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A one-winged debate

By
Sam Gillett
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Arriving at the Cambridge Street United Church in Lindsay Tuesday evening for the local candidates debate, I admit I was a little disappointed to find that less than 50 per cent of the field would be featured.

Organized by The Lindsay Advocate, it was decided the event would be ran in similar fashion to the 2021 federal leadership debate.

Basically, no fringe parties allowed.

While it is encouraging that the Greens have been successful in shouldering their way into the conversation in recent years, here locally that meant that four candidates would not be afforded the opportunity to address the electorate. 

I’m a big believer in democracy, and while I might not necessarily agree with the views of some of these candidates, I do think they had a right to be involved on Tuesday. Libertarian Gene Balfour was in the crowd, so too was Ontario Party representative Kerstin Kelly, flanked by half a dozen supporters. I wasn’t able to confirm whether or not New Blue candidate Ben Prentice or Grant Dewar of the None of the Above P

arty were there. Conspicuous in her absence, however, was Progressive Conservative incumbent Laurie Scott. Seeking her sixth term in office, The Highlander can confirm Scott declined to attend, as she has done with several other organized debates that have already taken place and are still to come. 

Curious, considering Scott has never been one to shy away from the public eye. 

Some of her competitors threw shade in her direction at the event, most notably NDP hopeful Barbara Doyle. Taking exception to Scott’s support of the controversial Bill PR 65, which would see Lindsay’s Ross Memorial Hospital transition away from a community governance model, Doyle sarcastically expressed her thanks to her “favourite” MPP for helping to facilitate a move she believes would not be in the hospital’s, or the community’s, best interest. 

Liberal Don McBey ripped apart the PC’s most recent budget, saying Ontario simply cannot afford four more years of Doug Ford. 

It’s a shame that Scott wasn’t on hand to defend herself, and explain her position on these items. 

Officially, we’re hearing Scott had a scheduling conflict, which is why she could not attend. The harsh reality, though, is that Scott knows she doesn’t necessarily have to attend events like this and engage with her fellow candidates to secure her re-election. 

The Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock riding has bled blue for decades, short a one-term blip in the late 2000s after Scott stepped down to help her at-thetime leader John Tory gain a seat at Queen’s Park. Even after that, she was welcomed back with open arms, winning three straight elections with an average of around 47 per cent of the local vote.

If I were a betting man, I’d suggest the result this time around will be pretty similar. While it was encouraging to watch a debate that, for once, didn’t disintegrate into a series of petty jabs and arguments, it was clear that something was missing. 

Having three left-wing candidates on hand going back and forth, the event felt more like a seminar than a real debate, which is too bad. Through a combination of Scott’s absence and the other four’s exclusion, the community was robbed of the opportunity of seeing real democracy at work. 

Art around the corner at Haliburton’s historic Lucas House

By
Sam Gillett
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Haliburton art gallery

Haliburton’s newest contemporary art gallery is set to open its doors for a full 2022 season May 21. Corner Gallery, nestled in Haliburton’s historic Lucas House on Maple Avenue, will rotate through five exhibitions ranging from pop art to hyper-realism to abstracted Canadian landscapes.

Gallery manager Pamela Brohm said she’s excited to provide a space for in-person art-viewing after years of COVID-19 restrictions. 

“It’s been an opportunity to bring that back into the light,” she said. Highlands-based painter Rose Pearson will be featured first, bringing a vibrant collection of work including a series of paintings inspired by the 1912 garden manual, The Art and Craft of Garden Making.

“My sister had an old copy of it at her studio, tattered, losing colour, brown with age,” Pearson said. 

She found those floral drawings captivating. “There is an element of the organic, but there is something about the deliberate nature of florals,” she said. John Lennard will take over the space June 18. 

Lennard’s landscapes mix attention to detail with a nod to the energy of each scene. Whether it’s a stream cascading down Buttermilk Falls or a still early-morning lake vista, Lennard’s work immerses the viewer in Haliburton’s rugged contours. 

