There were a few stressful days last week for Carnarvon resident, Kim Switzer, as her son, Memphis, had to be evacuated from northern Ontario fires while on a canoe trip with Keewaydin Camp in Temagami.

“It was a long, three days of torture,” Switzer told The Highlander Tuesday (July 21).

Switzer said Memphis was near Wabakimi Provincial Park July 15 when parents received an email from the camp saying rescue crews were planning to evacuate the youth because the area they were in was not safe due to the fires.

Switzer was on tenterhooks, hopeful they could all get out safely to checkpoints and then back to Temagami.

The next morning, July 16, she was crossing her fingers that Memphis would be air evacuated as he was on an island with the other boys, waiting to get out.

She described July 17 as “a long, hard emotional day.” She said she got no sleep “knowing my boy was out there on an island waiting to be evacuated from the growing fires. I got up that morning waiting with worry and got news that there were new fires and changes of plans and no planes going to get them. They were to paddle to the railroad tracks and get on a train to then meet the OPP to get on a bus and head to Sioux Lookout.”

Later that day, she said the kids made the train to Sioux Lookout and were headed back to Temagami. While she was waiting for updates, she said she was breathing easier knowing Memphis was not stranded on an island.

“I knew Memphis was in good hands with well-trained staff, but as a mom you can’t help but worry,” Switzer said.

“Hats off to all the amazing, highly-skilled and trained Keewaydin staff, emergency crews, firefighters, police, CN workers etc. who got all the kids back home to camp. I am forever thankful.”

Switzer said she loves Memphis “to bits. He is my world and I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to him. So, I am relieved that they are out of harm’s way and will have amazing stories to share.”

On Sunday (July 19), Switzer knew for certain that Memphis had made it back to Camp Keewaydin because another parent sent her a photograph of him. She added he was packing for a three-week trip elsewhere to finish off the camping season.

“I am so relieved. What a heartwrenching few days. But I am so happy they are still going to get right back out tripping. It’s really hard as a mom not to worry about your boy, but as an outdoor enthusiast, I’m like ‘hell ya, that’s my boy, get out there and paddle more’.

She has yet to talk to Memphis, as the camp does not want participants using cell phones and promotes the place as somewhere “where kids become gutsy, courageous, self assured and learn to take risks.”

But when she picks Memphis up Aug. 10, she said she’ll be giving him a long hug. “I don’t care if he’s 14, I am going to hug him until I am done.”

As wildfires rage in northern Ontario, burning more than 3,500 sq. km. of bush and rural land to the north and west of Thunder Bay, people in Haliburton have been working hard this week gathering donations to help those most impacted.

Striking Community Living Trent Highlands employees launched a donation drive on Monday (July 20). County residents Phylis Baker and Michelle Cooper came up with the idea after seeing heartbreaking stories on the news about people who have lost everything.

“Some had to flee their homes with only the clothes on their back. It made us think how there are a lot of people with a lot worse problems than we have right now – and we really wanted to help,” Baker told The Highlander.

Around 4,500 Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) workers are into their ninth week striking – including approximately 310 Community Living Trent Highlands employees.

Baker said morale was starting to dip on the picket lines, but this week’s efforts have reinvigorated many. Baker said she doesn’t know of any personal connections between local OPSEU members and those impacted in the Thunder Bay region, but that hasn’t stopped all 35 County-based strikers from pitching in. Affiliated donations drives have also been held in Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes.

Living on Horseshoe Lake near Minden, Baker said she knows all too well how quickly things can spiral out of control when Mother Nature turns.

“We’ve gone through a lot here in Haliburton County with the flooding in Minden and the two ice storms. But this community is very giving. As soon as I put this out there, so many jumped on it. We’ve had so many items donated to us, it just fills our heart so much to see such an incredible response,” Baker said.

OPSEU Local 358 president Jessica Bushey said key items needed in the north include diapers, baby wipes, baby bottles, toiletries, personal care items, feminine hygiene products, underwear, socks, nonperishable food, bottled water, new clothing and blankets, books, puzzles, games and toys.

Items can be dropped off at Rotary Park in Minden on Thursday (July 23) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Head Lake Park in Haliburton on Friday (July 24) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Earlier in the week, workers were gathered in front of the Community Living Trent Highlands office space at 73 Victoria St. and on Maple Avenue near the bridge.

Bushey credited Baker and Cooper for inspiring the effort, saying it’s been great to see people band together and do some good while struggling themselves.

“We believe in taking care of each other. When communities experience crisis, we show up because solidarity means standing together when people need support the most,” Bushey said.

Baker said the effort will wrap this week as she wants to make sure people receive the items as soon as possible. She’s coordinating delivery of all donations, with the Native Friendship Centre in Peterborough helping with logistics. People can also donate cash via e-transfer, Baker said. To give, contact phylisbaker@ hotmail.com.

