The miracle of giving

August 21, 2024

By all accounts, the finale of last Friday’s MooseFM radiothon in Haliburton was quite a thing.

The annual fundraiser began Aug. 15 as on-air host Rick Lowes worked his usual radio marathon magic to try to help Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation raise money for the mammography unit that is coming to Haliburton hospital.

We were told that on Friday, about noon, Melanie Klodt Wong, the Foundation’s executive director, announced that Eagle Lake resident, Richard Muir, had doubled his matching offer from up to $100,000 to up to $200,000.

As reported in the Aug. 15 Highlander, Muir said his life was saved while in care at the Haliburton hospital. A businessman from Toronto who cottages on Eagle Lake, he recalled that in September 2022, he went into sudden cardiac arrest for four minutes. He was helped by nurses and doctors to recover. Muir remembers hearing the beeping sound of the heart rate monitoring machine and hearing nurses screaming, “we’re losing him.” He described the procedure he had as “life-changing, excellent care.” That’s why he put up the matching funds. And with six hours to go on the radiothon, he upped the ante.

Shortly after that, Kim Emmerson, of Emmerson Lumber, was interviewed about the importance of health care locally and made a contribution of $25,000.

The cash donations and pledges kept rolling in. It appeared the public got the message of how important the campaign is to generally improve health care locally as well as how getting CT mammography installed in the fall will facilitate early screening for breast cancer and save lives.

At about 5:15 p.m. – 45 minutes shy of the end – they were still about $22,000 short of $167,000 in pledges (which was the amount they needed with the double match from Muir, and Scott and Chere Campbell who also stepped up), to take them over $500,000 in total.

Klodt Wong said on the radio that while it was a huge stretch, if they could get another $22,000 in the remaining three quarters of an hour, with the double match it would take them over $500,000 in total – and Lowes challenged listeners to call in with their pledges.

The phones lit up again, but by 5:45 p.m. or so, they were still about $15,000 short. Then, they had a $25,000 gift from Tammy and Tran LaRue from Minden Subaru, who were the presenting sponsors. With the double match, this blew the campaign over $500,000.

For those who were listening, it was an incredible flurry of activity. And once again, we are humbled by a community that could raise half-a-million dollars in two days.

And, let’s not forget, this was just one fundraising initiative over the past week or so. The Help a Village Effort, or HELP, based in Minden raised $25,000 at a golf tournament Aug. 15 to help put wells and toilets in villages in India. Others contributed to Miracle Treat Day Aug. 8. Katie Woodward collected coin for Sick Kids on her bicycle, the Minden Community Food Centre received proceeds from Bob Lake’s Rock the Dock, and The Amazing Race. The Kinmount District Health Services Foundation held a successful fundraising event, and the TORC boat races dumped more money into the Foundation’s and hospital’s coffers. Once again, we are humbled by the Highlands’s miracle of giving.

Brazen daytime theft from new business

Lisa Gervais

August 15, 2024

Just nine days after Handmade Heaven in Haliburton opened its doors, a brazen daytime theft has left owner Sam Milne and staff “shocked.”

However, an outpouring of support from the community in the wake of stolen cash from the till has bolstered their moods.

Milne said that on Aug. 9, “we had a couple in the store pretending to buy items and distract my staff. The male went behind our cash desk and stole a substantial amount of cash from our till.

“This is a really big hit to our Handmade Heaven store as we have been open less than two weeks. As my staff followed the remaining female out of the store, her male partner was already waiting in the getaway car in the middle of Highland Street and took off east on Highland Street.”

Milne said it happened just before 2:30 p.m. last Friday. He said they appeared to be expert thieves.

“Obviously, I was in shock.”

He said everyone in town was saying that the same type of thing had happened elsewhere. One story was that the suspects pretended to drop change and then stole a wallet from a purse behind the cash at another store. He said he heard stories from along Hwy. 48, and Fenelon Falls.

He said it appeared the couple had been on an Ontario-wide crime spree.