Charles Pachter will be exhibiting work from his celebrated career starting July 16. He’s a force in the global art world, known for irreverent work such as the 1973 Queen on Moose, a print of which was gifted to the Queen herself.

He’s exhibited globally and been awarded the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. Byron Hodgins, whose show starts Aug. 13, said he uses the landscapes around him “as a mirror,” finding meaning in the gentle flow of a river or sun-soaked evergreen. 

His abstracted landscapes play with shape, light and flicks of colour, crafting landscapes that invite reflection. 

Ian Varney will close out the exhibit starting Sept. 10. He has exhibited extensively around Haliburton County and depicts landscapes in acrylic, oil, oil stick and encaustic (pigments mixed with hot wax).

 Brohm said she’s “absolutely ecstatic” about the lineup. “The response from the artists has been fantastic,” she said. For more information visit cornergallery.ca.

Highlands East operating short-staffed

By
Sam Gillett
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CAO Shannon Hunter said multiple township departments are “extremely busy” entering the summer season without a full roster.

At a May 10 council meeting, she said the finance department, for instance, is “working really hard with shortages we do have in the department. We have been trying to recruit positions.”

Highlands East has hired an accounts payable clerk, but is still seeking summer students, a tax collector, an environmental supervisor and a chief building official.

Hunter says that has stretched staffing capacity at the township to its limits.

“Our staff really stepped up and have been doing everything they possibly can to make sure we’re meeting our service requirements,” she said.

Bylaw enforcement officer Wayne Galloway said the best way for council to help his department wade through its backlog of infraction files is to hire two new bylaw officers.

“I’ve only got two hands and two feet,” he said.

Disconnecting from work policy

Highlands East has formalized a policy exempting staff from working unpaid overtime during weekends, holidays or sick days.

It’s now a legislative requirement for any employer with 25 or more employees to have a “right to disconnect” policy.

Hunter said it’s “to ensure employers and employees know what their obligations are.”

Deputy mayor Cec Ryall said “we are really short-staffed … how is this going to affect the more urgent issues we have to deal with?”

Hunter said, “it’s not going to impede what’s happening,” adding that positions that are required to work overtime, such as road crews, are compensated for their extra time on the job.

Information related to the new work policy will be circulated to staff, and details on the provincial legislation can be found at ontario.ca

HHHS polls community on staff shortages

By
Sam Gillett
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Health workers are still awaiting promised pandemic pay. File photo.

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) wants community input as it searches for new ways to recruit and retain healthcare workers. 

HHHS launched an online survey May 16 “to gather ideas about incentives and programs to help the organization attract new healthcare workers and keep current staff.” 

In a May 16 media release, HHHS president and CEO Carolyn Plummer said “with HHHS continuing to experience staffing shortages, we want to be sure to explore every possible option to recruit and retain the healthcare staff we need.” 

HHHS reports a 40 per cent shortage in coverage for all emergency department and hospital nursing shifts. 

There’s an approximately 25 per cent shortage in coverage for emergency department doctor shifts, which are being filled by HealthForce Ontario recruitment agency physicians. HHHS first announced the staff shortage in November 2021. 

“It’s important to note that HHHS has not made a decision about which emergency department would close, or what that closure would look like, and that the survey does not ask for feedback about which emergency department should reduce services,” said Plummer. “This decision will be extremely difficult to make and must be made based on the resources HHHS can reasonably expect to have in the shortterm.” 

All survey responses will be kept confidential. HHHS said more community consultation is incoming. “Community members and stakeholders can expect to be consulted about HHHS’ longer-term planning for its facilities and services. HHHS will continue to be guided by its mandate of delivering essential, high-quality health services to the residents, cottagers, and visitors of Haliburton County and the surrounding area, and our vision of being leaders in innovative rural health care,” states the media release. 

