The public will get a look Jan. 29 at the work the County has been doing on floodplain mapping of the Gull and Burnt rivers.

County director of planning, Steve Stone, said on Jan. 10 the “long-awaited” public gathering for the project is scheduled for 3-8 p.m. at the Minden Recreation Centre.

He said the County’s partners, the Ganaraska Conservation Authority, will be on hand for the meeting.

“Cory Harris and his team will be presenting to the public in a very tactile environment over the course of the evening, where people can come in and actually look at the mapping, and request to see how it affects their property,” Stone said.

“All are welcome and it should be an exciting time to see the finished product.”

Stone has said in the past the main purpose of the project “is to prevent loss of lives, property and land caused by flooding.”

Following 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 floods, the County partnered with the Ganaraska and Kawartha Region conservation authorities on the work that began in 2017.

It started with phase one, when the County got money under the National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) for LiDAR, an acronym for light detection and ranging, which is laser imaging used to get elevation data. It was done in 2018-19, with data delivered in 2020.

It was also in 2020 that the province launched its flooding strategy in Minden. It called for understanding flood risks, strengthening governance of flood risks, enhancing flood preparedness, response and recovery, and investing in flood risk reduction.

Phase two of the local project involved bathymetric data, which the partners also got NDMP money for. It’s the measurement of the depth of water in rivers or lakes. Bathymetric maps look like topographic maps, with lines to show the shape and elevation of land features. Work on that was done in 2021-2022.

Phases three and four involved technical work, developing hydrologic and hydraulic models, and the flood mapping itself.

The study area is more than 2,800-squarekilometres of drainage; 400-plus kilometres of channels; 23 lakes, 42 dams and key areas within the Parks Canada-TSW system.

Stone noted in the province’s flooding strategy, flooding is the most significant natural hazard in Ontario in terms of death, damage and civil disruption and the costliest natural disaster in Canada in terms of property damage.

He said this project will address the number one priority of understanding flood risks and how they can be mitigated and risk-managed.

“The deliverables of this project will include updated, and where applicable, the creation of new floodplain mapping for the reservoir lakes and the connecting rivers that are frequently impacted by flooding,” he said.

“Updated floodplain mapping will be used to reduce the impact of flooding by directing new development to safer locations and regulating legacy development within the floodplain and flood fringe areas.

“Enhanced knowledge of the location of the flood susceptible areas will allow the County and local municipalities to plan the most efficient emergency response efforts, reducing the impact of flooding on the population and making our communities more resilient”.

More than 100 Highlands students are facing a school suspension after the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) district health unit last week issued a final warning for parents to update their child’s immunization records.

The Immunization of School Pupils Act requires all students in Ontario to be vaccinated, or have a valid exemption, against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease, and varicella.

HKPR is mandated by the Ontario government to maintain and review vaccine records for every student attending school in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton County, said health unit spokesperson Ashley Beaulac. Anyone with an incomplete record is at risk of being suspended from school for up to 20 days, or until health records are updated, she noted.

The unit mailed out 1,374 suspension notices to parents of students in Grade 3 and Grades 9 to 12, who do not meet the current requirements – including 103 in the County.

“Most students who receive notices do have their immunizations and just need to update their records with the health unit, as we do not receive updates from health care providers,” said Marianne Rock, manager of communicable disease prevention and control with HKPR. “We are here to support families by helping parents complete their child’s immunization record, whether that be updating the incomplete file or booking an appointment at a clinic to receive a missing vaccination.”

Records can be checked online via the Immunization Connect Ontario portal (hkpr. icon.ehealthontario.ca), or by contacting HKPR at 866-888-4577 ext. 1507, or immunization@hkpr.on.ca.

An immunization clinic has been scheduled in Haliburton Jan. 26, running from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the HKPR office on Highland Street. There are clinics in Lindsay Jan. 22, 24 and 29. Appointments can be booked online via the HKPR website, or by calling 1-866-888-4577 ext. 1507.

Dr. Natalie Bocking, HKPR medical officer of health, said the unit is still playing catchup after the immunization program was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed in fall 2022, after a two-plus year hiatus, with over 2,700 immunization records being updated since then.

She said the health unit would work with parents to ensure children are appropriately vaccinated and don’t miss out on class time.

“As part of our continued work to prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases, our teams have been working diligently with local school boards to support parents through the process… I am proud of the progress we’ve made,” Bocking said.

