County to help youth hub with transportation

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June 2, 2022

Youth hub employee Zee Weiss now has to rely on family or work colleagues to get to and from work in Haliburton.

Living on County Road 21 closer to Minden, it can be a juggling act and also restricts her from doing other things she would like to do while downtown.

Weiss is one of many looking forward to expanded transportation to and from the hub thanks to a $20,000 commitment from the County of Haliburton to a Point in Time-led pilot project.

Weiss said she can’t afford the cost of getting a license, vehicle and insurance and a cab ride would be $50 one way. Most days her mom drives her over the lunch hour but sometimes things come up “and I can’t get to work at all.”

The option for extended transportation “will be super helpful,” Weiss said.

Manager Mary Sisson said “it’ll be huge … for a ton of youth that don’t have transportation” and will provide more flexibility. For example, students can schedule all of their appointments for a day they know they can get a late bus.

Point in Time executive director Marg Cox made the pitch to council at a May 25 meeting, saying the money will go towards wages and benefits for a driver.

She said there had been a “huge” uptake for services provided by the hub, where youth aged 12-25 can get psychiatric, nurse practitioner and peer support, as well as have fun, to better protect themselves from risk.

Cox said 656 youth have utilized the hub in 2021-22, up from 201 in 2020-21, an increase of about 220 per cent.

She said they’d been able to cope with the demand by using a variety of strategies. One is buying a small fleet of vehicles for transporting youth. They have also partnered with the Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) to run late buses from the high school and youth hub to take students home.

However, Cox said they are having human resource challenges and can no longer afford to have staff driving clients due to huge demands for their services.

She added the partnership with the school board “has been great but there are still a number of youth not on the late bus route that require transportation.” She noted one of the gaps is Highlands East and other areas that fall between late bus routes.

Now, the late bus only picks up at the hub on Tuesdays and Thursdays, dropping off in West Guilford, Carnarvon and Minden. They also have a late bus that picks up at the hub and takes youth to Wilberforce, Harcourt and Cardiff on Thursdays. Before COVID, about 45 caught the late bus from the hub with about 30 doing so now.

“There are still gaps that we see, that limit the amount of youth using these supports. The late bus only drops off at three locations, so most youth still need someone to pick them up from that location and they may not have transportation to do that. Many youth have expressed that they would access services and activities at the hub more or at different times and days if they had transportation. For example, on the Saturday that we are open or on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, when the late bus is not available,” she said.

“We are also aware that during the summer break there will be no opportunity to utilize the late buses,” Cox said. She said this will require the hiring of a dedicated driver, that in addition to providing youth hub rides and shuttles, could also help transport children and families to Point in Time’s offices in Minden and Haliburton as needed, as well as providing outreach.

Staff travel as far as Kinmount, Dorset and Cardiff and all over Haliburton County to provide outreach, she said, including food security, toiletries, and in-home appointments. She said staff often do the driving but there are limits as to what they can do.

“This would help provide transportation and also allow the County and ourselves to start collecting data critical to addressing the larger transportation issue in the County,” Cox said.

County CAO Mike Rutter said this pilot project tied in nicely with a project recently approved for SIRCH to transport its trainees.

“The ridership/demand data gathered from this initiative will be useful in the future as County council reviews options with respect to transit service delivery,” he said. “This is another model which can be evaluated should County council provide that direction.”

Crown land rules need updating: Moffatt

By

Sam Gillett

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June 2, 2022

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SG-crown land #3-1- (1) — Residents of Koshlong Lake have raised complaints over firearm activities on a plot of Crown land nearby.

Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt has heard multiple stories about Crown land across Haliburton County in the past couple of years.

Residents have contacted her about people shooting down trees, using assault-style weapons and leaving garbage and spent cartridges.

