People waved pride flags and cheered from the shore as dozens of colourful floats weaved their way down the Gull River for Minden Pride’s famous river parade Aug. 28.
From a two-metre tall unicorn to a floating beaver, participants got loud and proud on the river while tunes boomed across the water from Boshkung Social. Minden Pride hosted a street party along with the river parade on Water Street, with vendors, food, kids’ games and face-painting.
While most people are focused on the fall municipal election, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario released a proposed electoral map Aug. 19 that County residents should take note of. While the maps won’t be finalized until September 2023, public consultation is beginning this month.
The changes are fairly significant for the Central East, of which we are a part. They reflect population changes in the 2021 Census.
The Canadian constitution requires federal electoral districts be reviewed after every 10-year Census to better reflect population changes. Ontario’s population has increased from about 12.9 million in 2011 to 14.2 million as of 2021.
The commission said its new maps also take into account communities of interest or identity, and historic and geographic factors.
In Central Eastern Ontario, home to the existing ridings of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, Peterborough-Kawartha, Northumberland-Peterborough South, Hastings-Lennox and Addington and Bay of Quinte, the population grew nine per cent (about 535,000 to 583,000). The biggest changes are for HastingsLennox and Addington, but also affect the others.
All the rest would be renamed, with the exception of Haliburton-Kawartha LakesBrock. The Municipality of Trent Lakes in Peterborough County, excluding the Curve Lake First Nation, would be moved into Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. Further, the proposed new HKLB – with a population of 120,241 – would include Dysart et al, Algonquin Highlands, and Minden Hills but only the western portion of Highlands East.
It would also house the City of Kawartha Lakes, Brock and parts of Cavan Monaghan Township. The other portion of Highlands East would go into the proposed Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga riding, which, among others, would include Bancroft. For Haliburton County, this is where it gets tricky.
What would be the impact of splitting Highlands East over two federal ridings? How does this take into account communities of interest or identity, and historic and geographic factors? Highlands East wants none of that.
Neither does MP Jamie Schmale. Nor do we. It would undermine the integrity of Haliburton County having three and a half townships.
The next federal election won’t be held until, or before, Oct. 20, 2025.
However, as mentioned, the final electoral districts will be determined in September 2023.
The commission is holding in-person and virtual public hearings this fall to gather comments and feedback on the proposed boundaries and electoral district names.
The Central Ontario hearing will take place on Monday, Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m.
There will also be an Ontario open virtual hearing on Oct. 29. If you want to speak during the Central Ontario one, you must complete a public hearing participation form by Sept. 25. A full list of the virtual and in-person public hearings, and the forms, are at redecoupageredistribution-2022.ca.
There is also information to make a written submission. We urge County residents to have a look at the current and proposed maps and plan to make a written submission or presentation if they have any issues with what is being planned. We suspect residents of Highlands East and others will be most interested in the process.
When students across Haliburton County return to school Sept. 6 they will do so in a “normal” fashion, with most COVID-19 safety protocols eliminated. School start-up was the main point of discussion as Trillium Lakelands District School Board trustees gathered Aug. 30, with director of education Wes Hahn saying there’s a lot of hope and optimism surrounding the 2022/23 school year.
“This is what we have been waiting for… we’ve been setting up to get back into action in schools. We are happy to have a regular start-up for staff and students,” Hahn said. Masking will no longer be required on school property, while protocols around cohorting and social distancing have also been removed.
Shared spaces such as libraries, tech labs, theatres and music rooms can be fully utilized, while extra-curriculars and programs across grades, such as the reading buddies initiative, will also return. Limitations on in-person gatherings and assemblies has also been removed. COVID screening will remain in place for now, with students asked to stay home if they’re feeling unwell.
“There will probably be some different processes around the number of days they should stay away, or on how to report [an illness], but we are still working on that. We’ll let parents know with some communication that will go out before school starts,” Hahn said.
“If we run into the same situations as last year, where particular illnesses impacted [a specific grade], we’ll look into class closures, but we don’t expect to have to go that far this year,” he added.
