There’s a familiar face in former County CAO Mike Rutter’s office, as Angelica Ingram takes over as the Highlands’ new tourism manager.

Many would know Ingram as a reporter with the Haliburton Echo and Minden Times until 2018. She went on to work for SIRCH and the Haliburton BIA while raising her two young girls with husband, Chad.

Now that the kids are in school, Ingram said it was the perfect time to return to full-time work, and she couldn’t pass up applying for the tourism job when she saw it advertised.

Born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ingram got her first taste of cottage country working as a summer student for a newspaper in Muskoka.

“I loved it. There were a lot of feel-good stories about small town living and tourism. It was a great job.”

She returned to the city, found a corporate gig, but was not happy. Then the Echo and Times job was posted. She got a reporting position in the fall of 2009, thinking she’d spend a year, pad her resume, and move on.

“That was 14 years ago,” Ingram says with a laugh.

She said in Richmond Hill, she could not name 20 people she knew. However, “within a year or two of living in Haliburton, I had a community. That really kept me in the area. People knew their neighbours. People looked out for each other.”

SIRCH allowed Ingram to hone her marketing skills and get a handle on the clientele serviced by the agency. The BIA fulfilled her interest in economic development and downtown beautification.

Some have questioned her experience for a tourism manager, but Ingram said, “you could have a very qualified individual, but you can’t make them know or fall in love with the area. If you don’t have a passion for the area, it’s really hard to market it.

“How do you get people to come up for experiences or book accommodations or go to restaurants if you yourself are not enthusiastic about the restaurants or the accommodations or experiences up here?”

She added she told her interviewers, “you can teach me things, but you can’t teach me where you can find the best food, the best lunch spot, or things like that.”

Ingram added it is the landscape that is the major drawcard to the County, which is why protecting the local climate is paramount.

“That’s why environmental groups are important because we need to keep all of that protected and intact and as pristine as possible because (otherwise) people aren’t going to want to come up here.”

Ingram feels blessed to have followed in the footsteps of, first, Amanda Virtanen, and then Tracie Bertrand. She already has a blueprint for the job. She has Thom Lambert and Eric Casper to draw on.

“There’s been some really great work done in the last 10 years,” she says of branding, social media, websites, and collaboration.

She will continue to work towards making the County a year-round destination, not just a summer one, pointing out how the Hike Haliburton winter festival is growing, and they will continue to endeavour to get more shoulder season visitors.

She said she and Lambert are discussing marketing the area as a place to rejuvenate. “There’s some really neat stuff happening and I think that’s another area that we could pursue and expand.

“I think I’m coming into the role at a really great time. I just want to build on a lot of what Amanda and Tracie have begun. I don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We’ll look to other areas to see what they are doing well.”

She said the key is pivoting, a lesson learned from COVID.

She noted climate change is bringing changed winter conditions and providers cannot always rely on tourism opportunities of the past.

“Stakeholders have to get involved because their livelihood can’t just be based on a six-week season.”

Ingram said her department is asking, “what does tourism look like? Does it look like a wellness, holistic, retreat type of thing? I think that’s something that’s definitely going to be top of mind for the next couple of years.”

They are also discussing sustainability. “Does this area want more visitors or does it want someone who comes and stays longer? We have to think about all that. What’s our long-term goal?

She added she also brings a “young family, kid perspective” to the job.

“There are so many great events for young kids and for families, but what’s missing and what more do we need? What can we promote more?”

Dr. Natalie Bocking, chief medical officer of health with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge district health unit, said a decision over a potential amalgamation with Peterborough Public Health will be made in the next six weeks.

Speaking at a HKPR board meeting Jan. 18, Bocking said a draft report by consultant, Tony Yu and his firm Sense & Nous, will be presented to a joint board of health working group next week. Presentations will then be made to the HKPR board Feb. 5 and to the PPH board Feb. 6.

Local board of health members will discuss further at a Feb. 15 meeting, which will include officials from the Ministry of Health, Bocking said.

“We have scheduled a series of meetings that will hopefully bring the board to a point where it can make a decision by the end of February,” Bocking said, noting the province is accepting business cases for voluntary amalgamations until April 2.

