Operations at the Maple Lake landfill in Algonquin Highlands were brought into the 21st century this month following the unveiling of a new weigh scale – the first in Haliburton County.

The project had been in the works for around six years, according to Melissa Murray, the township’s environmental manager. The scale was a key component of a $1.5 million investment at Maple Lake, which included the construction of a new operations centre, which opened last summer.

The scale cost $135,000 to buy and install, with $100,000 funded through Ontario’s municipal modernization program and $35,000 from municipal reserves.

“A lot of people have been asking when the scale would be installed – there’s been a lot of buzz since this was announced,” Murray said.

Initial discussions were held in 2018, with the township’s previous council giving Murray the green light to investigate. The scale was approved in 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Murray spent two years getting quotes and ensuring technical studies required for the scale’s installation were complete.

Prep work began at the scale location in the fall of 2022. It became operational April 3.

Murray said the scale is a game-changer for ensuring there are accurate waste counts at Maple Lake moving forward, noting all Algonquin Highlands taxpayers will benefit.

“We’ve always had a disconnect between the amount of materials we received and the amount of materials we haul out. It always cost us more than we were receiving, because we charged by volume, using cubic yards, while now we charge strictly by weight. So, there’s no disparity,” Murray said. “The addition of this scale has made this a more equitable system for everyone.”

Under the old system, Murray said items that were small but heavy, or had been soaked with rain, were regularly undercharged, while things like insulation, which can be bulky but with little weight, usually overcharged.

She said before, around 50 per cent of items shipped to other landfills outside the County weren’t adequately covered by disposal charges, so fell on the township.

“It basically became part of our tax levy – all residents had to pay,” she said. Asked for a dollar amount, Murray said that’s difficult to quantify as the township has changed its tracking data and processes in recent years.

Residents won’t be charged for dropping off household garbage, scrap metal, and blue box recyclables – but bulky waste, construction and demolition waste, and furniture will be charged 22 cents per kilogram, or $220 per tonne, with a minimum charge of $15. Brush, leaves, mulch, wood chips and yard waste can be disposed of for $110 per tonne.

Murray was at Maple Lake April 3 for the scale’s unveiling and spoke with several residents who stopped by, with the response mostly positive.

While Algonquin Highlands might be the first township in the County to incorporate weigh scales at a landfill, it won’t be the last. Chelsea Cosh, manager of waste facilities in Minden Hills, said a recently approved re-design of the Scotch Line landfill will implement scales. John Watson, environmental manager in Dysart et al, said there are tentative plans for a scale at the Haliburton landfill.

There could be more to come in Algonquin Highlands, too.

“It’s always in the back of our mind from a planning perspective – we’ll see how things go at Maple Lake,” Murray said. “Pine Springs and Oxtongue Lake don’t receive enough material to justify having a scale there – but the Dorset Transfer Station, while a small site, could be a nice location.”

For more information on new disposal fees at Maple Lake, visit algonquinhighlands.ca.

Minden Hills council gave Chelsea Cosh, its manager of waste facilities, the green light April 11 to complete a Bee City Canada application to designate the township a Bee City.

Council also supported the celebration of national pollinator week, annually held the third week of June.

Founded in 2016, Bee City Canada is a federally-recognized charitable organization with the goal to educate Canadians about the importance of pollinators and to inspire action to ensure pollinator habitat protection.

Cosh said it supports collaborative efforts of communities and organizations committed to helping pollinators by offering four designations: Bee Cities, Bee Partners, Bee Schools and Bee Campuses.

“Bee City Canada’s mission is to recognize and support municipalities, Indigenous communities, campuses, schools, and other organizations that are taking action to protect and promote pollinators,” Cosh said.

She added, “they offer programs which recognize communities and organizations that are taking steps or are committed to future initiatives to help pollinators.”

Cosh noted pollinator species worldwide are at an increasing risk of population decline due to habitat loss, climate change, pesticides and pest diseases. Since plants form the building blocks of all ecosystems, disruption to their pollination and subsequent reproduction is likely to result in a decline in plant species diversity, and can adversely affect animals and birds that rely on them.

Pollinators play a critical role in maintaining healthy native plant communities and in ensuring that flowering plants produce seeds. In addition, these pollinators play a significant role in crop production, Cosh told council.

She said the Bee City designation “is an annual commitment a municipality can make to ensure that pollinators are protected, and recognizes the municipality’s efforts towards pollinator protection.”

Currently, there are 82 Bee Cities in Canada with 44 in Ontario.

“The Bee City Canada designation builds upon existing initiatives and can establish new approaches and partnerships that advance numerous municipal objectives,” Cosh added.

She said to qualify for the title, a municipality has to create and conserve habitat, and educate and promote healthy, sustainable habitat for pollinators. They must also mark national pollinators week.

She added that staff have to oversee the programs, and she thinks this can be done in-house.

One staff member, let’s call them a queen bee, would be the key liaison, who would then create a pollinator team. It costs $150-a-year for resources. There is also commitment to creating and maintaining habitat, and public education.

Cosh noted it would not just be about council, but getting the community onboard to do things such as establishing their own pollinator gardens and becoming involved in environmental stewardship.

