Discussions surrounding future investments at the Haliburton landfill site dominated second draft budget deliberations of Dysart et al council Jan. 13.

After John Watson, the township’s manager of environmental services, informed council his department was looking at a $400,000 year-end shortfall in 2022, due to a substantial increase in construction and demolition waste costs, some elected officials sought further clarity on what Watson called “a tough situation.”

Through 2022, Dysart saw a 38 per cent increase over the prior year in the amount of construction and demolition waste dropped off at its three landfill sites, a 41 per cent increase in the number of hauls completed, and a 112 per cent increase in the cost of hauling. All municipal waste collected in Dysart is shipped out of town.

“This dramatic increase is reflective of our local economy – people are renovating their homes extensively, so the amount of material we’re managing has increased dramatically and the price to haul and process construction and demolition waste has increased dramatically,” Watson said.

To offset this increase, Watson is proposing the township up its waste collection fees. Furniture drop-offs are doubling, up to $20; the cost per cubic yard of construction and demolition waste is going from $60 to $100; while a mixture of garbage, recycling, construction, and demolition waste is going from $120 per cubic metre to $200.

Watson said the main issue is the township charges for waste per cubic metre, while its hauling contractor bills per metric ton. Since Dysart doesn’t have a scale at any of its landfill sites, it’s not capable of charging per metric ton.

Deputy mayor Walt McKechnie suggested council approve the purchase of a scale, estimated to cost around $150,000. The township has $120,000 in reserves earmarked for the project. Coun. Pat Casey also suggested the township explore building a shelter to store all construction and demolition waste, so the municipality isn’t incurring extra costs in water weight if materials get wet.

CAO Tamara Wilbee said staff would work on bringing proposals back for each project later this year.

Tax increase sitting at 2.34 per cent

Treasurer Barbara Swannell said the township’s second draft of the 2023 budget called for a 2.34 per cent increase to the municipal portion of resident’s tax bills, down from the 8.9 per cent that was included in the first draft.

This increase would equate to an additional $7.22 per $100,000 worth of assessment for residential properties, $10.71 per $100,000 for commercial properties, and $12.41 per $100,000 for industrial properties.

Total expenditures across the municipality are just north of $21 million, with $11 million to be covered by the tax base, $6.7 million from other non-tax revenue and $3.5 million from provincial and federal grants. Individual department expenses are as follows: general governance $1,659,148; protective services, including police, fire and EMS, $3,791,443; transportation services $7,587,495; environmental services $4,404,970; recreation and culture $2,908,304; planning and development $697,644; health services $190,250; and social and family services $20,501.

Capital expenditures for the year will top out at just over $5.2 million, up from around $3 million in 2022. Over $2.1 million will be spent on roads construction, with $1.1 million earmarked for new vehicle and equipment purchases. There’s also $300,000 included to purchase new playground equipment for Head Lake Park.

Municipal reserves are expected to take a hit in 2023, down to $4,056,972 from $5,601,472 in 2022.

“When we first started out, our [tax rate increase] was over 20 per cent, so we’ve done a pretty good job of tearing it down,” said mayor Murray Fearrey.

“I think this is a great budget,” remarked Coun. Barry Boice.

Council will reconvene for further budget talks Feb. 10.

Tracy Gualberto and husband John Sexton were heading home from the Minden Curling Club about 10 p.m. on a recent winter’s night.

Driving north on Hwy. 35 towards their home on Boshkung Lake, Gualberto said they were surprised to see a deer on the road in front of them at the Ransley Road intersection. Travelling at 80 km/h, it was impossible for them to brake in time to avoid a collision.

While the two were unhurt, and their 2013 Toyota Camry’s air bags did not deploy, the deer and the front end of the car did not fare as well. The deer was killed and the car suffered extensive damage and is now at Minden Collision awaiting repairs.

“At 10 p.m., we didn’t expect to have a deer in the middle of the road,” Gualberto said. She said they usually slow down in Haliburton village because they know people feed deer there and the animals are on, and near, roads.

