There is no end in sight to Ontario’s labour market struggles, according to Peterborough based business consultant Matt Sevino. Last week, he told the County’s top employers they must be prepared to think outside the box to attract new workers.

Speaking at the second annual Haliburton County Business Summit, at Eagle View Event Centre Oct. 18, Sevino provided a bleak outlook, saying he expects labour challenges from the retirement of baby boomers – exacerbated during the COVID19 pandemic – to continue.

“Our population is getting older – there’s too many people leaving the workforce and not enough to replenish it. That’s not going to change overnight,” Sevino said. “It used to be you’d have people lining up competing for jobs, but the reality now is the opposite. Businesses are the ones competing for workers.”

With the federal government ramping up its immigration policies, looking to add one million new residents annually, this provides an opportunity for communities like Haliburton County to tap into a new workforce stream.

“You have to find a way to attract these people,” Sevino said. “Most newcomers settle in urban areas, like the GTA and Vancouver – communities they identify with,” Sevino added. “In places like Brampton, restaurants have signs up saying ‘we’re not taking applications right now’… if you make your community, your workplace more accessible and open to newcomers, you will be more successful.”

In a 2022 survey compiled by the Angus Reid Institute, asking businesses with more than 20 employees about their biggest obstacles to success, 80 per cent said labour shortage and employee burnout was most significant. Seventy-seven per cent had experienced a high turnover of staff in recent years.

While increasing pay has typically been the most successful way to retain employees, Sevino said businesses should consider other methods too.

“Historically, wages have increased two per cent [annually] in a lot of workplaces – we’re now seeing double or triple those numbers… people are generally able to secure more money, with minimum wage and salaries going up, so employers need to look at other ways to separate themselves from the pack,” Sevino said.

A recent Statistics Canada labour force study found people identified working remotely, more opportunities for advancement, and greater appreciation and recognition as key considerations.

Some businesses have had success implementing a four-day work week, Savino said – including in Haliburton County. He believes the practice will become common place in industries that can accommodate it.

He also advocated for greater engagement with youth, saying if would-be employers can connect with people before they enter the workforce, they will have more success. This has typically been done at the post-secondary level, but Sevino advised businesses to broaden their horizons.

“We’re seeing more people hire directly from high school and that can be successful if you’re willing to put in the work and provide training,” Sevino said.

During a Q&A session, one local business owner said the biggest challenges locally are finding housing and transportation for workers. Sevino said some businesses in communities with a strong tourism industry, such as Banff in Alberta and Blue Mountains in Ontario, have been able to attract workers by offering free, short-term temporary housing. He also said a business in Lindsay had seen a drastic uptick in worker retention over the past year after providing a bus.

“There is no one size fits all approach anymore… Identifying issues and roadblocks and finding ways to overcome them [is the key] to success,” Sevino said.

Highlands East resident, Ann Speers, said the township’s noise bylaw is “worthless” if it cannot be enforced “in a particularly egregious circumstance” – in this case, a fourday rave she and neighbours experienced in August.

Speers made a delegation to council’s Oct. 10 meeting, along with another resident, Monique Colliver.

Speers said Phantomfest was held Aug. 25-28 on private land in the Tryfan Forest, off of Tamarack Lake Road, Gooderham.

According to the Phantomfest website, it was a camping, music and arts festival, “filled with uninterrupted soul-satisfying entertainment… a playground for grown-ups. Create. Gyrate. Vibrate. Trust us, we know fun things.”

Four-day passes started at $175-plus. They also charged for transportation, glamping and parking.

The actual location was not divulged until the week of the event, with the website saying it was being held 2.5 hours north east of Toronto on 800 acres of forested land with access to a private lake.

Speers said residents knew the location once they began to hear the music thumping.

This event featured amplified club techno music by several dozen named artists and DJs and it was indeed uninterrupted,” Speers said. “The music that was audible was primarily loud concussive beats, not instrumental or vocal as far as could be discerned at distance.”