“These are serious and sharply-increasing concerns about public safety due to the amplified growth of incompatible uses of specific Crown land parcels in proximity to private property,” she wrote in a letter to County council in June 2021. Some general use Crown land preserves that were once quiet camping spots next to lakes are seeing increased recreational vehicle traffic or people using firearms for prolonged target practice.

Lake grapples with Crown land complaints

The rules governing them or enforcement protocols haven’t changed. Ontario’s Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (MNDMNRF), Greg Rickford, declined an interview. However, a ministry spokesperson said they receive complaints about Crown land use regularly, including from the Highlands.

The ministry did not directly respond to a question on whether a review of Crown land access would be feasible.

“Crown land is available to the public for many wide-ranging activities and this includes hunting so long as all laws are met. The (ministry) generally does not prescribe site-specific hunting or firearms restrictions on Crown land,” an email stated.

When asked if Rickford believed current Crown land legislation adequately protects nearby landowners and other users, the spokesperson pointed to Canada’s existing gun legislation.

In some cases, Crown land reserves have been closed due to unsafe conditions.

The MNRF closed an area near Burleigh Falls in Peterborough due to “complaints involving liquor consumption, parking violations, littering and COVID-19 and social distancing violations.”

Judith Monteith-Farrell, NDP ministry critic, said the complaints seemed disturbing.

“I’d encourage (Haliburton Kawartha Lakes Brock) MPP Laurie Scott to take an active role in problem-solving, to ensure this region is enjoyable for everyone,” she said in an email.

Scott described the situation as a “balancing act,” but did not directly address whether she would support a review of Crown land rules.

She said, “Crown land is for use, and many uses are allowed on Crown land. With the pandemic, there are more people looking for outlets and more people that come up to the area that really isn’t used to… the neighbours that are by Crown land, the use of Crown land, and how it affects other people.”

Scott added, “going forward, as this persists, we’re going to have to look at what could possibly be done.”

She insisted the provincial government is taking the issue seriously.

‘Somebody may get shot’

Peter Franzen, a councillor from the Municipality of Trent Lakes, disagrees with Scott. In 2021, he tabled a motion calling on the province to review rules regarding target shooting on Crown land, which resulted in a letter being sent to the province demanding action. In one area near Bobcaygeon, he said walkers are often spooked by close-by gunshots and spent cartridges littering the road. In another spot, a trapper showed Franzen bullet holes in trees lining a forested hill behind his house.

“We’re talking about egregious and potentially life-safety issues”
Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt

Propane tanks and garbage were strewn across the nearby Crown land area. He met with the MNRF and Scott to discuss Trent Lakes’ concerns in 2021.

“They didn’t take it seriously at all,” Franzen said.

He said Scott told him the complaints likely mean newcomers aren’t used to the way people use land in rural areas. Franzen worries neglecting the issue could be dangerous, especially with a suspected increase in the use of Crown land due to rising migration to rural areas.

“Somebody may get shot,” he said.

Since June 2021, Moffatt and Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin have been attempting to get the issue in the provincial spotlight.

County council assigned them the role of communicating Haliburton’s Crown land concerns with the province. It’s been a difficult process. “The way Crown land is being used now is not necessarily keeping with the philosophy of the Lands Use Act when [the public land act] was created. Like everything, it probably needs to be updated,” Moffatt said.

She presented a delegation to the ministry at the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association’s annual conference in January.

Moffatt said she asked deputy minister Monique Rolf von den Baumen-Clark four questions: “Will the ministry commit to staff taking affirmative action on the identified problem areas?

Will you commit to working alongside OPP to fill in the existing jurisdictional gaps so that someone at the provincial level can and will take responsibility for what’s been going on out there?

Will you commit to an ongoing rolling review of the general use definitions for the identified problem areas that we know of and will come to know in order to evaluate the suitability of what’s happening on them and potentially stop those uses?

Would the ministry consider updating the public lands act to better reflect and control what’s happening?”

She didn’t receive any answers but was assured other municipalities in Ontario are dealing with similar issues.