Stanhope deploys firefighters

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry confirmed on Tuesday (July 21) that firefighters from its Stanhope location had been deployed north to help. Spokesperson Mike Fenn said workers are busy on the ground around the clock.

“Given the elevated wildfire situation and operational requirements, we are unable to accommodate an interview at this time,” Fenn said.

As of Wednesday (July 22) afternoon, there were 146 active wildland fires burning in northwestern Ontario. Of those, 53 are considered out of control, six are being held, seven under control and 80 observed. Evacuation efforts are in effect for areas around Thunder Bay, Dryden and Fort Frances.

There are another 43 active blazes in the northeast region, near Wawa and Cochrane. Officials say five are under control, one is being held, five are not under control and the rest being observed.

More than a dozen communities have been forced to evacuate, including 10 First Nations, uprooting more than 2,400 people according to the CBC. People have been relocated to host communities across the province, including Barrie, Toronto and Niagara Falls.

By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Highlands East council voted to allow short-term rental (STR) operators to opt out of the municipality’s public tracking map, a sudden shift from staff recommendations.

The change in direction happened at the July 14 regular council meeting after a debate about a staff report on the municipality’s STR webpage and Geographic Information System dashboard map.

Stacey Brown, STR licensing clerk and enforcement officer, presented to council her report that noted strong public interest, ranking the STR webpage as the 11th most visited page across the municipality’s website with 2,181 total views since Sept. 16, 2025, with an average engagement time of one minute, topping the site average.

Staff urged council to keep the mandatory online dashboard, noting that residents use it to flag unlicensed operators. According to the report, staff said that privacy concerns from hosts represented “very small portions when compared to the broader public interest,” and warned that removing the map would make Highlands East an outlier in Haliburton County.

But some council members said they had received pushback from owners who felt cornered by the mandatory rule.

“At this day now, we’ve got a choice. None. If you want to be a STR operator, it has to be on the map. It’s the end of it. Case closed. No options,” deputy mayor Cecil Ryall said during the meeting. “So in my opinion, I am against having only two options. If there was (an option) where you could volunteer, I would certainly support that.”

Coun. Ruth Strong also asked for a third option, allowing for STR owners to decide whether to have their dwelling listed on the map.

Brown defended the map, adding that it is pretty much a standard requirement for a commercial operation.

“They’re applying for, essentially, a business licence to operate,” she told council. “At the end of the day, if they don’t want their name on the map, they don’t have to get a licence.”

Faced with only the two staff recommendations, council decided to go their own path, creating the third option.

“I would definitely be for the opt-in and opt-out for an option,” coun. Angela Lewis said.

Lewis moved to amend the resolution, which was seconded by Ryall.

Council adopted the new directive, which allows STR applicants to opt in or out of using the online map.

Highlands East is the first municipality in the County to make public mapping voluntary for licensed hosts.

Following a meeting with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) last Thursday (July 16), County of Haliburton CAO Gary Dyke said the affordability and governance study is “right on schedule.”

He said County staff should have a final draft of the EORN report by July 31 with the consultant scheduled to present to council at its Aug. 12 meeting.

Dyke said they will be inviting all local councils to attend that meeting in-person or virtually, so every elected official can receive the information at the same time.

The CAO said EORN has so far met all of its targets. Last week, they were focusing on feedback they had received from the public; along with continuing financial analysis.

“It’s nice to put actual data to the question. It’s just not about ‘well, we like it the way it is.’ That’s fine, but this is what the numbers say.”

Dyke said that will differentiate this work from the services delivery review. “There’s going to be actual data, outlining ‘this is what you do now, and this is what it will look like if you do this.’ It will resonate well with people. If nothing else, at least they have the information.”

The CAO noted the study will be released publicly with the agenda package for the Aug. 12 meeting.

He said he would be looking for direction from council to allow him to do more analysis on the identified options that EORN will present.

The County is also planning to hold four town hall meetings – in each of Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills – after the study is out, and people have had an opportunity to read it.

“Then the public can ask questions of EORN, and myself, about the study. That may happen in late August.”

After that, he said his goal is to create orientation packages for the new council for mid-December, “and our target is to bring the study back to the new council Jan. 13 for discussion.”

Dyke added, “the province is interested in what’s going on with our study. So are some other municipalities across the province. We’re getting a lot of compliments on our process. It’s moving well and I think people will be satisfied with what’s come out of the study.”

Renovations

County council met for the first time Wednesday (July 22) in its new council chambers at 12 Newcastle St. in Minden.

Dyke said interior work in the former Land Registry Office wrapped up last week, with the parking lot being paved this week. While there are still some exterior modifications to be done, Dyke anticipated the retrofit would be complete by the end of July or the first week of August.

