The Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) announced SIRCH is the first certified living wage employer in Haliburton.

As a certified employer, all full-time, part-time, contract, and seasonal workers earn at least the currently calculated living wage of $19.05 per hour, the OLWN said in a news release.

“While staff in retail and food services are traditionally paid low wages, we felt that philosophically we could not tackle poverty and food insecurity unless we are truly walking the walk by ensuring our employees are not making less than the living wage for this area,” said executive director Gena Robertson.

A living wage is calculated by the OLWN to show how much a worker must earn per hour in order to make ends meet and enjoy modest participation in civic and cultural community. The calculations gather real local expenses such as shelter costs, childcare, transportation, and food. They also factor in any applicable government taxes, transfers, and benefits.

“Families who work for low wages often face impossible choices: buy food or heat the house, feed the children or pay the rent. Paying a living wage allows individuals and families to cover household essentials as well as occasional emergencies or unexpected expenses,” the OLWN said.

Robertson added from a business perspective, paying a living wage can reduce employee turnover, absenteeism, and retraining costs. She said it can also improve performance and productivity, and lower staff turnover rates.

“It may be difficult to pay more for labour, but paying a living wage will help your employees remain in the County, remain in your employ, and feed their families. It’s one of the best local economic development strategies we can employ.”

For more information, including calculation documentation, coverage map, and certified employer directory see: ontariolivingwage.ca.

A group of local residents who play pickup hockey in Haliburton, under the name Haliburton Old Guys, presented a cheque for $500 to the Haliburton Legion Jan. 10, proceeds from the group’s winter fundraiser.

The money will go towards the Legion’s elevator program.

Legion executives feel the installation of an elevator is necessary to improve accessibility throughout the building.

Derrick Moore, sergeant in arms, said they hope to wrap up their fundraising initiative later this year, with the installation of an elevator coming in 2024.

The Highlands East station 3 voluntary fire department in Gooderham is another step closer to buying much-needed rescue equipment thanks to a $2,000 donation from the Gooderham Community Action Group (GCAG).

“We’re continuing to raise money for a new side-by-side, off-road vehicle that will allow us to perform better emergency rescue operations on the trails and in less accessible areas around Gooderham,” said district fire chief Brian Horner. “This donation will get us to within one-half of the funds needed for a new side-by-side.”

Gooderham Community Action Group chair Valerie Dugale said people have continued to be generous in supporting good works in the community.

“Our volunteer firefighters are there for us and as a community we need to be there for them throughout the year with fundraising drives,” added Dugale.

Donations can be made at the fire hall by cheque to the Gooderham Station 3 Firefighter’s Association or through a bottle drive at the station.

The Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association (HHOA) is reinstating its annual wild game dinner and auction on Saturday, April 1, at the Haliburton Legion.

The dinner, a popular community event and valuable fund raising activity for HHOA, had been held for more than 25 years, but COVID put it on hold for the last three years.

“The wild game dinner has always been very well attended,” said Dan Smith, HHOA president. “We’re very excited to be doing it again this year.”

He said the dinner gives people the opportunity to try a variety of wild game, while also participating in a silent auction and having a great time.

This year’s menu includes, venison, bear, moose, boar, buffalo and rainbow trout. Domestic meat options are also available if people are not up for trying wild game.

The bar opens at 5 p.m., dinner and the auction start at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $35 per person, or $55 per couple. Tickets can be purchased at HHOA by calling 705-457-9664.

Since 1998, the HHOA has raised and stocked more than 800,000 fish in local lakes. If you would like to help support the HHOA, you can join or donate at HHOA.on.ca. You can also help by playing the HHOA 50/50 monthly raffle at bigcatch5050.ca. Fifty per cent of all monthly proceeds go to one winner. The other 50 per cent supports the fish hatchery, the stocking of area lakes, walleye spawning rehabilitation programs and other HHOA activities that benefit the region’s outdoors community.

An 11-year-old Haliburton County girl is off to the Allstar World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida this spring.

Addison Kulas is a member of the Valley Sharks team that trains out of Orillia.