Gualberto and Sexton called OPP and said the officer who responded told them it was the sixth such callout for a vehicle-deer collision in the same area over the past month or so.

The couple called friends who were still at the club, and live nearby on Kushog Lake, to see if they could pick them up since their car was being towed.

Gualberto said that couple then had a buck cross the road right in front of them and a second crash ensued in the same area. Again, the occupants of the vehicle were not injured but the vehicle and the animal were not so lucky.

Gualberto said she thinks the collisions were due to people feeding deer, which attract them to the area and cause them to cross the highway.

“Everyone wants to feed deer,” she said, “but they are actually killing them. They think they’re doing a kind thing, but they are not doing these deer any favours.”

The Highlander asked Haliburton Highlands OPP about vehicle-deer collisions in the area. They did a threeyear review of Hwy. 35, between Horseshoe Lake Road closest to Minden and Judge Jordan Road. Between Jan. 1, 2020 and Jan. 18, 2023, there were 34 deer-vehicle collisions. Nine were within 300m of the Ransley Road intersection. Forty-one per cent were between 5 and 7 p.m. They were primarily in December and January. There were no injuries but vehicles were damaged.

The Wolf Centre at Haliburton Forest is sometimes the recipient of deer killed in these collisions. The carcasses are used to feed the wolves.

“We do get a fair bit in the way of deer roadkill,” co-ordinator Marena Wigmore said. She added, “typically spring and fall are the peak times for it, but we have been getting some this winter as well with the minimal snow banks along the highways. Our local OPP and roads departments, as well as locals, are great about calling us when there has been a collision and some even bring the animal right to us.”

“We do get a fair bit in the way of deer roadkill,” co-ordinator Marena Wigmore said. She added, “typically spring and fall are the peak times for it, but we have been getting some this winter as well with the minimal snow banks along the highways. Our local OPP and roads departments, as well as locals, are great about calling us when there has been a collision and some even bring the animal right to us.”

The MNRF adds that feeding deer can make them dependent on artificial food sources; they can lose their natural fear of humans and pets, and become more prone to conflict; artificial feed is not healthy for them; animals concentrating to feed can spread parasites and diseases, and destroy natural habitat. They further say it puts people at risk as feeding can attract unwanted animals, animals can learn to associate humans with food and become problematic, and at times aggressive.

Household dos and don’ts:

Do:

• appreciate wildlife from a distance.

• keep household waste, compost and pet food out-of-reach from wild animals.

• attract wildlife to your property by improving natural habitat.

• work together with your neighbours to help keep wild animals wild.

Don’t

• put out food to attract wildlife.

• try to approach or touch wild animals.

• feed pets outdoors or allow pets to roam free.

• put garbage out until the morning of collection.

Source MNRF

Dysart et al council has agreed to reserve around a fifth of the township’s available sewage capacity for a proposed 88-unit development overlooking Grass Lake.

Paul Wilson, owner of Harburn Holdings, has been working with the township for more than two years as he seeks to develop 2.5 hectares along Peninsula Road. His proposal is calling on the municipality to rezone the lands, which he wants to split into four lots that would each house multi-storey apartment and condo buildings.

Dysart’s previous council supported the project in principle last September. It will be discussed at the upper-tier County of Haliburton next month and, if an amendment to the County’s official plan is ratified, will come back to Dysart for final approval.

Speaking to Dysart council Jan. 24, Wilson said he was nervous about the potential for delays, with outside entities able to lodge a complaint with the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), even if both municipalities approve the project.

“Your consultants have advised me that my project will require 70 ERUs (Equivalent Residential Units) of sewer capacity… the problem I’m having is that I’m already two years into this and could be another two years away [from getting shovels in the ground]. At some point, I need to have some assurance from the township that I will get these ERUs,” Wilson said. “I’m told they are available right now, but not necessarily assigned to me.”

