Fencing was installed and a gravel pathway laid at Head Lake Park earlier this month as workers prepared the site for the arrival of new playground equipment.

Dysart recreation coordinator, Andrea Mueller, said installers arrived in Haliburton Aug. 15 to begin piecing things together. She said work should be complete within two to three weeks.

The new 9,000 sq. ft. facility will feature a jungle gym, log climbing structure, 100-foot zip line, and several standalone play features such as seesaws, a merry-go-round and animal rockers.

There will also be an accessible play area for people with wheelchairs. The existing swing sets will remain in place.

The total cost of the project is almost $589,000, Mueller said, with Dysart township contributing $300,000, Ontario Trillium Foundation providing a $150,000 grant, Haliburton Rotary chipping in $50,000, and the remaining $89,000 coming via community donations.

Mueller said the playground should be finished and open to the public by early September.

Much of the pre-installation work required at the site, such as setting up fencing, preparing the grounds and excavating, was provided at no charge by Haliburton firm Total Site Services Inc.

Two men from southwestern Ontario have been convicted in connection with the illegal hunt of a deer on private property along Duck Lake Road in Minden in the fall of 2018.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) said on Aug. 11 that Luigi Centurami of Stoney Creek pleaded guilty to trespassing and possessing unlawfully killed wildlife. He was fined $6,000.

Steve Tsiliganos, also of Stoney Creek, pleaded guilty to trespassing, possessing a loaded firearm within eight metres of a roadway, and possessing illegally killed wildlife. He was fined $4,000.

The court heard that on Nov. 14, 2018, conservation officers investigated information of a deer that had been shot on private property along Duck Lake Road near the town of Minden.

“It was determined that Centurami and Tsiliganos were travelling together in a pickup truck along the road when Tsiliganos exited the vehicle and shot a white-tailed deer on land that was posted as private property. Both individuals accessed the property to retrieve the deer,” the MNRF said.

The investigation involved a conservation officer canine unit, the OPP Forensic Identification Services, and the Trent University Wildlife DNA Forensics Lab.

Justice of the Peace, Mark Donohue, heard Centurami’s case remotely on May 24, 2023 and Justice of the Peace Herbert Radtke heard the Tsiliganos case remotely on October 17, 2022, both in the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay.

The MNRF said that to report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, visit ontario.ca/mnrftips.

County council stamped its approval on a proposed 18-unit apartment complex for downtown Haliburton Aug. 16.

Dysart et al has already given Hot Pond Enterprises Inc. the go-ahead to build at the corner of Maple Avenue and Victoria Street, across the highway from SIRCH Community Services.

The project has been on the books for some time now, with The Highlander last writing about it on July 30, 2021.

This week, County council was dealing with an official plan (OP) amendment, from commercial areas to urban residential areas. Dysart passed its OP amendment at an April 25, 2023 meeting.

In his report, director of planning Steve Stone said, “each building will contain two, one-bedroom suites, two, two-bedroom suites, and two, three-bedroom suites. Two of the suites in each building will be offered as affordable units, while the remaining will be offered at market value.”

He added the development is to be constructed in three phases, with each building being considered a phase. The northernmost building will be constructed first as phase one, and the middle and southernmost buildings will comprise phase two and phase three.

Hot Pond Enterprises corporation president Richard Carson appeared on Zoom during the meeting and said, “I think this project … is an example of how we have an opportunity to lift up the services in Haliburton, in the town itself, for our residents.” 

He added the four lots had been vacant for at least 15 years and their proposal was a solution for a “huge” need for rental housing in the town. “Not condominiums, but housing for families, seniors, professionals working in our community.” 

Stone noted the apartments will be hooked up to town sewer and the developer will have to sink three new wells for water. There will be a new entrance from Victoria Street.

Stone said all technical studies had gone to Dysart et al, and been peer reviewed. The only outstanding piece is Dysart must still do a zoning bylaw amendment. It will address thing such as setbacks, parking spaces, and building height. A holding provision will also be added for other planning approvals, such as site plan control and a drinking water agreement.