Any student who is still missing a vaccination by Feb. 5 could face a suspension, she said.

Despite a last-minute groundswell of opposition to a shortterm rental bylaw, County councillors have pledged to continue on the path of ensuring rules and regulations are in place for the spring.

Jacqueline Baptist, a STR operator in Algonquin Highlands, made a delegation to County council Jan. 10 and warden Liz Danielsen said councillors had received a number of recent emails calling on them to revisit plans.

Baptist said she believed council would agree with her that STRs contribute to the local economy and employment. She added, “STRs have become an essential part of the accommodator landscape in Haliburton County, [with an] estimated 77 per cent of accommodation units.”

She said while they should be regulated and safe, problem renters should be fined under existing bylaws, and, “a successful bylaw will be the one that is complied with.”

Baptist said her research indicates the average Haliburton County host is “not an investor or fat cat,” earning $9,000 in annual rental income, renting less than 50 nights a year, and paying income tax via GST.

She further estimated that hosting contributes $50-millionplus to the economy annually, with an estimate based on 1,350 STRs, with four guests over 50 nights. She added renters spend money on groceries, restaurants and attractions and there are jobs for cleaners, maintenance and groundskeeping.

She said hosts were asking the County to pause approval and implantation until a Tiny township case is heard to avoid potential legal action. They then want a phased-in approach; in year one registering all STRs, monitoring problem properties and enforcing existing noise, fire, fireworks and septic bylaws. In year two, they want consideration of “cumbersome, expensive, discriminatory” aspects of the bylaw, “namely shoreline road allowance purchase, a municipal accommodation tax on STRs only, providing older and seasonal buildings meet all building code, fire code, electricity act, planning and municipal bylaws and WETT and septic inspections within three years.”

Claims no consultation ‘laughable’

Danielsen said after receiving correspondence on the file the past month or so, she wanted to ensure all councillors were on the same page in proceeding with a bylaw. Council also received a legal opinion in closed session.

Coun. Bob Carter said, “we have over 20,000 people in Haliburton County and we’ve got about 100 pieces of correspondence, most of which seems to have been centrally orchestrated because they use the same turn of phrase. You see the same paragraphs in many of them.”

He added, “we’ve been working at this for six years or more. It’s laughable when people think there hasn’t been enough public consultation. People are saying ‘we never had a chance to talk to you about it,’ well, yeah, you did. I think we need to be going at this to get this in place by this spring.”

Coun. Cec Ryall agreed, noting council has pledged to review the bylaw in a reasonable timeframe and make any changes deemed necessary. “As long as we’re going to do that, we have that safety hitch in place for anything not working the way we thought it would. We’re doing this the right way, with a fair amount of due diligence, as much as we can, to put some safety in there. This is very dynamic and important to the people we represent.”

Coun. Murray Fearrey wasn’t convinced by Baptist’s math. He said he knows some renters making $25,000-a-month and others $10,000-a-week. He also said the argument that it is going to be too onerous – meeting fire, safety and septic rules – doesn’t fly for him. He also said the townships do not have the staff to be going to STR call-outs in the middle of the night to enforce existing bylaws.

“I think our approach was right. It was well orchestrated and organized.”

He conceded Baptist made some good points but, “we’re way past going back and starting over, it’s time we moved on.”

Staffing challenges continue for both the Haliburton emergency department and Minden’s urgent care clinic, with the clinic forced to close its doors Jan. 15, for the first time since going full-time.

The Kawartha North Family Health Team, which operates the clinic at the former Minder ER site, posted to its Facebook page Jan. 12 that this past Monday’s shuttering was “due to staffing issues” and apologized for the inconvenience.

The move coincides with comments by County councillor and Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter, claiming people are being turned away at the clinic because current staff cannot handle patient volumes.

Carter told a Jan. 10 County council meeting he’s heard stories of people showing up at the clinic at 11 a.m. and not being seen as “they’ve got enough people already in the waiting room for the rest of the day.”

He further claimed the Haliburton ER is being overrun with patients with insufficient staff.

Carter was addressing an upcoming Haliburton County delegation to the Ministry of Health that has been approved for the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference Jan. 21-23 in Toronto.