The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HHHSRecruitandRetain and at Haliburton County Public Library locations.

Candidates keep things cordial in debate

By
Mike Baker
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A group of around 50 people were on hand at the Cambridge Street United Church in Lindsay May 17 as three of the candidates vying for provincial office duked it out in an election debate hosted by The Lindsay Advocate.

Liberal candidate Don McBey was flanked by NDP hopeful Barbara Doyle and Green Party representative Tom Regina for the 90-minute event, which was also live streamed online. 

While invited, PC candidate Laurie Scott, seeking a sixth term in office, was not in attendance. Others whose names will be on the ballot June 2, including Libertarian Gene Balfour, the New Blue’s Ben Prentice, Ontario Party rep Kerstin Kelly and Grant Dewar of the None of the Above Party were not invited to participate.

“We decided to follow the criteria developed by the 2021 leaders’ debate commission,” said Nancy Payne, event moderator. 

That meant, to secure an invite, a party must have an elected member at Queen’s Park, received four per cent or more of the public vote in the most recent election, or received four per cent or more support in a leading public opinion poll. 

Each candidate was given two minutes to introduce themselves and their platforms, before they were asked to respond to a series of prepared questions posed by guest panelists. Regina was up first, stating that affordability has become “the central issue at the heart of all other issues competing for our attention”. 

He laid the blame at the feet of the Conservatives, Liberals and NDPs who he claims, over the course of 30 years, have failed to prepare for a changing population and economy.

“Over the last 30 years, government has been keen to turn students and patients into clients, keen to allow private business to provide housing, education and health care to make better use of taxpayer money. The result is the mess that is at our doorstep,” Regina said.

 McBey focused his speech on the misgivings of Premier Doug Ford, criticizing the recent 2022 budget as a document that nobody can afford. “He’s going to spend and put us $200 billion into debt… Never has any government spent so much money giving so little to so many people,” McBey said. 

Doyle said the upcoming election is the most important one in her lifetime and that “after four years of incredible hardship” under the Ford government, the NDPs have a plan to fix what has been broken. 

The first question, submitted by Matthew Robins, centred on the housing situation, asking candidates what their party will do to make rental properties reasonably priced for those who can’t buy a home. It was stated that even a starter rental in the riding today rents for anywhere between $1,400 and $1,800 a month. 

Doyle said the NDPs would build 3,000 new units in the City of Kawartha Lakes alone to offset pressures, while McBey said the Liberals would reinstate rent control. 

Regina said the Greens would work with housing cooperatives and non-profit corporations to build “deeply affordable” homes for those most in need.

 Responding to a question about climate change; phasing out gas-fired power plants in Ontario and speeding up the transition to electric vehicles, all three candidates said this would be on the radar of their respective parties should they get into office. 

They each said they would implement rebate programs for Ontarians that purchase EVs. After Heather Kirby, executive director of the Kawartha Lakes Food Source, asked about further supports for those living in poverty, Regina said the Greens would immediately double ODSP payments, something Doyle said the NDPs would match by 2024. 

McBey said the Liberals would scrap the proposed Hwy. 413 project and use some of the $10 billion earmarked to eliminate HST on prepared foods, while upping minimum wage to $20 an hour over the next four years. 

Each candidate spoke of their personal desire to outlaw for-profit long-term care companies from operating in Ontario when asked how they would ensure a crisis like the one that hit the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t repeat itself. 

“We know that the best outcomes were in municipally-run homes… We know that taking the profit out works, we know that putting all the money back into patient care and good staffing levels works. Being prepared with PPE and suitable supplies,” Doyle said. 

“What doesn’t work is taking money out of healthcare and putting it into the pockets of wealthy corporations… The NDPs will put a stop to that.”

Cultural Centre enters ‘transitional’ year

By
Sam Gillett
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It won’t be business as usual at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre in 2022.