Store owner appreciates community

OPP said Aug. 14, “this was a distraction theft, not a robbery. No weapons or violence were used. Haliburton Highlands OPP has canvassed local establishments for video in attempts to identify the suspects. The incident is still being investigated and we are following up on any possible leads we receive.”

Milne said people had responded to a post he put up on Facebook. One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, dropped off a card with some money, writing “I hope this helps in some way.” The store owner said, “with all of this going on, I definitely wanted to take something negative and put it to a positive. That’s the way I always do things. But I wasn’t expecting that at all. I said ‘are you sure? Do you want me to say your name?’ She said ‘no’. It was just amazing. He added that on Aug. 13 another person dropped in to donate money and would not take ‘no’ for an answer.

“It goes with everything that’s been about this store since we opened. This store is doing better than our stores in the mall. It’s literally triple what I thought it would be. There’s so much support. Everybody in the store is amazing. My staff say ‘these are the friendliest people that we’ve ever come across’.”

He said this incident is a definite blip. “It was just people from who knows where up to no good.”

He hopes to never see the people who robbed the store again, and hopes they are caught by OPP.

The store opened Aug. 1 in the former Halco Electronics space. It is Milne’s sixth location, with stores in Peterborough, Barrie, Oakville, Markham and Toronto.

Minden mom calls for non-bus tax relief

Mike Baker

August 15, 2024

Minden resident Aurora McGinn is requesting a reduction in education-related taxes for all families impacted by Trillium Lakelands District School Board’s (TLDSB) decision to amend bus ridership eligibility for the upcoming school year.

TLDSB informed parents in April it had recently completed a review of transportation routes in Haliburton County, with elementary-aged students living within 1.6 kilometres of school, and high school students within 3.2 kilometres, no longer being bused to, and from, school.

Carolynne Bull, communications lead at TLDSB, said the change will impact roughly 100 students in Minden and Haliburton villages and one in Wilberforce. McGinn feels those families should be compensated for what she sees as a reduction in service.

“I would love for my daughter, Marina, and the rest of the children in my community to have school bus service restored this coming school year – but if that is not possible, then I think residents shouldn’t have to pay for a service they no longer receive,” McGinn told The Highlander.

She has submitted official requests to Minden Hills, TLDSB, and MPP Laurie Scott, looking for a reduction to the education component on all future tax bills.

Minden mayor Bob Carter noted, while tax bills are sent out by municipal governments each year, local councils have no say in what is billed for education.

“The school board provides us with the tax rates and the municipality is tasked with collecting… the municipality plays no role in [determining] the amount that is being collected,” Carter said.

Bull noted education taxes, used to fund elementary and secondary schools across Ontario, are set by the provincial government. People are billed depending on their home values, established by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. She said the school board has no authority to reduce taxes.

Scott’s office did not provide comment by press time.

Concerns remain

McGinn said she hasn’t been satisfied by TLDSB responses on why the changes are happening.

Bull said students in Minden and Haliburton were eligible to be bused despite living within a reasonable distance to schools due to “historical exceptions.” She noted TLDSB transportation staff reviewed bus routes for Haliburton County during the previous school year.

“The review could not identify the reason for this historical exception, however it was noted conditions in the villages of Minden and Haliburton are similar to those in other areas of review, including Bracebridge, Huntsville, Kirkfield, Kilworthy, and Fenelon Falls, and similar to conditions across TLDSB for schools without any exception areas,” she said.

Bull reiterated the changes were made to ensure TLDSB is applying fair practices to all students board-wide. McGinn believes it all comes down to money.

“My guess is there will be less buses on the road this coming school year, with longer routes… I believe TLDSB is focusing more on cost, than student safety. If TLDSB is cutting bus service because they think it is safe for students, and the decision has nothing to do with money, then asking for a reduction in our education levy seems reasonable,” McGinn said, again calling for TLDSB to release details of the review.

Bull confirmed there has been a reduction to the number of buses due to route efficiencies that have been made, but noted that was across the entire TLDSB region, not just in Haliburton County. She said due to the way the province funds TLDSB, she could not say if there would be any cost savings.

Minden investment

Carter said his township is investing money to improve safety for students walking to school.

