A new date has been pencilled in for the demolition of the Wigamog Inn.

Dysart et al bylaw officer, Hailey Cole, told The Highlander this week that, due to an ongoing Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks investigation, she doesn’t expect teardown of the dilapidated property to be finished until spring 2024.

We’ve heard this song and dance before. Forgive us if we’re a little skeptical.

Once the shining light of a thriving lodge industry on Lake Kashagawigamog, the times, and lack of any real investment, has left the Wigamog a shell of its former self. Major work was needed well before current owners, Aurora Group, bought it in 2016. At the time, they pushed grandiose ideas for what that parcel of land could become. Sadly, there has been no follow through.

The township has been actively working to have the site torn down for well over a year. In May 2022, former bylaw officer Robert Mascia issued a remedial action notice to Aurora Group outlining 47 infractions of the township’s property standards bylaw, with issues varying from downed power lines to smashed windows, damaged doors, and collapsed decks.

A few months later, Aurora Group representatives told Dysart’s property standards committee they wanted to demolish the main lodge and 36 outbuildings. They then missed a deadline to submit a demolition permit, which led to council ordering its staff to put out an RFP to have a contractor complete the work on Aurora Group’s behalf.

Before that could be done, Aurora Group hired a team to begin tearing down chalets that littered the northern portion of the property. This was in April. Mascia told The Highlander then that he was told the plan was for demolition to be wrapped up in six weeks.

Eight months later, and there’s still much work to be done.

The project has been further complicated by an MECP investigation. Officials were vague when The Highlander reached out seeking more information. No timelines were presented. This is a major red flag, as the province isn’t especially renowned for moving quickly. Especially when it comes to environmental issues.

Deputy mayor Walt McKechnie is trying to stay optimistic, hoping the ministry’s involvement will help move things along. I’m not convinced.
I think Dysart council had it right months ago, when mayor, Murray Fearrey, called on staff to put together another RFP to try and find someone to demolish it. At the time, staff felt this would be a risk and advised against it. They said, since Aurora Group had started demolition, it would be in the township’s interest to allow them the chance to follow through.

Again, that hasn’t happened. Aurora Group has shown on more than one occasion that it is incapable of sticking to its word when it comes to the Wigamog.

If council truly wants to see the site levelled, and I believe they do, they’re going to have to do more than just sit back and hope. At a meeting last week, coun. Barry Boice said he’d heard there are people squatting on the property. If true, that’s a huge safety risk.

Then there’s the empty swimming pool, the mountains of debris from torn down chalets. There’s no fencing preventing people from getting in and out.

I worry that, unless the township applies real pressure once the MECP investigation is over, spring 2024 will come and go with the Wigamog still standing.

I’ve been a cyclist my whole life. Until I moved to Haliburton County.

In the early days, I tried to ride along Hwy. 35 and Hwy. 118 but found it a white-knuckle experience as the shoulders of the road were a terrible surface and much too narrow. The vehicles whizzed by way too close.

I occasionally get the mountain bike out, with the thicker tires, and have a ride on the rail trail. However, I find the surface to be much too sandy and it’s an exhausting slog. And while I find the ATV drivers on the trail friendly; many wave and slow down so they do not leave me in a cloud of dust, the experience is less than exhilarating and my bikes, both the hybrid and mountain, spend far too much time on a hook in the garage.

So, full disclosure, I had a vested interest in the County council discussion on possibly allowing side-by-sides on the Haliburton County Rail Trail.

The Kawartha and Haliburton ATV Associations had pitched a two-year trial, and it was a good pitch. They noted side-by-side sales had grown exponentially over the years, and seniors, families and people with disabilities were opting for them over ATVs and motorbikes.
Further, they were looking for a way to connect to other trail systems, with the rail trail acting as somewhat of a spine.

The associations were offering trail patrol, signage, education and possible future bylaw enforcement. They came with insurance. They were willing to help with the cost of trail maintenance. They said they were good sharers and virtually accident-free. They said speed limits would be 20 km/hr. coming into town and 50 km/hr. on trails. They were all for hefty fines for violators.

Not surprisingly, the Friends of the Rail Trail countered with the fact side-by-sides are larger and more powerful than ATVs. They also said the County had a Rail Trail Master Plan it should be following. They said side-by-sides go against the County climate change action plan, active transportation, health promotion, the age-friendly communities master plan, asset management plan, and promotion of the area as bicycle-friendly.

Going into the Nov. 22 meeting, I was not sure where council would land on this one.

At the previous, June meeting, coun. Lisa Schell said she’d be comfortable with a two-year pilot. Coun. Dave Burton was not opposed, but did want more information. Coun. Cec Ryall was leaning towards giving the associations a ‘go.’