Director of community services Craig Belfry said the cultural centre aims to open the Heritage Village by the Victoria Day long weekend, but staff turnover means many traditional programs likely won’t run this year.

The township is hiring a manager of cultural services, as well as a cultural programming position.

Since these positions likely won’t be filled until mid-summer, Belfry said it would be “very challenging” for new hires to schedule last-minute kids programs or summer events like the Victorian high tea.

“But I’ll never say never,” he said at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre advisory committee’s first in-person meeting since 2020 on May 10.

Mayor Brent Devolin asked if 2022 will “be basically a preparatory year” for the centre.

Belfry said it will be a “transitional year” with 2023 expected to bring the full suite of programs such as March break programs, summer kids activities and other events. Four artists are still booked to exhibit in the Agnes Jamieson Art Gallery in 2022.

Belfry said the township is struggling to fill summer student positions.

“It is a stress point, Belfry said, adding that “It’s not a unique thing coming out of COVID.”

Students often lead tours at the cultural centre or help with long-term jobs such as organizing archives.

Devolin said hiring administrative positions will help determine future funding priorities and goals for the centre, or human resource needs.

“If we get those people on staff, they look at what we have,” he said. “If they bring a suggestion forward to those positions… staff are going to want them to build a case.”

Belfry and CAO Trisha McKibbin both have extensive experience working in cultural resources. They said they’ll ensure the manager of cultural services has curatorial experience.

“There’s some concern about our [Ontario Arts Council] funding: in either one or both of those jobs, in one or both of those positions will be addressed or covered,” Belfry said.

Committee member Jim Mitchell asked how either position will handle archives, much of which he said aren’t humiditycontrolled or catalogued, when previous staff have been “overwhelmed with the amount of work to be done.”

McKibbin said incoming staff will help define “the priorities, and what support do we need,” adding that the centre could begin to expand its volunteer base to help in the process.

She said the centre’s buildings, the “largest piece of the collection,” are set to receive maintenance this summer, which is a good first step.

Minden Hills’ 2022 capital budget includes money for fixing the cultural centre’s roof and one of the heritage barns.

Committee to discuss role

Mitchell proposed the committee discuss its role at its next meeting. He said he does not believe it’s effectively advising council on the centre.

“The essence for me is since COVID we had a meeting in March of 2020. We didn’t hear anything until July of 2021,” he said. “I have to question how much value the township of Minden Hills has in an advisory committee when they don’t keep us in the loop about what’s going on?”

Devolin said many committees have “mainly been offline for the larger course of two years” due to COVID-19.

Also, both McKibbin and Belfry were hired since the committee last met in person.

Committee Member Mary Hamilton said she’d like to see more communication with the public about the centre’s future. It’s been a topic of concern for many within the township’s arts community since curator Laurie Carmount departed in March 2022.

“I’ve been stopped on the street saying – ‘What’s going on at the cultural centre…’ I don’t know, nobody has told me,” Hamilton said.

“Are we doing any advertising on events that are happening here? there’s been a real lack of any sort of information.”

Belfry said the township is attempting to up communication initiatives, including “trying to do more press releases than we have in the past: it’s trying to do a multifaceted approach.”

He said the township will prepare a media release on the centre’s upcoming year

Lake grapples with Crown land complaints

By
Sam Gillett
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A sandy section of Crown land near Livingstone Lake has been the source of noisy vehicle use and firearms complaints. It was blocked off for reforestation in 2021. Photo by Sam Gillett

ATV racing, firearm use and noisy RV camping on Crown land near Livingstone Lake is alarming residents who live close by. 

It’s an issue that’s been going on for twenty years said Wayne Parker, whose property neighbours the lot. Lately, it’s been getting worse.

 “We’ve had as many as 22 campers in that pit – we’re talking about full RV campers that pull in,” Parker said. He and other residents report loud generators, ATVs running at all hours of the night and firearm target practice less than 200 meters from houses on the lake. 