Speaking to Carter’s claims, Marina Hodson, executive director of KNFHT told The Highlander on Jan. 11, “I don’t know that that’s (11 a.m.) ever happened. In fact, I would say it’s never happened. That seems unlikely that we maxed out in an hour (the clinic opens at 10 a.m.).”

However, she conceded, “there are days, absolutely, we have had to turn people away. It’s not the norm by any means. Most days we do seem to be able to accommodate everybody.”

Hodson said they recently added some second nurse practitioner staffing during the week, “which I think will help. I think overall, we seem to be managing quite well. In December, we had well over 300 patients that we were able to see.”

County to speak to Ministry of Health

Hodson said since opening full-time Oct. 3, the clinic is averaging around 25 people a day. Hodson added the figure does not include people they have to send to Haliburton emergency, but there are “very few” of those.

The executive director said they’re technically supposed to have two full-time nurse practitioners and they only have one, as well as part-timers.

“That’s always the challenge, is getting nurse practitioners, it’s the same as getting physicians… we’re getting there but we’re not quite there yet, but pretty close. So, we definitely need one and I just reposted it again. But it’s not easy.”

Hodson said they had not had to close or reduce hours as a result, until Dec. 15.

It’s going to become an issue. When you only have one NP… first of all, we can’t see as many patients in a day. But the second thing is what happens when that NP wants to take vacation because they don’t want to work 52 weeks a year, and we don’t want them to either because then they burn out and we have no care. So, when she needs time off, how are we going to accommodate that? Because our part-timers work weekends. Most of them have other jobs.”

She said they may be able to plug in a day here or there but cannot commit to a full week, for example.

Haliburton ER numbers

Lauren Ernst, communications for Haliburton Highlands Health Services, said on Jan. 15 they’d experienced “periodic staffing pressures due to illnesses.”

She added the emergency department and inpatient unit nursing staff had become more stable, and their reliance on agency staff has reduced from 151 12-hour shifts in June to 59 12-hour shifts in December.

“Unfortunately, HHHS is not alone in this – many rural hospitals in Ontario are feeling similar pressures,” she said.

Ernst said that during peak seasons, such as the summer, HHHS upstaffs nursing and physician coverage. “Now that we are in regular season, we are at our regular staffing complement.” However, she added, “we continue to rely heavily on locum physicians to cover ED shifts as we continue to recruit for permanent ED physicians. We encourage everyone to welcome potential staff and physicians as they try out our community.”

As for patient volume, Ernst said the department saw 1,112 people in December; 1,085 in November, 1,330 in October, 1,395 in September, 1,831 in August, 1,966 in July and 1,495 in June.

Asked for context she said, emergency department (ED) volumes are based on all patients who were triaged, seen by a physician, and then discharged (sent home), transferred to another facility for further care, admitted into the inpatient unit, or passed away.

County council and Minden Matters

Carter said the County, province and country are in a health care “crisis.” He would like the provincial government to reconsider funding medical students in exchange for them practising in underserviced areas.

He said he had spoken with visiting locums and, “they’re not interested in coming here.” He added the province is opening the door to doctors from the U.S., Australia, UK and Ireland, but they want to practice in the city, not rural and regional Ontario.

Warden Liz Danielsen, who now sits on the Haliburton Highlands Health Services board, said HHHS had given her a one-page document for the ROMA delegation. She said she’s been asked to stress things such as transportation, housing, and the need locally for a community centre and swimming pool.

“I get it that the doctors would like to have a pool but that’s far beyond our capabilities, given the other priorities that we’ve got in place right now,” Danielsen said.

Coun. Murray Fearrey also raised the issue of agency nurses making $100-an-hour, working alongside staff nurses at $40-an-hour, saying the province has to address that inequity.

Minden Hills coun. Pam Sayne sits on the board of ROMA and said they would be releasing a fact-based paper on the rural health crisis at the conference.

Meanwhile, responding to the Canadian Medical Association again emphasizing it is in crisis due to staffing, Minden Matters issued a press release Jan. 11.

They are calling on the Ontario government to take immediate action to reopen the Minden emergency department and invest in rural healthcare facilities.

They say rural Ontarians are experiencing significant difficulties in accessing timely and high-quality healthcare services.

“The closure of rural hospitals, coupled with a shortage of healthcare professionals, has left these communities vulnerable and underserved. The strain on the remaining healthcare facilities, including emergency rooms, has reached critical levels.”

They are calling, in part, for increased funding to attract and retain nurses and doctors in rural areas.

