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.

Issues surrounding housing, health care and long-term care have become widespread in Haliburton County in recent years, but volunteers involved with the Highlands chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) have been trying to drive conversations on those pressure points “for over a decade,” according to the organization’s local president.

Different from service clubs such as Rotary or Lions, CARP is an advocacy organization that promotes the needs of retired seniors, says Jon Dannewald. Initiated more than 20 years ago, the Highlands chapter has more than 700 registered members.

Dannewald joined in 2012, stepping up to help friends, and founders, Bob and Joan Stinson. He caught the bug quickly and has been trying to inspire positive change across Haliburton County ever since.

“CARP is a great organization. Unlike most other groups, our focus is entirely on seniors’ advocacy. We advocate on behalf of our members with all levels of government,” Dannewald said. “The largest cohort of people in Haliburton County is seniors. We are the poorest county in Ontario on a per capita basis. Somebody has got to speak and advocate for us – that’s why I got involved, and why I stay involved.

“We’re trying to turn the Titanic, but it’s tough going,” he added.

Last year, in the lead up to the provincial election, Dannewald and his small team of board members, which also includes Michael Conrathe and Jack Virgin, established a “CARP top five,” focusing on issues important to seniors.

That list includes funding better home care; transforming long-term care provincewide; drastically cutting wait times at hospitals and for non-emergency surgeries; making vaccines more accessible; and establishing more fitness programs for seniors.

Several CARP members met with provincial officials in 2021 to discuss potential changes, or enhancements, to long-term care.

“They just want to build and bring more beds online. That’s not the issue. We’ve got plenty of beds, the problem is we can’t staff them. That’s the issue that really needs to be addressed,” Dannewald said.

“Ninety per cent of people would prefer to age within their own home. That’s where the government’s focus ought to be. That should be where they’re investing,” Conrathe added.

CARP meets four times per year. Prior to the pandemic, meetings would include a meal and guest speaker. Conrathe said the group is looking to host an in-person gathering in the spring. They are actively trying to recruit new members who are willing to pick up the proverbial baton and advocate for those most in need.

Annual memberships cost $19.95 and include various perks, including a CARP coupon book, which provides discounts to various stores and services such as Rexall, Zoomer Wireless and Hilton Hotels.

Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to attend the Highlands chapter’s AGM, taking place virtually Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. Diane Woodcock of SIRCH Community Services is the guest speaker. To pre-register, contact haliburtonhighlands@carp.ca.

A December donation from CanoeFM’s Radio Bingo proceeds was handed to SIRCH Community Services Jan. 10.

SIRCH put the money towards its Gifts From The Heart Campaign, which raised money for its community kitchen program.

SIRCH communications coordinator, Angelica Ingram, said the campaign is complete for the season and SIRCH thanked everyone who donated to make it a success.

The presentation took place in SIRCH’s Bistro, which is where all of its community kitchen meals are made.

Currently, they are making approximately 1,000 meals per month, plus soups and desserts, which are distributed through community partners.