In circulating the plan to agencies and the public, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit commented the location, “will enable residents to use active transportation to access essential services, recreation and participate in the community.”

The health unit added it hopes the municipality will collect cash in lieu of park land to pay for improved active transportation infrastructure in this area.

The health unit further noted the apartments will see more walkers in the area, with some key destinations across the road, such as a Chinese restaurant, the SIRCH Bistro, Fleming CREW, County Social Services and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.

“A pedestrian crossover is strongly recommended at this location to facilitate safer crossing for residents… a crosswalk was requested at this location several years ago after an individual was struck and killed by a driver,” the health unit said. They want to ensure accessibility and want the developer to consider bike racks for the apartments.

Stone said the build fits nicely with municipal housing policies, as one-third will be affordable housing.

“The development will be located within Haliburton village, which is a service centre containing medical, professional, personal and social services, education, retail commercial and employment opportunities. The central location within the village and proximity to the retail core will also afford occupants of the buildings with opportunities for walking and biking.”

Planning and preparation for a 47-unit student residence in Haliburton’s Glebe Park is almost complete, with a member of Fleming College’s senior administration saying he expects to break ground on the project this fall.

Drew Van Parys, executive vice president of corporate services and marketing at Fleming, which operates the Haliburton School of Art + Design, said the $16 million build has been supported by the college’s board of governors and is pending provincial approval.

“We’re ready to go. Once we get the go-ahead to invest the funds, we’ll have a formal groundbreaking. We expect the approval will be straightforward and are hoping to hear back in the next 60 to 90 days,” Van Parys said. “In the meantime, there will be some activity on campus starting within the next month as we begin some of the staging work.”

The project has been in the works for years and was brought to the public in 2021, when college staff approached Dysart et al township about building on a 3.7-acre plot in the park. The project was supported by the municipality in March 2022, with Dysart donating the land.

Phase one will feature two, three-storey buildings, containing 47 units, Van Parys said. There will be one-bedroom and two-bedroom options, with each unit fitted with a bathroom and small kitchenette. Van Parys said some of the ground level suites will be accessible for people with disabilities.

Residences ready for 2025

Fleming is anticipating a one-year construction window, with occupancy January 2025.

“It’s great news for students, it’s great news for Fleming College, and it’s great news for Haliburton. While 47 beds doesn’t sound like much, it’s going to have a definite impact on the total inventory of spaces available in the County,” Van Parys said.

Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey agreed, saying this news was a “big win” for the community.

“Having these units here, it’ll create a lot of rental space in the community that was being taken up by students. It’s going to have a positive impact on housing in Haliburton, no question about it,” Fearrey said. “With this investment, Fleming College is going to be a long-term player in Haliburton, and I’m grateful for that.”

The mayor said he’d like to see the college supplement its arts programming with offerings in other areas, such as the trades. He said he’s talked to Fleming College staff, including new dean Xavier Massé, about expanding the school’s portfolio.

“I think you’re going to see a change. The arts are wonderful, and the college brings a lot of people to our community, but if we can have a mix that benefits our community… and opens more career opportunities for people, I think that would be a good thing,” Fearrey said.

Van Parys was non-committal when asked about specific programs, but noted Fleming is working on a revitalization strategy for the Haliburton campus, which he said includes the possibility of new programming. Once the new student residence is online, he said the campus would also be offering corporate retreats and arts-based conferences.

Phase 2 and 3 delayed

Van Parys said a second and third phase, which would bring two further buildings and 47 additional units, has been shelved.

“We’re not considering that at this time. We’ll see how this project goes, but that is not in our immediate planning window,” he said. “Hopefully, demand and growth will drive the need for that phase sooner rather than later.” Fleming president, Maureen Adamson, told Dysart council last year the three-phase development, totalling more than 90 units, was a major part of the institution’s longterm plans in Haliburton.

Fearrey said he wasn’t worried about Fleming backtracking on phases two and three.