Some of her ideas include: planting wildflowers and native seeds for landfill final cover, creating pollinator gardens or a wildflower meadow at township parks, properties, land, etc., a pollinator week kids colouring contest, Bee a Hero garden challenge (create a pollinator habitat in your own backyard), wildflower seed packet giveaway, collaboration with Archie Stouffer Elementary School on pollinator initiatives; look at possibilities to collaborate with local groups and expand involvement.

“The Bee City designation will recognize Advertorial the township as a leader in biodiversity protection and set an example for surrounding municipalities,” Cosh said. She added it “offers the opportunity to effectively engage residents with Minden Hills’ natural environment and help the township achieve sustainability.”

Councillors were abuzz over the prospect. Coun. Pam Sayne commented, “I’m really pleased to see this coming forward. People are probably saying, ‘we’re such a rural area, why is this an issue?’ but if we don’t put these in place, we’re going to be paved over in no time. To see these kinds of initiatives coming now, and put in place for our long-term development, is really nice to see.”

If you’re new to Haliburton County – recently retired but now looking for something meaningful to do with your free time – you might want to plug May 1 into your calendar.

The Haliburton Highlands Volunteer Coalition is holding a volunteer engagement fair at the Minden Community Centre from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Brigitte Gebauer, volunteer coordinator for HHHS, is coalition lead. It’s made up of people from a variety of organizations that rely on volunteers.

The event comes on the heels of National Volunteer Week and Gebauer said they wanted to capitalize on the momentum by holding the fair about six weeks earlier this year.

Gebauer said there continues to be a dearth of volunteers, a trend that started before COVID and has continued. She added it isn’t just in Haliburton County.

“Volunteer Canada is trying to spark a national strategy around volunteering. Australia just put a 10-year plan into place and Ireland put a five-year plan into place a couple of years ago. So, on a national level, the rates are significantly down on volunteering.”

She said stats have been declining in the last 10 years. “So, there’s a significant pressure on all of the organizations that utilize volunteers and I think nationally, we’re starting to recognize that, and that’s the basis of forming this coalition as well… to try to bring the visibility up and to put some energy behind creating a countywide strategy around volunteering.”

She noted the County of Haliburton and HCDC are financially contributing to the May 1 event, and Mulligans is donating refreshments. She said there would be approximately 30 employers on hand.

Gebauer said a lack of volunteers greatly impacts the community. At HHHS, for example, she said they don’t have enough helpers for long-term care or to do friendly visiting in the community. She added they are down on community drivers, having to tell people who have out-of-town medical appointments they cannot always take them. “That’s really tough.”

However, the coalition hopes to capitalize on new Highlanders.

“I think, collectively, the group is thinking ‘we’ve got this crop of new folks in the area. Often, it takes a year or two to settle in. And then, all of a sudden you start looking around, asking ‘what can I do and how do I keep myself busy?’ Those are the folks that we’re hoping show up.”

She added, “this County runs on volunteers. It’s the backbone of the County.”

If interested in a booth, contact Gebauer 705-457-1392 ext. 2927 or bgebauer@hhhs.ca or Andrea Mueller 705-457-1740 ext. 635 or amueller@dysartetal.ca.

Ken Mott remembers what it was like before Wilberforce had a food bank.

People were struggling, often turning to family, friends, and neighbours to put food on the table. This was pre-2002. Before two local women started a movement that still stands strong today.

Chris Foster-London and Clara Burt ushered in a new era in Highlands East. Their grassroots initiative, where they would anonymously leave food and money on the doorstep of families they knew to be struggling, took hold. They started a part-time operation at the outreach centre in Highland Grove – the community’s first real food bank.

Mott was one of the early beneficiaries.

“I had a heart attack and was in the hospital for a while. When I got home, there was a cheque for $50 and food sitting on my table these two ladies had dropped off. I decided I wanted to be a part of this, do my bit and help wherever I could,” he said.

That was a little over 20 years ago. Mott is now recognized as one of the longest tenured volunteer with Central Food Network – the organization that runs the food banks in Wilberforce and Cardiff.

It’s now a “well-oiled machine”, said Mott – who manages the food hub in Wilberforce, and its community cooks program. But it wasn’t always that way.

For the first couple of years, Mott said the food bank relied on community donations. He would get calls from Ontario Works, telling him there was food somewhere that he could go pick up, so he’d hit the road. Mott did his job with a smile on his face, realizing the difference he was making.

Highlands East township got involved in the early 2010s. The township donated land behind Lloyd Watson Memorial Arena, and the food bank was opened in late 2015.

It’s open two days per week – on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. People are welcomed inside, given a shopping cart, and left to roam for non-perishable foods. Milk, produce, and meats are also available from the food banks’ fridge and freezer.

Mott said the food bank is busier than it has ever been – it’s not uncommon for him to find 10 people lined up at the door on days they’re open. He said around 30 people will stop by during opening hours, from 1 to 3 p.m.

“The price of everything has gone up, so it’s no wonder people are struggling. And with the struggle comes extra demand, extra dependency on the food bank,” Mott said.

