ERs to remain open through February

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February 3, 2022

Emergency departments in Haliburton and Minden will remain fully operational through February, though HHHS President and CEO Carolyn Plummer indicated a service reduction in the near future is inevitable unless the organization is able to hire more nurses.

The Highlander reported on Nov. 25, 2021 that hospital administration was considering reducing hours at one of its facilities after struggling for months to adequately staff both emergency departments.

Since then, Plummer said the organization has been able to maintain services by using agency nurses. Since December, HHHS has relied on eight full-time nurse equivalents (40-hour weeks) staffed through third-party bureaus. This is costing the organization around $20,000 more a month than it would if they had an additional eight full-time staffers of their own.

“Continuing on with this model is not sustainable over a longer period of time … Our nursing coverage is OK into March, but we are still in a precarious position,” Plummer said.

An added problem in recent weeks, Plummer noted, is a decline in the number of physicians able to work shifts in the emergency department.

“With this in mind, we are still continuing on with our discussions and plans for what a reduced service model could look like.”

HHHS management are looking for creative ways to alleviate the staffing issues, Plummer said, with a focus on enticing internationally-trained nurses and clinical externs. The organization recently held a virtual career fair, will be participating in a wider-scale fair next week, and is in the process of hiring a recruiter.

Plummer has previously told media the community would be given at least 48 hours notice before any service changes are implemented.

HHHS still in a deficit

Board treasurer David O’Brien said the organization’s operational deficit by the end of November had creeped up to $633,000.

This marked an increase of $20,000 from the previous quarter, which O’Brien said was encouraging.

“Normally, our deficit would have increased $100,000-plus per month, so it’s great that our situation hasn’t gotten any worse,” O’Brien said.

HHHS’ cash position has been greatly enhanced in recent weeks, O’Brien noted, after the organization received around $1.7 million in COVID-19 related expenses dating back to the first quarter of 2021.

After finishing his financial report, O’Brien commented on Bill 124, provincial legislation introduced in 2019 that limits wage increases for registered nurses, nurse practitioners and health care professionals to one per cent per year. He said the bill “is wrong” and criticized the current Ontario government and previous administrations for the repeated cut backs to health care over a decades-long period.

“The consequence of that is that when COVID came along, we were ill prepared to deal with it from an operational end and a staffing point of view,” O’Brien said.

Haliburton believes in magic of giving

For the second straight year, HHHS Foundation executive director Lisa Tompkins reported record-breaking results for the hospital’s annual festive fundraising campaign.

The Believe in the Magic of Giving initiative raised $243,910 in 2021, an increase of almost 50 per cent from the prior year. More than 800 donors participated in the campaign this year.

The money will be used to install a new nurse call bell system at Hyland Crest and Highland Wood long-term care homes, and support the hospital’s new EPIC software.

The foundation was also able to contribute 993 additional meals to those in need through the Meals on Wheels program, and conduct 282 trips for patients requiring transportation for medical purposes.

“The extraordinary generosity of this community is amazing. We’re very grateful to those who have made it very clear that health care is a high priority for them, and that our local health care matters,” she said.

Vaccine clinic walk-ins open to all

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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Anyone five years old and up can get a vaccine between 1-4:30 p.m. at the Minden arena without a prior appointment.

Clinics are scheduled Feb. 3, 4, 10 and 17. Walk-in appointments on Feb. 10 and 17 are open until 4 p.m.

“This is a natural progression to make COVID-19 vaccines more available and accessible,” said HKPR District Health Unit medical officer of health Dr. Natalie Bocking. “We know vaccines, especially booster doses, provide excellent protection against COVID-19 and reduce the risk of serious illness and hospitalization. That is why we encourage anyone still waiting for a dose to walk in, or make an appointment, to get their shot.”

As of Jan. 26, the health unit reports 53 per cent of the region’s adult population is triple-vaccinated.

At a media information session Jan. 26, Dr. Bocking said the increase in vaccine clinic availability is due to increased space at the clinics. That’s a contrast to early December when some Haliburton residents reported difficulty finding a booster shot appointment date before February.