Moffatt insisted it’s not about limiting firearm use, ATV trail access or Crown land enjoyment. “Our efforts to have some conversations with the province around Crown land use is not some idle complaint by people who don’t like their neighbours. We’re talking about egregious and potentially life-safety issues on certain parcels of land where incompatible uses are occurring.” Moffatt secured a Zoom meeting with the MNRF in March 2022.

On the call, MNRF staff said the ministry, post-election, will raise the issue, but they didn’t give a timeline. Moffatt is entering her last months as mayor, as is Devolin. Their official work on the file is likely coming to a close.

“There’s no question that the ministry hears these folks’ [complaints] loud and clear. The question is what are they going to do about it?” Moffatt asked.

She’s compiling a folder of Crown land correspondence for future councils, with the hope others take up the cause. “You never want to start a new term and think you’re at day one,” she said.

Shooting on Crown land in Algonquin Highlands raises concerns

Voting in Haliburton: Elections officer calls on Highlanders to cast ballots

By

Sam Gillett

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June 2, 2022

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0a4526ab-fc78-47f9-9e77-197a8c762e33 — Voting locations such as the Haliburton Legion are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The returning officer for the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock electorate district is reminding eligible voters to head out and cast their ballot in today’s provincial election.

Kirk Williams noted there are 82 voting locations open June 2 in the riding, including 11 in Haliburton County.

Stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Locations in Dysart include the West Guilford Recreation Centre, Eagle Lake Community Church and the Royal Canadian Legion on Mountain Street. There will also be three stations open in Highlands East: the Robert McCausland Memorial Centre, Lloyd Watson Memorial Community Centre and the Cardiff Community Centre.

Voters in Minden will be able to cast their ballot at the Minden Community Centre and Royal Canadian Legion on Hwy. 35, while Algonquin Highlands will have three voting stations – the Oxtongue Lake Community Centre, Knox United Church and Stanhope Firefighters Community Hall.

“Our electoral district is one of the largest in Ontario, as well it’s the second largest in terms of elector count… So, it was important to us that we provided several locations that made it easy and convenient for [our residents] to vote,” Williams said. Elections Ontario reported May 30 that more than one million people cast their ballot during advance polls.

While he didn’t have any official numbers, Williams intimated that advanced polls at the Minden Curling Club, Dysart Legion, Keith Tallman Memorial Arena and Stanhope Firefighters Community Hall had been popular.

Mail-in ballots were also available for local voters, although the deadline to register for that method passed at 6 p.m. May 27.

There are seven candidates listed on the ballot: incumbent Laurie Scott, representing the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario; NDP Barbara Doyle, Liberal Don McBey; Green Party rep Tom Regina; Libertarian Gene Balfour; Kerstin Kelly of the Ontario Party; and New Blue Ben Prentice.

The 2018 election saw Scott record a comprehensive victory, securing 56.71 per cent of the local vote. A total of 57,143 valid votes were cast in 2018 out of an eligible total of 92,570, putting voter turnout at around 61.7 per cent.

Williams estimated, unofficially, the number of eligible voters in the riding has since climbed to around 100,000.

He encouraged everyone to exercise their democratic right and get out and vote. “As a voter myself, it’s the number one way that I can help influence the outcome of the future of my country… This is the one chance that citizens can directly influence the outcome of the leadership [of our province],” Williams said. “It’s much easier to complain about leadership if you participated in the vote… If I vote and my person wins and things don’t go my way, I can make a stink. If I don’t participate and just complain about what’s going on, then I’m losing my one ability to really do something about it.

Burton running for mayor in Highlands East

By

Lisa Gervais

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May 27, 2022

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By Lisa Gervais

The only incumbent mayor seeking re-election, Highlands East’s Dave Burton, has filed his nomination papers.

Burton made it official May 26. Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt, Dysart et al mayor Andrea Roberts and Minden Hills mayor Brent Devolin have all announced they are stepping away from public office.

