The Haliburton County Huskies doubled up on the Markham Royals 6-3 in a Remembrance Day tilt at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena.

A dominant second period – in which the Huskies outscored their opponent four goals to one – made the difference Saturday, in front of 525 fans.

Lucas Marshall opened the scoring with a timely tip at 4:52, from Jack Staniland and Lucas Vacca.

But, the blue and white sagged when a hot Ben-Chaim Lalkin scored his 26th marker of the season for the Royals. Less than six minutes later, Jake Barkley got another past Husky goalie Brett Fullerton to give the visitors a 2-1 lead going into the second.

It was all Huskies in the middle frame. Patrick Saini led the goal parade, scoring at 3:14 from Ty Petrou and Ian Phillips.

The Royals answered straight-away, making it 3-2 off a Barkley goat at 3:36.

But the Huskies stormed back with three. At 6:39, Nicholas Lamont bulged the twine on a powerplay, with helpers to Alex Bradshaw and Vacca. Saini netted his second of the period, and 15th of the season, at 14:12, from Petrou and Izayah Luddington. Then, it was Phillips’ turn at 18:24, from Petrou and Saini.

Phillips capped it off with an empty-netter at 18:27 of the third, from Saini and Ethan Wright, for a dominant 6-3 showing.

Fullerton turned aside 27 of 30 shots.

Coach Ryan Ramsay said, “I thought we played a sound game. From start to finish, I thought our D-corps played really well, which was great to see them do. We had some big and timely saves from Fullerton, which was great. I was happy as that team was nationally ranked before they lost to us. Anytime you beat a top team in our conference, it’s a confidence and motivation for our guys.”

Buzzers 4 Huskies 2

The Huskies got off to a 2-0 start against the St. Michael’s Buzzers Nov. 12 but went on to lose 4-2.

Petrou opened the scoring at 4:06, from Phillips and Saini. Then, Charlie Fink knocked one in from Phillips and Saini.

The Buzzers picked one up in the second to make it a 2-1 game, before three late goals in the third to seal the deal.

A frustrated Ramsay said, “we played an unreal first period and then we just kind of stopped working.”

Eastern Canada Cup

Ramsay, Petrou and Saini took part in this week’s 2023 Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge.

Ramsay was the bench boss while Petrou and Saini skated for the OJHL Oates team at Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens in Trenton Nov. 13-15.

Ramsay said it was a good experience.

“You’re with the so-called best players in the league.” When not coaching, he said it was valuable to talk with reps from division 1 and NHL teams about his players and the Husky program.

The challenge is one of the premier Jr. A hockey events in the county, providing exposure for top prospects of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Central Canada Hockey League, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Quebec Junior Hockey League and the Maritime Junior Hockey League.

Two all star teams from each of the five leagues played in front of scouts from all over the hockey world – including the NHL, NCAA, CHL and U SPORTS.

A total of 23 games were played using a modified two-period format in round-robin, quarter-final, semifinal and championship games.

The tournament also serves as a player identification event for the coaching staff for Team Canada East for the team’s annual training camp and subsequent entry into the World Junior A Challenge, Dec. 10-17 in Truro, N.S.

Next up: The Huskies play the Collingwood Blues on the road Nov. 17, with the squad back home Nov. 18 for a 4 p.m. tilt against the North York Rangers.

The Township of Minden Hills is welcoming people to its Christmas events on Saturday, Nov. 18.

It will kick off with the annual Santa Claus parade at 11 a.m. The route begins at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena, marching along Parkside Street, heading south on Bobcaygeon Road, and finishing at the township municipal parking lot off St. Germaine Street.

Right after the parade is Christmas in the Village. It will be held at the Heritage Village of the Minden Hills Cultural Centre from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is by donation.

Santa will be in the village after the parade to hear children’s wishes and have photos taken until 2 p.m.

“Visitors are free to explore and shop at the local artisan market. They can enjoy homemade baked goods available for sale in the Bowron House and browse the oldfashioned candy shop in the Welch Room,” the township said.