On Aug. 8, Minden council passed a bylaw creating municipal safety zones on two of the township’s busiest thoroughfares. The first is on Bobcaygeon Road between the cemetery and Hwy. 35, with the other on Water Street between Bobcaygeon Road and Hwy. 35.

Carter said signage notifying drivers of the new 40 km/h speed limit, as well as two digital speed signs, would be installed before the start of school Sept. 3.

Survivors say mammograms save lives

Lillie Qiu

August 15, 2024

The Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation will be having its Radiothon Aug. 15 and 16. The Radiothon will again be hosted by 93.5 MooseFM. The intent is to improve healthcare by bringing mammography services to the Haliburton hospital.

Melanie Klodt Wong, executive director of the Foundation said, “Radiothon has been an amazing staple in the community for raising funds. We’re really grateful to MooseFM for hosting and for Minden Subaru for being a corporate sponsor and allowing us to take over the radio station for two days and do marathon, 12-hour days, to raise as much money as we can. I think what’s important to community is that it gets people excited about what we’re raising money for.”

In the Highlands, at least 6,000 women don’t have access to regular breast cancer screenings. They need to travel outside of the County in order to get mammograms.

The Radiothon will feature interviews with survivors, who will talk about the importance of screening, health care specialists, and those who have been touched by the healthcare they’ve received at HHHS.

Richard Muir is one of those patients whose life was saved while in care at the Haliburton hospital. He will be matching donations up to $100,000 for the Radiothon.

Muir is a businessman from Toronto who cottages at Eagle Lake. In September 2022, he went into sudden cardiac arrest for four minutes and was helped by nurses and doctors to recover. Muir remembers hearing the beeping sound of the heart rate monitoring machine and hearing nurses screaming, “we’re losing him.” The businessman described the procedure he had as “life-changing, excellent care.”

Muir is matching donations to express thanks.

Breast cancer survivors

Tammy Rea details how she got a letter during COVID-19 saying she was due for a mammogram, and how she’d normally be the kind of person to just put something like that aside, but for some reason, made a call, and was scheduled in promptly.

“Eventually, it turned out that I had stage-zero breast cancer, which is amazing, because even when my surgeon knew where it was, she still couldn’t feel it. Nothing else would have found that. But the mammogram picked it up. So, the mammogram meant, and only the mammogram meant, that I was diagnosed at stage zero.”

On the importance of getting a mammography unit at the Haliburton hospital, Rea said, “I have the gut feeling my friends in the city get a better shot at fighting breast cancer because they’re diagnosed earlier. I think if we have the machine here, the machine is so modern and new, it takes less time and is less painful.”

Rea also participated in a 15-km swimming challenge with the Canadian Cancer Society to raise funds for mammography services.

Darlene Armstrong, who was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, at the age of 45, was shocked at her diagnosis. “I had a healthy and very active lifestyle, so it was very surprising for me to discover a lump.”

Armstrong added, “when I heard we were getting a mammography unit here, I was excited, because I had to travel, as does everybody else in this community. I traveled to Peterborough, and so the fact people won’t have to travel is huge. I’m incredibly fortunate I have the means to travel. I have a vehicle, but lots of people in our County don’t, and it’s just going to be so beneficial to people in our community.

The Radiothon will be broadcasting from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is hosted by Rick Lowes. The number to call is 705-457-1580.

MH to talk to community about strategic plan

Lisa Gervais

August 15, 2024

Minden Hills council has given the go-ahead to talk to community members in the lead-up to doing a strategic plan.

CAO Cynthia Fletcher asked council Aug. 8 to allow staff to issue a request for proposals (RFP), looking for a facilitator to lead a community engagement project. She said the township could use money already set aside for a strategic plan. She originally sought approval July 25, but council wanted more information, specifically around the apparent staged approach, since usually one firm does community engagement as part of a strategic plan.

Fletcher told council last week, “the intent of the recommendation is not to deviate away from developing a strategic/priority plan, but to initiate the necessary community engagement. Having the information from the community engagement phase may help shape the requirements to develop the township’s long-range guiding plan.”