He said he doesn’t want to run into a situation where other potential developments leapfrog his and take up the township’s available sewage capacity.

In Dysart, a single ERU connection is valued at $4,700. Costs to tap into municipal sewer lines are typically paid by a developer once a project has been officially approved. Wilson said he is prepared to pay for 35 connections up front to secure the 70 ERUs his development requires, reserving them for up to two years at a cost of $164,500.

Mayor Murray Fearrey doubted whether any developments would progress enough over the next two years to get to the ERU application phase. After Coun. Barry Boice asked how many ERUs were available now, Fearrey said “around 400, I think.”

The mayor told the rest of council that he believed they were “safe” accepting Wilson’s offer. There is an out clause included, with Dysart to return Wilson’s money should his proposal be denied, or if he decides to walk away. There’s also a clause stating Wilson and Dysart could negotiate an extension should this issue not be resolved in the next two years.

Following the meeting, the Friends of Grass Lake community group, which is opposing the project, put out a press release expressing their concern over this latest development.

“We believe as a publicly-funded utility, this type of decision requires more thorough consideration than the time it was given,” said Carolyn Langdon. Wilson’s presentation and subsequent discussion ran just over eight minutes.

“There are too many unknowns about this proposal for an extraordinary decision to be taken… we believe Dysart council should not be tied up with business that has yet to make its way through the relevant approval authorities,” Langdon added.

Dysart et al has purchased a new 60-foot temporary overpass to be installed over the Koshlong Lake Road bridge, which will remove weight limitations imposed in December – although mayor Murray Fearrey has warned it could take the municipality around a month to install it.

The issue was debated during a Jan. 24 council meeting, where Frances Hill and her husband, Ken, spoke of the difficulties they and many neighbours have had navigating the township’s new bylaw in recent weeks.

On Dec. 13, Dysart’s director of public works, Rob Camelon, asked that council approve new legislation limiting the weight of vehicles crossing the bridge. Engineering firm Tulloch completed a study of the 60-year-old bridge last fall that found it was not up to modern safety standards and needed replacing.

“The year of construction of the structure was 1960, therefore Tulloch has assumed it was not originally designed for current truck loadings and therefore [recommends] a [new] load posting for the bridge, given its age and conditions,” the study reads.

As a temporary measure, the township decided to lower the allowable weight limit to 16 tons for single-unit vehicles, 29 tons for two-unit vehicles and 42 tons for three-unit vehicles for the next five years.

This has caused a major problem for the Hills, who were overseeing construction of a new home on Koshlong Lake.

“The new load limits have put our project in some jeopardy… the bridge is the only access point to our property, and now our contractors are unable to get there,” Frances told The Highlander. “We’re out thousands of dollars and don’t know when we’ll be able to finish our home.”

She told council that, after surveying other properties in the area, these new restrictions were impacting at least 147 residences in Dysart and Highlands East.

Koshlong Lake Association wants long-term solution

“It’s more than just construction – I’m worried about things like power outages, house fires, and ice storms… because of these new weight limits, many fire and utility trucks won’t be able to cross the bridge. Many people may not be able to get propane needed to heat their buildings, or have their holding and septic tanks pumped,” Ken said.

Rob Camelon, Dysart’s public works director, said the township had approved an exemption that would allow the township’s fire department to cross the bridge with pumper trucks in the event of an emergency. He also said he’s working on a proposal to replace the bridge in 2024.

The Hills say they were not informed of the change by the township, instead learning via their contractor who said he would have to cease work on their property.

Bridge closure ‘unacceptable’

Laurie Bruce said this issue was a major concern for many members of the Koshlong Lake Association. She called on council to find a solution, noting it was unacceptable to simply limit the weight of vehicles crossing the bridge for the next several years. She proposed several short-term solutions, including having the bridge redesignated as a one-lane thoroughfare.