Last August, the Ford government said it would provide funding to health units that want to merge as part of a provincial approach to clarify roles and responsibilities of public health. This follows a 2019 move to download more costs of public health care delivery to municipalities – with the province lowering its funding contribution from 75 per cent to 70 per cent.

Bocking said the consultants recently completed HKPR staff consultation, providing local feedback on any possible amalgamation. Several concerns were outlined, she said, including a fear relationships between public health and the community would get watered down with a larger organization.

There was also concern expressed about the leadership of a new, larger health unit, given Bocking and Thomas Piggott, PPH medical officer of health, are relatively new to their roles. Bocking joined HKPR in April 2021, with Piggott taking on his role in December 2021.

“[Comments received] suggests there has been a considerably positive culture shift at the respective organizations,” Bocking said, noting staff didn’t want to see any regression on that front.

Staff also asked questions about job security, what implications amalgamation would have on existing collective bargaining agreements, how additional work travel due to having a larger coverage zone would be handled, and what would happen if the boards decided against coming together.

Bocking said there has been considerable consultation with Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations, which have agreements for public health delivery with PPH, on how any amalgamation may impact them.

“We’ve had good discussions. What came through to me is the importance of not losing local connections in any merger… what works in urban Peterborough may not work in Haliburton County,” Bocking said.

Yu noted his team has put together a merger feasibility report that identifies how amalgamation will impact HKPR across all departments. The report also considers potential benefits of the merger.

“Based on our experience… any merger is possible, it just depends on how much effort you’re willing to invest, how much pain you’re willing to go through to see this through,” Yu said. “As a board of health, you need to think about not only the costs, but what are the possibilities that can be brought forward.”

Bocking said while a decision will likely be made by the end of next month, any merger is likely to be a long process.

“Once our board makes a decision, it has to go to the Ministry of Health for approval. That’s not going to happen right away. Even after we put a business case together, there will be an air of uncertainty because we don’t know 100 per cent if they’ll approve it,” she said, explaining there are no timeframes in place.

Cec Ryall, who represents Haliburton County on the board, asked how big a merged board of HKPR and PPH representatives would be. HKPR currently has seven representatives, while PPH has 13.

“Will every community, every Indigenous group be represented? If it becomes 20 people, how will that work? No decision is going to be made with a board that size,” Ryall said. “Haliburton County is one of the smallest municipalities (in HKPR). How are we going to be protected (to ensure we have a voice).”

Bocking said the makeup of a combined board would be discussed should both health units agree to a merger.

‘Tis the season

Bocking provided an update on the 2023/24 respiratory season, noting numbers are down this year and more in line with pre-pandemic levels.

She said there have been 44 COVID outbreaks in HKPR, resulting in 28 hospital admissions and 17 deaths. There has also been 111 confirmed cases of influenza, resulting in seven hospital admissions.

“While we’re not seeing waves of COVID the same way we did before, we’re still seeing illness associated with COVID,” Bocking said. “There’s a desire from all of us to pretend it’s behind us. It’s not… the new normal is COVID is part of the mix of respiratory viruses in our communities.”

HKPR chief medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking said a decision on local health unit amalgamation.

Dysart et al council has reduced its financial ask from the Haliburton farmers market to return to Head Lake Park, although market officials remain unconvinced.

At a Jan. 23 meeting, mayor Murray Fearrey said he and his council want to maintain a farmers market in the village, but are adamant the Haliburton County Farmers Market Association (HCFMA) should pay if they want it back in Head Lake Park.

The event was held at the downtown park for 11 years before being moved to nearby Rotary Beach Park last season.

Brian Nash, of the HCFMA board, said the relocation was not well received, by vendors or the public. Attendance was down approximately 30 per cent while some merchants opted not to move.

The association has stated it will not return to Rotary Beach this season, previously telling The Highlander there likely won’t be a market in Haliburton unless it’s returned to Head Lake Park. Dysart’s latest offer is for the HCFMA to pay approximately $4,200 to run the upcoming season at the site, based on having 40 vendors for 21 events.