She first heard it the afternoon of Aug. 26. She said she went to the lake the morning of Aug. 27 to capture video and audio. A Facebook thread circulated asking if anyone knew about a music festival. She said people reported hearing music two kilometres away, lost sleep, pets were agitated and wildlife disappeared. She said people were outraged and wondered if the operators had gotten a permit. She even visited the site the Sunday afternoon.

Speers said she contacted the township but “bylaw enforcement was understandably unavailable at the weekend. And the municipal website indicates the OPP are responsible for bylaw enforcement when the municipality cannot act.”

She said she called OPP, which told her if the music was still playing after 11 p.m. to contact them again. She did and said she received an incident number at 1:30 a.m. Following up on Monday morning, she said OPP told her the event organizers had a permit and their hands were tied. She filed a Freedom of Information request with the township and said she was advised there was no municipal permit issued for the event.

Speers said the event continued well into Monday night.

She added other issues included: the volume of cars blocking access to private camps; it would have blocked emergency services and there was a risk of fire.

Speers told council, “This cannot happen again… this is an important issue. This is the most egregious example of a noise bylaw violation that I can imagine.” She called for action against the property owner and event organizers. She further called on the township to do something regarding camping at the site.

Colliver said private campsites had been operating for a few years and “that’s always been a concern of everybody around here.” She said they worry about forest fires.

Council received the delegation for information only, which prompted Spears to ask, “any indication when we may hear from council on this matter?”

Mayor Dave Burton said, “at this time, probably no but we’re certainly going to be looking into it.” He added they are hoping to “beef up” bylaw enforcement to have staff available on weekends.

Speers asked if bylaw is not available, what is the plan with OPP. Burton said he had been in contact with OPP about the incident and believes they are still looking into it.

“I hope that your communication with your constituents will be more proactive and transparent in future. I plan to follow this up,” Speers said.

The Haliburton Highlands OPP said on Oct. 17 that OPP received complaints in relation to the event and is working with Highlands East to address concerns. “The municipal bylaws are enforced by the municipality. OPP’s role is to ensure public safety, the protection of property and manage traffic. Public safety remains paramount to the OPP,” they said.

The Highlander attempted to contact the land owner and Phantomfest but neither had replied as of press time Oct. 25.

Algonquin Highlands mayor Liz Danielsen said discussions about the future development of Stanhope Municipal Airport will be a top priority for council during strategic plan deliberations later this year.

The township has committed to updating a near decade-old land use and development plan for the facility, with a long-term goal of ensuring the airport becomes self-sustaining. It currently runs at an annual operational deficit of approximately $67,000.

Danielsen has long touted the airport as one of Algonquin Highlands’ greatest assets and believes the key to balancing the books is to better promote the space.

“There’s so much more we can do to heighten awareness about the airport and improve how people view it. We need to look at slow, steady progress, increased aviation traffic, hosting more events there,” Danielsen said. “A community hub is something council has always wanted that space to be.”

Most of the township’s other community facilities, such as libraries and recreation halls, also operate at a deficit, the mayor said.

“Unfortunately, the airport is seen as a different kind of animal,” Danielsen said. “Since [our last development plan in 2014], there has been considerable growth and the deficit has been reduced, but with a new plan and some solid marketing of what we have to offer I’m hoping to see some results over the next year.”

The history

The airport came online in 1967, after the township approved the development of a 2,680 ft. grass runway, terminal building, fuel facilities and hangars. In 1989, after receiving funding from the federal and provincial governments, the municipality installed a paved 2,500 ft. runway.

In 2001, the council of the day launched a plan to develop a new 4,000 ft. runway after the airport was identified as one of the strongest opportunities for increased investment in a County of Haliburton economic development marketing plan. Though the township had been approved for a $2 million Build Canada Fund grant to help pay for the new strip, a newly elected council, in 2010, scrapped the project, which had been heavily criticized by the public.