More stringent cleaning protocols introduced during the pandemic will continue, while schools will also use HEPA filter systems installed last year.
Most students will be physically back in the classroom this year, with only 88 elementary students board-wide registered for virtual learning. There will be no virtual learning for secondary students.
Hahn said there will be an increased focus on mental health and wellbeing. “Some students are feeling a high sense of anxiety coming into the system after the pandemic. That’s not a surprise for us, and is something we need to deal with,” Hahn said. “We want people to feel comfortable and confident in our system as we start up… So, there will be help provided for any students who are struggling.”
Outdoor education coming back Outdoor education programming will return to TLDSB this school year. There was controversy in the spring when the board announced it would be suspending operations at the Yearley Outdoor Education Centre, citing several safety concerns with the property.
Students across TLDSB have been visiting Yearley for more than 50 years. The site has been closed for two years, with outdoor education cancelled throughout the pandemic. Superintendent Paul Goldring announced this week that TLDSB had signed an agreement with Camp Muskoka to provide an overnight outdoor education experience for all Grade 6 students this year. The cost for students to attend will be $30.
Looking long-term, Goldring said staff were investigating whether Yearley could be upgraded to meet current standards. If that’s not possible, other camp sites across the district will be considered to serve as a permanent home for TLDSB outdoor education programming in the future.
An aging population and the COVID-19 migration has our health system under stress. And while this is predominantly a provincial issue, our Municipality can still play a large impact in the quality of care we receive.
So what are we doing about Health Care? Join us as Lisa lays out the limits of our local government and speaks with Pat and Sheryl Kennedy, along with Cindy Snider for an inside scoop on how we could improve the Highland’s Health Care.
Join our next episode by sending a voice note! Visit: https://anchor.fm/whatarewedoinghighlands/message or email us at
whatarewedoinghighlands@gmail.com. Created by Justin van Lieshout in partnership with The Highlander, featuring Mike Baker, Lisa Gervais, and Sam Gillett.
Music by Mackenzie Robinson AKA. Kashaga’. Find his music here: https://linktr.ee/Kashaga
James Cook remembers the accident.
The Bobcaygeon construction worker was working in a Haliburton home when a propane heater exploded right in front of him.
After a lengthy hospital stay and life-altering skin grafts, Cook is on the road to recovery, and said he has a new appreciation for ambulance services.
“I’m still healing from it,” Cook said of the incident. After he saw blue flames erupt from the heater he took a breath and ran outside to bury his burnt face in the snow. He called 911 using voice commands and Haliburton paramedics Jeff Schultz and Jim Miska were dispatched to the scene.
He was flown to Sunnybrook hospital where he began his recovery. Cook said skin grafts taken from his legs means he overheats easily. He no longer has sweat glands on his face. His injuries mean he can’t do many of his former hobbies, as well as work.
“I try and stay very positive,” he said. Cook said meeting the crew who responded to his call was “very emotional. It brought a lot of things into perspective. It really brought in the severity of my situation,” he said.
He added that “it brought into focus how important it is to have them around, and how well trained they are. the way they dealt with me, it was all very efficient.”
The Haliburton County Paramedic services said it was grateful Cook chose to visit and share his story of recovery. “Paramedics respond to many calls throughout their careers and quite often some follow them into retirement wondering what happened after they left our care,” said the service in a letter sent to media.
“We understand why the information isn’t available but appreciate former patients that take the time out of their busy lives to come and say thanks and share their story…it is truly priceless and how we continue to do the work that we do.”
Minden’s new manager of cultural resources said she’s been learning from the community as she takes the reins of the Minden Hills Cultural Centre.
“There’s a wealth of knowledge from staff, artists, and residents and people who have been coming here for years,” said Shannon Kelly. “I’m not afraid to ask questions. Some of them may be silly but that’s the way I learn.”
While Kelly may be new to the Agnes Jamieson Gallery, Minden Hills Museum and Nature’s Place, she has more than two decades of cultural resource experience.
