Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region told County council March 27 it is still working with the County of Haliburton to try to bring 60 affordable homes to the Wee Care property in Haliburton.

Chief executive officer, Susan Zambonin, said they would also be interested in acquiring land for a ReStore in the Highlands, if a vacant, and affordable piece of property, could be found.

She noted there are three Haliburton County residents on their board of directors, including Fay Martin, who is vice chair, Minden Hills mayor and County coun. Bob Carter, and Colleen Dermody, who are directors.

Zambonin said last week, “they, as well as the rest of our board and staff, want to be building in Haliburton County, and we have not to date. We’ve built in all the other areas of our service area.

“We really need to build in the County of Haliburton, and we’re excited about the opportunity with the Wee Care property, and we’ve also made an early presentation to Algonquin Highlands council.”

As reported in the Dec. 14, 2023 Highlander, the County is in talks with Haliburton Wee Care, Habitat for Humanity, and the City of Kawartha Lakes human services department about redeveloping the nursery property on CR 21 for housing, expanded day care and other uses.

The County transferred $100,000 from its affordable housing targets reserve for technical studies needed to redesign the site.

Former director of planning, Steve Stone, said the primary goals were housing and childcare, with Dysart et al saying the site could accommodate 38 residential units, and Habitat for Humanity putting that number at 63.

The County has experienced a 300 per cent increase in the number of households waiting for community housing in the last 10 years; rental rates have risen by 72 per cent for one-bedroom apartments, and 23 per cent for two-bedroom apartments since 2018; only 50 units of affordable housing are in development towards the target of 750; and the business case for development of housing “simply does not work anymore due to increasing costs of construction, increasing interest rates and limited funding from other levels of government,” the County’s former planner said.

Zambonin told councillors last week, Habitat for Humanity has a model that has worked elsewhere. It is called a financial partner model and involves no down payment, a credit union low-interest first mortgage for the homebuyer and Habitat for Humanity holding a second mortgage – with no payment until sale or refinancing, and an equity stake payable on sale and refinancing. It means they can build for $172 per square foot. They also get money from the CMHC and cash donations.

Their most recent project is Leahy’s Place phase one in Peterborough. Zambonin said they were able to build for $10.6 million, which was 30 per cent less than market budget.

Zambonin said there are lots of misconceptions about what they do.

“People think we give houses away for free.” However, “we aren’t social housing. We’re not rental housing. We’re not market home ownership. We’re affordable home ownership only.”

The executive director noted that in the past, they had only built for families, but want to supply more housing to singles, seniors and single parents.

As for the ReStore, which covers Habitat for Humanity’s operational costs, Zambonin said if anybody knew about affordable, vacant land, in the County, they should get in touch.

Habitat also recently spoke to AH council about potential land they have for housing.

“So, there’s lots that we’re looking to do and would love to be in this County,” Zambonin said.

Warden Liz Danielsen commented, “it’s just fabulous to see such a wonderful and innovative approach to providing home ownership to low-income families. I know it’s changing but the cost per square foot that you’re able to construct at is really rather extraordinary. I’ve heard as much as $700 a square foot for construction in these days. And I do have to say on behalf of Algonquin Highlands, we are really looking forward to continued discussion and exploring opportunities there.”

As reported in the Feb. 29 Highlander, Zambonin met with AH and Danielsen said the township had identified four lots that could be suitable for development, the largest along Hwy. 118.

Coun. Murray Fearrey complimented their free kitchen and home deconstruction service out of the ReStore. “I think that’s a pretty exciting program, and I have to admire the initiatives that you’ve taken… pretty creative… but you are targeting the right area of people. These are the people that need it. They’re working. They’re contributing to the community. It’s a win-win, so we look forward to working with you.”

Firefighters from Minden Hills, Dysart et al and Algonquin Highlands teamed up March 30 to combat a brush fire in Gelert that “quickly” spun out of control.

Coming on the eve of a new County-wide daytime burning bylaw, which came into effect April 1, the blaze, which started as an open burn before spreading into some brush and nearby prairie grass, scorched 11 acres and took out a large barn, said Rob Thibert, Minden Hills’ acting fire chief.

The fire took several hours to bring under control, with 30 firefighters and 12 pieces of apparatus responding from the three local volunteer units.

“Due to the efforts of well-trained and equipped firefighters, the fire was extinguished before it could spread into a large, forested area,” Thibert said. “Due to inconsistent and unseasonably warm temperatures over the past couple of days, these conditions allowed the fire to spread quickly.”

The fire chief said this was a timely reminder to residents of why the open air burning bylaw is necessary. Jointly created by the County’s four chiefs, and adopted by councils in Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East, and Minden Hills, the bylaw establishes consistent burning regulations across the Highlands, while introducing some new provisions.

The major change is the elimination of daytime burning during the fire season, which runs from April 1 to Oct. 31. Previously, daytime burn permits were available to set open air fires during this period.

“The 2023 wildfire season was the most destructive ever recorded in Canada, and the decision to eliminate daytime burning… was made with heightened public safety in mind,” Thibert said.