Danielsen was one of the councillors to vote ‘no’ for the new runway. “It just wasn’t proven to be viable,” she said. In July 2013, the Ministry of Natural Resources announced a $12.2 million project for the construction of a 20,000 sq. ft. forestry firefighting headquarters, new hangars, and improved taxiways, strengthening the airport’s financial position. The build was completed in 2016.

More recently, the township has been looking for other ways to generate money at the site and in September 2020, staff tabled a report outlining the cost, around $100,000, to build a new 1,500 square metre access road to service 10 lots council had discussed opening for commercial and industrial opportunities.

In 2021, council committed to updating its plan to ensure the long-term viability of the airport.

Updated focus

Danielsen indicated a new runway will not be immediately considered, though the township has retained the land, and committed to leaving it vacant, for future consideration.

Referencing the 10 developable lots, deputy mayor Jennifer Dailloux said she wants to know there’s a demand from the business sector before the township commits any additional funds.

“If we build it, will they come? Do we know there’s a market for those lots? Or is the fact they’re a little ways away from [Hwy. 35], you can’t get a commercial plane in, or too far from an urban centre a detriment?” Dailloux asked, adding she wants to ensure opening the land directly benefits taxpayers in Algonquin Highlands.

“My worst case scenario would be to develop these lots, put a considerable amount of money in to service them, then a business from Toronto, and another from Minden [benefits]. Do our taxpayers have to pay for that, or should it be more of a County thing?” Dailloux added.

Scott Ovell, the County’s director of economic development, said he would be willing to work with Algonquin Highlands on plans for the airport, but noted he couldn’t make any firm commitments without County council’s approval. He recommended the new plan, which is set to go out for request for proposals in the coming months, include numbers outlining the cost, and return on investment, of any potential project at the airport.

Housing was identified as a major need by coun. Julia Shortreed.

“Say we do develop these lots and businesses come, where will the employees live? Can we have a piece [of the airport property] saved for some kind of housing development?” she wondered. Danielsen suggested there was a parcel, around a couple of acres, on the north side of the property, away from the runway, that could be appropriate for housing.

The mayor believes council needs to take another look at fee structures for hangar rentals, aircraft parking, and runway access to ensure they’re in line with industry standards. The township charges between $42.84 and $83.54 per day for hangar space, with annual lease fees ranging from approximately $2,500 to $10,600. Aircraft parking runs $13.57 per day, $81.40 weekly, $101.50 monthly, and $474.24 yearly. A $564.42 maintenance fee is charged for regular airport runway access.

Coun. Sabrina Richards believes the terminal building is too small, which will be exacerbated by pending accessibility upgrades, due next year. Danielsen agreed.

“The more development that takes place, the more the terminal building needs to be folded into this discussion,” the mayor said.

The United Way kicked off its 2023-24 fundraising campaign Oct. 19 with an event at the Haliburton library.

“We are excited about the upcoming campaign,” co-executive director, Shantal Ingram, said before the reading of a land acknowledgement recognizing that in Haliburton County, they are on Anishinabek land.

Board chair Paul Murphy was unable to attend but said he was proud of the United Way team, which he said embraced change in the past year while delivering great results. One of those changes saw long-time executive director Penny Barton Dyke retire.

“The team continues to support our community with initiatives that include the launch of two new grant streams, their ongoing great work at the (Edwin Binney’s community farm and education centre) supporting our food security initiative, and participating and putting on several events to enhance our presence in the area,” Murphy said.

He added he continued to be motivated by the dedication and generosity of the community, thanking donors, volunteers. agencies and supporters, as well as his board, all “who have made a positive impact on the lives of those in need throughout the past year. “

Looking to the coming year, Murphy said he is excited about the possibilities. “With your continued support and our collective determination, we can build an even stronger, more inclusive community where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.”

Ingram and Beall talked about how grants for not-for-profits had benefitted the Highlands.

Programs supported in 2022-2023 by the community capacity grant included Big Brothers Big Sisters KLH, providing services for families and connecting them to appropriate community services.