The Carnarvon girl, who goes to Archie Stouffer Elementary School, has been cheerleading since the age of seven when her family lived in Uxbridge. Since moving to the Highlands, she has continued to train and compete despite the distance.

Her parents, Nick and Laura Kulas, are her biggest supporters. Nick said competitive cheerleading takes them to Orillia three to four a times a week for training. There are girls from Orillia, Barrie and Muskoka, but Addison is the only Highlander on the 20-person team. She’s also one of the youngest.

Addison is a flyer, so, “they throw her up in the air and catch her,” Nick explains.

Addison dons her uniform and comes out with her cheer bag. She shows off some of the medals she has already won.

“I can do a back hand spring,” she says, and begins demonstrating some of her skills. “I like when they throw me up in the air. And I like tumbling but I don’t like jumps because I can’t get my legs very high.”

Nick said the team qualified for the U17 level two. Cheerleading goes up to level seven. Cheerleaders progress through the ranks as they age and mature. Level seven is Olympian and cheer will be featured for the first-time ever at the Paris games. Already, Addison can do most of the level three requirements and is working on the others.

As part of the championships, in the first week of May, Addison will have the opportunity to train at the Top Gun Gym, one of the premier cheer gyms in North America.

Nick said being part of a team picked for the worlds is a big deal. There are already 2,000 teams going, and 40,000 competitors from 15 countries.

“I’m really excited,” Addison said. “We have a pretty good chance because we got second in our last competition, and in the competition we just did, we were first with the highest score in the whole competition.”

Nick added, “we didn’t really know how big it was until the convenor told us, ‘you should be very proud of your daughter, this is a big deal, an 11-year-old on an U17 team.’

“Girls get college scholarships in the U.S. for cheerleading. Most people think it’s pom poms and football, but it is a mix of tumbling, stunting and dance. You should see the stuff they do, fireworks, big screens, people are like, ‘is this how it is’?”

Laura added, “Addison and her teammates are incredibly proud to have earned a bid to this prestigious event, as it is a massive accomplishment likely realized only once in a lifetime. However, this opportunity comes with a hefty price tag. The Valley Sharks are fundraising to help offset costs associated with their trip, through individual and, or team sponsorships and through a silent auction.”

If interested, contact Valley Sharks fundraising committee head, Shannon, at 1-705-345-0443 or Nick Kulas at nickkulas@ hotmail.com for more information.

While the freezing rain fell outside, Highland Storm action was heating up the Minden arena recently

The score kept ticking up for the home side as blue and yellow jerseys surged up the ice to the cheers of friends and family in the stands.

But without a bearded man in a blue Storm jacket overlooking the red line, the crowd, players or referees wouldn’t know much about the game at all.

Eric Nicholls has been a hockey timekeeper for 40 years. He’s watched the clock and penalty box as future stars stickhandled down the rink, kids played their hearts out for the Silver Stick championship, and a feisty rivalry ebbed and flowed between Minden and Haliburton.

On March 15, he’ll deliver his last game report.

“I think it’s time for me to step down and let somebody else take over,” said Nicholls, standing beside the rink at the Haliburton arena.

He points over to the timekeeping box beneath the barn’s dark brown rafters. That’s the spot he began his timekeeping career at age 18 in 1982.

His friend, Luke Schell, asked him if he’d consider timekeeping for the men’s league.

“Then it went from there,” Nicholls said. “I was overwhelmed at the beginning, but after a while, it became second nature.”

Nicholls would arrive about an hour before each game. Until a recent switch to digital timekeeping, he would collect the game sheets from the coaches. During the games, he watches the play to catch each whistle and penalty before deftly dialing in the time on the clock. After the buzzer, he gets referees to sign the timesheet before sending the vital information to the Ontario Minor Hockey League (OMHA).

The game’s location matters to timekeepers, since the clocks at each arena function differently

The Haliburton Arena has had three clocks since Nicholls started.

He taught his tricks of the trade to others throughout the years too.

“I remember the first night that we were sitting in the box together,” said fellow timekeeper Diane Peacock, who Nicholls trained nine years ago. “I think about the fact of what he taught me and how he’s mentored me over the years.”