Burton said he put a lot of thought into the decision, consulted with his family, and talked to ratepayers.

“My health is good so I decided that I would seek another term,” he said.

Burton is finishing his fourth term, or 16 years with the township. If elected and serving to 2026, it will be 20 years of public service.

Burton said the changeover at County council, since Dysart deputy mayor Pat Kennedy is also not running, factored into his thinking.

“We need the continuity there. We need the experience there,” he said.

Burton is now deputy warden and is also on the board of the Ontario Good Roads Association. In the past, he has been a warden, and served on the Ontario Eastern Regional Network and Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus boards. Burton added he had established relationships with members of other levels of government and believes he is a proven leader.

Burton noted he served for six years on another council before Highlands East and County Council.

“It’s been a lot of my life and it’s been dedicated to municipal service and working with the people and enjoying what I do,” he said.

Burton said another reason he decided to run is he feels COVID “cheated” Highlands East out of some projects and opportunities “and I want to see some of this stuff come to fruition that is sitting out there possibly half done because of our setback we had.”

He is looking forward to being part of the recovery, now that the worst of COVID is behind the township, “and moving forward in a gentle, creative manner.”

For example, he would like to see the new Herlihey Park completed and better and quicker high-speed internet.

He said the lower-tier council has shown it thinks Centre Lake is a gem in voting the province selling the Crown land reserve around the lake for private development.

At the County level, he said he honestly does not know where councillors are going to land with the shoreline preservation bylaw. He said a decision on short-term rentals is looming. As for amalgamation, “it’s going to take somebody pretty strong to convince me that amalgamation is suitable for Haliburton County.”

Burton said he is excited about running again.

“I’m revved up to go and looking forward to it.”

Haliburton County wraps up first climate change survey

By

Sam Gillett

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May 27, 2022

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There are only a few days left to contribute to the County’s first of two community climate change surveys.

The online questionnaire, closing May 30, polls Highlanders on which areas the County should prioritize as it develops a Community Climate Action Plan.

“Your input will help to determine what issues related to climate change are important to our community, and this will set the stage for developing a plan that focuses on local priorities and creates local benefits,” states the survey introduction.

Some local environmental groups such as the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) are urging Highlanders to take part.

“A healthy environment is a healthy economy,” said HHLT board member Sheila Ziman.

She said the Land Trust’s work on the Highlands Corridor directly relates to the climate concerns.

“We need to look at the big picture and protect large corridors for wildlife and habitat,” she said. Wetlands absorb greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide.

A second survey will be available later this summer, which will focus on how Highlanders would like to see the County lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The survey can be found here.

Whose way of life?

By

Sam Gillett

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May 27, 2022

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The Highlander’s series on Crown land is a project I’ve been working on for more than a year, since first reporting on firearm use near cottages on Koshlong Lake.

This series digs deeper than that original June 2021 article, and I was motivated by the response it got. “Get over it and go back to your condo in the city,” read one Facebook comment.

“Anyone with half a brain would say no safer place to target shoot than a sandpit,” someone else posted.

If I used Facebook comments to guide my reporting, I’d have switched careers already. But I wanted to know: did I miss something? Was it really just “millionaire cottagers” who were complaining? Were they the only ones worried?

They’re not.

The three primary sources for this series are concerned too. They’ve lived in Haliburton County for decades. They own guns. Wayne Parker and Mike Buss are experienced marksmen who often shoot on Crown land.

Neither they nor Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt, also featured in the series, are against firearms, or concerned about far-off gunshots interrupting martini hour.

It’s precisely because of their experience sourcing safe shooting areas, riding ATVs or hunting around the County that they’re urging the province to review whether all general use Crown land areas should still be designated as such.

All three suspect most of the allegedly inappropriate firearm use is from people who hail from outside of the County.

The complaints aren’t about a local hunter sighting in a rifle for deer season: it’s hours of shooting on summer afternoons, skeetshooting, traversing private property and destroying trees with explosives.