Point in Time Centre for Children, Youth and Parents received money for its ‘coming full circle’ program, to engage people who are disenfranchised and or marginalized and disconnected from community and services due a variety of factors.

SIRCH Community Services received funding to support their Community Kitchen program which prepares, packages and freezes nutritious meals and soups for residents most in need. The grant will allow them to fill a funding gap from mid-October until the end of December.

Point in Time also got a matching collaborative grant for the VOICE peer advisory group. And SIRCH received funding to support the Community Kitchen under that grant.

Ingram and Beall noted that since 2015, LCBO stores in Haliburton, Gooderham, Minden and Wilberforce had raised $160,770.45 for children and youth programming in Haliburton County, such as EarlyON Child and Family Centre, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Point in Time Food for Kids.

Other money went to emergency pandemic support for the Central Food Network, Rotary Club of Haliburton, SIRCH and the Minden Community Food Centre. Other agencies benefiting included Point in Time, HHHSF and SIRCH, BBBS and Kawartha Haliburton Victim Services.

In addition, the Edwin Binney’s Community Farm & Education Centre harvested and donated 17,579 lbs of fresh produce, with HHHS and SIRCH receiving 2,607 lbs of fresh produce. “With rising food prices due to excessive increases of inflation, this produce has a financial impact of $7,684 for the community,” Ingram said. Further, the nutritional benefits of these donations equate to nearly 300 meals, she added.

While “honoured” to be named Highlander of the Year, David Zilstra said one of his big takeaways from the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce awards Oct. 20 was the youth entrepreneurial spirit.

“It was inspiring to see,” said The Haliburton Echo and Minden Times publisher, who currently sits on three boards and is a member of the Rotary Club of Haliburton.

Zilstra added he could not count how many hours he had committed to community service over the years, but does it out of love of the Highlands.

“It’s about making this a better place to live, work, and play,” he said.

He congratulated all of the nominees and winners, the young entrepreneurs in particular.

Zilsta is currently on the board of the Haliburton BIA, Highlands Summer Festival and the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation, as well as being an active Rotarian.

“I get involved partially because of my work,” he said, adding, “I have a unique ability in my role at the papers to help other people as well, that I’m not on the boards of.”

For example, he said it was through his connection to former Times publisher, Jack Brezina, that he got involved with the Highlands Summer Festival. In addition to the board, Zilstra enjoys acting. He works with downtown Haliburton businesses so it was a natural to join the BIA board.

I like events, and putting on events, and I’ve been doing that my whole career. Putting on an event from start to finish, I enjoy doing that type of thing, it’s fun, and that’s how I get involved. Same with the hospital foundation, I like to focus on a task that needs to be done, and you just go from there and you roll from item to item.”

The young entrepreneur theme played out throughout the awards ceremony. Jason Bradley of Haliburton County Chiropractic and Rehabilitation said he and partner Kassie Wright had come to cheer on young, new entrepreneurs so were surprised to win the customer first – business award. They were voted best new business and young professional of the year at the 2018 awards.

Rebecca Neave of Beauty Basics by Amy won the customer first-employee award.

The audience heard that when a long-time client could no longer drive to the shop, Neave took it upon herself to pick her up for appointments and drive her back home and that the woman had become family.

Business woman of the year award-winner Brandi Hewson of Kohara + Co told young entrepreneurs in the room she had been working 14 years to get her business to where it is today. She said people had tried to talk her out of it. She wished those just starting out “good luck” and encouraged them “to keep at it.”

But it wasn’t all about the youth movement with veteran Highlands businesspeople also being honoured on the night. For example, Sylvia Holland of Wind in the Willows Spa won the business achievement category. She’s been at it for more than 30 years, telling the audience she first joined the chamber in the early 80s. She said community service is part of her life and it has been rewarding. “I’m very happy and very glad to be able to do what I do.”

Haliburton County Huskies captain Patrick Saini believes a morale boosting 2-1 win over the table-topping Trenton Golden Hawks Oct. 14 can be the catalyst for the hometown team to turn their season around.