“The cost of building has gone through the roof since they committed to this. There are projected costs the college had and I’m sure they had to look at it and figure out what to do,” Fearrey said. “The demand also needs to be there. So, build the first phase, see how it goes, and go from there. That’s a reasonable business approach.”

Walking through the hallway of the Wilberforce Red Cross Outpost, volunteer Linda Cameron can almost feel 101 years of history reverberating around the building’s interior walls.

A member of the Wilberforce Heritage Guild, Cameron and the rest of the small team have made it their mission in recent years to maintain and promote the historic site, which is located along Loop Road, a short walk from the hamlet’s downtown. The facility lays claim to a unique piece of provincial history, being the first designated Red Cross outpost in Ontario.

It was established in February 1922 following the efforts of Alfred Schofield, an inspector for the Children’s Aid Society. The situation was quite desperate at the time, Cameron said.

“This was a poor area, and the community was hit hard this one year – a mother died, and four or five children. It was devastating, so Schofield approached the Red Cross in Toronto to see what could be done to improve health care in the region. They agreed to send a nurse and some equipment on the provision the locals come up with a space, keep the nurses and look after them.”

That sparked the formation of the Monmouth Charitable Association. They first rented the building, which had served as a private residence since its construction in 1916, and furnished it. The first nurse, Josephine Jackson, arrived in February 1922.

Cameron said Jackson and the dozens of other nurses who worked in the area until the Red Cross suspended operations in 1959 maintained meticulous records, which helps paint a picture of what life was like for a primary health care worker in the first half of the century.

“When the girls first arrived, there was no running water, no electricity, very few running cars. They serviced an area of 20 sq. kilometres, so any time they went out and made a home visit, or had to bring someone back to the outpost, it was a long haul,” Cameron said. “They used snowshoes, travelled on horseback, dogsleds, and did an awful lot of walking. They did whatever it took.”

Journals kept by Jackson and others, such as Gertrude LeRoy Miller, means there’s record of cases dating back almost 100 years. Holding an invoice, Cameron said patients were usually charged for service. In 1932, following the birth of a child, the mother and baby spent 10 days at the outpost. The mother was charged $1.75 per day, with the baby charged 90 cents per day. The total bill for delivery was $26.50, which was paid in installments over six months by the father.

“We are so fortunate all this stuff was maintained. And it’s available for anybody to look through,” Cameron said.

On top of providing emergency care, the nurses also conducted routine school checkups. They also taught first aid, effective child care techniques, and Red Cross courses to locals.

The building

The outpost has seen a lot of work over the past 20 years, with the guild eager to ensure it’s in good enough condition to support visitors. The volunteer group assumed responsibility of the space in 1991, fought off plans to demolish it and restored it as a museum. The building was designated as a national historic site of Canada in 2003.

Off the main entrance, to the left, is the nurse’s office, which has been retrofitted to resemble what the space looked like in its heyday. There’s a vintage desk, bed, and various tools and items, many of which Cameron said have been donated to the guild over the years. On the right side of the building is a patient room, kitted with more historic memorabilia.

Down the hall is a display room, with timelines and photos recognizing every nurse on record who served the Wilberforce community. Among the many items showcased is a handmade quilt, made by the mother of the first baby born in the outpost. There are old surgical instruments, outdated equipment such as a violet ray generator that Cameron said was believed to cure issues such as dandruff, hair loss, and obesity but have since been debunked, and other things the guild is still working to identify.

The kitchen is to receive a facelift this year and will serve as a revolving display, Cameron said, featuring old cookbooks, aprons and oil lamps.

The three upstairs rooms will feature displays and timelines looking at the history of Wilberforce township, the various organizations that have existed over the years, and a commemoration of Dr. Jacob Neelands, credited as being one of the first dentists for introducing laughing gas during procedures to reduce pain.