Forty-nine per cent of HKPR residents admitted to hospital since Jan. 1 have not received any vaccinations. However, since only 10-15 per cent of the population has not received at least one shot, the statistic shows a drastically higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 for those unvaccinated.

“To be fully protected right now we need individuals to receive their booster dose when available,” said Dr. Bocking.

You can also book an appointment through the provincial booking site at covid-19. ontario.ca/book-vaccine/

There is also a mobile Go-Vaxx visiting the County Feb. 12 at the A.J. LaRue arena in Haliburton and Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Lloyd Watson Community Centre in Wilberforce.

Anti-mask protest at Minden school

By

Mike Baker

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February 3, 2022

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Four community members participated in an anti-masking rally at Archie Stouffer Elementary School Jan. 31 following an alleged incident where a student was sent home after refusing to wear a mask during class.

Gerda Hammond, Denise LeBlanc, Gina Atkinson and Doug Smith said they felt compelled to attend the protest after hearing about the alleged incident on social media.

Gathering in front of the school prior to morning drop-off, the quartet handed out leaflets to parents discouraging the use of masks.

“Get the masks off our children, that’s the message we’re spreading here today,” Hammond said. “You would never put a mask on a healthy child until this pandemic … It’s not healthy. It doesn’t stop you from getting sick. Enough already.”

According to Health Canada, properly worn non-medical masks can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 from an infected wearer to others. They can also help prevent the wearer from being exposed to the infectious respiratory particles of others.

There was a police presence at the event, with two OPP cruisers observing from the school’s parking lot.

LeBlanc said she and Atkinson have participated in several pandemic-related rallies in recent months, including in Peterborough, Whitby, Toronto, Bracebridge and Huntsville. She noted her motivations are clear: to set an example for her family, and stand up for what she believes in.

“Right now, I believe that COVID is over. There’s absolutely no reason for any measures,” she said.

Public Health Ontario reported 3,043 new cases of COVID-19 on Jan. 31, while further data shows there are 3,091 individuals currently admitted in hospital testing positive, with 568 individuals in the ICU.

Trillium Lakelands District School Board would not comment on the alleged incident. Hammond claims the student has a medical exemption granting her permission not to wear a mask. The student’s parents could not be reached for comment.

Carolynne Bull, TLDSB manager of communications, said the board has strict policies regarding student masking.

“If a student refuses to wear a mask, they are asked to go home and/or the parents/ guardians are called to pick up their student. In the event a student is refusing to wear a mask and the parents refuse to pick the student up, CAS would then be called,” Bull said.

She clarified that any request for an exemption is evaluated by school principals in consultation with a board superintendent. For a request to be considered, it must include a medical note, medical diagnosis, or IPRC identification.

Atkinson says she hates the division the different COVID-related mandates and safety measures have created, saying she’s seen family and long-time friends turn against one another over the past two years. The pandemic has been especially difficult for her, as she’s had to watch her special needs daughter suffer after being “ostracized” from various community programs due to being unvaccinated.

“I think it’s important that we do things like this. Even if it’s just reaching one person a time… That’s why I’m here. To offer another perspective,” she said.

Report a ‘strategy plan’ for rural futures

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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An action plan from the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association (ROMA) could influence provincial decisions impacting Haliburton County’s housing stock, workforce and development possibilities.

Released Jan. 24, Opportunities for Rural Ontario in a Post-COVID World is an 84-page “action plan” that digs into five themes they say are shaping life in rural Ontario.

“It’s kind of like a strategy plan,” said Coun. Pam Sayne of Minden Hills, who sits on the board.

“It’s where we can stay on one page, and stay focused on what we want to accomplish based on what the ROMA mandate is.”

The five themes include digital connectivity, housing affordability, access to services, workforce development and efficient growth of rural areas.

They emerged after consultation with municipal leaders and stakeholders across the province, who listed each theme as a key concern.

The report acknowledges that these themes are interdependent. For example, workforce development hinges on housing affordability. In the Highlands, some restaurants and Haliburton Highlands Health Services have cited housing as a barrier to finding sufficient staff.

Beyond laying out themes, ROMA said it will “engage with municipalities, the province and key stakeholders” to implement 23 recommendations.