Welcoming the eastern conference’s first place team to Minden on Saturday, the Huskies put on a show for the 511 fans in attendance, dominating much of the game. The win, their first in three games, saw their season record improve to 6-5-2, good enough for 14 points and eighth place in the league standings.

“We’ve been struggling as of late, we’ve not really had the ability to hold onto a lead, so this is a huge win. It’s a confidence booster for sure, and a bit of a statement. The performance, as well as the result, shows what we’re capable of,” Saini said.

The Golden Hawks got the better of the early exchanges, with David Fournier giving them the lead four minutes in after a scramble in front of the Huskies net. There was frustration on the ice and in the stands as it appeared the goal had come off the spikes before the puck crossed the line, though the officials waved away complaints.

A flurry of penalties, nine in total, led to a stop-start feel for the rest of the period.

The home team started the second on the penalty kill and had goaltender Vlad Visan to thank for keeping it a one-goal game, the 18-year-old flashing the glove to keep out an Adam O’Marra shot from the point, then sprawling to deny Fournier on the rebound.

Back at regular strength, the Huskies took over. Saini fired narrowly wide after finding space off the boards, and blueliner Jack Staniland saw a screened shot from the point go narrowly over the crossbar. The home side’s persistence paid off midway through the period – Ty Petrou backhanding a rebound in at 10:22 after Saini had another shot saved.

Rhyse Brown went eye-to-eye with Bonisteel a minute later but couldn’t find a way through. Josh Rumolo, playing in his third game as a Husky after moving from the Burlington Cougars last week, saw a shot from the point, tipped by forward Antonio Cerqua, flash agonizingly wide, and Charlie Fink then struck the iron with a rasper from the point. Aidan Yarde then saw a low shot blocked in the late stages, sending the teams in tied at the end of the second.

The Huskies peppered Bonisteel in the third, with Lucas Stevenson, Johnathon Mead, Raine Nadeau and Rumolo all having opportunities early in the frame. Visan then stood tall to deny Matthew Lee on a breakaway, sending the Huskies down the ice on a two-on-one opportunity of their own. Petrou found an open Fink, who made no mistake with the finish, but the goal was called back by the officials who felt the Trenton goal had come loose.

Boos rang out through S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena, which seemed to drive the home side forward. After Yarde spurned a good opening at the 10-minute mark, Saini took centre stage, tipping a Staniland shot in over Bonisteel’s blocker at 11:08 to spark mass celebration on the ice and in the stands. “It was an emotional moment – there’s a lot of history between us and Trenton, so I let things show a little more than usual,” Saini said, commenting on his oneknee celebration.

“It was a big moment in our season, too. I think we’ve been a bit unfortunate to lose some of the games we have, so getting the goal that our play deserved was huge.”

The Huskies defended their zone well to close the game, with Visan making six stops in the final two minutes after Trenton pulled Bonisteel, earning the Huskies a muchneeded win.

“That was our best game as a group, no doubt. We were dialed in for a full 60 minutes, which is something we’ve struggled with,” Saini said. “To dominate against arguably the top team in the league, it shows how good a team we are. We just need to work and make sure we’re at this level every single game.”

The Huskies are on the road this weekend, with away games against the Aurora Tigers Oct. 20 and the Golden Hawks Oct. 22. They will be back in Minden Oct. 24 to play the Milton Menace. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.

With a relatively busy exhibition schedule wrapping up, the Haliburton Timber Mart U15 Rep Storm kicked off their home schedule during primetime Oct. 13 at the A.J. LaRue Arena against the Lindsay Muskies.

In the first period of the 7 p.m. tilt, spectators were treated to stellar team play by the Storm, with strong skating, and solid puck movement that kept the Muskies chasing most of the period.

After the flood, the Storm had clearly reset and came out focused on locking in a win, with hard work to start the period. Brody Harrison chugged through the Muskies to score unassisted at 11:42. The Muskies pressured play throughout most of the third period, but faced strong and hard defensive play by all six Storm defence. There were timely shot blocks by Jack Peters that limited chances on goalie Braun, much to the Muskies’ frustration.