After graduating with an anthropology degree, she was involved in creating largescale natural history exhibits for museums, making dinosaur skeletons and dioramas. While there, she began working on a certificate in museum studies.
Kelly eventually landed at the Scugog Shores Museum, where she worked for 20 years. Leaving the role to come to Minden Hills was bittersweet. “It was really hard, I made a lot of friends,” she said.
But she said the role in Minden allows her to focus on her passions for celebrating and preserving cultural history. “I love the sense of community. A smaller museum brings people together and it can be a focal point for the community by celebrating that collective heritage we all have,” she said. “I find museums build bridges, rather than fostering division… I like the idea of people coming together.” She said she acknowledges there have been concerns voiced about staff turnover. “I know people may be a little hesitant, there’s been a lot of changes,” she said.
As of March, curator Laurie Carmount was not employed by the municipality. The township has declined to provide details on Carmount’s departure.
Kelly said she’s committed to continuing unique programming at the gallery and fostering relationships with the local arts community and stakeholders. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to meet the artists who are coming up and building relationships with them.” She said she loves the “wow factor” that the gallery has, referring to celebrated shows such as John Notten’s Unpacking the Weekend exhibit which was displayed this summer.
She said the gallery will maintain its “recommender” status, giving it unique access to provincial funding.
The township is in the process of hiring a full-time programmer who will help run programs out of Nature’s Place, the gallery and the museum.
“The intent is to keep dynamic programs going in all three areas,” she said, adding that while each part of the centre is unique, she hopes to unify them. “I think overall we can merge those mandates into one while keeping the unique feeling of each spot.”
A key goal, she said, is continuing to make it a destination for kids and school groups, as well as adding new programming to draw the wider community in.
“I look forward to attracting new visitors here but maintaining the local ties and relationships that have been supporting the museum over several years.”
On Aug. 22 politicians and other community members watched as the multi-coloured Pride flag was hoisted high above Minden.
On Aug. 25, the dance floor at the Pinestone Resort will be bustling during “Viva Burlesque,” which is sold out. Pride in the Haliburton Highlands is in full swing. Its theme this year, “Loud and Proud,” is a call to celebrate.
But according to Minden Pride board members it’s a call to live out your identity in the face of dangerous rhetoric that seems to be getting louder in Canada this year.
In the words of Allan Guinan, chairperson, events around the world underscore the need for Pride celebrations.
Minden Pride itself was formed in 2016 after a storefront in Haliburton was targeted with homophobic graffiti.
Since then, the group has been a fixture at events around the County, and its pride week festivities have drawn large crowds. The importance of its commitment to diversity and inclusion remains just as crucial today as it was in 2016.
Acts of hatred towards LGBTQ+ people seem to have increased in Canada. The Canadian Anti-hate network reported a rise in anti-transgender rhetoric online this summer, spilling over from chat rooms into mainstream social media and public life.
Those running for school board positions in Ottawa, for instance, run against a candidate who is campaigning on a platform expressly opposed to education about transgender rights.
A person who identifies as non-binary was nearly hit with a glass bottle in Ottawa this summer. Pride flags were stolen in Norwich, Ontario, by a man who compared the movement for gay rights to Nazism.
In Haliburton, the library and Minden Pride itself, along with The Highlander, received calls from people opposed to the family-friendly Drag Queen Storytime event. Opposition to these storytimes has spread, primarily online, with unsubstantiated and transphobic claims about children’s safety.
In multiple communities across Canada, libraries have been sent threats. In June, an Ontario teen was arrested for threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a Pride event in Florida. 2021 was the deadliest year in recent history for people who are transgender or gendernonconforming. Three hundred and seventyfive people were murdered worldwide. For many, to be “Loud and Proud” in the Highlands in 2022 still might not be easy. For some it still might not be safe. Minden Pride has been instrumental in bringing visibility and voice to many issues surrounding inclusion and diversity in Haliburton County, and providing a safe space for many. For allies, politicians, members of the media and friends talking with friends, we must recognize the work and listening necessary to make this County truly safe and inclusive for all.