For example, ROMA plans to “advocate with the province for review of the Provincial Policy Statement… to ensure that the legitimate development aspirations of rural Ontario are not constrained by outmoded views of the economic and social potential of rural Ontario.”

That could result in a push towards mixed-use developments in villages such as Minden or Haliburton, alongside a rethink of municipal zoning restrictions that don’t permit tiny homes or basement suites.

ROMA can’t create provincial policies. But similar to a municipal committee advising council members, ROMA has the ear of provincial and municipal leaders. Multiple mayors and County council members attended the ROMA annual conference when the action plan was presented, and Premier Doug Ford spoke at the virtual event.

A ‘breath of fresh air’

Sayne said short-term rentals have been an “increasing problem” in Haliburton County that she’s eager to work with the ROMA board on.

Specifically, she said addressing shortterm rentals also means addressing a County-wide affordable housing shortage.

ROMA’s action plan states that members could offer insight “on the ripple effects of the forces affecting urban housing markets on rural housing markets.”

Sayne said short-term rentals are tied up with housing stock in the County, when it’s profitable to sell houses or rent them on sites such as Airbnb instead of hosting tenants.

“New families and seniors are losing their housing,” she said. “People have a rental place and all of a sudden when the housing market changed and they could sell off that asset and still be comfortable for retirement, we lost the housing stock in that process.”

She said solutions could include changing zoning and building policies, likely through research and advocacy on the part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, an umbrella association which includes ROMA.

Since joining the board, Sayne said it’s been “a breath of fresh air” to work alongside other municipal representatives across Ontario advocating for issues that will impact Minden Hills.

The ROMA board represents a wide variety of rural regions. Sayne said collaboration increases the likelihood they’ll be able to find solutions.

“When that happens you have a stronger analysis of what’s going on.”

ROMA is hosting a “teeny-tiny summit” March 22 that’s open to the public, where speakers will chat about the report’s findings.

To register: roma.on.ca/learning/events/ teeny-tiny-summit-1v

To read the action plan visit roma.on.ca

County could be one-stop shop for resources

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 3, 2022

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According to the authors of the County’s new community safety and well-being plan, the population of the Highlands is growing faster than the provincial average. We’re also older, not quite as educated, have higher unemployment, food security issues and are poorer. We’re challenged by a lack of affordable housing and, while crimes against people is trending down, property crime is going up.

The snapshot, as taken from the 2016 Census, is likely to change as the new Census rolls out later this month. However, it forms the basis of the “living” plan Strategy Corp. presented to County council Jan. 26.

Warden Liz Danielsen said, “This has been an important project for us all and it’s been a long time coming for us all.”

The County plans to hire a “navigator” to shepherd implementing the plan’s goals over the remainder of 2022.

Strategy’s Corp’s Lauren Wyman said they began their work in April 2021, meeting with community service providers and liaising with the public about crime and socioeconomic issues.

They found housing and homelessness, poverty and employment, mental health, substance use and addiction and healthcare and system access were the main themes.

“The purpose of the plan is to offer strategic direction and priorities for the County to improve community safety and well-being,” Wyman said.

She added it is about proactive approaches, such as breaking down silos and identifying risks while still taking advantage of “what is so great about the community and the County.”

For example, a concrete action on housing and homelessness could be developing a housing website that builds on existing platforms or sites to centralize information on housing providers, statistics on housing and homelessness and information on how to access housing, including applications and other documents, she said.

Coun. Carol Moffatt said the plan was a “tremendous opportunity for the County to have the portal, or one-stop clearing shop” for resources, as an example. Coun. Pam Sayne said the County of Renfrew has a good resource. “I think the models are out there. I’m very excited about that.”

There are numerous strategies within the plan. With poverty and employment, one is working with potential employers, and training institutions, to develop employment and training placement programs for lowincome groups and individuals.

With mental health, substance use and addictions, it was noted there are not enough resources in the County and the problem requires outreach. A permanent virtual care clinic was discussed as was utilizing people with lived experience.

With health care and system access, Coun. Bob Carter noted that many residents can’t get a primary care provider.

It was also noted that the challenges often overlap.