I couldn’t find people who shoot in these specific areas to talk to, but they’re not the focus of the story: safe shooting in these areas and other general use Crown land spots is completely legal. The conversation is about something bigger.

It’s about how Haliburton County and Ontario will handle the increased burden of use on our natural areas and in our communities, whether it’s short-term rentals, shorelines, or the capacity of our parking lots.

The Highlands, like many rural areas in Ontario, is experiencing growing pains. I understand how some could perceive the complaints over firearms in particular, or ATVs, as newcomers’ naivety or “millionaires” trying to ruin a way of life, but from what I’ve seen, it’s the large influx of people using Haliburton County as an outdoor playground that’s sparking these conversations. The ones raising questions don’t seem to be advocating for an end to rural traditions such as hunting, enjoying a day out on a boat, or camping on public lands.

They’re long-time community members concerned about how uncontrolled shooting ranges next to homes, over-crowded lakes and the toilet paper, beer cans and human waste left behind on public lands threaten the long-term health of our County.

New Blue seeks social conservative return

By

Sam Gillett

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May 27, 2022

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Ben Prentice, New Blue Party of Ontario candidate for Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes Brock. Submitted.

Ben Prentice said his decision to run for the New Blue Party of Ontario “boils down to principles.”

He said the Ford government’s fiscal record points to a shift away from traditional conservative values of keeping a balanced ledger.

“Even before COVID came in there was higher record of spending, but for a conservative government it’s always been about less oversight,” he said.

Prentice lives in Millbrook, and owns an HVAC company specializing in industrial piping and installation, which operates across Ontario and Quebec.

He was the riding president for the new party, before jumping at the chance to run in its first provincial election. The New Blues favour lower taxes and condemned Ford’s approach to the COVID19 pandemic. They said lockdowns and mask mandates disproportionally impacted small businesses.

The party, formed in 2020, said its mission is to “get our province working again by empowering individuals, strengthening our democracy, defending taxpayers, promoting small businesses, and standing up for faith and families.”

Prentice said he is concerned about aspects of Ontario’s school curriculum, which the party said shouldn’t contain information on diverse gender identities, critical race theory or in-depth sexual health topics.

He’s chatted with people who feel schools shouldn’t teach certain health or social history topics. “I want to raise my family as I want to raise them and have less government oversight,” he said. On healthcare, Prentice said, “a lot of the blanket regulations really detracted from what people need.”

He said money injected into the healthcare system throughout the pandemic should be accounted for, and he suspects rehiring unvaccinated staff would help with staff shortages. He said the pandemic has underscored “the real need for people in these positions to be well taken care of.”

Prentice said he’s not concerned over the chance new conservative parties such as the Ontario Party and New Blues might split the vote, or decrease Progressive Conservative power in Queen’s Park.

“I think governments we have now are extremely left,” Prentice said. He said the current Ontario majority isn’t pursuing conservative policies, so alternative, “principled” parties are filling the gap.

Candidates bow out

Two candidates won’t be on the ballot June 2. Grant Dewar of the None of the Above Party of Ontario and Fred Fischer of Consensus Ontario are out of the race.

Dewar said he decided not to run because he was concerned about splitting the vote.

According to party leader Brad Harness, Fischer did not acquire enough endorsement signatures to run for election.

Shooting on Crown land in Algonquin Highlands raises concerns

By

Sam Gillett

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May 26, 2022

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A privately-conducted firearms safety study claims the Livingstone Lake Crown land area isn’t a safe place for firearm use.

The assessment was completed in 2020 by Mike Buss, who worked at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for 30 years, was a certified Ontario Hunter Education instructor and examiner and helped develop the provincial Hunter Safety Training Manual.

Allegedly dangerous use of uninhabited land, such as multiple Crown land areas in the County, has sparked concern among cottagers who insist the province needs to reassess whether some areas of Crown land are too close to neighbouring properties.