Fearrey said, “we have arrived at $5 per [vendor] for each market event. So, if in May you have 12 vendors, that would cost $60 to run. If it’s July and you have 40 vendors, that would be $200. If there’s bad weather, or you decide not to run a market, there wouldn’t be [any charge]. That’s a substantial difference financially to what we proposed before.”

Farmers remain unconvinced

In December, the mayor suggested charging the association $1,000 for each market during the “busy” summer months – July, August and September – with a $700 fee applied for any other month, for a total cost of around $15,000. That was then lowered to a flat rate $1,000 per month to run events in July, August and September, and $700 in May, June and October, totaling $5,100.

“We have a lot of money to spend on the park. Nobody is trying to take advantage of the farmers,” Fearrey said, noting township staff often had to carry out repairs at the park after market events.

In a letter to council, the association replied, “we take exception to your suggestion the market causes such extensive damage… to justify a $5,100 (now $4,200) annual damage fee… while we are aware of the odd tire track on very rainy days, or perhaps damage to sprinklers, we have no knowledge of any ‘significant’ damage we have ever caused.”

Nash said the board has offered, in the past, to reimburse the municipality for any landscaping work, but claims they were told the issues “were an easy fix” by parks and recreation staff.

Nash said the board has asked the township for records highlighting any major damages. The Highlander has made a similar request, though no evidence has been provided.

HCFMA board member Angel Taylor said the association does not have the money and would have to download on market vendors. She estimated it would represent a more than 25 per cent increase. It was noted merchants pay $400 per season – not the $300 previously quoted. An increase would bring that to $505.

Nash said an email will be going out to existing vendors this week to see if they would return under the proposed conditions.

“This is likely to drive away some of our smaller agricultural vendors. Farmers Market of Ontario requirements state to be designated as a farmers market you need to have half plus one of your vendors agricultural. Our numbers are pretty borderline… if we lose three vendors, our numbers will likely fall below that requirement and we wouldn’t be able to have a market anyway,” Nash said.

He maintained he doesn’t feel the association should have to pay, pointing to events such as the boat races, or Art in the Park, which are not charged.

Fearrey previously stated council will consider implementing fees for other events on a case-by-case basis. He noted many of the organizations that use the park make other contributions to the community, such as the boat races donating annually to Haliburton Highlands Health Services.

Nash said the farmers market also gives back. “We bring 15,000 people to town. We also provide financial support to good causes – we’ve given about $5,000 to Places for People over the years.

“It seems they just want to get money to use that site. OK, I get that, but let’s be honest about it. It’s not really about damages, because we don’t have any evidence of damages. This seems totally discretionary. It seems like there’s [an agenda] against us.”

Nash said the board will likely have an answer by next week as to whether vendors are willing to absorb the cost. If not, they will be going back to council. Fearrey indicated the township was open to further negotiation.

“If you shed light on something that changes our mind, we may change our mind… we can have another discussion,” Fearrey said.

Highlands East council met Jan. 9 to look at what it will ask taxpayers to fund in 2024.

The departmental overview and capital forecasting session was led by CAO and treasurer, Brittany McCaw.

She told council, “the projects and initiatives that are being put forth were derived from needs that were identified through various corporate plans and documents, including our asset management plan, roads needs study, building condition assessments, organizational reviews, along with departmental needs and priorities and council-driven priorities.”

Speaking to administration, she said the biggest project is the design and engineering of a new municipal office. She said staff plan to earmark $250,000 for the preliminary building work.

Coun. Cec Ryall was in favour of putting the $250,000 into the budget, saying, “we’ve got to have this thing built in 2025.” He further encouraged council to discuss the design and engineering project with colleges and universities.

Other planned administration works are insurance in the event of a cyber-attack; asset management and corporate strategic planning; records management; energy conservation and demand management; and looking into electric vehicle charging stations.

The building department asked for $30,000 for work on its Gooderham facility; and money for vehicle replacement.

Under bylaw, McCaw is seeking a transfer to reserves for a future vehicle. She said two staff are now sharing a vehicle.

taff are now sharing a vehicle. With short-term rental monitoring and compliance, she is estimating they’ll need $25,000 to put towards the program if adopted by council. McCaw said the money is for a third-party software program.