This spring five women carefully re-constructed memories retold by seniors across the Highlands. From March to June they have used scissors, tape, colourful paper and dozens of photographs, not to mention hours of conversation, to craft personalized books about seniors they’ve been getting to know.
The volunteers were part of SIRCH’s restarted Memories to Life program, which is set to run again this fall.
The program is intended to provide people with visual and written cues that may spark memories about their lives, said Jan Saugh, SIRCH’s coordinator for senior wellness.
The volunteers gifted the books of memories to the seniors and their families this summer. But for those involved, Memories for Life is much more than a simple scrapbooking exercise.
“It’s an honour to know someone’s life story, for them to start opening up about things that they themselves have gone through,” said volunteer Vanessa Ianucci. Sitting beside four other volunteers scrapbooking in SIRCH’s meeting room, Ianucci said she’s realized the stories of older Highlanders may not always have been cherished in a way they deserve. Margaret Ross, sitting across from her, agreed. “They think ‘everybody did it, it doesn’t matter’,” Ross said as she arranged photos on a pink scrapbook page. “It matters. They changed laws, they changed lives, they stopped wars.
They don’t see it that way until they stop and think about it.” Ross has been assisting Jane Braithwaite, who lived across Canada before calling parts of Haliburton County home. She’s now living in Peterborough. “Going back over my life I sort of looked at a lot of things I had forgotten I did,” said Braithwaite. “I usually deflect, I usually talk about other people.” Braithwaite said she’s been a “rolling stone.”
She was born in a family with a strong tradition of social justice advocacy. Her father was responsible for banning the book Little Black Sambo from Toronto schools, and her mother came to Canada from the U.S. through the Underground Railroad.
Braithwaite herself has a long career in education and educating students and her community about social justice issues.
“When I really had to stop and think about my story, it was an eye opener. I have done a lot of things I probably don’t think about. People do value some of the material I share,” she said.
She later added that working with Saugh was an easy process after initially being unsure about how the Memories for Life project would unravel.
As for Ross, her volunteer scrapbooker? They’ll likely keep in touch, she said. “We’re on the same wavelength.” The volunteers have developed a bond too. They share laughs, help each other out with photocopying and design and chat constantly while working hard on their scrapbooks.
“What I like is it’s a chance to be nosey,” said Dianne Williams, prompting chuckles around the meeting room. “You get to ask a bunch of questions.”
During meetings with her storyteller, she’d go into the closet and pull down boxes of pictures. They’d leaf through them together, the elderly woman pointing out important people, places and times in her life. “She loved looking at them, and telling the stories.
Seniors don’t often get to do that, especially if they live alone,” Williams said. Other volunteers describe the way their storytellers reveal their history in “layers,” like an onion. One gentleman said his life wasn’t too spectacular, but after some questions, Wendy Ladurantaye unpeeled a different side of the story.
She found out he travelled around the U.S., Europe, and sang in a world-travelling choir. Some participants, and Saugh herself, are now considering how they want to pass their own stories along. “I have a granddaughter now. I want her to know who I am, not just a picture in a book, not just fond memories,” Saugh said. “I want to tell my story for future generations.” For more information on Future Memories for Life sessions, email jan_saugh@sirch. on.ca
“You’d better be careful,” Albert John Saxby’s stepfather, living with dementia, told him once. “There comes an awkward fog.” Saxby wasn’t sure what he meant, but the songwriter found the phrase captivating.
This spring, when Saxby released his new album, Exhaling in an Awkward Fog seemed a good title. It comes after a few years of difficult change and loss, with Saxby contemplating life’s joys and sorrows after coming out the other side. “Now I can exhale,” he said.
The 15 songs are all Saxby’s favourites. From Dirty Little Men to America Lays Dying, Saxby’s lyrics often use metaphors to drive points home, dishing out critiques of political discourse and advice on everyday life in equal measure.