There will be a Santa letter writing station as well as Christmas ornament crafting booths. A live music performer, Eric Swanson, will sing and play popular Christmas songs between 1-4 p.m. Also, a book sale by the Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library (FOHCPL) will be available on site.

The Agnes Jamieson Gallery will be open and feature the current exhibit, Shifting Lens, by the Ontario Society of Artists – Eastern Hub. The Minden Hills Cultural Centre is located at 176 Bobcaygeon Rd.

Haliburton festivities

Meanwhile, the Haliburton and District Lions Club will be busy Nov. 19, erecting the town tree on Highland Street.

Jim Frost said the tree will go up about 11 a.m. Sunday at the usual spot beside the Royal LePage offices.

The tree was donated again this year by Vince and Barb Hammond from their property in Fort Irwin.

It’s being cut, picked up and erected by the town volunteer fire crew. They will also then hang the Christmas lights.

The spot for the tree is on the property of Anthony and Juliane vanLieshout who also donate the hydro for the lights.

“Again, we invite families to come and hang their ornaments on the tree during the season,” Frost said.

Three Highlands families have this month joined forces to launch a new community-wide initiative designed to help more people sleep in comfort.

Joy Webster said her family came together recently with the Caplars and Solniks, fellow residents of South Lake, to form the Great South Lake Pyjama Project. The idea, she said, is simple – they’re asking people to donate newly purchased PJs that can be passed on to community members most in-need.

“There’s huge poverty in our area, so many people are forced to go without essentials and basic necessities… I decided I wanted to do something to help,” Webster said.

After seeing a friend successfully launch a similar initiative in Durham Region, Webster was convinced the concept could take hold in Haliburton County. She made a post on her lake association’s Facebook page Nov. 4 and received her first donation later that day.

“I came into town to run a few errands and when I got home, I found this pair of brand-new pyjamas sitting on our deck,” Webster said. “This is such a giving community.”

She presented the idea to Martha Waind and Joan Cavanaugh-Clark, reverends at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. The church agreed to partner in the initiative, with drop-offs being accepted at its thrift store in Minden.

Having the support of the church, and in particular Waind and Cavanaugh-Clark, has been huge in helping to establish the project, Webster said. As of Nov. 14, the group had collected more than 25 pairs of pyjamas.

“Rev. Joan and Martha know who’s in need more than anyone. They know the people who are new to town, who are hiding because of an abusive situation. They see things before we, the community, see them,”

Webster said. “That helps, because they’ll know exactly who will benefit the most from this.” Webster said the plan is to run the project year-round, with pyjamas of all sizes, and for any age, accepted. Two-piece sets are preferred, she noted.

The group is looking for a drop-off point in Haliburton to ensure both the County’s primary hubs are covered. Webster is also willing to do pick-ups.

“I’ve always felt strongly that, instead of complaining about what isn’t happening in our community, focusing on what people and politicians aren’t doing, that we, the people, can be the catalyst for change. This is one small way we can get engaged and give back,” Webster said.

“Everyone deserves a good night’s sleep in new, cozy and comfortable pyjamas,” she added. To donate, or learn more, contact Webster at 705-796-8265.

When Bob Snider retired, he and wife, Charlotte, purchased a bush property near Gooderham, with the vision of building a small cabin and sugar shack to make maple syrup.

Their first attempt was in March 2016, when they snowshoed into the woodlot with a few buckets and a turkey fryer. That weekend, they made a little less than two litres of maple syrup but were hooked.

The next year, they had the sugar shack built and have continued to expand and improve every year since. As a hobby operation with less than 300 taps, they use traditional bucket and gravity sap collection methods, a wood fire evaporator and gravity filtering.

“The reasons we make maple syrup are simple,” says Bob. “We are a family that eats a lot of it, I enjoy the challenge, and it is an activity that brings our family together throughout the year. My sister and I learned the basics of sugaring from our dad when we were kids. Today, my wife, daughter, her partner, my sister and a nephew all help out, from filling the wood shed in the fall, to collecting sap and managing the evaporator in the Spring, to delivering our orders to family and friends after the season is over.”