Coun. Andrea Roberts said, “Everything’s interconnected … I can’t afford daycare because I don’t have a job, but then I have a job but it doesn’t make enough money to afford a car, so it’s transportation. So, I think that’s why having a plan like this, with all the different players at the table, is going to be really valuable for our community.”

Coun. Brent Devolin said there are already strong community resources, for example, the poverty reduction roundtable, which he said “have been doing a lot of this work kind of on the margins. They didn’t have official stature or authority, but with a new mechanism in the community safety and well-being plan, somewhere all of this work, which has been going on for a longtime, can be plugged into. They’ve [the poverty reduction roundtable] had thoughts, and have been looking for a mechanism to move forward.”

Moffatt said the public might want to know who is paying, and while the County is budgeting for the navigator, she said it will come down to lobbying upper levels of government for human and financial resources.

CAO Mike Rutter said next steps include forming a steering committee and an advisory table and ach target area will also have subcommittees. He added the plan must first be distributed to the lower-tier governments for their approval.

Minden roads study calls for 123 kms of fixes

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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Minden Hills’ 2021 Roads Needs Study suggests nearly half of the township’s 278-kilometre road system needs work.

Tatham Engineering, a firm tasked with studying the area’s road usage and conditions, provided two scenarios for future investments.

Total improvements to the road system could mean pulverizing and resurfacing or surface treating certain roads, while reconstructing others that are in the worst shape, for an estimated $30 million over the next 10 years.

An alternative scenario could see more roads pulverized and resurfaced, rather than reconstructed, for a cost of about $19.6 million.

Of the township’s 21 kilometres of asphalt roads, 21 per cent are considered poor, along with 36 per cent of the area’s surface-treated roads and 17 per cent of gravel roads.

The study was presented to council Jan. 27 for councillors to get a background on the shape of Minden’s roads before upcoming budget talks. Staff will also consider a roads usage report, detailing an average amount of traffic on each road. Tatham Engineering recommended traffic volume, road condition, time of need, cost of improvement and work schedule to direct which roads are prioritized.

“I think it’s important for [council] to have the same guidance as me as we work through the budget process,” said acting director of public works Tara Stephens. “The next step for us as staff is to provide the simplified report.”

Mayor Brent Devolin said the extent and cost of roads maintenance shows municipalities, that shoulder the full cost, need more help.

“We can only carry this burden on a certain extent on land-based taxation,” he said. “There’s no way on a municipal tax base that this can ever be paid for.”

Needs-based water work

A performance-based review of Minden’s water and wastewater systems predicts a boost in annual spending. Sixty per cent of Minden’s infrastructure is considered “fair”, meaning it has issues but is working. Ten per cent is “poor”, meaning it needs further spending, and 30 per cent is in good working order.

“Now we’re moving to a performance versus aged based spending approach,” said Nick Larson of the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA), tasked with evaluating Minden’s systems.

OCWA predicts Minden Hills needs to spend more on water systems each year. Average past spending of $122,000 on water infrastructure will need to rise to $135,000, and current wastewater spending of $93,000 will eventually need to rise to $160,000.

“These are actually a lot smaller than what you’d see in an asset management plan if you did an age-based forecast,” said Larson.

OCWA is preparing a rate study, which will show how much residents could expect to pay for water in the area to fund the water system’s repairs and capital projects.

Larson said evaluating the growing population of an area is key, along with determining how new developments can fit onto existing water systems. “It’s about optimizing the use of your existing infrastructure so you can have more ratepayers pay for the same quantity,” Larson said.

Fatal snowmobile accident in Dysart et al

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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One person was pronounced deceased after a snowmobile collision in Dysart et al Feb. 2.

At approximately 12:30 p.m, Haliburton OPP responded to the single-vehicle accident on Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs trail E109.

The driver of the snowmobile was pronounced deceased. Their identity has not been confirmed by police.

OPP technical collision teams are investigating the incident.

Haliburton Highlands OPP is requesting anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122 or 705 286-1431.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a secure web-tip at https://www.khcrimestoppers.com/, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward

Greater police board transparency

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 3, 2022

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LG-OPP put dent in drug trade 3 — Constable Christopher Darling of the Haliburton Highlands Detachment keeps an eye out from his police cruiser. Photo by Lisa Gervais.

