Algonquin Highlands, ward 2: Sabrina Richards

October 6, 2022

Listen to the full interview here.

Qualifications

Sabrina Richards has lived in Algonquin Highlands full-time since 2020. She owns and operates the Big Hawk Lake Marina. Prior to that, she worked as a consultant for big business, specializing in logistics. “I arranged international shipping, worked with various government bodies, from the federal government to customs to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, even down to the provincial level and the Ministry of Natural Resources.”

Algonquin Highlands

Richards said public parking is a huge problem. During the marina’s busiest days in the summer, she said it wasn’t unusual for families to have to park up to three kilometres away. “Our parking situation is extreme, and it has been for a very long time. It goes back decades and has not been addressed,” she said. “A lot of residents were upset too about the closure of the Hawk Lake [waste transfer station] … The reality is, a lot of people feel they have to take their garbage home with them, because [other dump locations] are too far away.”

Amalgamation

Richards is not in favour of amalgamation. “I think the four lower-tier townships have a lot in common, which allows us to collaborate well together. We have a lot of the same needs, but we also have some differences, and some of them are significant. So, maintaining our sovereignty without losing sight of the bigger picture of togetherness is important.”

Health

Richards believes Haliburton County can maintain two hospital locations. “Even if you were to combine all HHHS operations into a single facility you’re still not going to have enough staff if we don’t start attracting more workers to come here. And part of the problem with attracting people is where are they going to live? We have nowhere. It’s a vicious cycle.”

Housing

“We need to review some of our bylaws that are prohibitive to things like tiny homes – that could make a huge impact on getting more affordable housing into the market. To put up rows of townhouses, apartment buildings, takes two, three years. We’re past waiting, we need immediate solutions.” She believes the township needs to bring more second stage housing online. “There’s no plan for people who are living in affordable housing units. There’s no way for them to progress, so they just stay there. But because our inventory isn’t growing, we run into issues like we’re seeing now where there’s just not enough [units] to go around.”

Poverty

Richards said she lived in extreme poverty during her late teens, often struggling to make ends meet as a young, single parent. She doesn’t know how she’d cope today if she had to do it all again. “There are so many gaps that people are falling through. There’s not enough support given to help people who are headed towards a dire situation. Some of the things that helped me no longer exist for people … we can’t just sit here as a township and say, ‘it’s the province’s responsibility’. We need to take action.” She mentioned the possibility of hosting job skills courses, possibly partnering with organizations such as SIRCH.

Shoreline preservation bylaw

Richards was disappointed with where County council landed with its shoreline preservation bylaw. “For it to have taken that many years to come up with a document that doesn’t protect our shorelines is very disappointing. Septics and fertilizers are the biggest predators to our lakes, but there’s nothing about them in there. That would have been the first place I started. What we’re left with is, essentially, a building bylaw. Some will say that’s better than nothing, but I would have preferred they finish ironing out the problems before moving forward.” She wants to see the issue revisited by the next County council.

Short-term rentals

“Short-term rentals pose a great drain on our services. There are usually noise complaints, further bylaw issues… I would like to see a bylaw come in to address the concerns of neighbouring properties. There’s a difference between renting your cottage out to pay your property taxes each year versus having a place listed on Airbnb every night of the year. We need to distinguish that… This issue is taking away from our resort businesses, it’s taking away from our housing stock.”

Transportation “There could be a main line, say from Dorset to Dysart, but even that I think would be underutilized. Smaller vans may work, but again, it boils down to workers. We don’t even have enough bus drivers to effectively run our school groups, so that’s a problem. I think it’s great that we have some volunteer supports, like the people who give their time to drive people to health appointments. I think we’re going to need more of that, because I don’t see [a transportation system] coming to fruition.”

Vision for the future

“Algonquin Highlands needs to build community together. We have a lot of seasonal populations that greatly affects our permanent population. We want them here, but we don’t have enough employees at our businesses to support increased population when it comes in. We don’t have housing to put people in… We need to address these things if we want to continue to grow.”

Focus for 2023 budget

“I’d like to see parking finally get addressed. People have waited an extremely long time and I think that needs to be a priority for the township this coming year.” Sabrina Richards the candidate “I definitely have a love for the area, that’s why I’m running. Since moving here, I’ve noticed there are gaps in services and issues that aren’t being addressed and I think I can step into a councillor role and help to move things forward,” Richards said.

Algonquin Highlands, ward 2: Amber Meirik

Mike Baker

October 6, 2022

Listen to the full interview here.

Qualifications

Amber Meirik has been an elementary school teacher for almost 30 years. “I’ve dedicated my life to helping others and finding solutions that optimize outcomes.” She believes her greatest assets to be her communication and problem-solving skills. “I don’t do anything without 200 per cent effort.” Meirik is also a coach with the Minden Skating Club.