Council had already set aside $50,000 for a strategic plan. However, Fletcher said with turnover in senior leadership positions, the work had not started and money remains in the budget.

Upon review, she added “staff identified a critical need to engage with our community to ensure any future plan reflects collective priorities and needs. Without this first phase. we will be missing a key component in developing a longer-range priority plan that meets Minden Hills’ priorities.”

These plans usually look five to 10 years out and guide decision-making. Fletcher added they help with community building, where to invest resources, and with annual business plans.

“Minden Hills is a terrific township with many assets, positive attributes, rich history and diverse expertise. We need to establish better connections with, and between, these assets to build up and highlight our community,” Fletcher said.

“The intention is to seek an experienced and dynamic facilitator, who will develop and implement a comprehensive engagement project to capture input from a broad, representative sample of community members, staff and council members.” She said community members include businesses, the development industry, residents, key stakeholder groups, and partner organizations.

The CAO believes the municipality wants to clarify what matters most to people, determine Minden Hills’ assets/attributes, identify ways to build better connections, enhance community spirit, and develop strategies to improve engagement within the community.

“Who we are today, where we want to go? What we want to accomplish? Create a draft vision for the community and identify potential hurdles to achieving that vision and strategies to overcome.”

She said following community engagement, the facilitator will identify attributes of Minden Hills that may be used to establish the community identity or “wow factor.” She added the facilitator will work with staff to develop recommendations for council consideration, which will form the foundation for the next phase in developing a plan.

She suggested spending $20,000 for phase one.

Coun. Ivan Ingram and Tammy McKelvey said they would have preferred staff put out an RFP for a strategic plan, with community engagement being part of it. McKelvey was worried seasonal residents would be gone by the time the talking began. Fletcher said they would want a firm that could reach people who cannot attend in-person.

Coun. Pam Sayne preferred community engagement first, to give the township direction. She added there are ways to reach seasonal people, and after a busy summer season is a good time to get feedback from the business community.

“We have to start today and try to get the community engagement going.”

She said the same firm could follow the plan through, or there could be other options. Mayor Bob Carter said doing it in steps made a lot of sense. Deputy mayor Lisa Schell also felt council should support the CAO in trying the new approach.

Fletcher said, “we need to stop talking about doing a strategic plan, we need to show some action and initiative on this.”

Just what the doctor ordered

Mike Baker

August 15, 2024

Eighteen months after relocating from England to practice family medicine in Kinmount, Dr. Lesslie Ponraja said he still pinches himself daily to make sure he isn’t living a dream.

The doctor arrived in cottage country in February 2023 after months of conferring with volunteers from the Kinmount and District Health Centre. He made initial contact with the group during the pandemic, wanting to escape the busy hustle and bustle of city life for something more calming and serene.

It only took one visit for Ponraja to realize a move to Ontario’s Highlands was exactly what the doctor ordered.

“I love it here – having spent 20-odd years in England working in big towns I needed a change. I have always wanted something different, to take a step back and live a more balanced life. Being in Kinmount allows me to do that,” Ponraja said.

Rather than working lengthy shifts six days’ per week, Ponraja has a steady schedule at his Kinmount office, open regular business hours four days a week. It’s still busy – Ponraja is the only doctor at the clinic. He assumed all of Dr. Elena Mihu’s patients when she retired last August, estimating he has close to 2,000 people on his rota.

He said the clinic is actively recruiting, with several leads on physicians currently working overseas. Having been through the immigration process recently, Ponraja said he’s able to assist any potential doctor with their move.

Ponraja recently earned his supervisor status from the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, enabling him to bring students working on their degrees to Kinmount. He guided two students this summer – one from Queen’s and the other from the University of Ottawa.

“It’s showing them what it means to be a family physician – the things we look for, procedures we do. Any junior doctor who wants to come and spend time learning, we can offer that here now,” Ponraja said, hoping that could be a gateway for Ontario-trained physicians to move north.

Discussing his practice, Ponraja said he’s proud to have brought several new services to Kinmount recently. With a specialty in orthopedics, Ponraja has been able to assist patients experiencing issues with their bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

He launched new joint injection and minor procedure clinics last summer and has started to do biopsies for skin cancers this year.