“In my opinion allowing or promoting shooting of firearms at this site presents a potentially dangerous situation, increases the anxiety of adjacent landowners and cottagers and would continue to foster a poor image of otherwise responsible firearms owners,” wrote Buss, in a portion of the report shared with The Highlander.

Lake grapples with Crown land complaints

Buss provided his unofficial review of the spot after multiple Livingstone Lake residents raised concerns about firearms activities at the pit.

Wayne Parker of the Livingstone Lake Association (LLA) said he’s heard numerous complaints from residents who live at the end of the road.

Asking to remain unnamed due to safety concerns, one resident said she confronted someone shooting at a target nearby the road.

“I said that I found it very scary to walk around when shots were so close and he said that it was Crown land and he had a right to shoot there,” she wrote in a 2021 letter to the LLA. The firearms user left the area, but the resident said she found the interaction disconcerting.

Buss said in his report,“I belonged to a registered shooting club for more than 12 years and I can tell you the Provincial Firearm Office would most definitely not certify this location for the discharge of any type of firearm. I too have shot in abandoned gravel pits on Crown land, however, the berms were three to five meters high and there were no roads or dwellings downrange for many kilometers.”

He added that the many uncontrolled walking paths across the pit, along with public ATV access, means there is little control over downrange shooting conditions.

Buss insists the issue is not about disallowing firearms use on Crown land. It’s about discerning what slices of Crown land may not be suitable for target practice or hunting.

There are thousands of acres of Crown land far from residential areas.

More than 87 per cent of Ontario consists of Crown land, including numerous areas in the Highlands, primarily in Algonquin Highlands, Minden Hills and Highlands East.

The area commonly used for target practice at Livingstone Lake is boarded by a ribbon of forest approximately 40-metres thick. On two sides are cottage roads.

According to Constable Mike Melnychuck of the Haliburton Highlands OPP, police have responded to four complaints about firearms use on Crown land in the past year.

Parker agrees with Buss’ assessment of the area’s suitability for target practice. He points to Section 6 of the RCMP Canadian Firearms Safety Training Manual, which states that firearms users should consider, “is anything else in the line of fire, either

in front or beside or behind the target?… Could anything else come suddenly into the line of fire?”

The manual goes on to caution firearms users to “make sure you are welcome and permitted before you shoot anywhere. Do this whether the land belongs to the Crown, to a local club, or a private citizen.”

Parker and Buss both use firearms on Crown land often, but in areas far from residences, with high backstops and no foot or vehicle traffic behind the target.

Other firearms users in the County attend clubs such as the Haliburton County Marksmen Club.

In a letter signed by club officer Brendan Berube, the club said many join to sight rifles in preparation for hunting seasons, or compete in competitive or non-competitive events at their designated range.

“It’s a great venue to meet and share a mutual interest in sport shooting with other firearms enthusiasts. Many new friendships are forged in our community,” Berube wrote.

Widespread issues

Livingstone Lake is not the only Crown land area that residents say is being used for unsafe target practice.

In a letter presented to County council in

June 2021, Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt outlined reports from Scotch Line, Boshkung Lake and, as previously reported in The Highlander, Koshlong Lake.

Residents from Koshlong Lake and Camp Wanakita describe firearms use in the area as disruptive and alarming.

Similar to the Livingstone Lake Crown land reserve, it’s located less than 100 metres from nearby cottages. Cottagers report gunshots disrupt parties, birthdays and lake outings, scaring boaters and kids attending the lake’s camp.

Since first bringing concerns to County council in 2021, the Koshlong Lake Assocation said there’s been no action taken by the OPP or MNRF to address the frequent shooting near residences.

The MNRF and OPP confirmed staff and officers attended the area in response to complaints of litter and the transportation of firearms over the road, which is private property.