A celebration

The guild is hosting a 101st anniversary celebration at the outpost Aug. 15. Locals are invited to take in a tour of the building, and enjoy complimentary hot dogs, corn roast and homemade cakes. Cameron said there will also be a draw, with the winner receiving a handmade quilt.

Jill Lee, whose mother, Sylvia Battersby, served as a nurse at the outpost, said the guild was looking for new members to help keep the historic site going. The group currently has 38 lifetime members, with around half of those active contributors. A lifetime membership costs $25.

“It’s our intent to acknowledge the women who worked here and the things they went through, how they survived, and how important they were to the community. Without them, there was no health care in Wilberforce,” Cameron said. “We do our best to commemorate this space and the women who utilized it. This space has a rich history, and the only way to maintain that is to keep the doors open.”

The outpost is currently open six days a week, Wednesday to Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 101st anniversary celebration Aug. 15 will begin at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit redcrossoutpost.org.

Rotaract Haliburton Highlands hosted the 50th Highland Yard at the River Cone in Minden Aug. 6 with the bulk of funds going to Places for People. This year, more than 180 participants showed up to run/walk either the 2k, 5k or 10k.

The Highland Yard started in 1971 and has currently raised more than $200,000, with more than 5,000 participants.

P4P provides safe, affordable, and supportive housing for families and individuals at risk of homelessness in the HIghlands. All of the money raised at this year’s event goes towards supporting the community of Haliburton, with 90 per cent helping P4P in lowering mortgage and maintenance costs and purchasing additional properties. The remaining 10 per cent is for supporting Rotaract Haliburton Highlands in community service initiatives.

This year saw some talented runners and very close races. The overall top male ages 1-98 for the 2k walk/run was Taine Buckmaster with a time of 8:35. The overall top female ages 1-98 for the 2k walk/run was Angela Vahamaki with a time of 8:40. In the 5k run, the overall top male ages 1-98 was William Dowling with a time of 27:51, the top female for the 5k was Kelly Doyle with a time of 20:06. For the 10k run, the top overall male for this race was Duncan Andrews with a time of 35:40 and the top overall female was Emily Walter with a time of 44:41. Winners for each category were awarded a medal and a handcrafted mug.

For more information on the Highland Yard, Rotaract, and Places for People: highlandyard.ca/abouthighlandyard

The 17th annual Tour De Forest took place this past weekend, Aug. 5-6, with 25 artists at 12 studios.

Locations ranged all over Haliburton County, easily accessible via the map located on the Tour De Forest website.

This year, there were many new artists along with some veterans who have been participating in the tour for more than 15 years.

The Artbyhart Studio along Hwy. 21 showcased Barbara Hart, Heather Salzman and Lorne Hamilton. “Some of my paintings resemble ponds and lakes and I also have an art collection of ice huts and winter themes,” said Hart, who has been with the tour 11 years.

Glass Eagle Studios along Blairhampton Road, featured artwork by Tom Green, Fernando Diaz de Leon Rendon, James Goodliff and Donna Both. Goodliff said, “I focus on oil paintings mostly and my artwork is inspired by the area surrounding us (Haliburton County).” Goodliff has been with the tour 17 years.

At BGArtworks studio along Bethel Road, Benjamin Gerrooir said, “my art is inspired by colour and travelling. Whenever I travel anywhere, I take a ton of photos for reference. Recently, I’ve been very interested in the Arizona type of artwork.”

This was his first year with the tour and he talked about how he has been doing art for a very long time but has never shown it until now. A lot of his artwork is inspired by different landscapes out west, along with landscapes in and around the Highlands.

For more information on the 2023 Tour De Forest and all 25 artists: haliburtontourdeforest.com/

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) has announced that Rick Whitteker will be its new Partners in Conservation (PIC) coordinator.

Whitteker’s role will support private landowners who have joined the PIC program, and raise the program’s profile in hopes of recruiting more conservation partners, the HHLT said in a recent media release.

Whitteker has lived in Haliburton County since 1997, originally working for Haliburton Forest as an outdoor educator. He followed that with 15 years at Fleming College as a faculty and coordinator of the Outdoor and Adventure Education program.