Meanwhile, Perfectly Built Inc. continues the job across the road at 11 Newcastle St., which used to house council chambers.

Dyke said last week, “the third floor is done now; where the old council chambers used to be, and they’re working on the second floor. We hope to have that building completely done by Labour Day.”

The CAO added they won’t host an official opening until all of the landscaping is finalized, which will likely be in September.

Last August, County council approved the $2.5 million project, borrowing the bulk of the money.

Dyke said the renovations at 12 Newcastle St. were a couple of months behind schedule; but they are on-schedule for the completion of the retrofit for 11 Newcastle St.

He said he would meet with public works director, Syl Cloutier, this week to go over the project budget and will provide a report to council in August.

Minden Hills-based animal rescue, Snowflake Meadows, hopes to break ground soon on its new kennel after raising more than $94,000 for the project in just over a years’ time.

Owner Kristyn Begbie told The Highlander she is amazed they were able to meet their fundraising goal in such a short period of time. She thought it would take five years. “I am honestly completely blown out of the water,” she said on Monday (July 13).

Begbie said their blizzard campaign, corporate sponsorships, and donated time, materials and expertise are key to the effort. Other money was raised via the magical festival fundraiser in early June, and Santa’s magical moments in November.

With the blizzard campaign, people were asked to make a $200 donation, after which their name, or business, was displayed on a snowflake on the rescue’s donation paw wall “symbolizing the public’s commitment to saving lives for decades to come.”

She added there were others who were “incredibly generous” by just giving monetary donations.

Now, all they are waiting for is a permit from the Township of Minden Hills. Begbie said a fall build would be ideal but, “any time would be ideal. I just want it to happen. I get phone calls every week about strays and I just don’t know where to put these dogs.” She said they have rescued more than 100 dogs since the beginning of this year.

The project is a full build of a 10-unit indoor-outdoor kennel facility. Begbie said, “this expansion will allow us to help more dogs in need and provide the safe, comfortable care they deserve.”

She further described it as a “safe, warm, and permanent shelter for countless animals in need. This facility will provide secure housing, medical care, and a stepping stone to forever homes, ensuring that every rescued animal has a chance at a brighter future.”

Begbie said in some ways she feels her mission is like climbing a mountain with no end. “But having 10 extra spaces lets me sleep a bit easier knowing that I’ve saved 10 more dogs from potentially being euthanized or hit by a car, or just not having the ability to have a second chance.”

She said as it is now, she has a “naughty” room in her house for newly-rescued dogs not ready to mix with others. They have their own crates and can be rotated for private trips outside. Other dogs can visit through a barrier. If the rescues are not ready to socialize, she can put up a curtain.

“To have these 10 kennels, it’s essentially going to be able to give me the time, and the dog, the time to decompress by itself in its own space before integrating it into the house to try to learn. It is a safer approach for me, my family, my three kids.”

Asked what she would like to say to campaign donors, Begbie said, “thank you for believing in me. Thank you for recognizing the need in this community for all the unwanted animals, or strays. From the bottom of my heart, I’m incredibly thankful to be supported to the degree that I am and to be able to do this with the support of the community. It’s not cheap. I can’t wait to have the opening party for it.”

The new executive director of the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Society (KHCAS) visited Haliburton last Wednesday (July 15) to meet with agency staff and Point in Time.

The Highlander asked Amanda BakerColacicco about a tumultuous time for the organization. In 2024, it was announced KHCAS would no longer have a physical office in Haliburton and would lose one full-time staff member. Shortly after, the province appointed a temporary supervisor, saying it no longer had confidence in the society’s ability to address operational issues and a growing deficit. The board resigned the same day.

Rosaleen Cutler was appointed supervisor, and later interim executive director. A new board was appointed last November. Cutler determined maintaining an office in Haliburton was a good plan, and while there was a job loss across the agency, she said it did not affect the Haliburton office.

Baker-Colacicco started June 15.

“My meeting with our staff this morning was really just to get a sense of what their day-to-day is like in service delivery. Service delivery in the different parts of our jurisdictional area look different, and require different partnerships – and just to get a sense from them how this time period has gone for them; what are their perspectives on things now; what I need to be aware of coming into my role,” she said in an interview.

The new ED added the organization is going into a strategic planning period, so she wanted to hear from long-standing staff members “of a team I am just joining. People were open, but equally excited and hopeful about the opportunities.”

She was asked about the uniqueness of Haliburton County, including higher poverty rates, and said while she is still becoming acclimated to the circumstances of the community, she was aware of high poverty rates, particularly high child poverty rates, “which for our service delivery is so relevant.”

She discussed, “a risk of maltreatment because of some of the systemic barriers that families may face and the stressors that can put on a family system.

“Our staff here do see different circumstances, not only because of the systemic realities but also what they have available to them in terms of resources spanning across a large jurisdictional area.”

