Minden Hills landfills collected the weight of nearly 40 elephants, a whale, and a rhino – in electronics, scrap metal, and household batteries – manager of waste facilities, Chelsea Cosh, told council at its March 14 meeting.

In 2023, people dropped off just over 21 tonnes of electronics materials. It was the equivalent of the average mass of a Sei whale, according to Cosh.

She added an African bush elephant has an average mass of six tonnes, and last year, more than 231 tonnes of scrap metal was collected – equivalent to nearly 39 of the pachyderms.

Another fun fact was the collection of 1.4 tonnes of household batteries – almost the weight of a Javan rhinoceros.

“Many changes in the latter part of 2023 took place, including enhancing the department’s promotion and education efforts, additional waste diversion programs, improved signage at the waste disposal sites, and a revised cottage kit,” Cosh said. “Staff have seen valued efforts by residents to abide to the regulations of the sites, as well as proper sorting and recycling.”

She noted there were three household hazardous waste (HHW) events, with more than 600 people coming and dropping off more than 25 tonnes.

The township held its first confidential paper shredding event in December. In exchange, they accepted donations to the Minden Community Food Centre. Twelve people got rid of 902 pounds of paper. “Staff filled a large tote and another large cardboard box with food and toiletry donations,” Cosh said.

She further noted there are 244 FoodCycler units in the town, with people diverting their organic waste from the landfills.

When it comes to diversion programs, the township collected fewer vehicle batteries, 59 compared to 124 in 2022; more from blue box containers (361 tonnes, up from 332); less corrugated (22 tonnes down from 71); more fibres (335 in 2023, compared to 305 in 2022); less construction and bulky waste (1,442 tonnes, down from 1,813); fewer electronics (21 tonnes versus 31); more empty auto containers (2.28 tonnes from 1.307); more household batteries (1.4 tonnes, compared to just over one); less HHW (25 tonnes last year, 37 the year before); fewer propane tanks, and more scrap metal (231 tonnes versus 212).

As for vehicle counts, Cosh said Scotch Line was down to 79,713 in 2023, compared to 87,089 in 2022. Ingoldsby was down as well, to 15,889 vehicles, from 17,252. The trend continued for Little Gull (7,709 in 2023, from 7,463 in 2022); but Iron Mine saw more traffic, up to 4,205 vehicles from 3,572.

In addition, more cottage kits were sold last year, 1,167, up from 1,083 in 2022.

Cosh said, “staff continue to look for innovative and cost-effective ways to offer existing recycling programs to residents as well as opportunities for new programs. These efforts, along with positive recycling habits from residents, help reduce the amount of waste that is going into the landfill. This, in turn, extends the life of the landfill and reduces the township’s carbon footprint.”

Coun. Bob Carter quipped, “since African elephants and Javanese rhinos are thin on the ground here in Minden Hills, I just wanted to know if you had an equivalent of moose, or white-tailed deer that you could give us.”

Cosh joked back “duly noted, that will be taken into consideration for next year.”

Hike Haliburton picked up a gong at the IMAGINE 2024 Festivals & Events Ontario conference (FEO) awards gala Feb. 28.

The provincial organization named Hike Haliburton as one of the top 100 festivals in Ontario at the ceremony in Niagara Falls.

Submissions from FEO members were received in the fall of 2023, and judged by an independent panel.

Hike Haliburton is a free, bi-annual event held in winter and fall across the Highlands. The fall edition was established 20 years ago, as a way to promote the vast network of hiking trails across the County. The event is organized by the County’s tourism department, and hikes are guided by local volunteers. The multi-day event attracts visitors from across Ontario, as well as local residents, who can participate in various levels of hikes, either on foot or snowshoes. Last year’s festivals had 910 participants.

Warden Liz Danielsen was pleased, and acknowledged the work and effort behind the scenes.

“We are fortunate to have breathtaking scenery and trails in Haliburton County and Hike Haliburton is a chance to explore our backyard and natural surroundings,” Danielsen said. “I am pleased the County was recognized for executing a wellorganized event that draws visitors to our area to enjoy all that we have to offer. I wish to thank the staff and all the volunteers who contribute to making the festivals a success.”