“I’m able to do cortisone shots for people with arthritis, when before they had to go to Lindsay or Peterborough. The stuff I do investigating lumps and bumps has been popular too. It’s eased a lot of pressure on our hospitals because now people come to see me instead,” Ponraja said. “Patients seem to be happy – I’ve brought in services that have helped bridge gaps in healthcare.”

Ponraja said he plans to introduce more services when the clinic secures other physicians.

When away from the practice, Ponraja said he enjoys spending time outdoors and on the water. His favourite hobbies include kayaking and fishing.

“I like the relaxed lifestyle. It’s so calm and peaceful. If there’s a doctor who really wants to have a balanced lifestyle, this is the perfect place. Not everybody is made for the city. I did that for 20 years and it doesn’t really attract me anymore. I want to be closer to nature, closer to people,” Ponraja said. “There’s a life out there not many doctors have the opportunity to see.

“We all go through different phases in our life and careers – I think I’m in the best phase now. I know I made the right choice coming here. Kinmount is home,” he added.

Food and wine for a charitable cause

Lillie Qiu

August 15, 2024

The Haliburton Post House and Fielding Estate Winery are collaborating on a charity event Aug. 16.

It is a seven-course tasting menu and Fielding Wine experience, with all proceeds going to SIRCH Community Services and the Minden Community Food Centre.

The menu will be curated by the Post House’s executive chef, Dan Sanders, and wine pairings will feature the best of Fielding Estates.

Sanders said, “we just wanted to give back to the community. Because we are a food service industry, we wanted to give back to the food bank. And, also, SIRCH is a great community project, with everything they do there.”

Heidi Fielding, director of sales and marketing at Fielding Estates, added, “the Post House is doing incredible dinners in Haliburton. They’re literally across the lake, so it’s really interesting, really nice to get to know them over the last few years. They’ve had our wine on their menu, so just a really great working relationship.”

Fielding researched the charities and found them to be the “perfect fit” for the collaboration.

Sanders said they will be getting tomatoes from the farmers market for a tomato salad, and serve deer with plums, and Ontario duck with a rose miso.

Fielding added, “I think people will really like to see the different styles of wine that we make and the different varietals, from Chardonnay to Cabernets.”

Jean Munroe, executive director of the Minden Community Food Centre, said demand for the food bank’s services increased 27 per cent in 2022 and 35 per cent in 2023. It’s been a similar story for the first half of 2024, she said.

Gena Robertson, the executive director at SIRCH Community Services, said the donations from the event will most likely be going towards their community kitchen free meals.

Robertson said the program helps 17,000 people each year, an increase from last year.

“We put out a lot of meals, and we know that they’re well appreciated.”

This is a sold-out event. The Post House is located at 1297 Kashagawigamog Lake Rd.

Councillor doing charity swim for Land Trust

Lisa Gervais

August 15, 2024

Algonquin Highlands deputy mayor Jennifer Dailloux says far from a midlife crisis, her upcoming five-kilometre charity swim is a celebration of turning 50 – and to raise money for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust.

Dailloux will jump off her dock Aug. 17 and swim up the Oxtongue River to the base of Ragged Falls and back. She thinks the swim will take about three hours and 15 minutes to complete.

“I have been training for this all winter and am absolutely stoked for it,” she says on her Canada Helps fundraising page.

In addition to raising money for the Land Trust, an organization she has “loved for many years” and sits on the current board of directors, it is in honour of Steph Laurence, a friend who recently died but spend his working life at camps and lodges in Algonquin Park.

Dailloux said traditionally, land trusts protect sensitive ecosystems through the stewardship of properties entrusted to their care in perpetuity, as well as doing scientific research, education, and advocacy work.

“But HHLT is evolving beyond that mandate in breathtaking ways: it has identified a significant wildlife corridor here in the Highlands, comprised of 100,000 continuous hectares of predominantly undisturbed Crown, municipal, and private lands connecting three provincial parks.