Whitteker said, “for many years, I have enjoyed the outdoors recreationally and as a guide, interpreter, writer, and educator. The PIC coordinator position is a great opportunity to give back to nature by supporting private landowner conservation efforts. I am especially excited to be involved in HHLT’s local conservation effort called the Highlands Corridor.”

Shelley Hunt, chair of HHLT, added, “we’re delighted to have Rick fulfill this important role. His experience and enthusiasm for the Highlands Corridor project will help attract further partners in conservation.”

The position will be funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Schad Foundation.

The corridor covers approximately 100,000 hectares and connects three provincial parks in Ontario: Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands, just south of Minden, Kawartha Highlands in northern Peterborough County, and Silent Lake in Highlands East.

The Land Trust says biodiversity is rich in the corridor, with 40 species at risk, 25 provincially-significant species and 43 regionally-rare species. Wetland representation is high at 17.9 per cent, including 4,800 hectares of provinciallysignificant wetlands.

The HHLT is seeking protection of the unceded Crown land within the corridor (60,000 ha.) as a conservation reserve, with the goal of protecting species at risk, providing a natural wildlife corridor, protecting wetland habitats, increasing biodiversity, and strengthening climate change resiliency.

The Land Trust added the PIC program targets landowners committed to landscape conservation with properties that strategically bridge gaps between fragmented Crown land within the corridor. The program provides a property tax incentive for a 10-year term through enrollment in Ontario’s Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, assisting landowners in developing management plans with objectives of enhancing environmental protection and wildlife habitat.

“The PIC program has been very successful with a current portfolio of 1,740 ha of private land supporting the conservation effort,” the Land Trust said.

For more information on the Land Trust and the PIC program, go to haliburtonlandtrust.ca or email info@ haliburtonlandtrust.ca.

It’s a new era at Miner’s Bay Lodge, the historic 55-acre vacation site that has been welcoming guests to Haliburton County for more than a century.

Boasting 28 cottages, 85 trailer sites, a primary lodge building and several other structures, such as a store and dining room, the business is home to between 300 and 500 people during the peak summer months.

General manager, Darren Powers, said the unique space has been a return destination for families for generations.

“A lot of our business here comes from repeat guests – that probably accounts for 85 per cent of our bookings. We had some guests in July who are on their sixth generation vacationing here. This is very much somewhere people come, keep coming back, and then their children come, and their children’s children come,” Powers said.

Such is the connection guests feel to the property, and the area, a group of 26 repeat vacationers came together to purchase the lodge in 2018 from Russ and Dorothy Wunker. While it’s been a difficult few years, particularly during the pandemic, Powers, who joined the operation in 2021, said business is now booming.

A big reason for that, he said, is a recent change that has opened Miner’s Bay Lodge up to the Highlands community. Starting this year, locals can swing by the dining room, located along Hwy. 35, for meals prepared by a new, five-star chef. Powers said he hosted 104 people for a free dinner in May to launch the service.

“We’re trying to branch out and build relationships. This is such a unique place, we want to introduce as many people as possible to the things we’re doing. There’s always lots going on at the lodge,” he said, noting the store, and kitchen, also offer delivery to nearby cottagers and homeowners.

The kitchen is open seven days a week from noon until 8:30 p.m.

Powers said Miner’s Bay Lodge is also opening itself for private bookings, such as weddings, birthday parties, youth groups, and couples’ retreats.

The most significant change though, Powers notes, is to the lodge’s season. Typically open for 10 weeks during the summer, the facility will be open for 40 weeks starting this year.

“We opened on Jan. 1 and had people here until March break. Then we kicked off the summer season over the May 24 long weekend, and have bookings right through until Thanksgiving,” Powers said. “I have a five-year plan for this place, and the first step was opening it up for longer. It’s too good a spot to sit empty.”

In the name of giving back, Powers kickstarted a ‘Make a Wish’ style program this year that provided free holidays to two families from the London area. He wants to do more of that in the future.