The family – under the name Neil’s Brown Farm – entered the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair the first time in 2019 and in each of the past four years have been awarded ribbons. Last year, they received a second place for their Amber and a third for their Very Dark maple syrups.

This year, at the 101st Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, they were “very honoured” to be named the 2023 Champion Maple Syrup (best of the class 1 through 4) and to receive the John David Eaton World Championship Cup for their Grade A Dark Robust Taste maple syrup.

Bob said, “in my absence, my sister, our daughter and newborn were present at the award ceremony on Nov. 8 in Toronto.

“We are proud to be a part of Ontario’s agricultural tradition and of the role the Royal Winter Agricultural Fair takes in celebrating that tradition. Our love of sugaring is not unique. Ontario producers each have a story to tell and at the heart of their stories is a love of sugaring and the ability to produce great pure maple syrup,” Bob said.

He added his involvement with maple syrup goes beyond their own operation. As a board member of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association, he works with other producers to advance Sweet Ontario, Pure Maple Syrup.

“As a family, we look forward to the 2024 season and coming together to hopefully produce another great maple syrup,” Bob said.

Asked about the name, Neil Brown’s Farm, Bob said, “Neil Brown’s name is written across our property’s lot and concession on an 1890 map for the Township of Glamorgan. We assume that Neil Brown was the first owner of the property and may have started the arduous task of clearing the bush and moving the many stones in an effort to homestead. One hundred and forty years later, what remains of these efforts are huge piles of stones throughout the sugar maple bush. We recognize the earlier settlers by naming our farm after Neil Brown.”

Haliburton resident, Deborah J Reed, has put her last 12 months of waiting into preparing another book.

It wasn’t COVID that kept Reed busy writing this time around. Instead, it was a full year of dividing her days between temporary shelter in West Guilford and her flat in Toronto, as she and her partner waited for their house to be rebuilt after a fire last year.

Reed said the fire claimed almost everything she and her partner owned, so she focused on fiction.

After an art collective she belongs to suggested last November’s creative challenge be a read-aloud piece of flash fiction (a complete story of extreme brevity), Reed composed a piece and called it Unchained Melody.

“This little story, also shared aloud on CanoeFM, relates a tense moment in the life of a city 10-year-old,” Reed said.

She added she enjoyed the initial flash fiction assignment so much, she carried on writing until 31 more little stories were completed and make up the new book, Instant Soup.

Reed said it’s, “a thoughtful collection of tales and editorials, with my own black and white illustrations, based on almost everyone and everything I’ve ever encountered. Many settings involve cottage country, and my special love of simplicity here.”

Speaking of simplicity, she added that each story contains only and exactly 500 words.

As for the title, Reed said it is “so that each ‘flavour’ can be sipped on, briefly visited, and slightly felt. These are simple and varied scenarios about life itself, and would nicely serve a class of literature students, or a mind which still loves books but can’t focus for too long these days, or an out-loud reader who appreciates a good discussion.”

As for the project helping her to heal from the house fire, Reed said, “healing because it distracted me, and kind of kept me company as a project I could work on anywhere I went with my phone.”

Reed majored in literature at the University of Toronto, and taught ESL, French, and mostly Grade 5s for 31 years. She’s written and contributed to the illustrations of three other books, Field Hooky, Ontario Wizard and Rhymes with Haliburton, and continues to compile her newer poetry for a second volume.

Instant Soup is available at The Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre, Master’s Book Store, Rowan and Oak, Organic Times and online at Amazon.

Minden’s On the Spot convenience store has rebranded, with owners Mary and Vanessa Douglas shifting the business’ focus to promote more locally-sourced and produced goods.

Recently changing the name to Let’s Get Local, Mary said the rebranding is more fitting with her vision for the downtown location. She bought the store in April 2021 with a view to eventually make it a destination for local artisans and shoppers.