When the Minden arena was being rebuilt, Nicholls shared his home turf, Haliburton, with Peacock. “He said ‘don’t worry, you’re not going to be without a job, we’ll just split everything up.’ And he taught me how to use Haliburton’s clock and made me feel comfortable there.”

Community kudos

“The greatest compliment I can pay him is when I call out-of-town referees to see if they can come help us out, they almost always ask me, ‘is Eric doing the clock’?” said OMHA referee-in-chief Brad Tate. He was speaking to a crowd gathered to honour Nicholls’ career after a Highland Storm game. “If I say yes, they say yes,” Tate said.

Former Dysart et al mayor Andrea Roberts thanked Nicholls for his dedication to minor hockey and his contribution to the town.

“It really is something you should be so proud of,” she said.

Nicholls was also presented with a plaque from OMHA region 5 director Andy Cooke, and his own “Nicholls” Highland Storm jersey.

The timekeeper said he appreciated the recognition. “But I’d rather be a person behind the scenes.”

Time for change

His number one tip for a new timekeeper?

“Just relax, enjoy it, and if you make a mistake, call the referees over. The referees will help you out,” he said.

Peacock said there will be lots of support for new volunteers. “Once you get onto it, it’s just a matter of hitting the right buttons,” she said.

Many newcomers start out keeping time for younger age groups that often get fewer penalties.

“Everybody thinks it’s a daunting task, but I caught on to it fairly fast,” Peacock said.

For volunteers such as Peacock or Nicholls, it’s also meant joining the Highland Storm community.

Nicholls said he’ll still come out to games to see old friends and cheer on the Storm.

“It’s a really tight-knit community,” he said.

Back at the Minden arena, the Storm put the finishing touches on a 7-1 victory. The buzzer sounded and the teams scrambled off the ice. But the arena wasn’t ready for the next game until Nicholls reset the clock.

Demand for mental health and addiction supports is high in Haliburton County, with more than 55 per cent of participants in a new three-year mobile clinic program run by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) coming from the Highlands.

Jeff Cadence, manager of the program for CMHA Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge, said 60 of 108 clients served regionwide through The Road Ahead pilot since December 2021 have come from the County.

“Haliburton has been, by far, our busiest region so far. That demonstrates there’s a higher prevalence of geographic barriers people are facing in the community… a lot of people accessing our services don’t have the ability to travel long distances for support,” Cadence said.

The clinics, which run out of a custombuilt, 37-foot-long bus, have been operating every other week in Haliburton, Minden, Eagle Lake, Kennisis Lake, West Guilford and Tory Hill. It’s being funded by a $1 million grant from the Ontario government.

Anyone can qualify for service, Cadence said. CMHA conducts an over-the-phone assessment that determines the level of support required. People are then generally matched with services within two weeks. Counselling and therapy are carried out by two mental health clinicians and a mental health nurse on-site.

Once enrolled, people are treated through 10 bi-weekly sessions, though Cadence said some clients have required more long-term support.

Staff have adapted on the fly, he said, offering other supports that he says clients wouldn’t have otherwise been able to access. This includes couples therapy, health services system navigation, and general health care. He noted in the County there had been several cases of people presenting with issues stemming from undiagnosed diabetes. Virtual psychiatry is also offered, though a doctor’s referral is required.

“We also do a lot of harm reduction services for people with addictions. We have safeuse materials available, and we distribute naloxone so if people are using opioids they have protection against poisonings and overdoses,” Cadence said. “We want to be flexible and nimble. The intention of this pilot is to get a really good understanding of the needs of the communities, and to build a model that helps meet those needs and overcome existing barriers to mental health services,” Cadence said.

There are 30 clients actively receiving support in the County, which Cadence said is more than any other region. Eighty per cent of clients served in the Highlands have received counselling services.

The pilot will run until December 2024, though Cadence said demand suggests it should be adopted permanently. He hopes, one day, to have a bus and staff exclusively servicing Haliburton County.

“The situations we’ve seen, if we weren’t here providing these services, these people wouldn’t be getting any help at all. They would be living unwell, and letting their situations worsen. So that is something that’s really heartening, that we can say with confidence that we’re bringing something to our clients that they otherwise would not have access to,” Cadence said.