However, coun. Bob Carter set the tone last week. He said it would be downright irresponsible for parents, grandparents and dog walkers to be on a trail with wide side-by-sides going by at 50 km/hr.

Warden Liz Danielsen said she felt what started out as a multi-use trail had now tipped too far over to motorized use. ATVs are allowed on the trail as are snowmobiles.

Coun. Murray Fearrey waded in with concerns about enforcement and side-by-sides creating ruts on the trail, and coun. Jennifer Dailloux commented on the wonderful trail system across the County for motorized vehicles.

The same can’t be said for cycling routes.

It was four votes of eight as council headed towards defeating the two-year pilot ask.

I’m not going to lie. I was pleased with the result. Now, I only hope the public works department can figure out a better surface for the rail trail so cyclists such as myself are not out of the saddle trying to get through inches of sand.

I have spent a considerable amount of time over the past two-plus years writing about cell towers.

The recipe is generally the same: application comes before council; nearby residents voice their opposition; elected officials debate issues they are explicitly told, by the federal governing body, that they should not consider – things like impact on property values, aesthetic concerns of would-be neighbours, alleged dangers to one’s health; then the project is, eventually, approved.

This week’s Highlander serves up a three-course meal covering all angles of the cell tower issue. In Algonquin Highlands, a local couple has taken exception to the proposed installation of a 91.5 metre tower to be installed on the north side of Boshkung Lake. They say the structure will destroy the “naturally scenic beauty” of the lake and called on Rogers – the company applying to install it – to consider alternate locations.

In short, they are happy for the tower installation to proceed so long as it’s away from their property. Out of sight, out of mind. It’s NIMBYism at its finest.

It should be noted that Stephen Orr, owner of Buttermilk Falls Resort, also addressed Algonquin Highlands council last week, advocating on behalf of the tower’s installation. Not everyone is against them.

Rogers is proposing to construct between 30 and 40 new towers across Haliburton County as part of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network’s $300 million cell gap project. The initiative is designed to improve cellular coverage, connectivity, and capacity for people in the region by 2025.

In my opinion, these towers are desperately needed.

I can appreciate that people who have invested considerable sums into buying their slice of rural paradise don’t want to have to look at an ugly, out-of-place steel rod that stretches hundreds of feet into the air. But, as I’ve written before about the area’s housing crisis and the opposition to projects in that file – which would benefit the wider community – we need to consider the greater good.

Haliburton County is growing. There’s no getting away from that. And with that growth comes a necessity to provide enhanced services. Rogers representative, Christian Lee, said it best when telling Algonquin Highlands council last week the availability of cellular service will soon be seen as being as equally important to people as having access to electricity. To many, it already is.

As we move into a more technological world, it’s imperative we aren’t left behind.

There are safety issues to consider too. As someone who has done a considerable amount of driving around the County, I can tell you first-hand how many cellular ‘dead zones’ exist. One of the worst stretches is County Road 21 between Haliburton and Minden.

While it’s an inconvenience to have calls drop while commuting, I have often wondered what would happen if an animal came running out of the woods in front of my vehicle, or I hit a patch of black ice, while travelling through one of these dead zones. I’d be up creek without a paddle.

There are some reasons why a particular tower site may not be appropriate, mostly environmental – if it’s disturbing a recognized wetland, or displacing species of significance. But in most cases, Rogers has done its homework.

Locations have been strategically chosen to serve as part of a wider network, to eradicate the many dangerous dead zones. I had previously advocated for the installation of monopine structures – smaller tree-like towers that better fit our natural surroundings. I have since been told that would not be feasible – going that route would take EORN’s $300 million project well into the billions, and government would not support that. So, it’s this or nothing.

Not everyone will agree, and I’ve no doubt I’ll continue to see objections to future tower site locations. But I think it’s high time we all got with the program and embraced a project that stands to benefit us all.

For 34 years, a private bus company has operated between Haliburton and Toronto.

It began under the name Can-Ar Coach, but was changed to TOK Coachlines a few years back.

Locals can catch the bus at the Shamrock Service Station in Haliburton, or flag it down at Allsaw, the Shell Service Station on Hwy. 35 in Minden, Miners Bay, Moore Falls, or Coboconk, and make their way south via Lindsay, and Bowmanville.

Initially, passengers were dropped at Bay and Front Street. Then, they were taken to Union Station. In recent times, it’s been Scarborough Town Centre or Vaughn Metropolitan Centre.

At the moment, you can catch the bus in Haliburton at 8 a.m. and be in the city for 12.30 p.m. You can return the same day at 5 p.m. and get home about 9:25 p.m. The cost is $58.50 one-way or $117 return.