In frame number two, the Muskies pushed back with balanced play and effort throughout the period. Through a series of penalties balanced on both teams, the battle ensued to the end of the period until the Muskies’ snuck one by goalie Carter Braun to make the score 2-1 after the second.

After the flood, the Storm had clearly reset and came out focused on locking in a win, with hard work to start the period. Brody Harrison chugged through the Muskies to score unassisted at 11:42. The Muskies pressured play throughout most of the third period, but faced strong and hard defensive play by all six Storm defence. There were timely shot blocks by Jack Peters that limited chances on goalie Braun, much to the Muskies’ frustration.

Hartwig potted a fourth for the Storm with 6:01 remaining in the game, fed with a long, heads-up pass from Ethan Decarlo from his own zone. With the Muskies down 4-1, the penalty box loaded up and the Storm cruised to their first home win safely on the powerplay.

The Storm are home on the weekend of Oct. 21-22 for their home tournament at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena in Minden.

Almost 20 years after participating in a “life changing” mission trip, providing a sustainable water source to a village in Guatemala, Haliburton resident Rebeka Borgdorff is preparing to make new memories with her family after planning a similar expedition next spring.

The Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS) teacher will travel to Guatemala again in February, flanked by husband Graham and her three children – Annabelle, 16, Isaac, 14, and Gideon, 13. The family will spend a week drilling a water well for a small community outside San Antonio Palopo in the impoverished Central American nation.

The project is one of many under the Water Ambassadors Canada umbrella to be completed next year. Founded by Haliburton residents Barry and Heather Hart in 2002, the organization has led more than 1,000 water projects over the past two decades, helping more than 500,000 people from 25 countries.

The Harts, Rebeka, and Annabelle were joined by 20 others for a water walk fundraiser at Glebe Park Oct. 14. The event raised the $14,000 needed to pay for the well.

“Contaminated water is the biggest cause of death and disease in the world, yet it’s the easiest problem to fix – you just have to give people clean water,” Barry told The Highlander. “About a billion people drink swamp water out of ponds and puddles every day. So, we do what we can to help these people, provide for them, and provide for their children.”

Participants were asked to complete several circuits of the Glebe Park trail on Saturday to emulate the distance, between four and six kilometres, millions of people travel daily to collect water for their family. Some carried water jugs and other items to duplicate the weight of those buckets.

“A five-gallon bucket of water is about 50 pounds – that’s the same weight as a checked bag at the airport. For people in Haliburton, that would be like walking to Donald while carrying all that extra weight,” Barry said. “It’s often women and children making these trips – so kids can’t go to school, do chores, or even play. And the worst part is that the water isn’t clean. It’s not safe to drink.

“Giving folks a potable water source near home is just about the greatest gift you can give. It resolves so many issues,” Barry added.

David Lowry participated in the weekend event alongside his wife, Ann. He said they’ve been long-time supporters of Water Ambassadors.

“It’s an amazing organization. We live in a part of the world where we take clean water for granted. We have so much fresh water all around us. I connected with Barry about seven years ago and his mission really resonated with me. I can’t think of a better cause than raising money to help people have access to clean drinking water,” Lowry said.

Prior to their weeklong well build in Guatemala, the Borgdorffs will be spending a week in Colombia, where they will help to build a new school. They are fundraising for their portion of the two-week adventure, slated at around $17,000. For Rebeka though, the money is secondary – her primary focus is on setting an example for her children.

“Helping people who, perhaps, are not as fortunate as we are, is a remarkable, lifechanging experience. We want to show our kids how others live in the world, what their needs are, and how they can help,” Rebeka said. “We want to do what we can to spread some love around the world.

“Helping people who, perhaps, are not as fortunate as we are, is a remarkable, lifechanging experience. We want to show our kids how others live in the world, what their needs are, and how they can help,” Rebeka said. “We want to do what we can to spread some love around the world.