“Could the permitted weight be raised then? If yes, there is a solution that could provide immediate relief [to residents] with minimal cost to Dysart township,” Bruce said.

Fearrey told both Bruce and Hill that council was “taking this issue seriously,” but noted there was no quick fix. He said the township is obliged to follow the recommendations outlined by Tulloch for liability purposes.

“I think they’re taking the safe route, but we can’t go against the engineer’s report,” Fearrey said. “Bear with us here, we will get you an answer and will work as fast as we can to bring a solution.”

Later in the meeting, CAO Tamara Wilbee read a motion coming out of closed session stating the township would be purchasing a temporary bridge for $188,533 plus HST. While no information was given relating to the bridge, where it was coming from, or when it would be installed, Fearrey told The Highlander he expected it would be a month before it arrived and is set up.

Dysart et al has come up with a temporary solution to remove weight limitations on the Koshlong Lake Road bridge. Dysart et al.

The Minden District Fur Harvesters held their first trapper’s workshop since COVID19, when they gathered at the Lloyd Watson Community Centre in Wilberforce Jan. 15.

Spokesman Ted Nottage said it was good to be back. He said attendance was a lot better than he thought it would be “considering the change of venue and being the first one after three years.”

He added they would have had more vendors but there were some last-minute cancellations.

The workshop featured pelt preparation and fur handling.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and The Land Between also had booths.

Rev. Canon Joan Cavanaugh-Clark sits at her kitchen table, with a physical day planner as well as one on her phone.

She’s got a newspaper interview at 10 a.m., then an Anglican Church women’s lunch at noon, Zoom calls at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and dinner out with husband Al’s car club. It’s a relatively light day for the woman who generally averages 12-hour work days.

The Diabetes Canada truck pulls up next to the manse, to pick up excess items from St. Paul’s Anglican Church thrift shop, and Deacon Martha Waind – whom Rev. Joan calls her “right hand” – goes to take care of that.

Despite the day planners, Rev. Joan said, “there is very little organization to my day, which I’ve learned to live with because I’m pretty organized, things just come up, so I’ve learned to be flexible.”

She’s asked to reflect on the past year, and what she deems to be accomplishments, thanks to the thrift shop and The Gathering Place on Bobcaygeon Road.

They re-opened the newly-expanded thrift shop in February, 2022, after being closed because of COVID restrictions. Rev. Joan said it didn’t take long for donations to start coming in. She notes the money raised from the thrift shop is not used for the operating costs of the church.

She said they were able to “share $27,000 from their abundance” with the community last year. They donated $10,000 to Places for People. Other donors have included Fuel for Warmth and Remedy’sRx to help with clients who could not afford medications. Every year, they give to the Bishop McAllister Anglican Church School in Africa, an orphanage for kids who have lost their parents to AIDS. They also purchased a fridge for a local medical centre.

Dr. Nell Thomas said the fridge was a perfect example of Rev. Joan’s ability to see a problem and find a solution. Quickly. She recalled her office was in a bit of a crisis because their vaccine fridge was malfunctioning. Rev. Joan and husband, Al, drove to Haliburton and bought a new fridge and arranged for Rev. Joan’s son-in-law to help them deliver it to the medical centre in Minden that very day.

Dr. Thomas added that former crisis worker, Andrew Hodson, who is now working for Jamie Schmale’s office, was her go-to guy for follow-up on crises, people experiencing physical or mental abuse, not having food, addiction issues or being suicidal.

“I found since Andrew’s departure, more and more, I think, ‘I bet Rev. John could help’.”

And, she has, with Deacon Martha and Al. For example, they assisted a person who was homeless and living in a tent. They’ve bought gas cards for people, driven patients to appointments and the pharmacy for medicine, helped people out of financial jams and made important connections.

“These are stories that are profoundly significant because these are really society’s downtrodden individuals that could easily be in the gutter or in the back wood,” Dr. Thomas said.