Raise your hand if you’ve heard about CPAC in Haliburton County?
I’d hazard a guess that many of you haven’t.
It stands for the community policing advisory committee. Comprising the OPP detachment commander and the mayors of Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills, it had been in operation for a number of years.
That is until the Community Safety and Police Act in 2019, with the province advising municipalities they have until June 7, 2022 to determine what a new board will look like for their detachment areas.
It’s all part of the new community safety and well-being plan that was presented to County councillors at a Jan. 26 meeting.
While the issue of a detachment board seemed like a minor add-on to the two-plus-hour meeting, it is an important one.
The initial recommendation was for a seven-person board, comprising the County warden, four mayors, a provincial appointment and one member of the public appointed by the County.
Minden Hills Coun. Pam Sayne commented that with five politicians out of seven places, it was top heavy. She also felt it important to have at least two members of the public so the one would not feel isolated.
Coun. Carol Moffatt, who deserves credit for her role on CPAC, and the community safety and well-being plan, defended the five-councillor representation. She argued the municipalities pay for policing so should carry the vote. Carefully choosing her words, she said well-meaning community members may make a decision that could costs the townships a lot of money, for example.
With all due respect to Coun. Moffatt, it is the taxpayers that foot the OPP bill.
She also said she feels citizen board members might not understand the complexity of the job, or that they think they will get in tight with the cops and is worried about the sensitivity of privacy concerns.
With that logic, one could infer that public members of the committee of adjustments, for example, could be disclosing confidential details about land transactions. We don’t think that’s happening.
In the end, the County opted for a board comprising the warden, mayors or designate, a County public appointee and a provincial appointee.
Sayne said she expected reports back from the board to council meetings.
CPAC members have done that in the past. At least Moffatt has to Algonquin Highlands. But, again, with all due respect, they are not detailed reports.
In the same manner, despite the press making the request, CPAC meetings have not been open to us in the past. The press can attend library board meetings, for example, but not CPAC. That is a concern. And as a result, the public is largely left in the dark about what is going on with policing in the County.
We get that some things have to be private, such as a pending drug raid, but the public has a right to know things such as crime statistics, or worrying trends.
After all, these boards are there to provide civilian oversight.
The five-member police services board for the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Services is a good example. While not the OPP but a municipal force, they meet publicly once a month.
There are only two councillors, Mayor Andy Letham and Coun. Pat O’Reilly. The council appointee is a former police inspector, Don Thomas, who chairs the board. The two other civilians are long-time volunteer Wanda Percival and Valmay Barkey, who used to head up Community Care Health and Support Services (provincial appointees). They’re not top heavy. They make good decisions.
The lower-tier municipalities must still approve the composition of the new board but one thing we do demand is greater transparency.

Retiring Gooderham and Dysart librarians “encouraged a lifelong love of reading and learning”

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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JQ - Library reopening - 1-web — The library board opted to delay a plan to use the Dysart et al branch as the first location for curbside pickup in the County. File photo.

The Gooderham and Dysart branches of the Haliburton County Public Library will look a bit different in 2022.

That’s because two of the longest-serving staff members have moved on to new adventures.

Vicki Fraser and Marilyn Billings have retired; Fraser after 22 years with the Dysart branch and Billings after 41 years in Gooderham. Billings started at what was then called the Glamorgan Library in 1980.

“I never thought of it as a career,” she said, “it was just something I loved doing.”

Starting at two hours a week, Billings enjoyed developing a vibrant calendar of monthly events. She recalled everything from pumpkin carving night, pumpkin seeds found in books days later, to multiple craft nights and coordinating a heritage display showcasing old-fashioned devices such as ice-cream makers, laundry tubs and even a butter churner.

Billings said she was especially proud of the annual Authors Day which began in 2001 after she began noticing how many great authors called the Highlands home. “That was a personal interest of mine: I wanted to know who our local authors were,” she said. Once, a cottager suggested they host a ukulele club.

“Let’s give it a try and see what happens,” Billings said. The club went on to gather multiple enthusiastic members who play the ukulele to this day.