“That seemed really inconsistent [with the purpose of Crown land use] and disruptive to a whole lot of people.” As vice-president of the Livingstone Lake Association (LLA), Parker said he and other residents don’t want to curtail people’s enjoyment of the land. Parker said he’s an advocate for Crown land, and the public’s enjoyment of Canada’s wilderness. 

An avid outdoors enthusiast and hunter, he’s lived full-time on Livingstone Lake since 2003. “Our primary goal has never been to police our ‘private preserve’,” Parker said. It’s “working together to advocate for responsible use.” 

Multiple LLA members point to firearm target practice as a chief concern, since the slice of Crown land borders a cottage road, only removed by a thin line of trees. 

Parker suspects most people who shoot at the pit, or camp there, aren’t aware of its proximity to residents. “It’s simply a pit as far as they’re concerned,” he said. 

Parker took Algonquin Highlands Councillor Jennifer Dailloux for a tour of the area while people were racing ATVs on the land. Since first becoming aware of the issue in 2018, she says reports have increased. “There’s a true detriment to their enjoyment of the space,” she said in a fall 2021 interview, referring to residents disrupted by noise and scared of the nearby target practice. “[It’s at] the point where there are parents and grandparents who don’t feel comfortable sending their kids along the lane.” 

Just like Parker, Dailloux said she’s not against ATV use or firearm target practice on Crown land. She said it’s an issue of determining which area of Crown land is suitable for these uses. 

MNRF fields complaints 

The Crown land at Livingstone Lake is designated for general use. That means camping, off-road vehicles, firearm use and more is permitted. The Public Lands Act, The Game and Fish Conservation Act and the Criminal Code of Canada legislate hunting and firearm use, such as ammunition protocol and transportation rules. 

It also prohibits other activities on Crown land, like littering. It’s difficult to gauge how many people break the rules. Even camping on Crown land, free to any Canadian or permanent resident, is limited to 21 days per year, however, compliance must be checked by site visits. 

The Ministry of Natual Resources and Forestry (MNRF), handles Crown land complaints such as litter or natural resource damage. Officers have been called to the Livingstone Lake Pit multiple times. 

Amanda Vincent, Parry Sound district resource management coordinator said “complaints received have been investigated and no unauthorized activities on Crown land were confirmed.” In 2021 the area was temporarily blocked off. 

The pit was under contract with Westwind Forest Stewardship, a company that manages contracts for sand and gravel excavation. They used fill from the area for logging roads. Since the contract ended in 2021, Westwind was responsible for reforesting the area. In order to protect seedlings, they placed boulders in front of plastic fencing bordering the pit.

 Westwind Forest Stewardship confirmed it was involved in rehabilitation but declined to comment. 

Joel Bocknek of the Haliburton ATV association put up signs discouraging use of the pit. “Our club has spent considerable time to ensure trail signage, including signage on road links between the trails, is in place and visible. 

This assists riders in navigating the trail systems as well as helping deter riders from going where they should not be,” he said. 

Parker said “we as an association were thrilled. That is exactly the responsible use of this piece of Crown land. To use it as a meaningful resource but not just to take from it, but to put back.” 

Changes needed 

While fences, stones and signs protected seedlings from destruction in the pit in 2021, Parker said restricting access to Crown land isn’t the goal. 

The goal, he said, is long-term access and freedom to enjoy Canada’s outdoors. If complaints continue to rise, he theorizes that access could be taken away. 

Dailloux said it’s time to consider redefining what areas of Crown land are safe to use for what purpose.

 “Ideally what we want across the province is to make sure that Crown land everywhere can be regulated in a way that ensures it doesn’t get degraded and there’s peace and tranquility and enjoyment for all,” she said. 

Parker insisted he supports the use of Crown land and its use by Haliburton residents and tourists alike. However certain properties aren’t suitable.