A longtime resident of Highlands East, Saxby became known as the “Mayor of Essonville,” and garnered a reputation for thoughtful lyrics in the vein of songsmiths such as John Prine.
“I spend a lot of time. I don’t just whip out songs. You’ve got to have really good words, and I’m proud of the lyrics I come up with,” he said. Other tunes strike painful chords, such as I Wish my Heartache had Wings. Saxby said it’s difficult to play that song without tearing up on stage. It was written about an ill-fated love.
“It was a struggle to get through,” he said. He had to relearn some of his own music to record the album too. While driving, he heard as old tune of his, Every Day, playing on CanoeFM. He liked its gentle reminder to seize the moment. “I realized it was my song, I had to go to the radio station and get a copy so I could learn it,” he said.
Saxby played music off the album at an intimate show inside the Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre in June.
He said he aims to connect with every audience he plays to. “I’ve played to two people in a bar. I love playing for those two people. Anyone who’s been to my shows knows I have an intimate relationship with the audience,” he said.
Saxby might still be in the “awkward fog”, but he’s finding it easier to write new songs these days. “I wasn’t inspired at all, and I didn’t write any songs during COVID-19. I’m rectifying that now.” Saxby is playing across Haliburton County this summer, recently rocking out at the Dominion Hotel and Pub Aug. 20.
Exhaling in an Awkward Fog is available on Bandcamp and on physical CDs.
Some new faces took centre stage at A.J. LaRue Arena Aug. 21 as the Haliburton County Huskies kicked off its pre-season with the annual ‘Blue vs White’ intrasquad exhibition.
Moved to Haliburton due to ice issues at the Huskies’ regular home in Minden, the game provided players with an opportunity to showcase their skills ahead of the new OJHL season. Twenty-six skaters, including three local affiliate players (APs), participated in the game, which will be remembered for impressive performances from some of the Dogs’ newest recruits. Forward Nathan Duplessis potted a pair of goals for the Blue team in a 4-2 win.
Flanked by linemates Declan Bowmaster and Henry Wilson, the trio were picked out for special praise by head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay.
“Duplessis was probably the biggest standout, but that whole line looked really good. Right now, that’s looking to be our fourth line and they made a huge impression,” Ramsay said. “I’m really happy with how our depth is looking.”
Myles Perry, a recent acquisition from reigning OJHL champions the Pickering Panthers, was also on the scoresheet for the Blue squad. Defenceman Jack Staniland rounded out the team’s scoring.
Blueliner Josh Sordo, who played last season with the Brantford 99ers, was a standout for the White team, getting himself a goal, with Haliburton native Kaine Brannigan also tickling the twine. Brannigan, alongside fellow Haliburton County-born players Colin Glecoff and Evan Gilbert were invited to play in the exhibition after impressing at the Huskies AP camp, held in Minden earlier that day.
Returning players Patrick Saini, Cameron Kosurko, Isaac Sooklal and new captain Christian Stevens also got some minutes under their belt. “It was a pretty intense game, the players were playing hard, so that was great for us as a coaching staff and for the fans who came out to watch,” Ramsay said.
“A lot of the new guys we’ve brought in played really well. It was nice to see that so many players have put in the work over the summer to get stronger, faster and improve their play.” The Huskies travel to Stouffville today for an afternoon tilt with the Spirit, before welcoming the North/West conference side to Minden Aug. 28.
Puck drop at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena is slated for 2 p.m. Admission is $5.
The Dogs will close out their pre-season with a double-header against the Pickering Panthers Sept. 2 (7:30 p.m. puck drop) and Sept. 4 (2 p.m. puck drop). Admission to each game is $5. “I think the fans will really like the makeup of our team this year.
We’ve gotten a little bit faster, and a bit bigger up front. We’ve got a lot of hard-working guys, which is a great recipe for Huskies hockey,” Ramsay said. “We obviously want to do well again, and give our fans something to cheer for… I’m expecting another good season.”