Dan Chumbley, fire chief in Dysart, said 16 firefighters from his department assisted with Saturday’s fire, which occurred on a property off Gelert Road near Ingoldsby Road shortly after 1 p.m. Referencing the new open air burning bylaw, Chumbley said it’s necessary due to the early thaw.

“The spring has started out drier than usual so we are also starting [our response] earlier with this review,” Chumbley said.

Highlands East fire chief, Chris Baughman, said there were several brush/grass fires reported in the County over the weekend. He said the new bylaw is necessary to prevent fires like the one in Gelert Saturday.

“At this time, there is not a total ban, just no day burning between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. This could change if things continue to dry out quickly with little rain and most of the snow already melted,” Baughman said.

There are some exceptions – contractors or applicants with open building, demolition, or driveway permits who require daytime burning can apply for an exemption through their local fire department.

Open air fires for cooking and warmth are also permitted, though they must be small, confined, and supervised at all times. These fires must be smaller than 0.6 metres in diameter; confined within a fire pit or appliance; completely extinguished when use is complete; and must comply with all other conditions of the bylaw.

Fires for cooking or warmth are not permitted during a fire ban, the chiefs confirmed in a media release.

For evening fires, Baughman said the maximum size allowed is two metres in diameter, with any controlled blaze required to be at least three metres from any combustibles, fence, or structure, such as a house or deck.

For more information, contact your local fire chief:

• Mike French, fire chief, Algonquin Highlands, 705-706-0010, mfrench@algonquinhighlands.ca

• Rob Thibert, acting fire chief, Minden Hills, 705-286-1202, ext. 561, rthibert@mindenhills.ca

• Dan Chumbley, fire chief, Dysart et al, 705-457-2126, dchumbley@dysartetal.ca

• Chris Baughman, fire chief, Highlands East, 705-448-2981, cbaughman@highlandseast.ca.

Landfill activity in Algonquin Highlands was up in 2023, with vehicle counts, waste collection, and recyclable drop offs all seeing an increase.

Melissa Murray, the township’s environmental manager, provided her annual landfill reports to council March 21, which included data from the Maple Lake, Pine Springs, and Oxtongue Lake locations. The highlight, she said, is that all sites have been operating in compliance with the township’s environmental targets for 2023, as established by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP).

“I think it’s good news… there’s nothing significant that’s triggered any [negative] events as far as sampling goes and water quality. Any impacts to the environment are as expected and within allowable limits,” Murray said.

The reports were compiled by Peterborough-based consulting and engineering firm Cambium Inc, using tracking data from 2023.

The Maple Lake site added a total of 745 tonnes of waste to the landfill this year – 670 tonnes from local residential waste, and 75 tonnes diverted from the Dorset Transfer Station. Murray stated the landfill has a remaining capacity of 133,660 cubic metres, with an expected lifespan of 47 years.

Last year’s vehicle count was 30,285, up from 29,699 in 2022 and 26,904 in 2021. Murray noted recycling efforts at Maple Lake have been successful, with 227.57 tonnes of blue box materials, 8.85 tonnes of electronic waste, 119.91 tonnes of scrap metal, 1.45 tonnes of household batteries, 686 tires, and 91 household appliances (fridges, ovens, washing machines) diverted from the landfill.

The Pine Springs landfill also saw an increase in activity. The site collected 353 tonnes of waste in 2023 – 76 tonnes of local residential waste and 283 tonnes of material diverted from the Dorset Transfer Station. Murray noted the landfill has an anticipated remaining lifespan of 100 years.

Vehicle counts were up marginally, to 3,008 last year from 2,898 in 2022. Murray noted 5,229 garbage bags were collected in 2023, up from 4,476 the previous year. A further 13.95 tonnes of blue box recycling was collected at the site.

The Oxtongue Lake landfill reported the lowest numbers – with 79 tonnes of residential waste disposed of in 2023. Murray said 5,616 bags of household garbage were dropped off last year, down from 5,716 bags in 2022. She added the site has a remaining lifespan of 70 years.

Vehicle counts remained stable from the prior year, with 4,397 in 2023. This was just three more than 2022 – at 4,394.

The township also collected 28.84 tonnes of blue box recyclables, 2.92 tonnes of waste electronics, eight tonnes of scrap metal, 301 tires, and 91 appliances at the site.

Murray noted all closure-related activities at the former Hawk Lake landfill were completed last spring. The site was closed in October 2021, with capping of the landfill finished by November 2022. The MECP confirmed the closure was deemed complete by March 31, 2023.

There was no report on the Dorset Transfer Station, with those statistics compiled biannually, Murray noted. She noted there was limited activity at the McClintock Lagoon, with no septage disposed in 2023.

Hazardous waste events in Algonquin Highlands

Algonquin Highlands will host three household hazardous waste events this year – one each at the Oxtongue Lake landfill, Dorset Transfer Station, and Maple Lake landfill.

During budget deliberations, council opted to host three events this year, rather than the four initially planned, saving around $6,000. A June 8 event at Maple Lake has been scrapped.