 “When you see this as a property that is so close to a residential area, it comes into clear focus: this is not an appropriate place to have those completely unrestricted uses.”

Kennedy not running for Dysart re-election

By
Sam Gillett
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Pat Kennedy and Andrea Roberts.

Dysart et al’s deputy mayor Patrick Kennedy will not seek a second term in office in 2022. He said the decision comes with “mixed emotions.”

Kennedy served as deputy mayor and a member of Haliburton County council since 2018.

“It has been a distinct honour and a true privilege to serve the people of Dysart and Haliburton County,” Kennedy said in a May 19 letter to The Highlander.

He said the choice was also a “family decision” which will allow him and his partner, Cheryl Kennedy, time to invest in other areas of their lives.

“It is also a chance for Cheryl and I, who has been my rock throughout this journey and who has been by my side, to spend more time with our four grandchildren and do some travelling while my health allows it,” he said.

Kennedy was diagnosed with cancer in 2021.

“I have been blessed with a health team who have worked hard to provide me with the best care and ongoing treatments.  Support from family and friends as well as from the community has been incredible,” he said.

Kennedy grew up in the Highlands and previously served as chief of paramedic services for Haliburton County until retiring in 2014.

“I want to thank Mayor Andrea, my fellow councillors, and staff at both Dysart and County levels for their patience and support these past four years,” he said.

 Trainee builders’ bunkie up for auction

By
Sam Gillett
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Photo submitted by SIRCH Community Services

SIRCH Community Services’ Basics of Carpentry Trainees tested their skills by constructing a bunkie complete with a cedar door, glass windows, and a steel roof.

Now Highlanders can place a bid on the building. 

Student Marhti Crowley said it was challenging but rewarding to build. 

“It is surprising how capable a group of people who have never touched a power tool in their lives can get with a little bit of training and the right kind of training,” she said. 

The auction is live on shopclosebuy.ca and will run until the end of May. The bunkie has an estimated value of $7,999.00. It’s 104 square feet, small enough to be placed without a building permit. 

Instructor Doug Norris said he’s proud of the students in the program who have spent months honing fine carpentry, framing, finishing, sanding, measuring and cutting skills. 

“Watching the whole thing emerge out of little pieces of materials and skills. How do you cut something, how do you fasten something, and then the whole structure rises up,” he said. “It’s very satisfying to see that.” 

The program was also unique, Crowley said, because it enrolled slightly more women than men, and many of the participants were older. 

SIRCH will host a Basics of Carpentry graduation Thursday May 19 at the SIRCH Bistro on Highland Street, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Haliburton County showing its age

By
Sam Gillett
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The average Highlander is more than 10 years older than the average Ontarian, according to recently-released 2021 Census data.

Compared with the provincial average of 41.8, the average Haliburton County resident is 52.8 years old.

Statistics Canada data released April 27 shows the Highlands’ older age groups

are growing, with 35.2 per cent of the population, or 7,250 people, over 65. In 2016, 32.9 per cent of the population, 5,940 people, were 64 or older.

Some age groups didn’t see much of a bump.

There were 1,720 kids aged 0 to 14 years in 2016, and 1,915 in 2021. Other key demographics in the Highlands’ workforce shrunk, when compared to overall population numbers.

For example, there were 675, 20-24 year- olds in 2016 and 680 in 2021, a 0.7 per cent increase. Haliburton County’s total population has increased 13.9 percent since 2016.

People observing sectors of Haliburton’s economy say the data reveals what life in the County may look like in coming decades and highlights issues already at the forefront of public planning.

HHHS plans for aging residents

Haliburton Highlands Health Services CAO Carolyn Plummer said her team is planning for the future with the County’s population and age distribution in mind.

“We’ve been looking at both of those statistics as we look towards the future,” she said. She points to HHHS home care services and its long-term care homes as “critical” to an older population that’s expected to grow. She said the services will complete planning exercises to figure out how HHHS might need to evolve to handle a growing population.