The Gathering Place

Rev. Joan’s other baby is The Gathering Place on Bobcaygeon Road in downtown Minden

She said homelessness is an issue that leads to loneliness.

trying to create is a place where people can come with no strings attached. They know it’s a God-centered place. There’s Bibles. But we have computers. We have the internet. We say it’s a place for the young, the old, the bold and the shy.”

It’s open Wednesday to Friday. They are starting classes in January, things such as sign language, art, and knitting. They are looking for volunteers and have designed a course so helpers have the sensitivity that goes along with that type of work.

Rev. Joan said she’s never been about pushing God at people but, “it certainly wouldn’t trouble me if people came into a relationship of faith.”

She recalls how one man told her he didn’t believe in God, but donated $3,000 because Rev. Joan did not force God down his throat and he believed in the work she was doing.

Through it all, Rev. Joan said it’s not her, Al, or Deacon Waind that deserve the credit.

“It’s not us doing it. It’s what the Lord calls us to do.”

For years, Peter Schleifenbaum’s innovations and outside-the-box thinking helped keep Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve at the forefront of an ever-changing industry.

Described as a ‘maverick’ by those who worked closest with him, Schleifenbaum transformed the 100,000-acre property from a sleepy collection of trees and brush into one of the largest tourism operations in the County. His story, highlighting his impact and contributions to the business over several decades, was captured in a 2016 documentary Against the Grain – A Story of a Maverick and his Forest. The piece was aired publicly for the first time in a Yours Outdoors speaker series event at the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association Fish Hatchery Jan. 11.

“Haliburton Forest is a one-of-a-kind (operation), and that’s all down to Peter,” said Tim Gray, executive director of Canadian advocacy group Environmental Defence, early in the film. There were dozens of other similar testimonials sprinkled throughout.

Arriving in the Highlands in 1988 from Freiburg, Germany, Schleifenbaum immediately set out reshaping Haliburton Forest. One of his first moves was to open the property to visitors, introducing new features to make it a more attractive tourist destination.

He was the man behind such ventures as the wolf centre, tree canopy tour and astronomy program. He also commissioned the design and reconstruction of the world’s first commercial, freshwater submarine.

There was a slightly rebellious nature to many of Schleifenbaum’s endeavours; the wolves arrived from the United States in 1993, but only after Peter had stepped in to prevent them from being destroyed. He pressed forward with the canopy tour even after being told it was a bad idea and wouldn’t stick, while stories of the submarine still reverberate around the halls at Queen’s Park today.

The machine completed close to 1,000 dives at MacDonald Lake on the forest property between 2004 and 2006 before being shut down by Ontario’s Ministry of Labour.

During the movie, Schleifenbaum recalls the day that several Royal Canadian Navy officials stopped by to check out the submarine and determine if it was safe.

“Canada had four submarines at the time – one had burnt out, and the other three had been dry docked. So, when the Navy arrived, I said ‘oh, have you come to look at the only functioning sub in Canada?’… that didn’t go over very well,” he said, with a grin.

He was just as inventive on the forestry side. After a tornado wiped out nearly 5,000 acres of trees in 1995, Schleifenbaum began using the felled wood to design log cabins. Almost three decades later and Haliburton Forest is one of the world’s most renowned producers of personalized log homes.

Schleifenbaum believed in the naturalization of forests and operating sustainably for logging at its sawmill. In 1997, Haliburton Forest became the first Canadian operation to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Following a near 30-year career, Schleifenbaum retired from his role at Haliburton Forest in 2016. He maintains a residence in the Highlands, along with wife, Elke. His successor, Malcolm Cockwell, said many of the practices “the maverick” implemented remain today.

Despite seeing tremendous growth across most of its operations in recent years, Cockwell said the organization hadn’t been the same since Schleifenbaum’s departure.

“We knew we couldn’t replace Peter’s brilliance, his outside-the-box thinking. That’s something we really miss at Haliburton Forest; the avant garde visionary stuff he brought to the table every single day,” Cockwell said.