Renovations were completed in early November, transitioning the back half of the store into a sit-down café, with space also dedicated to local crafters and entrepreneurs to showcase their creations.

“I always saw this as being more than just a convenience store. It’s a perfect location right in the downtown, and it generates a lot of traffic. My idea is to help promote local, get more eyes on people and products that otherwise might not have that chance,” Mary said.

“I started going to the farmers market last year and talked to some of the people. After seeing some of the incredibly talented people we have here, and some of the products, I wanted to find a way to work with these people to help get their stuff out there even more,” she added.

They have partnered with The Nooks, a nationwide marketplace built exclusively for Canadian makers, in the new space. Vanessa said there are six vendors already on board – White Pine Purl hats and accessories, Sara’s Soaps and Candles, Four Soap Co., Inspired by Griffen Photography, Attract Attention art products, and clothing brand Fenix.

Katie Raftis, owner of Attract Attention, said this was a great opportunity for her to display her handmade items year-round.

“I’m familiar with The Nooks brand, seeing it across the GTA, so I was really excited when we were able to bring something like this to Minden. It’s going to be excellent for local artisans,” Raftis said, noting she usually sells her items during the summer at the Haliburton County Farmers Market. “Without this space, my stuff would be sitting in inventory for the next few months.”

Another local name, Tracy Lauzon’s Sugar Bitties, will be providing a variety of sweet treats daily for people to enjoy. Mary said there will also be soups, chili, sandwiches, and hot drinks on offer.

The new space was officially unveiled Nov. 15.

In future, Vanessa said she wants to host workshops at the store, providing vendors with an opportunity to showcase how they do what they do. There will also be themed events in the lead up to Christmas, and for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Easter.

Mary wants to work closely with youth too, providing free space to up-and-coming entrepreneurs. “That will be more of a learning experience for them – how they can market their product, how to sell it,” she said.

For more information, call 705-286-6868.

Neil Vanderstoop, president of the Haliburton County Snowmobile Association (HCSA), says snowmobiling is one of the primary drivers of the Highlands economy during the winter, helping to bring more than $7.5 million of business to the area.

Applying local statistics to a new report released by the Ontario Federation of Snowmobiling Clubs last week, which pegged the industry’s total economic impact provincewide at around $6 billion in 2022/23, Vanderstoop said HCSA posted “impressive” numbers when compared to other clubs within District 6.

The region covers approximately 2,850 kilometres, traversing west from Arnprior to Deux Rivieres in the east, and south from the Ottawa River up to Sharbot Lake, Bancroft and Haliburton County.

“District 6 directly supports 9,307 full-time jobs, generating $160 million for the region,” Vanderstoop said.

He added, “if we break it down and look at direct benefits from people riding on HCSA trails, we saw [last year] $4.5 million spent on food and beverage at stores and in restaurants, $133,000 on recreation and entertainment, and $2.9 million on accommodation. That puts us at around $7.5 million,” Vanderstoop said.

“Snowmobiling is absolutely essential for the Haliburton County economy during the winter,” he added.

After taking over as president of the club in May, replacing the long tenured John Enright, Vanderstoop has been hard at work getting ready for the new season.

He agreed to a two-year term, which he said will allow him to further snowmobiling in the Highlands.

His first priority was to implement succession planning at the club, ensuring those in prominent positions are training the next batch of leaders who can step in when the time comes.

This is particularly important for club directors, who take on designing and releasing the annual HCSA trails map, putting up signs around the County, and grooming trails.

Minden access

Since early October, the club has been working on Trail B112, investing more than $20,000 on repairs. This will provide snowmobilers with easy access to Minden – something that wasn’t always possible last year.

The township of Minden Hills also installed the bridge that enables riders to cross the Gull River on Nov. 13.

“We’ve accomplished an unbelievable amount of work over the past 45 days, and it’s all leading towards a great season again in Haliburton County,” Vanderstoop said.

One feature riders can look forward to, he said, is new greeting stations at key points of trails.