“Rich in wetlands, forest, lakes and rivers, the corridor is a powerhouse of biodiversity, and its preservation is vital for the wildlife communities and species at-risk that call it home. Working in concert with private landowners and multiple levels of government, HHLT is committed to ensuring the corridor is recognized and safeguarded for the long-term.”

Speaking of Laurence, she added, “he has been involved in enabling thousands of campers, and adult guests at these resorts, to really connect with their natural surroundings.”

Dailloux started training in the fall and through winter at a pool in Huntsville. Since spring, she has been swimming in the river.

“Mine will not be a speed swim. This is a swim of reverence. It is a swim undertaken with my head held above the water, counting not the strokes but the swathes of water lilies, of purple pickerel weed and joe-pye weed, the pops of vibrant cardinal flower, the warblers and sparrows, herons and waxwings.

“Swimming along beside me, watching and listening and revelling in this delight, will be the echoes of my three grandmothers. Nan, on my left. Joan, on my right. And Anne, there with the megaphone, sitting in coxswain position on the safety boat. They would have loved this. Proud doesn’t begin to describe it.”

Nan is her maternal grandmother, a former long-distance swimmer and naturalist. Joan is her paternal grandmother. Her dad was adopted so she only recently connected with Joan, which she said had been a “most extraordinary reunion and coming together of minds and spirits, a beautiful thing.” She was also a sportswoman and naturalist. Anne is her adopted grandmother.

Asked if she has watched the movie, Nyad, starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, about Nyad’s swims from Cuba to Florida, Dailloux said, “what a fabulous set of women and a fabulous movie.”

While this is not Cuba to Florida, “it’s not a bad swim and I have learned in my training over the course of the winter, and then really trying it out in the Oxtongue this spring and summer, that it’s a doable swim.”

She’ll have a current to contend with heading upriver, but it will be a more pleasant swim coming home. She added there are a number of places where you can stand up and walk because it’s shallow, but she won’t let her feet touch the ground.

Back to the midlife crisis question, Dailloux replies, “if anything, it’s a real midlife celebration. I’m happy where I am in my life. I’m delighted we have come to Haliburton County after years of being overseas and in pretty complex neighbourhoods, in conflict and post-conflict settings. I feel like we’ve really landed in a beautiful chapter of our lives. This is a great way of celebrating that.”

Parents aim to bring girls hockey back

Mike Baker

August 15, 2024

Volunteers with the Highland Storm are trying to tap into the team’s history by reviving a dedicated female-only hockey program in Haliburton County.

Coaches Sean Irvine, Noah Adlam, Charlyn Irvine, and Gavin Simms came together in the spring to discuss the idea, buoyed by an increase in local female registration for Storm local league and rep play, as well as the successful launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

It’s been at least a decade since the Storm ran a girls-only team, with all rep and local league teams being mixed gender. That will be the case again this season, though Adlam said there are efforts being made to change that.

An U13 team consisting of 13 girls between the ages of nine and 12 have been working together on the ice for several weeks – they debuted at the prestigious all-female ‘Queen of the Rings’ tournament in Toronto Aug. 9 to 11, thought the apperance has been dubbed a one-off… for now.

The event attracts some of the best up-andcoming hockey talent from across North America and included appearances from members of Toronto’s PWHL team, Adlam said. The Storm finished fourth in the U13 tournament.

“There are so many talented female hockey players in Haliburton and the surrounding areas. Bringing this team of girls together was meant to support, celebrate, and showcase female hockey,” Adlam said.

“The team we pulled together seems to have sparked some renewed interest in the potential to pull together an all-female team that could represent the Highland Storm year-round. It’s an idea we will continue to explore,” he added.

Adlam’s wife, Michelle, is also assisting with the project. She said other parents and hockey enthusiasts are coming forward and trying to find ways to re-establish girls’ hockey.

“We’d love for this to happen. We’re trying to figure out how to keep this going. Do we develop a hockey club, do we run practices with the kids even though they’re not playing games?” Michelle said. “There’s a real desire to keep this group together.”

Most of the girls will play the season on the Storm’s local league and rep teams, with a few playing for dedicated girls’ teams in Lindsay and Bancroft.