For many, it’s worth it, especially if they don’t own a vehicle or hate driving to the city. In a County full of senior citizens, the ‘hate driving to the city’ contingent is large and growing.

However, TOK Coachlines announced Nov. 6 it is discontinuing the service effective Jan. 31, 2024.

A spokesperson for the company said they are not subsidized by any government body. In other words, they get no federal, provincial or municipal funding.

Turning to the Ontario government today, let’s see what they are spending money on. Hmmm, four new GTA subway projects: the Ontario Line from Exhibition Station to the Ontario Science Centre, Yonge North Subway Extension, Scarborough Subway Extension, Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. Then there’s Hamilton Light Rail Transit. Billions of dollars. And, yet, the province of Ontario cannot help out a small, private company trying to get a busload of people from Haliburton to Toronto three times a week? Shame.

I guess there are precarious seats in the GTA the Ford government wants to ensure it retains, or wins. Not much fear about Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. Dress a goat in blue and it will get elected.

I am also seeing more and more electric vehicle charging stations in Haliburton County. That’s great for the Tesla owners. Not so great for the seniors and young people who cannot afford cars. More and more we are seeing the haves and the have nots in the Highlands. Those Tesla’s are driving by as people line up for that TOK bus at the Shamrock.

So, what can be done?

Maybe MPP Laurie Scott can chat with her government about giving TOK Coachlines a helping hand. While not their mandate, maybe County council can step forward with some funds. They do have money in reserves for transport. This might provide temporary relief for the company to continue the service in the short-term.

But what is really required is a change in philosophy at the provincial government level. It must begin to consider its regional and rural residents in its decision-making. To say we are an afterthought is an understatement. We are not even a thought. And that has to change.

Every year when I get a new calendar, one of the first things I do is go to Nov. 11 and use my red pen to designate it as a working day. No matter what.

There are few events more important, in my mind, to cover than the annual Remembrance Day services. I’ve done one every year since 2013 – first out in Bonnyville, Alberta; then a handful in Orangeville; and, for the past two years, the offerings here in Haliburton County. This year, I’ll be attending the service in Minden.

I always look forward to it. The services, especially here in Haliburton, are a spectacle. There’s typically 50 or so people who march from the Legion on Mountain Street down to the Cenotaph on Highland Street. Both roads are closed to traffic, and hundreds line the streets to pay their respects.

In many ways, I feel these services are more important than ever. We’re now more than 100 years removed from the end of the First World War. It’s been 78 years since the Allied forces declared victory in the Second World War. The number of people still alive, who can remember what times were like then, the impacts and long-term consequences of war, are dwindling.

In short, we rely on Remembrance Day services as the primary source to keep the memory of those who sacrificed so much in the name of peace and freedom alive. We owe everything we have and hold dear today to those who served.

I’m feeling it a bit this year, as this is the first time I haven’t been able to sit down and speak with a Second World War veteran. The handful of stories I’ve put together over the past decade are some of the most memorable and treasured pieces I’ve ever done.

In 2015, I had the pleasure of attending a ceremony honouring William McGregor, an at-the-time 92-year-old WWII veteran who served as a medic on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day landings. He was surprised when, at the service, he was presented with the Knight in the Legion of Honour – the highest national order of France – for his efforts during the war.

I remember sitting down with him afterwards as he recounted some of the memories he’d done his best to suppress in the years since. Knowing what these people went through – many of them still kids at the time – always sends a shiver down my spine.

In 2017 I met Sir Fred Heber, a member of the 12th Field Royal Canadian Artillery Regiment. He was there on D-Day, storming Juno Beach with his brothers in arms. He was stoic as he recalled seeing countless friends cut down by German gunners, while he continued to push forward. He spent more than a year fighting in mainland Europe and was actually in German territory when the war was won Sept. 2, 1945.

In 2021, I met with Harold Rowden at the Haliburton Legion. Serving with the 3rd Division of the 13th Field Regiment, Rowden was a dispatch rider tasked with collecting messages from one checkpoint and delivering them to another. He survived the horror of Juno Beach and later was commended for saving a commanding officer’s life, after his unit had been shelled near Courseulles-sur-Mer in France. He was eventually discharged after being severely injured in the Battle for Caen.

Last year, I shared Cec Bailey’s story. A truck driver, charged with delivering weapons and ammunition to the front lines, Bailey also participated in the D-Day landings. Like every other veteran I’ve interviewed, Bailey didn’t enjoy talking about the war, and wouldn’t accept any credit for his efforts.

“I’m no hero, I just did what I had to do. What was right,” Bailey said.

Please, this Saturday, take a moment to remember. Without people like Cec, Harold, Fred, and William, we wouldn’t have the lives we have today.