Oxtongue Lake will accept items such as batteries, motor oil, pool chemicals, fertilizers, antifreeze, bleach, fluorescent lamps, paint, fire extinguishers and cleaning products Aug. 24, from 1 to 5 p.m. Other events are scheduled at the Dorset Transfer Station Sept. 14, from 1 to 5 p.m., and at Maple Lake Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will also be three events in each of Highlands East, Minden Hills, and Dysart.

Haliburton County photographer Carol Moffatt admits she’s “geeking out a bit” as she prepares to travel to Southern Ontario April 7 to photograph the next day’s total solar eclipse.

With the Highlands only having a partial eclipse, Moffatt put feelers out on Facebook to see if anyone had ideas on where she could go for her astrophotography.

She’s had a few offers but settled on a 10-acre rural property, “owned by a friend of a friend” west of Niagara Falls, where she’ll get “just under four minutes of totality.

“I am not an astronomy geek. It’s just a photographic challenge,” she said on March 30.

Moffatt said the Neowise comet in 2020 piqued her interest, as did the lunar eclipse in 2022 – both of which she successfully captured.

She recalled how her nephew was outdoors with a couple of buddies and she strolled by with her equipment, jokingly telling them “I’ll see if I can photograph that old comet, eh… and, well, didn’t I get some really super cool images, and it was like, well, it isn’t that hard.”

But it isn’t easy. “When you set out to do something, you read and study and make a million mistakes and that’s why I’m out here now with my sun finder, which I just got in the mail yesterday,” she said at her home by the lake.

There is specific camera equipment employed by astrophotographers. For a total solar eclipse, there is even more specialized gear. Moffatt’s been gathering what she needs for weeks and researching what is required to capture iconic images, such as the Diamond Ring and Baily’s beads.

The Diamond Ring Effect occurs at the beginning and end of totality. As the last bits of sunlight pass through the valleys on the moon’s limb, and the faint corona around the sun is just becoming visible, it looks like a ring with glittering diamonds on it.

With Baily’s beads, as the moon covers the sun, the rugged topography of the lunar limb allows beads of sunlight to shine through in some places. They are named for Francis Baily, who explained the effect in 1836.

Moffatt and husband, Tony Aymong, will take their RV Sunday to a location just 10 minutes, or 12 kilometres, from where she’ll attempt to snap the eclipse on Monday. They are staying somewhere where they can drive on back roads, and access the private property via a gate. Then, Moffatt will begin getting ready at about 1 p.m. for the astral phenomenon.

She’ll have a camera, tripod, sun finder and solar filter – and will do her best to have the correct settings, and prepare to remove the sun filter for the precious moment of totality.

In under four minutes, she concedes you have to get it right.

“I’m a hack at this. I’ve never shot a total eclipse before. I have this idea I’ll come out with a suite of magnificence and maybe it will be a fuzzy blob in the sky, I don’t know. That’s the chance you take. I want the diamond ring but the iconic shot should be pulling back and getting coronal flares – that look like wispy tendrils coming off of the sun.”

But it’s like the old Bits and Bites commercial, where every handful is a new ball game. She jokes, “every photographic event is a whole new ball game.”

Brian Mould runs the astronomy program at Haliburton Forest. While his eclipse chaser friends are headed to Mexico, he’s off to the Belleville-Kingston area.

He said while there is the possibility of two solar eclipses a year, total solar eclipses are rarer, especially the 100-kilometre-wide moon shadow racing across the planet for a short piece. “So, you want to pick your spots to be right in that moon shadow for that totality experience.”

He said the key is being mobile in case it’s cloudy in one area, but clear in another.

Mould added Highlanders are still going to get a great show, with 97 per cent partial, “that’s pretty dark.” He reminded locals they cannot look at the sun without eclipse protection. He added there are lots of things to do, like pinhole projections, poking a hole in a piece of cardboard and projecting the spot of light onto the ground, a wall, or piece of paper as, “it will project the image of the sun with the crescent shape.” Others use pasta colanders for interesting imagery.

“It’s a great opportunity to teach kids, or teach anybody about it.” He added he understands why the school board decided to make it a day off for kids since it would be difficult to ensure children did not look at the sun without protection.

Astronomer really excited

Mould said the fascination stems from the “primordial fear” reaction to the darkness, as well as the fact it’s, “the only chance you get to see the outer atmosphere of the sun.

“If you’re in the path of totality for that little minute or two, you can take your glasses off, you can take the filters off the telescope, you can look at it with binoculars, and you will see the disk of that moon blocking the sun. The atmosphere of the sun is the corona and it stretches for millions of kilometres out into space and that’s the only time you get to see it is when the sun is blocked.”

Mould said he cannot afford to chase eclipses across the globe, like some of his friends, but this one is close and within driving distance. “This may, or may not, be my only actual total eclipse that I get to see.” He’ll bring solar glasses, binoculars, two telescopes, cardboard with pinholes and the words ‘Eclipse 2024’. “I’m just going to play with the light.

“I’m getting really excited now because the weather is starting to look better. This will be my first one. Really looking forward to it. Really hoping for totality. I want to see that outer corona of the sun, then I’ll feel like an astronomer from centuries ago. For most people, this will be a once in a lifetime thing.”