved can take time given the complexities of governments. But he added regional municipalities pushing it as a number one issue helped get it forward.

“We all wish it was better but it is what it is,” he said. “What you need to do is be pragmatic, keep your focus, not be distracted.”

The province is also committing $71 million, or one-third funding. Municipalities are contributing $10 million, while the remaining $61 million is expected to come from mobile carriers through a competitive bidding process. Devolin said he expects no problems getting the private sector funding.

“They are as encouraged and aggressive to get on this as any of the rest of us,” he said.

With the money secured, Devolin said EORN will soon meet to plan out how the project will roll out and determine what areas to address first. That planning process could take the rest of the year, Devolin said, with multiple years of work ahead after that. But Haliburton stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries when improvements start coming online.

“This is a really important day for Haliburton County,” he said.

On The Highlander’s Facebook page, local business owner Colby Marcellus said on Lochlin Road, they pay a lot of money for practically non-existent internet service. They typically have to use their cell phone data to get online.

“As business owners, we rely heavily on internet access. In this day and age, solid, high speed access is essential to a vibrant community. This shouldn’t be so hard.”

The Outsider: Birthday blues

By

Will Jones

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July 11, 2019

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It’s the eve of his 10th birthday.

Yes, the day before he hits double figures. And, what does my boy, Little Z, do? He ups and leaves for summer camp. Just like that, with no thought for how his mother and I might cope without him. He insists we take him to Camp Medeba.

Normally, I’d be pleased with this outcome. My little boy has had the odd issue with separation from his parents. He likes us close. By that, I mean he still occasionally wanders into our bedroom and snuggles up the centre of the bed in the middle of the night. He is somewhat insistent that we both come see him do his latest sporting craze. If a date night to Rhubarb is mentioned, he knows what he’s going to eat before we’ve had a chance to ditch him and drive to the restaurant.

So, you might think I’d be happy at a kid-free week; the first time ever that he’s stayed away for more than a night. But, it’s his birthday tomorrow and he won’t be here to celebrate it.

I don’t know how my lovely wife is going to cope. She’s already wandering forlornly around the house picking up all the general detritus that an almost 10-year-old boy leaves lying in his wake. I can see she wishes that he was here making more mess for her to tidy. I haven’t seen her sniff one of his worn T-shirts as yet and I’d advise her not to because you never know where he’s been but I’m sure it’s going to happen soon. As for me, I’m a little troubled as to who is going to build all the new Lego Star Wars kits with me that grandma has sent, and a battle with the new Nerf guns won’t be half as much fun without Little Z.

I guess I should look on the bright side. Time alone with my lovely wife, with guaranteed no interlopers in our bed. Not a chance of walking bleary-eyed downstairs in the morning and treading on an errant Lego brick. No need to shout at my son for shooting Jeff the dog with his new Nerf guns because, “daddy is too lame to play another round.” And a wonderfully tidy house that will stay that way until at least next Sunday when my little man comes home.

There are many benefits to my almost 10-year-old boy going to camp, for me as well as him. I’m still going to miss him on his birthday. I’m gonna’ be sad tomorrow because my little boy is becoming just a bit independent and if the next 10 years go as quickly as the last, he’ll be moving out for good before I know it.

Hmm, now I’ve said it, that doesn’t sound too bad. Maybe he can just come back on his birthdays … just don’t tell his mother I said that.