On several websites such as Reddit, multiple posts pose questions about the suitability of Crown land areas and how to mitigate complaints from “panicked hikers.” One unverified user claims to have been stopped by a nearby landowner who asked them to refrain from shooting on the land.

“The only effective method to prevent shooting in the pit is to expressly prohibit it,” wrote Parker in a year-end LLA report. “…We also don’t believe that educational signage cautioning shooters to be mindful of their location will be helpful. In fact, the opposite can occur as it is a signal that shooting is sanctioned which can… increase activity.”

Next week: The County’s response

Barrel of support for Highlands East fires

By

Sam Gillett

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May 26, 2022

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An upcoming Highland Grove and Wilberforce fire associations fundraiser is selling rain barrels to fund community initiatives.

The proceeds will go to people who have lost homes due to fire, and fund community events and education campaigns.

“By fundraising and hosting community events it not only helps promote emergency preparedness, it also brings the community together in a friendly social atmosphere, which I am sure we can all agree everyone needs after the past two years,” said Highland Grove fire captain Tom Burroughs.

Each barrel, used to trap rainwater, comes with a leaf and mosquito filter basket, spigot and an overflow adapter and hose.

Rain barrels are available for purchase online and at a May 28 truckload sale at the Highland Grove Community Centre between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the stations will host a fundraising BBQ and provide refreshments.

Burroughs added the station will be recruiting volunteer firefighters. “It is a fun and rewarding way to give back to the community and help people when they are at their greatest need,” he said. Barrels can be pre-purchased at rainbarrel.ca/ highlandgrovefireassociation/.

Highland Yard to celebrate 50 years pounding the streets

By

Mike Baker

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May 26, 2022

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Registration for this year’s Highland Yard will open next week, and event organizers say they have something special planned to celebrate the event’s 50th anniversary.

A fundraiser in support of local nonprofit Places for People, the Highland Yard traditionally encourages participants to raise pledges ahead of gathering for a large, in-person race across the Highlands. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has had to switch gears a little bit, transitioning to a more personal event.

That will continue again in 2022, with participants having the option to complete a 2k, 5k or 10k run/walk in their own time. Registration opens June 1, with people having two months to complete their circuit.

While long time organizer Jack Russel said he would have loved to stage an in-person event again after a three year absence, he said the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and provincial restrictions earlier this year when planning forced his team’s hand.

“We just weren’t sure how things were going to unfold. It takes a lot of time to get the planning into action for this event. We’ve been there before (planning an in-person event that had to be cancelled) so we decided to play it safe and do another virtual run,” Russel said.

Now that things have calmed and people have, for the most part, returned to normal day-to-day life, Russel said he’s been able to plan an after party of sorts in recognition of Highland Yard’s 50th birthday.

“We’ve been trying for the past three years to celebrate… The first running of the Highland Yard was 1971, so while this will be our 52nd event, we’re calling it the ‘50th year of running’. We just want to squeeze in an opportunity to celebrate and mark the occasion,” Russel said.

A celebration will be held at Abbey Gardens Sept. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Following back-to-back record-breaking years, where Highland Yard has raised more than $30,000, Russel said he’s keeping his fingers crossed for another mammoth total in 2022. In the 10 years that Places for People has run the event, Russel estimated they have raised more than $150,000.

“So, what do we do with that money? Right now, Places for People is evolving and changing the way it operates. It’s moving from managing single dwelling units to larger scale multi-unit buildings… Places for People is stepping up to provide a much-needed service to the community,” Russel said.

The organization currently owns and manages seven units across Haliburton County. In recent years, management has been working closely with Dysart township on a large-scale development on Wallings Road (now affronting Halbiem Crescent), while further community projects are in the works.

Following 11 successful years at the helm of the local event, Russel will be passing along stewardship of Highland Yard to Rotaract Haliburton Highlands. All proceeds raised from future events will still benefit Places for People.

For more information on Highland Yard, or to register visit highlandyard.ca.