“Scholarships, loan forgiveness initiatives, and financial incentives should be implemented to encourage healthcare professionals to practice in rural communities. By promoting rural healthcare as an attractive career path, we can ensure a sustainable workforce in these areas.”

Terra Lightfoot says she had such a great time playing in Haliburton in January 2023 that she wants to do it all over again.

The Haliburton County Folk Society is bringing Lightfoot and her band to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 129 in Haliburton on Jan. 27.

Lightfoot, now a resident of the County, says she is feeling very much at home these days.

“Since we did this last year, I have gotten to know many more folks in the community, so I am excited to see some friends,” she said.

A recent campaign by the County’s tourism department, claiming the Highlands is ‘where the stars hang out’ appears to ring true for musicians who perform in the community, folk society spokesman Barrie Martin said.

He said Lightfoot is one of those stars. “CBC Music describes her as, ‘one of Canada’s best all around musicians… an amazing tour de force, the complete package. Her new album Healing Power is creating a buzz’.” Martin added Spill Magazine says, “‘you can actually feel that release of personal energy that makes this album Lightfoot’s most accomplished yet’.”

With four studio albums to her credit, along with Polaris Prize and Juno Award nominations, Lightfoot is, according to Martin, “a singer/songwriter with a huge voice, big heart, and gutsy guitar that is full of reverb, short, repetitive hooks, and bouncy rhythms. Even if you attended her concert last year, this one offers a whole new set of songs, an abundance of talent, and love of community.”

The concert will start with a performance by Christina Hutt from the Huntsville area. Martin said, “she can fill a room with her rich, resonant, out-of-this era voice and move you with her honest, charismatic delivery. You can expect a little blues and soul and a lot of country.”

Tickets can be purchased at haliburtonfolk. com. To find out more about Lightfoot, visit terralightfoot.com

The show is presented by the Haliburton County Folk Society, a part of the Haliburton County Community Cooperative. For more information about the Co-op see haliburtoncooperative.on.ca.

Summer 2024 may seem a long way off, but the Highlands Summer Festival (HSF) recently announced its July and August offerings.

HSF president Brian Kipping said, “we have an exciting line-up of live theatre and concert offerings for this summer. I know our patrons will find it an enjoyable list with lots of variety.”

Up first will be the musical comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Spokesman Jack Brezina said the awardwinning musical will test those who suffer from ortographobia (the fear of spelling a word incorrectly).

“The tale follows an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents as they vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of words. The show will have audience participation and upbeat music,” Brezina said. It opens July 2 for nine performances.

Second up, the festival revisits a favourite of theatre patrons worldwide, William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker. “Twelveyear-old Helen Keller lived in a prison of silence and darkness. Deaf, blind, and mute from an illness as a baby, with no way to express herself or comprehend those around her, she flew into primal rages against anyone who tried to help her, fighting with a strength born of furious desperation. Then Annie Sullivan came. Half-blind herself, but possessing an almost fanatical determination, she would begin a frightening and incredibly moving struggle to tame the wild girl no one could reach,” Brezina said. The Tony award-winning play opens July 15 for eighth performances.

The Canadian folk trio, and award-winners, The Good Lovelies bring their country/folk repertoire, with tinges of pop, roots, jazz and sometimes hip-hop, July 24-26, for three performances.

Then, Gail, a beekeeper, and Earl, both recently estranged from their spouses, and living across from each other on a country road, find their lives turned upside down in the Mark Crawford comedy, The Birds & The Bees. “Gail’s daughter, Sarah, running away from an unhappy marriage, returns home unexpectedly. Add the arrival of Ben, an over-eager graduate student there to determine the cause of the collapse of Gail’s bee population, and it presents an engaging mix of people with lots to teach about the birds & the bees.” This show for 13 and ups opens July 28 for six performances.

The season ends with the return of Leisa Way and her Wayward Wind Band’s Opry Gold. Their latest concert features popular country songs from the last few decades. The show opens Aug. 4 for five performances.

“With a line-up like that, patrons will want to see all five shows,” artistic producer Scot Denton said.

For more information, see highlandssummerfestival.on.ca; call 705-4579933 or 855-457-9933 or mail Highlands Summer Festival, Box 938, Haliburton, Ontario, K0M 1S0.