Charlyn Irvine said the girls battled hard in the city, even while playing against teams that had spent years developing together.

“The competition was fierce but the girls made Haliburton proud, showing grit, determination, and exceptional teamwork,” Irvine said.

Jenn Emmerson, whose daughter, Olivia, played in the tournament, said it was great to have a dedicated girls’ hockey team representing Haliburton County.

“This is amazing – hopefully it will build more awareness of girls’ hockey in the community in the hopes of building up a girls’ program again like there used to be years ago,” Emmerson said.

Sean Irvine said he, Adlam, and the other volunteers hope to keep building girls’ hockey in the County and want to establish teams across various age groups.

“We see this being a place for girls to play and build camaraderie in the dressing room. A place for them to play judgement-free and really be a team,” Irvine said.

Anyone interested in joining the effort, whether as a volunteer, coach or player, can contact Adlam at noah.adlam@outlook.com.

Minden Pride to ‘party with everyone’

Mike Baker

August 15, 2024

Minden Pride chair Allan Guinan is reiterating Pride-themed festivities coming to Haliburton County next week are for everyone, not just members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Speaking on the eve of the organization’s ninth-annual Pride Week, which runs Aug. 19 to 25, Guinan promises this year’s spread has something for everyone – whether it be a lighthearted social with friends and family, learning opportunities for people young and old, or a community party where you have the chance to take centre stage.

This year’s theme is ‘everyone is welcome’.

“People sometimes think Minden Pride events and the Pride festival itself are just for people in the queer community, but in reality we’re hoping lots of people participate – the more the merrier,” Guinan said.

August is always bittersweet for the long-time chair – Guinan enjoys getting together with the community to celebrate, but remembers how the event is rooted in tragedy. Co-founders Sinclair Russell and Bob Baynton-Smith formed Minden Pride in 2016, shortly after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others, most of them members of the LGBTQ+ community.

It also followed an incident in Haliburton, where a local business was targeted with homophobic graffiti.

“I do feel we’ve come a long way since then. Mostly the community here has been very supportive and very welcoming,” Guinan said. “Now, Pride Week is one of the biggest cultural events in the County. We’re trying to appeal to all ages, all demographics – there’s a lot of different things on offer.”

An opening reception and flag-raising ceremony will take place outside Minden Hills township office Aug. 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A meet and greet Pride reception is happening later in the day at Bonnie View Inn.

New this year, a ‘Voice of Pride’ art exhibition is being staged at Minden Hills Cultural Centre and The Space in Haliburton village. Curated by Scott Walling, the show will feature works from emerging and established queer artists in the community. An opening reception is taking place at the cultural centre Aug. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Haliburton Youth Hub is staging a youth Pride day Aug. 21, Queer Comedy Night returns to Eagle View Event Centre Aug. 21, Dominion Hotel hosts queer trivia night Aug. 22, with family movie matinees at the Minden and Haliburton libraries Aug. 23. The annual Burlesque Ball is at the Pinestone Aug. 23.

The rainbow street festival and Pride river parade close the week Aug. 25, taking place along Water Street in Minden and down the Gull. Winners from the ‘Show your Pride’ community decorating contest will be revealed at the street festival.

Guinan confirmed drag story time, featuring a man in woman’s clothing reading book excerpts to children, will also be back – at the Minden library Aug. 20 and the Haliburton library Aug. 22, both from 3 to 4 p.m. Some in the community have been critical of the event in the past, something Guinan says he doesn’t understand.

“Kids are entertained by someone who’s an extravagant, creative, clown-like personality. Kids don’t understand anything more than that,” Guinan said. “People use the term ‘indoctrination’, and that’s so disappointing because what we’re trying to do is spread the word that love is love, that everyone needs to be kind and generous and accepting of everyone.”

He said the books chosen to be read aloud are approved by the Haliburton County Public Library ahead of time.

“They’re usually lovely stories. I don’t know why people feel they need to target this event. I don’t know why it’s causing so much grief. It’s usually a fun, joyous event,” Guinan added.

1...123124125...496 Page 124 of 496