“They were free, no strings attached vacations for families who never would have had the chance to do something like this. The first was for a 16-year-old girl who has cancer and needs to get a bone marrow transplant, so we wanted to do something nice for her and her family,” Powers said.

“This is a very special place to me – I’ve been coming here every year since I was two months old. Now, I work here because I believe in what it stands for, and the smiles we help put on people’s faces. I want to share the spirit of Miner’s Bay Lodge with as many people as possible,” he added.

Anyone who knows a family in need is encouraged to contact Powers at 705-2862978. For more information on the resort, visit minersbaylodge.com.

Owner Wayne Hooks has confirmed the Ethel Curry Gallery will be closing its Haliburton doors Oct. 20.

Hooks said he sent a letter to artists July 26 announcing the decision.

He told them, and The Highlander, he is doing so with a “heavy heart and deep personal and professional disappointment” he can no longer, single-handedly, finance the day-to-day operations.

This decision is excruciatingly hard for me to have to make,” he added.

The gallery was created by Ethel Curry’s nephew, Peter Curry, and his wife Jody, along with Hooks. They all saw the wild beauty inherent in the Highlands. Jody Curry was involved until 2008 when Hooks took it over. It has been a Haliburton institution for 28 years.

Hooks said his resources are depleted and the gallery “is apparently out of customers. The reason for the lack of sales and the decline in customers are numerous, relatively understandable, and entirely beyond my control.”

During a chat Aug. 6 with blues playing from his computer, Hooks said, “there’s nothing in here anyone has to have. We’re selling lots of earrings and snowflakes but you have to sell those (he points to a large painting on a wall) to keep the doors open.

“I think the general doom and gloom that’s descended over the planet for various reasons plays a big part in it.”

He talks about the economy and interest rates. “As everyone’s aware, every time you go to the grocery store, whatever it was last week is up a buck, and so people are just not comfortable buying what we have to sell.”

He emphasized they are a privately-owned, privately-run gallery so do not get council grants such as the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden, or Rails End Gallery in Haliburton.

Hooks said the books made the decision for him in the spring.

“We had a poorer than average year last year, and a poorer than average summer, and the summer is when I have to build up the bank account for the winter and it didn’t happen. So, starting in January, I was paying all the bills myself and about March, when you could see that this cloud was not going to be lifting any time soon, I realized I couldn’t go on.”

Bittersweet

The pending closure is bittersweet, Hooks conceded.

Over the years, they’ve represented and helped more than 250 artists, which Hooks said is significant. The gallery started out local but expanded to mostly Ontario artists, with a few others from across Canada.

“Young artists, established artists, older artists who’ve retired and are trying their hand at it. And I would say we’ve never had a better group, never had better art, in our whole history,” he said.

He is particularly proud of the gallery’s relationship with A.J. VanDrie, recalling, “one of the staff walked in with A.J. in the middle of the summer about 15 years ago. He was standing there with a painting and I said, ‘you’re in.’ He’s a good friend of mine. When he comes up, he paints on my deck. He’s painted me personal paintings. And we’ve sold over 250 and I know people who have 10 of his. And he is one that I’m pretty proud of.”

He added, “if it wasn’t for Brian Atyeo, that whole wall is Brian Atyeo, this gallery wouldn’t be here. He’s internationally known. He used to live outside of Haliburton, with his wife Peggy. Peggy worked here.”

He’ll miss the relationships with artists and chin-wagging with people dropping in. “That is irreplaceable. That I’m going to miss. It has been a wonderful voyage. I don’t regret a minute of it.”

Hooks said over the years, visitors have told him the Ethel Curry is a destination. “Many people mention one of the reasons they come to Haliburton is to come to the gallery.” The public has reacted with “universal disappointment and sadness,” he said.

Hooks added about half of the artists had replied to his letter, and all had been very understanding.

“The quote I use with the reply is usually, ‘well, as Dylan wrote, The Times They Are A-Changin’.”