In a quest for redemption against the Kawartha Coyotes from Omemee, the U11 Rep team unleashed a determined and electrifying performance at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena Jan. 6 that resonated throughout the game.

The team came out strong in the first period outplaying their opponents and keeping most of the play in their end. With only three minutes remaining in the period, Carter McCord capitalized on an opportune moment securing the first goal with help from Maddex Reynolds and Rowan Little.

The second period saw tension rising between the two teams with a penalty kill and a powerplay for the Storm. A solid hustle from defencemen Blake Little and R. Little helped top scorer Austin Cunningham take the lead to 2-0. A few minutes later, winger Reynolds, assisted by Lucas Lawson, closed the period at 3-0.

The final period had copious amounts of penalties from both sides but goalkeeper Liam Scheffee kept his composure and showed off his skills in spectacular fashion by only conceding one goal, while his teammates added four more to make it a 7-1 win.

Cunningham got two more goals to get a well-deserved hat trick, while McCord and Reynolds each found the back of the net for a second time. Defenceman Wyatt Braun’s slap shots from the blueline almost found the back of the net, while wingers Will Brown, Ethan Draker, Chase Casey and Reynolds applied continuous pressure, forcing the other team to cough up the puck.

The game concluded with the U11 Rep team emerging victorious, exhibiting not only redemption but also a remarkable display of teamwork, skill and unwavering determination on the ice. Thank you to all the local fans who came out and looking forward to the second half of the season.

The Haliburton County Huskies go into the OJHL All-Star break this weekend with a five-game winning streak since returning from Christmas holidays.

The blue and white racked up a 4-1 win over the Toronto Patriots Dec. 29. Lucas Stevenson led the way with two goals, while Patrick Saini and Charlie Fink chipped in the others.

They backed that up with a New Year’s Eve victory over rival Wellington Dukes. The 4-2 decision saw tallies from Saini, Alex Bradshaw with two, and Ty Petrou.

The squad rang in the new year with a 5-4 win over the Stouffville Spirit Jan. 4. Goal scorers were Lucas Marshall, Stevenson, Saini, Hunter Martell, and Fink.

January 6 saw the Huskies beat their Hwy. 35 rivals, the Lindsay Muskies, 4-1. Bradshaw tallied in this one as did Stevenson, Petrou and Saini.

And on Jan. 7, the Huskies squeaked out a 3-2 decision over the Pickering Panthers. Stevenson, Saini and Petrou all found the back of the net.

Commenting on the streak – that has seen the team climb to fourth place in the East Conference with a record of 23 wins, 14 losses, and two ties for 48 points – team captain Saini said, “everyone’s really starting to figure out what we have to do to win.”

He added, “it’s not easy to win day in and day out. It takes work but I think we’re starting to figure out winning habits. It starts with practice. I think we have a lot of confidence because when you win games, you find your confidence. So, we’re able to come back in games we’re down and hold teams off. It’s good.”

While Saini, Petrou, Stevenson and Fink are no strangers to the tally sheet, Bradshaw has been chipping in as well as Marshall and D-man Martell. The captain said that’s important.

“It’s always nice to see the other guys put some in because when everyone’s scoring, everyone’s having fun.”

All-Star celebration

Saini will be representing the Huskies at the All-Star celebration in Collingwood this coming weekend.

The event features games, a skills competition and gala community activities. The all-star game is 5 p.m. Jan. 13.

Saini said, “those things are a huge honour and they’re a lot of fun so I’m hoping to go represent Halliburton County the best way I can and enjoy my time.” Lucas Vacca has been named an alternate for the East team.

Meanwhile, Husky head coach and general manager, Ryan Ramsay, is coaching the prospects team and goalie Logan Kennedy has been named to that squad. Saini said the goalie deserved the pick as he has played well for the Huskies.

After the All-Star Celebration, the Huskies return to action on the road. They are scheduled to play in Toronto versus the Junior Canadiens Jan. 14

“That’s a huge game for us,” Saini said. The Huskies have just eight home games remaining on the 2023-24 regular season schedule. They are next at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena Jan. 20.

“We had a lot of home games before the break so we’re on the road a little bit more coming up,” Saini said. “That’s alright. I know that when we come home, the fans are going to be pumping and it’s going to be a great atmosphere to play in. So, we’ll be ready to play when we get the chance to play at home and we’ll take care of business on the road.”