In addition to this pilot, CMHA served 257 individuals across the County between April 2021 and March 2022 through its Four County Crisis support program. This initiative assists individuals with serious mental illness, according to CMHA spokesperson Caitlin Morris. Cadence said the mobile program works in tandem with CMHA’s other offerings.

He said one way people struggling with their mental health can get some respite is through outdoor activity – something he recommends to all clients.

“Once we’ve addressed some of the mental health concerns, it’s the ‘what next’. We live in a beautiful part of the world, so let’s get out there and engage in it. I’d like us to do a bit more proactive or positive programming in the future, rather than just treating illness, as part of a broader look at mental health,” he said.

For more information, visit cmhahkpr.ca. To access services offered through the pilot, email tra@cmhahkpr.ca or call 705-991- 3551, or 1-888-357-1294.

Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) has unveiled a new three-year plan to bolster its mental health services and ensure all students feel safe at school.

Addressing trustees at a meeting of the board Feb. 28, superintendents Kim Williams and Jay MacJanet said student safety is the board’s number one priority, outlining several steps staff have taken in recent months to ensure local youth feel secure and protected while in the classroom.

This comes after a student climate survey conducted last year among children from Grades 4 to 12 revealed only 51 per cent of participants felt safe at school, while between 31 and 42 per cent stated they were dealing with moderate to high levels of anxiety.

“The Ministry of Education would like us to have every single one of our students feeling safe at school, and we have a three-year plan to reach that goal,” Williams said. “To help us, we need to shift the way our mental health counsellors are working in schools and with students. Rather than working individually with students, we are looking to increase the time they spend working with multiple students, either in small groups or within the classroom.

“For us to reach all our students, we need a different approach,” she added.

Starting this year, the board’s mental health counsellors will spend 50 per cent of their time coordinating with teachers and working inside the classroom, with Williams saying recent data suggests students respond better while being engaged in a group setting. Individual sessions away from the classroom will still be available for students with more extreme needs.

Director of learning, Wes Hahn, said students in Grades 7 and 8 recently completed portfolio presentations on mental health to great success.

“What it’s doing is exposing students to situations where they feel comfortable talking to adults about mental health, talking to their friends about it, and giving opportunities to mental health counsellors to interact with students and staff to help them through the difficult times they are experiencing,” Hahn said.

MacJanet said TLDSB is also working with community partners, such as Point in Time in Haliburton, to ensure students in need are provided with more in-depth supports when they’re not at school. He also noted the board had partnered with School Mental Health Ontario to provide additional resources to students to support their mental health and wellbeing.

The board is hoping to launch a mental health advisory group in the spring, consisting of teachers, principals, support staff and mental health counsellors.

“We need their input and feedback so we can get better and pivot towards the needs of our students,” MacJanet said. “This is an opportunity for our system to have a voice and show us what they’re seeing boots on the ground… tell us what we’re doing well and where we can do better.”

Hahn said the board will run another student climate survey this year.

“We want to make sure that we keep checking in with our students – that data is really valuable for us and helps identify [whether the changes we’ve implemented are working],” Hahn said.

“We are 100 per cent dedicated… to providing safe, caring and supportive learning environments for our students.”

Non-profit Places for People (P4P) has organized a community housing summit for April 5, bringing in guest speakers from across Ontario to share ideas on how to overcome one of the region’s most pressing issues.

Fay Martin, P4P vice president, said the event was borne out of necessity with the County’s existing housing inventory “falling drastically short” of what’s needed.

“I think there’s a lot of frustration because we keep going around and around on housing, but because nobody owns the problem, we never seem to get anywhere,” Martin said. “We have [KLH Housing Corporation] for social housing, but there’s nothing for all the other kinds of housing, no authority driving things.”

She said the aim is to bring together people from other areas who have had success creating housing through a variety of creative means, and finding out how it can be done in Haliburton County.

The summit will take place at the Minden Community Centre and will feature keynote and closing speakers and three panel discussions.

Jennifer van Gennip, of Redwood Park Communities in Barrie, will share how her organization built 49 affordable housing units between 2009 and 2019. Martin said the YIMBY – Yes In My Backyard – campaign Redwood pioneered has taken off provincewide. Van Gennip will provide details on how that initiative helped foster positive discussions between would-be developers and concerned citizens.