Algonquin Highlands

“There needs to be a focus on greater cooperation with other levels of government, to empower municipal governments and increase the participation of citizens,” Meirik said. “We also need to restore and improve services for taxpayers. Waste management, roads, transportation, parks and rec, municipal infrastructure … we need more careful examination of budgeted items … and we need to commit to no further increases in property taxes.”

Amalgamation

Meirik believes any decision over the potential amalgamation of the four lower-tier townships in Haliburton County should be decided by local residents. “That’s a major, life-changing decision. We would need some type of a referendum vote,” she said. “This issue has been spoken to many, many times, but I do feel there is a savings to be had in streamlining [municipal] administration… My opinion is it’s something that should be looked at.”

Health

“I would not be opposed to looking at streamlining the [two] health care centres we have in Haliburton County down to one, which can then be maintained with staffing, extra resources,” Meirik said. She indicated she’d like to see the community vote on this issue too, should the amalgamation of Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) sites ever be brought forward.

Housing

“We need an expansion of available housing and incentives. If we can tackle the housing crisis, that may contribute to our ability to fill vacancies in our workforce, which is another critical thing crippling our community. Basement [apartments], bunkies – those types of things could be explored.” She called on the provincial government to provide more funds for housing projects in Haliburton County. While Meirik considers herself pro-development, she is also mindful of protecting the environment. “We can’t just build without consequence. We need to do what we can to get the housing that is needed here … but also protect nature and all that makes Algonquin Highlands great.”

Poverty

“There’s got to be a lot more programs… there’s got to be more money put into the budget. Food banks are alive and well, we need a lot more in that area, certainly for children. They need nutrition and after-school programs. We need drop-in centres; we have to expand on our library programs.” Meirik said she’d like to see new businesses donate a percentage of their profits to the community to support poverty reduction strategies.

Shoreline preservation bylaw

Meirik isn’t a fan of the County’s new shoreline preservation bylaw. “The problem is that it’s a complaint-based system. This kind of system is not only inefficient due to the onus being on the citizens, but it also does not effectively stop the offenders.” She would have liked the County to hold an in-person open house, where people could attend and ask questions about the proposed bylaw, before council passed it. She also feels concerns over septic systems and the impact they can have on lake health was largely ignored. “I don’t think this shoreline bylaw is going to make the difference it was intended to make.”

Short-term rentals

“Multiple municipalities across Ontario are tackling this same issue … There shouldn’t be these overnight types of rentals, because those do not really do any long-term good.” Meirik believes the township needs to refine its definition for short-term rentals, and work closely with people who have secondary properties in the Highlands. “Instead of having to rent out your property for a week here and two weeks there, perhaps they could rent out to a worker who needs a home while they’re here for the summer… That could be subsidized [by the municipality] in some way – everyone’s happy.”

Transportation

Meirik believes the County and lower-tier townships should be exploring options for public transit. “You can operate a system in a geographically spread-out region that is on-demand. It may not be that you have a bus every hour like in the city, but there should be something available each day that you can call to get a ride.”

Vision for the future

Meirik wants to bring all Algonquin Highlands residents together. “We need better cohesiveness between our full-time and seasonal residents. We’ve got to see a change in our poverty numbers. We can’t have these things happening. It’s an embarrassment and a shame that this is going on in 2022, so we’ve got to help, as a municipality, any way that we can. If that means propping up [some social programs], so be it… This is the most beautiful place in Ontario, and we have to do what we can to keep it that way.”

Focus for 2023 budget

“I would commit to no more tax increases. We have a surplus; we need to look more carefully line by line at what’s being budgeted and maybe change our focus and priorities. One of the things I would want is more open communication, getting input from the community and then moving forward to know what their priorities are.”

Amber Meirik the candidate

“One of the main reasons I’ve chosen to put my name forward is because I feel there is a little bit of accountability missing in the current council. I will strive to be an accountable voice in Algonquin Highlands, by listening to all taxpayers in the township.” Meirik says she will confer with the community on all major decisions. Having been a seasonal resident for several years, she plans to move here permanently later this year.

Algonquin Highlands, ward 2: Lisa Barry

Mike Baker

October 6, 2022

Listen to the full interview here.

Qualifications

Lisa Barry is seeking re-election following three successive terms on council. She is an artist, running Homestead Pottery studio alongside husband, Mike Mihlik. Reflecting on her skills, Barry said, “I’m inquisitive. I’m frugal – I personally live in a feast and famine lifestyle being an artist, so as a councillor I’m looking at the best way to spend money for the greater good of the community.”