An online version of SIRCH Community Service’s popular School’s Cool program is starting up this month, with coordinator, Brittany Rance, saying there’s space for up to 15 children.

The initiative has been running periodically since 1999, serving as an academic taster for kids preparing to enter the public school system. Rance noted the upcoming program is for children going into kindergarten in 2024.

“We like to say School’s Cool levels the playing field for every child. The program is dedicated to boosting your child’s confidence, getting them used to socializing with other kids, listening and responding to instruction, and learning new skills,” Rance said. “We work on mastering the alphabet, numbers, problem-solving, language, and math.”

The six-week program launches Jan. 15, running until Feb. 22, with four days of instruction – Monday to Thursday – for two hours each day.

The program is delivered by two instructors virtually via Google Classroom. Kits will be distributed to all participants, containing materials needed to complete activities. Rance said parents are required to accompany their child and assist with activities.

Participation is free, Rance noted.

This will be the second time the program has been offered virtually, following a pilot in October 2022. Rance believes there’s lots of positives to online learning.

“It’s a great opportunity for kids who can’t get out to still have access to learning and see other kids,” she said. “There’s a lot of misconceptions about online… but with School’s Cool, the instructors are really good about setting kids up for success. If we notice they’re getting restless, we’ll give them moving breaks, teach them ways to calm their body.

“Setting kids up for success is the primary goal. It’s important for them to start learning things on their own, getting used to being in a learning environment so that when they go into school it’s not so much of a shock. There’s a lot of anxiety around a child taking that next step and going to school. We work to ease that stress and build confidence as much as possible,” she added.

To learn more, or see if spots are still available email info@sirch.on.ca or call 705-457-1742.

Eighteen months after launching a new theatre production company aiming to get more Highlands youth interested in acting, co-founders Amy Leis and Tim Nicholson feel like they’ve hit the jackpot.

Last year was a busy one for the Ctrl-ARTDel team. After bringing its debut production, Cherubs, to life on-stage at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion last spring, Leis and Nicholson have been hard at work preparing for the troupe’s 2024 season.

There will be three shows – A Valentine’s Cabaret, a one-night show at the pavilion Feb. 16; Mustard, their premiere production, will run for four shows May 2 to 4, also at the pavilion; and The Wolves, featuring an ensemble cast, plays five show at the Haliburton Legion Aug. 15 to 17.

We’re really excited about this upcoming season… We have a lot of young performers who have gotten involved and will be making their stage debut, which was the whole reason [for forming] Ctrl-ART-Del,” Leis said.

The duo worked with four youth at a series of workshops late in the summer, with three of them cast in this year’s productions and the other apprenticing as stage manager.

Auditions held at the Haliburton Legion late last year were a huge success, Leis noted, with most roles for all three shows now filled.

It was two, full, 12-hour days. There were some wonderful surprise moments – we had several young kids that had never been on stage before come in and absolutely blow us away,” Leis said.

Nicholson said the recent response, particularly to the open casting call, was overwhelming.

“The response we’ve had from the community has been incredible. After the success of Cherubs, we knew the demand was there. It’s been a heartwarming ride. It’s been validating. It feels like the ideas we had a year-and-a-half ago when we decided to do this – we were right. There is a place in the County for young contemporary theatre,” Nicholson said.

The new season debuts with A Valentine’s Cabaret, a collection of nine, 10-minute productions headlined by Jerelyn Craden, bringing her Maybelle Morton character, known to listeners of CanoeFM, to life on-stage for the very first time. The show boasts a 30-member cast, most of them teenagers, Leis notes.

The cabaret, promoted as a “wild romp of one act plays, improv and music for both the romantics and the cynics,” will serve as a fundraiser for Ctrl-ART-Del’s two feature productions.

Mustard is a Canadian dark comedy written by Kat Sandler, focusing on a 16-year-old girl having trouble shaking her childhood imaginary best friend. “It’s a real coming-ofage story about having to accept change and the things we go through as we grow up,” Leis said, noting the cast is made up of six performers – all locals.

The 2024 season will end with The Wolves, which follows the trials and tribulations of a girls’ indoor soccer team. Seven of the 10 characters included have been cast, with Leis and Nicholson still looking to round out the team.

“The roles are for three teenage girls – anyone who might be interested, get in touch and we’d be happy to set up an audition,” Leis said.

For more information, or to schedule an audition, contact info@ctrlartdel.ca.