She said customer service was her favourite part of library work. Mingling with the patrons or “leading them to a real good book you’ve read yourself. That really makes a difference,” Billings said.

Fraser said the people that visit the library made her job rewarding.

“I hope I have encouraged a lifelong love of reading and learning for patrons both young and old in our community,” she said.

“All of my patrons from the old branch to my new branch have been so kind, generous and made each day a joy for me. Libraries are all about the people, and Dysart branch has the best people ever. It is the people I will miss the most and I am forever grateful for our time together.” Fraser thanked Sandre and Brian Daoust for a note in The Highlander recognizing her service and CEO Chris Stephenson who she said went “an extra mile to make me feel valued and missed as I begin my new journey.”

Fraser said library work suited her from the start. “The first day I started I fell in love with the whole thing: you can have a ton and a half of books but it’s about the people,” she said.

“People are generous, they’re thoughtful, if you’re stuck on the side of the road, five people will stop to help you.”

Fraser was known for her book recommendations. One co-worker suggested she might be the “Oprah of the Library.”

“I would promote a book, and they’d have to run out and buy five more, six more copies,” Fraser said.

Those around the community noticed Fraser’s dedication to library patrons. She was awarded a customer-first employee award from the Haliburton Chamber of Commerce in 2015. “That was fabulous,” she said.

While both women worked with books, magazines, newspapers, and later e-books, audiobooks and computers, it was the people who walked through the door who defined their careers.

“It’s about the people: the people who run the businesses in town, it’s one of those things where I loved what I was doing, the people and the patrons,” Fraser said.

Billings said the community expanded beyond year-round residents too. “The people who came back to their cottages for the summer were just as part of our family as the year-round community.”

Haliburton trucker makes trip to Ottawa

By

Mike Baker

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February 3, 2022

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Walking along Wellington Street in Ottawa Jan. 30, Haliburton resident Kevin McColl said he saw lots of smiling faces and “good people pulling together for a great cause” as thousands of ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters arrived in the nation’s capital.
McColl, who operates McColl’s Trucking and Logging, made the trip with friend, John McNeil. Together, the pair spent the day challenging vaccine mandates imposed by the federal and provincial governments.
While media reports from the event, which saw as many as 10,000 people attend, have been mostly negative, with images depicting protesters desecrating the National War Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a statue of Terry Fox, McColl said his experiences were overwhelmingly positive.
“It was just the most amazing thing. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my life. I spent the whole day there and there were times that I just teared right up,” McColl said. “There’s always going to be a few people who spoil it, but from what I saw, and the people I spoke to, it was all very respectful.
“The thing that upsets me, is all the negative stuff is being reported and talked about. But nobody shows, or is talking about the people cleaning up the statues, and cleaning the streets. There were many of us there doing that, too,” McColl added.
The convoy has received national attention in recent weeks. The event was launched, initially, in protest of the federal government’s decision to reinstate COVID19 vaccine requirements to re-enter the country by land as of Jan. 15.
Prior to that, truck drivers and other essential workers had been exempt from the two-week quarantine for unvaccinated travellers crossing Canada’s borders. While there were some in attendance who took exception to provincial regulations, such as Ontario’s latest lockdown and mandates stipulating certain workers must be vaccinated, McColl said his, and many others’ main gripe, was the border issue.
“It’s this new mandate that’s got everybody bent out of shape. I have no problem with masking. I have no problem with anybody who wants to get vaccinated. I’m not, and won’t be, but whoever wants to, that’s their choice,” McColl said. “The problem is when you lose your choice, you start to go down a slippery slope.”
Many people shared their personal stories, with McColl saying he heard from a nurse and former RCMP officer he said were forced to resign after refusing to be vaccinated. McNeil said it was an emotional day for him being around so many likeminded people. “People have had enough. We’re two years into this now, everybody just wants to have their freedom back,” McNeil said.
With protests continuing, McColl intends to return to Ottawa this weekend. This time, he wants to take his truck.
As a show of solidarity standing alongside his fellow truckers, McColl has decorated his vehicle with Canadian flags, something he says has been very well received in Haliburton.
“We’re not asking for much, we just want to live. We want our businesses to operate,” McColl said. “People just want to get back to some sort of normal.”