Haliburton County’s newest park – Herlihey Park in Highlands East – is taking shape, and expected to open to the public this year.

Carol and Karl Marcus donated $400,000 to Highlands East to purchase the property in 2017, and donated funds for the master plan. Its name is in honour of their parents, Beatrice and Harold Herlihey. Located on Dark Lake in Wilberforce, the seven-acre property was once home to the Wilberforce veneer plant. The Marcus’ wanted residents to be able to enjoy the property for years to come.

The park will feature walking trails, a beach, a picnic pavilion and recognize the history of the area.

The master plan was presented in 2019, with an expected 2022 completion, but COVID-19 delayed that until 2024.

Public works operations manager, Perry Kelly, told council on March 12, the township was advertising for a contractor to finish the park.

“The tender will be inclusive of everything required to have the park complete as the drawings are shown,” Kelly said. “Staff will then work with the successful proponent through stages of completion.”

He added staff had recently applied for funding to install an EV charging station at the park. If they get the money, he said they’ll work with the consultant to include it in the plans.

“Staff are excited to complete this project,” Kelly added.

Peter North, of North Design Office Inc., which did the master plan, has said, “Herlihey Park will be the defining recreational amenity of Wilberforce’s waterfront through a lively mix of programs, activities, and healthy ecologies.”

Master gardeners

Meanwhile, the Haliburton County Master Gardeners (HCMG) will be working with Highlands East and other partners to naturalize the new park.

Project leads, Carolyn Langdon and Merryn Camphausen, spoke at the March 12 council meeting.

Referencing their work to build a multimedia tour along the Minden Riverwalk, they said Herlihey Park could be their second major project.

They are proposing to use their own expertise, volunteers, and resources from the Eco Action Community grant, the Suzuki Foundation, Watersheds Canada, the Coalition of Haliburton County Property Owners’ Association and U-Links to create information materials, and install a selfguided multi-media tour along Herlihey Park’s proposed trails.

The two said, “it is likely that we would identify biodiversity gaps in the existing plantings, and could propose a plan, plant list, identify contract growers and supplies, and supervise the actual planting of additional plantings.”

They added Dark Lake is a valued trout lake and the research resources of U-Links could be used to make the connection between the township’s initiatives for Herlihey Park and how this will enhance and protect the fresh water resources of the watershed.

They fleshed out the project would identify shoreline, meadow and reforested native plants, shrubs and trees. They would describe how these benefit native pollinators, songbirds, aquatic and other wildlife species, how native plants increase biodiversity, their role in the food web, and how these areas mitigate flooding, extreme weather events, health of the lake, and contribute to the health, safety and well-being of residents.

They added they will have to assess the park, come up with a planting plan, create a web-based, self-guided, walking multimedia tour, signage, and information about the use of, and importance of, the area to the Indigenous people, with an understanding the Curve Lake First Nations were consulted in the planning stage.

Highlands East agreed to a letter of support to present the project to the Eco Action Community Funding Program of the government of Canada.

The master gardeners said the money would be for three years.

“I understand that the first phase of the park will unfold in 2024 with the establishment of trails and parking lots. The timing could be ideal,” Langdon and Camphausen said.

The Rez in downtown Haliburton will be back on the market in the spring, with owner Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC) saying its intent is to sell the building with existing tenants remaining in place.

The building has had a rocky run in recent years. After being transformed from a medical centre into low-cost housing in 2009, it has provided shelter for dozens of County residents over the past 15 years.

The space was originally owned by Peter Curry, who sold to Nick Adams in 2017. Adams had been the parttime building manager, taking care of maintenance and helping residents whenever a problem arose. After moving to New Brunswick, Adams sold the Rez in November 2021 to a group of investors from Brampton.

He returned in late 2022, re-buying the property after the new owners defaulted on the mortgage. Adams tried to keep the Rez going, serving as a live-in manager for several months before moving back to NB. Unable to keep up with mortgage payments, and with the property sitting on the market for several months with little interest, he turned his keys over to HCDC, the mortgage holder, in December.