Community partnerships

She said that in meeting with Point in Time, they chatted about working together to meet challenging needs, such as public transportation, or getting multiple services in one place at one time.

She feels being “quite” connected to community partners is important, noting she is new, but staff have been on the ground here for several years.

“Families and young people are facing a myriad of challenges, and it’s not just one phone call that’s going to make the difference. It’s often a partnership of service provision.”

Asked if staffing is keeping up with demand, Baker-Colacicco said the agency has been hiring. There are three protection staff in the Haliburton office and a manager who also oversees some staff in Lindsay. That is down from a receptionist, six staff, and a manager over the years.

But Baker-Colacicco said, “If we didn’t have enough staff to meet the service need, we would need to address that.”

She added, “generally speaking, the service volumes have trended down in child welfare. But, the circumstances that children, young people and families are facing in communities are increasingly complex.”

As for reassuring the community about the CAS presence going forward, BakerColacicco said “our services are critical to communities and our services are mandated.”

Speaking to finances, she said the KHCAS budget is not yet balanced. “And we don’t project to be in the near term.” She added the new board is still in a rebuilding stage, and looking for more members.

“We do not, at present, have board director representation from this part of our community, so I would love to hear the voice of Haliburton at our board table. That would be really meaningful.

“I believe in the future of KHCAS. I’m excited about the future of the organization. I believe it’s been a difficult couple of years, both for the organization, the impact on the community, and on our service recipients.”

Linda Lewis-Daly has been coming to Northern Eagle Trailer Park since the 1960s. The park, off Caribou Road between Minden and Haliburton, sits on Lake Kashagawigamog.

She said it was her intention to write a book about Northern Eagle for association members, but that project morphed into the history of the lost cabins, camps and lodges of the five-lake chain. It’s titled Lodging Legacies.

“I always say that this is book two, and I haven’t finished writing book one yet,” Lewis-Daly said while seated at the kitchen table of her trailer recently.

She ended up researching and writing about 44 places, and the Golden Slipper dance hall. She knows there’s others, including B&Bs, but information was scant.

“A lot of the original owners have died, like the lodges themselves have died.”

Lewis-Daly said her strong connection to Northern Eagle, and the nostalgia it evokes, represent a “visceral connection” for her. She knew those who had stayed at all of those former cabins, camps and lodges would have the same reaction to seeing those establishments featured in a book.

“I just love the lake. This is our little piece of heaven. Driving up the 404, the minute we get off onto Ravenshoe Road, the world changes; your breathing changes. We just love being here.”

She began the work by visiting Master’s Book Store in Haliburton to see what had already been written. Owner Kathy Stouffer was a great source of information. She read about the pioneering days and settling of the County. She joined the Haliburton County Genealogy Group, to tap into their resources. She added, “it’s amazing what information you can find in obituaries.”

She then sought out former owners and other people associated with the cabins, camps and lodges to conduct a series of interviews. A self-described introvert, it took her out of her comfort zone. During those chats, she was told some interesting tales, even some ghost stories, including this one from the Wigamog Inn.

Ghost stories

“One of the owners’ wives had passed away. She was killed in a car accident. She had been very precise in how she taught the dining staff to set the tables. When breakfast was set the night before, and if it wasn’t set exactly the way she had taught staff, when they came back in the morning, everything had been changed.”

There was another tale at another establishment about blood appearing on barn walls, then disappearing again.

Lewis-Daly was able to get the words, but also needed images. She sourced some online, others from interviewees. She got permission to use images of Group of Seven paintings, three of which depict Haliburton County.

Lewis-Daly said she felt it was an important piece of history to capture now.

“The importance of the project for me was the story. Some of the storytellers are starting to leave us. Some of the lodge owners that are still with us are in their 90s.”

She thinks Highlanders are good at telling stories orally, but not writing them down.

It’s been a true labour of love, with the author starting casual research before the pandemic. She recalled hosting guests from Lost Haliburton Boat Tours aboard the Lady of the Lake at Northern Eagle, which has an historic farmhouse from the late 1860s. One of the guests was looking for a red brick inscribed by family members and they found it. “Just watching her excitement sparked me to delve into that.”

Asked about the lost cabins, camps and lodges, Lewis-Daly said, “this was the heyday of tourism, and tourism is what has made the character of Haliburton County. And tourism, just like everything, has evolved and is changing. It is less the lodges and more the individually-owned cottages and income properties.”

She said the transient nature of short-term rentals is changing that history, “as opposed to guests becoming family members of the owners, and the forming of lifelong friendships.”

Lewis-Daly said she is excited the book is out there. “My goal now is for people to read it and to have the book invoke their own memories. Or to help people understand the history of tourism and how it’s changed. The reception has been really great.”

The book is available at Master’s Book Store in Haliburton.