“Volunteers will be out speaking to people, telling them about our club, giving them some tips and pointers of good spots to hit up. We’ll also be driving people towards our towns, so they can see… what Haliburton and Minden have to offer,” he said.

For more information, visit hcsa.ca.

A Highlands-based advocacy group, fighting for the reopening of the Minden emergency department, has filed requests for Ontario’s integrity commissioner and auditor general to investigate the circumstances behind the hospital’s summer shuttering.

Minden Paper, made up of five local core team members and an advisory group of 10 to 15 others located across Canada, submitted its letter to the provincial watchdog Nov. 14. Spokesperson Jeff Nicholls, in an email to The Highlander, said it was the culmination of more than 9,000 hours of work by group members.

“We’re deeply concerned about Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) decision to close the Minden emergency department permanently – with six weeks’ notice,” Nicholls said. “We hope to raise our collective understanding of healthcare planning and provision so more people can help ensure key decision-makers understand the socioeconomic repercussions of these decisions, and the need for effective stakeholder consultation and governance.

“We believe the closure of the Minden emergency department serves as a microcosm for what’s happening across Ontario, if not the entire country,” Nicholls added.

The letter calls for the auditor general to investigate former HHHS CEO Carolyn Plummer and the organization’s board of directors’ financial management and decision-making processes, which Minden Paper believes played a key role in the ED’s demise.

The group questioned how the organization’s deficit grew from $220,000 in June 2022 to approximately $4.1 million as of the fiscal year-end March 31, 2023.

In previous interviews with The Highlander, Plummer said the bulk of that money was spent on agency nurses, which were needed to fill shifts and avoid temporary ED closures, predominantly in Haliburton.

The Minden Paper team also believes there are inconsistencies between statements made by HHHS executive and the board, and those of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott and health minister Sylvia Jones.

“Despite Jones’ characterization of the closure as a non-financial decision… there is a litany of discrepancies between [her and Scott’s] statements and HHHS board minutes, financial statements, stakeholder accounts, and news coverage, indicating a possible neglect of their oversight responsibilities,” the letter to the integrity commissioner reads.

Nicholls claims a freedom of information act request, submitted by the Minden Paper team earlier this year seeking the business case and decision details leading to the closure, was unsatisfactory. He said the business case was not included, and further claimed the information that was sent was heavily redacted.

“The closure of the Minden ED stands to affect the wellbeing and health of our community profoundly… the patterns reflected [in HHHS financials] and the subsequent closure appear to be symptoms of deeper financial and operational malaise,” the team states.

Officials respond

In an email to The Highlander, HHHS spokesperson Lauren Ernst said the organization is already assisting an ongoing investigation the auditor general’s office is conducting, looking at the state of emergency departments across Ontario.

“HHHS has actively been involved in this audit process… since August and looks forward to reviewing the report this winter,” Ernst said.

Michelle Renaud, spokesperson for the office of the integrity commissioner, confirmed receipt of the letter, but noted an investigation into a potential breach of the Members’ Integrity Act can only take place if a complaint is submitted by another sitting MPP. The commissioner cannot accept complaints or requests for investigation from the public.

Becky Fong said the auditor general’s office “carefully considers” all information when selecting and planning audits, including information submitted by the public, but noted, “we do not comment on specific details of information received by our office, or with respect to any planned or ongoing audit work.” When audits are complete, they are tabled in the Legislature and then made public, she said.

Hannah Jensen, speaking on behalf of Jones, didn’t directly address the Minden Paper group’s letters, but indicated the health minister had no input in the decision to close the Minden ED.

“While the Ministry of Health provides funding to hospitals, hospitals are independent corporations governed by their own board of directors who are responsible for their own day-to-day operations, including the decision of what services are provided in what locations,” Jensen said.

“Our government has worked with the Kawartha North Family Health Team to establish a new urgent care clinic at the site of the former Minden emergency department to continue to connect the residents of Minden to convenient care, closer to home,” she added.

Scott did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.