“Community consultation will be part of that.”

She added that many Highlanders have come to rely on HHHS emergency rooms for primary care. Local family doctor waitlists can exceed 1,000 people. Part of the planning process, Plummer said, will be considering “are there different service models we can consider recognizing the resources are definitely not unlimited?”

She said staffing shortages present a more immediate challenge than demographics or population growth. She added finding housing seems to be a primary barrier to young healthcare workers coming to the area.

Finding a place to live

Alexander Dacunha wanted to leave Hamilton behind. The 25-year-old part- time paramedic wanted to be closer to the outdoor areas where he leads outdoor education trips.

“I came up here to look for a better quality of life and cheaper rent,” he said. But he couldn’t find a place to live for months, now renting a room in a retired couple’s home with his partner.

“There needs to be some sort of incentive to rent long-term. It’s completely saturated by Airbnbs,” Dacunha said.

The County of Haliburton is beginning to recognize the challenge and is looking into regulating things such as Airbnbs.

Dachunha said it seems Haliburton’s housing market is monopolized by an older generation who often live in under-utilized homes or rent them out to vacationers. According to the Census data, 77 per cent of single-detached houses in Haliburton County are occupied by fewer than three people, compared to 50 per cent of single- detached homes in Ontario.

He’s frustrated by the resistance to developments in places such as Haliburton village, which he said are often sparked by landowners.

“It is just preventing change in the community,” he said.

Workforce challenges

Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce executive director Bob Gaudette said he suspects the Census data may not capture all the new faces to the Highlands.

“We know a lot of people moved up here during the pandemic,” said Gaudette, mentioning how work-from-home employment makes moving to Haliburton County from urban areas more viable.

Based on the Statistics Canada data, he said “it looks very much like we’re a retirement community — there’s a lot of truth to that.”

He said the Highlands’ expanding leisure economy paired with a hot real estate market could drive up the percentage of younger families moving to the area.

“This is one direction it could go. If we stay on the track of property values increasing and more investment … that aging population might be pushed out to an area that’s more affordable to live in.”

However, he said the labour shortages widely reported across the Highlands have been holding chamber-connected businesses

back from expanding or fulfilling the sky- high demand for construction services. “There’s this resource that is finite,” Gaudette said. “That’s the amount of locally available labour.”

At an April 28 Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS) job fair, Home Hardware district manager Glen Rickerby said it’s been “extremely tough” to hire seasonal and full-time staff since 2020, with both County locations seeking to fill a combined 40 positions. He received approximately 300 resumes in 2019 and 40 in 2020, and said they’ll likely be understaffed this summer.

It’s likely the labour shortage won’t disappear anytime soon. Some of the issue is generational: the Baby Boomers are exiting the workforce across the country.

“Never before has the number of people nearing retirement been so high,” stated Statistics Canada in an April 27 website post.

The percentage of the County likely to be in the workforce (aged 15-64) has shrunk to 55.4 per cent, from 57.6 per cent in 2016. According to the Workforce Development Board, retail, accommodation and food services are the biggest employers in Haliburton.

The number of people in the County’s workforce who are most likely to seek those roles, such as jobs at camps, restaurants or lodges, hasn’t grown at the same rate as the population as a whole.

Fewer high schoolers

Indeed, at HHSS, the population has declined.

“In all schools across Ontario and at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, there are empty classrooms,” said long-time HHSS principal and current board trustee Gary Brohman. According to Trillium Lakelands District School Board data, there were 589 kids enrolled at HHSS in 2011. In 2021, there were 450.

Brohman said he suspects it’s access to good paying jobs that might prevent young families from moving to the area, or bolstering high school numbers. “The jobs are the jobs, but there are only so many building jobs, hydro jobs, and social services jobs. I would say the school system gives you a good indication of the economic parallel between people coming here to work and retirement people coming.”

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