The first panel will focus on worker housing, with speakers from Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve, Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride, and Rodco Enterprise discussing how they were able to overcome labour challenges by providing accommodation for some employees.

A discussion on private housing options for seniors will feature Bill Mardimae from the Gardens of Haliburton; Anna Schmiegelow, of Oakview Lodge, on how they successfully created a co-living community; for-profit developers, John and Irene Gerber, about how they were able to bring 17 affordable apartments to Minden in the mid-to-late 2010s; and Dr. Nell Thomas on projects such as the Gardens, which provide health and wellness services on-site, having a positive impact on the public health system.

The final panel will focus on finances, with Habitat for Humanity sending a representative to unpack a new hybrid mortgage model the organization uses to make home ownership viable. Martin will discuss community bonds, and how investment at the grassroots level could help non-profits follow through on housing builds.

Lori-Anne Gagne, CEO of Victoria Park Community Homes, and Graham Cubitt of Hamilton-based non-profits Flourish and Indwell will close the day. The three organizations have helped bring thousands of affordable housing units to the GTA.

The event is being sponsored by the Haliburton County Development Corporation, Minden Hills and Algonquin Highlands, and media partners including The Highlander. Martin has invited MP Jamie Schmale, MPP Laurie Scott, and local councillors.

Martin added all levels of government, nonprofits and private developers need to work together to bolster housing stock.

In his 2021 report Baby Needs a New Home, London-based economist Mike Moffatt estimated around 1,200 new homes needed to be built in the County by 2031 to keep up with predicted population changes. KLH Housing Corporation has said it needed to build 750 affordable units in the Highlands by 2029 to meet expected demand.

“We’re already in a dangerous situation with our lack of housing. Unless we see real movement, and soon, I worry about the long-term future of our community, and our residents,” Martin said.

Nataly Mylan owns Moonlight Bay Tent and Trailer Park in Wilberforce and has heard some “heartbreaking” housing pleas over the last couple of years.

“Can I just pull into somewhere and pitch a tent? Are you sure you can’t stay open past October?” she shares, while standing in the parking lot at the entrance to Head Lake Park in Haliburton.

Mylan is organizing this year’s Sleeping in Cars event for Places for People, a fundraiser that highlights the need for more affordable housing in the Highlands.

The woman has personal experience with the topic. While she has never been homeless, she has lived rough in her distant past.

“Can I say that I’ve been cold and hungry? Yup. It was a long time ago and it was when I was just starting out. My partner and I had just bought a very small and very underdeveloped business and for the first 10 years, I remember looking through couch cushions for quarters so I could buy groceries. I remember it snowing in the house. I remember my blankets being stuck to the wall. We were so infested with mice that I had to wash the dishes before we ate.”

Mylan said it’s important to get the community to talk about affordable housing, as well as raise money for Places for People Haliburton Highlands.

“I live in Wilberforce. We have a population that could really benefit from a lot more affordable housing, A lot of people are aging out of their homes and have to leave communities. And, with the short-term rental situation, and the real estate market, we’ve just seen that exacerbated one million per cent. Our communities are really suffering. I want those people that have invested over the years to be able to stay and keep their social circles and for our communities to be healthy and prosperous.”

She added when they started Sleeping in Cars in 2019, it was a bunch of people gathering around a campfire “trying to nail down what affordable meant,” before retiring to their vehicles and trying to sleep.

She said that conversation had changed substantially in the past four years, with COVID and the increased cost of living.

It’s no longer a discussion about a minority of people at risk of becoming homeless because of life circumstances. She said it’s become far more reaching as there are people now with full-time jobs at risk of homelessness.

Mylan said she would like to see policymakers gathered around that fire this year, and politicians sleeping in their cars, trucks, on couches, or in tents.

“It (homelessness) was such a huge thing at the last election that I think it’s become more of a political issue. It would be nice to get that political support.”

Sleeping in Cars is March 24, from 7 p.m. until dawn. Pre-registration is required. See placesforpeople.ca for more information.