Pat Kennedy, HCDC board chair, confirmed March 19 the investment firm retains ownership of the property. He said staff has been working with representatives from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to clean up the space and assist with four remaining tenants.

“Our goal is to put it back on the market for sale – we’re not in the landlord business. We’re in the process of getting it ready for resale… it’ll come on the market in another 30 to 60 days, I think,” Kennedy said.

He noted there has been some interest. Sources confirmed a potential deal between Adams and local nonprofit Places for People fell through in early winter.

Fay Martin, the housing agency’s vice president, said they will reassess the situation should the property hit the market.

Remaining residents can stay

Kennedy said whoever buys the space will likely have to adopt the existing tenants, who are protected by the Residential Tenancies Act.

“Our intent is not to put them on the street, that’s for sure. Our intent is to sell the property as is with those residents still in place,” Kennedy said.

“There’s four people in there right now. It has capacity for 15 people. We have spent some time cleaning the place up. We’re going to paint one of the rooms to show prospective buyers what it can look like.”

Kennedy praised Adams for running the operation for as long as he could, saying, ideally, HCDC will find someone willing to continue that work.

“We were certainly very supportive of Nick and his efforts to keep The Rez going. He worked very hard at it constantly, gave a lot personally. We’ll try and carry on. We’d love to find somebody that would carry on keeping the residents, and maintaining that space.”

If County resident Luba Cargill has her way, Haliburton will soon be competing with New York City over the nickname ‘The Big Apple’.

Having launched ATIP Haliburton last year – an organization committed to finding and promoting the existence of apple trees in the Highlands – Cargill has organized a two-day symposium May 16 and 17, which she says will bring some of the continent’s top apple identifiers and researchers to the community.

It all comes after a game-changing discovery late last year, which Cargill said proves the existence of native Haliburton apples.

“The provincial government has established a line showing where apples grow in Ontario, and Haliburton County is north of that line. Apples shouldn’t grow here, but we know now that they do,” Cargill said, referencing an 1890 edition of The Canadian Horticulturalist, which discusses the Haliburton apple.

After a County-based reader mailed two apple samples to the publication, accompanied with a letter, the now defunct magazine published a response, saying, “this is no doubt a purely local apple.” It was described as medium in size and a paleyellow colour, save for the side exposed to the sun, which turns carmine red marked with splashes and streaks of a deeper hue.

Cargill credited this discovery to Steve Hill, recently retired curator of the Haliburton Highlands Museum.

“It’s such an important find, because it proves to us that apples have grown in Haliburton County for well over a century,” Cargill said.

Since launching ATIP Haliburton, Cargill said she’s identified 177 apple tree locations, including 10 orchards, the smallest featuring about 10 trees and the biggest more than 200.

When putting plans together for the symposium, Cargill said her primary goal was to provide information to people that own apple trees on how to properly care for and cultivate them. Then, following the Haliburton apple discovery, she decided she wanted to get into the history of apples in the County.

She was discussing a potential itinerary with friends, who said Cargill should reach out to renowned apple hunter and orchardist, Tom Brown. Based in North Carolina, Brown spends much of his time searching for lost heirloom apple varieties across North America.

He is one of five keynote speakers at the symposium, joining Helen Humphries, author of The Ghost Orchard; Brian Husband, a University of Guelph professor and lead of the Ontario Heritage and Feral Apple Project; Pauline Plooard, of Haliburton County Master Gardeners, who will discuss her group’s heritage apple project; and Carmen Galea, ATIP Haliburton coordinator, who will provide a historical context and preliminary inventory of apple trees in the County.

There will be other speakers throughout the two-day event, including Aisha Malik of Harvest Haliburton, Gena Robertson of SIRCH Community Services, and Scott Ovell, the County’s director of economic development and tourism, who will address the benefits of apple trees for food security, climate, business, and tourism.

“We don’t have many large events in May. This will be very educational, people will learn a lot about apples… then enjoy a drive around the County for our self-directed apple blossom tour,” Cargill said. “I’d really like to see this become a big, annual, recurring event.”

The symposium will be held in Haliburton village May 16 and 17, location to be determined. For more information, visit appletreeshaliburton.ca.