“This is a self-monitoring solution… it would allow the property owner to be able to go in, update their licence, upload documents to self-attest that they comply with the rules in the bylaw. It’s also a monitoring program, so we have the 24/7 hotline people can call.” She noted revenue from licensing should cover all council costs.

Fire chief Chris Baughman is asking for $40,000 for a fire master plan; hydrant maintenance of $10,000; future replacement of jaws of life and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA); annual bunker gear expenses; and a bunker gear extractor to clean gear in-house versus sending out. There is money for repairs and upgrades to halls pending the fire master plan. There is a capital request for future vehicle replacement.

Under parks, recreation and planning, property supervisor Jim Alden is seeking more than $280,000 to complete Herlihey Park. He added they need roof replacements at the Lloyd Watson centre ($40,000); $10,000 for arena works; $16,000 for a columbarium at Gooderham Cemetery; $9,000 for monument replacement at Pioneer Cemetery; $31,000 for dog parks in Cardiff and Gooderham; $90,000 for work on the Essonville Church and $50,000 for a trails master plan.

The planning department capital needs forecast a transfer to reserves ($10,000) for a future comprehensive zoning bylaw update; and an official plan update.

There is $1,373,809 in net capital roadwork (minus reserves and government grants), including for works garages, and new vehicles and equipment. The big-ticket items are the McColl’s Road bridge replacement, at nearly $1.2 million, and $355,000 for Irondale Road.

Public works manager, Perry Kelly, said he wants work on the landfill attendants’ buildings; as well as some gating and fencing and security cameras. As for water and wastewater, the gross capital cost of projects is estimated at $117,000 for a series of smaller jobs.

McCaw said the requested money – about a $239,759 or 10 per cent increase from last year – would go into a preliminary budget to be presented to council in February.

After receiving more than $100,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) over the past two years to improve facilities at Abbey Retreat Centre (ARC), executive director Barb Smith-Morrison said the non-profit is excited to offer improved supports to visitors in 2024.

Speaking at a Dec. 15 funding announcement, Smith-Morrison said ARC received $103,200 in two grants from OTF in 2022 and 2023.

The $65,500 received in 2022 enabled Smith-Morrison to sign off on several “needed” capital upgrades, such as purchasing new kitchen appliances, constructing a new screened porch, and renovating the downstairs meeting room. The organization received another $37,000 in 2023 for the installation of a new geothermal heating system and in-floor heating.

“These capital renovations have already made a wonderfully positive impact on our cancer support programming,” SmithMorrison said. “It’s been gratifying to watch the new screened porch and renovated cabin allow our participants to experience the added benefits of being close to nature without needing to walk far, especially if mobility is challenging.”

Since opening its doors in 2017, ARC has assisted hundreds of cancer patients and their caregivers through their cancer journeys, offering free in-person programming to support people on their path to healing, recovery, and acceptance.

The main offering is in-person retreats, which are provided for free. Smith-Morrison said ARC ran seven retreats last year, serving over 200 people between those and a host of online programs. The organization fundraised approximately $360,000 last year for its operations, which is used to offset the cost of the retreats. Smith-Morrison noted it costs around $2,500 for one person to attend a four-day retreat.

“We offer a sanctuary experience based on a whole-person approach to healing and wellness. The purpose… is to transport people living with cancer out of their day-today lives to rest, create, connect with others living similar experiences, and explore life enhancing practices and tools for their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being,” Smith-Morrison said.

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott attended the funding announcement, saying Abbey Retreat Centre is one of the true gems of Haliburton County.

“You can feel the mood and the calming force that stems from all the great work that’s been done here for many years now. This money is to ensure you can continue to have a vibrant and up-to-date place for cancer survivors and their families to have that lovely tranquil experience, to revitalize their lives and continue on,” Scott said.

“Abbey Retreat Centre is a source of magic in Haliburton.”

Highlands resident Klara Oyler, representing OTF, said she was delighted to see the grant money being used on a cause that “offers hope to hundreds of people.”

For more information, visit abbeyretreatcentre.ca.