Mott spends multiple days a week at the food bank, helping to sort and put away food, while he also assists with the delivery program.

Asked what has kept him going these past 20-plus years, Mott said it’s always been about the people.

“Seeing the smiles on faces when they’re walking out the door – for me, that’s what it’s all about. Making a difference one person at a time,” Mott said.

Having established her equine-based learning and emotional support program at Minden’s Walkabout Farm, owner Jennifer Semach is preparing to take her horses on the road to support the County’s senior population.

Located on 100 acres along Spring Valley Road, the farm specializes in providing support for people with varying levels of developmental and physical disabilities, mental health issues, and loneliness. Now in its sixth year, programming at Walkabout has blossomed – with around 800 visits in 2022 and 2023.

That number would have been higher last year had Semach not been forced to close the farm for five months while she dealt with a serious illness. Fully healthy again, Semach said she has an even greater desire to expand the farm’s footprint.

Beginning next month, she will be taking a selection of miniature horses into Hyland Crest, Highland Wood, and Extendicare Haliburton long-term care facilities for weekly visits.

“It’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind – my grandmother had Alzheimer’s and lived in long-term care for almost a decade. I know the benefits of using animals to reach the depths of a person’s mind, just to give them that little spark – I’ve seen it happen,” she said.

Through the new Recreational Equine Assisted Participaction (REAP) program, Semach said horses will provide full sensory engagement for seniors. Sessions will be hosted indoors on Fridays at one of the LTC facilities, or on-site at Walkabout Farm.

“Movement through grooming, leading, holding, hugging, or petting horses activates the autonomic nervous system and releases endorphins brought about by physical activity, thereby lifting someone’s mood and contributing to a sense of well-being,” Semach said.

Like all of Walkabout’s other programs, REAP will be free to participants.

Semach said the program is already turning heads – long-term care centres in Lindsay and Bobcaygeon have reached out, wanting to get involved, while Semach has been invited to speak at a June Aging Together as Community conference at the Pinestone focusing on how to deal with dementia in rural communities.

There are other new additions – Semach is partnering with Shellie Preston, a mental health clinician, for weekly group session workshops through July and August designed for children and young adults dealing with anxiety and other diagnoses like autism, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and behaviour disorders.

There will still be regular programming year-round for established visitors – Semach said she has a group of 60 people who visit the farm at least once per week.

Annual running costs are pegged at around $85,000 – Semach said she and a small group of volunteers managed to fundraise $114,000 in 2023. Any leftover money is reinvested into the farm, mostly to improve accessibility, she said.

Walkabout Farm received a $50,000 grant from the Quebec-based Chamamdy Foundation this year, with the money to be used to construct a new 32×14 foot building fitted with hydro to accommodate indoor learning. Semach said she’s applied for $170,000 in Ontario Trillium Foundation funding to pay for a tractor, to make the farm more accessible in the winter, upgrade equipment, and construct washrooms.

“This is my calling – people, kids in particular, are struggling big time with their mental health. We’re trying to be a reliable resource for families, here whenever we’re needed to provide that extra layer of support,” Semach said.

For more information, visit walkaboutfarmtra.com.

Abbey Retreat Centre announced April 13 it is changing its name.

At a ‘No One Dances Alone’ fundraiser at the Haliburton Legion, executive director Barb Smith-Morrison said it will now be known as Brooksong Retreat and Cancer Support Centre.

She said it took four months of “listening, creativity, engaging discussions and discernment and so much community support” to come up with the new moniker.

Smith-Morrison said the name is inspired by the two ‘singing’ brooks on either side of the retreat centre “that evoke a sense of deep connection with nature, calm and flowing energy, and the stories or songs that each one of us have to tell about our lives.”

She said the new name reflects the “beautiful” location and peacefulness retreat participants experience.

Chair of the ARC board of directors., Lynda Shephard, added, “this name provides a great foundation to move forward as we continue to create a legacy-making and life-changing impact for future participants facing a cancer diagnosis.”

Shephard said while they share the grounds with Abbey Gardens and have a close working relationship with them, they are two different organizations and their new name will help remove confusion in the community and help both organizations grow.

Located in Haliburton, the centre provides a variety of in-person and online retreats and programs that offer “renewal, companionship, and evidence-informed practices that tend body, mind, and soul in the midst of a cancer diagnosis,” Smith-Morrison said.

“We are unique in our approach, which includes support people or caregivers who also find solace and community with people who are going through the same challenging cancer experience.”

Although there are no fees associated with participating in one of the retreats or online gatherings, Smith-Morrison said it takes a generous and caring community to financially support programs. “We are grateful to all who contribute financially and to our volunteers, who ensure no one walks alone through a cancer experience.”

Last Friday, local bands, the priMates and Adverse Conditions, donated their time to a fundraiser that featured a 50/50 draw, silent auction, baking, a chili dinner and dancing.

Founder John Patterson said, “working alongside a group of dedicated community volunteers, Thea and I were honoured to help in the creation of the Abbey Retreat Centre in 2016. We are thrilled to see how much it has grown and look forward to watching Brooksong expand into our next phase, while continuing the goal of the transformation and strengthening of whole-person cancer care.”