Algonquin Highlands

Barry is a proponent of Stanhope Municipal Airport and wants to see other municipalities chip in to ensure its longterm viability. “It’s not just Algonquin Highlands residents using it… I think there’s an opportunity for the rest of the County to be involved in helping to fund it. It is an asset, but just like recreation centres, they don’t bring in revenue,” she said.

Amalgamation

“We’ve already amalgamated a fair bit of Algonquin Highlands. There’s a service delivery review ongoing at the County level – there’s great work happening there, we should see where it goes.” Barry believes there’s an opportunity for the four lower-tier townships to work together on solutions for waste management, bylaw enforcement and road maintenance.

Health

Barry likes the current system HHHS has in place, operating two facilities in the Highlands. “I am in complete support of doing whatever is possible to have two hospitals in the County,” she said. “My dad was in an accident and was taken to the hospital in Minden. Given where his accident was, if we had to wait 10 extra minutes for him to get to the hospital in Haliburton, I might not have a dad today.”

Housing

“We need to have fewer restrictions for housing in Algonquin Highlands,” Barry said. “There’s been great gains in smaller houses in some communities. Also, having secondary suites, things like granny flats are becoming quite popular.” Barry believes most discussions surrounding housing are happening at the County level but said there were some options Algonquin Highlands could explore. “We can change the footprint of properties now. The province is allowing people in rural situations to have two dwellings on one property. That can only be a good thing.” Barry also said she was a “huge proponent” of tiny homes. The township recently approved legislation to reduce the minimum size of a new home to 600 sq. ft. She also believes in the idea of cohabiting of a property by friends or different generations of the same family.

Poverty

Barry believes Algonquin Highlands needs to improve its community programs to better support families living in poverty. “There’s lots of programs than run from, say 10 a.m. until noon. Well, if you’re working how do you actually access these things? I think there’s lots that can be done, whether it be initiatives designed to get people back to work, food initiatives, support programs. Families just can’t afford it right now, it’s hard.”

Shoreline preservation bylaw

Barry believes County council has already spent enough time debating the shoreline preservation bylaw. “This has been going on for four or five years. As far as I’m concerned, [the process] was fully transparent. At the root of it, everyone wants to enjoy the water and if we don’t protect the water, there’s going to be problems down the road.”

Short-term rentals

“There is an appetite for some sort of bylaw enforcement surrounding short-term rentals… I don’t think it has to be an iron hammer, but something has to be done,” Barry said. She doesn’t have a problem with people renting out their cottage a couple times per year to help cover costs or fund a renovation project but believes people owning places and offering them up on sites such as Airbnb year-round should be licensed. “Blue Mountains or Collingwood have a demerit point system that is complaint driven. If you have five or six complaints, you lose your permit… These [short-term] rentals are dangerous for our lakes if not [handled correctly].”

Transportation

Barry believes the vast geographical landscape of Algonquin Highlands makes public transportation difficult. “I think having some services in Minden and Haliburton as a starting point would help move people around… But for us to get something that goes up to Oxtongue Lake and then down Hwy. 35 [to Carnarvon], that’s going to be a challenge.”

Vision for the future

“I like the idea of having a night sky policy in place where there’s not a direct light beaming off of every place. I think there’s a place for cell towers, but we don’t need to have them everywhere,” Barry said, discussing the need for service upgrades in the community. She’d like to see the township engage the community in developing a strategic plan that can be used to outline municipal goals now and in the future.

Focus for 2023 budget

“The big things we’re hearing about are parking and waste management.” Barry said she would be willing to reconsider Algonquin Highlands’ previous decision to shutter the Hawk Lake transfer station. She also wants to discuss plans for the airport, looking into what council can do to attract more industry to the area.

Lisa Barry the candidate

Barry grew up cottaging in Algonquin Highlands. She relocated to the community permanently in 2004 to be closer to her dad. “We decided this would be a good place to call home.” She feels much of her third term on council has been spent reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic and filed her papers again in the hopes of tackling some long-standing issues. “We have a huge boom in the municipality. A lot of things are being talked about that will help to shape our community … I want to be part of those discussions, helping to drive decisions.”

Listen: What are we doing? About transportation

October 3, 2022

What are we doing A podcast from The Highlander (4) — What are we doing? cover art

Getting around in The Highlands can be a hurdle. If you don’t own a vehicle you’re at the mercy of friends, or unregulated taxi prices. Join us this week as reporter Mike Baker dives into what the county is doing about Transportation.

You’ll hear from Jaime Schmale, Marg Cox, and Andrea Roberts, with special thanks to Haliburton County CAO Mike Rutter.

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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

Artwork by Jason Yates @jy.ink

Walk the walk on housing

Lisa Gervais

September 29, 2022

Can we all agree that housing – or lack thereof – is the most pressing issue in Haliburton County at the moment?

And, is there consensus that it’s time to stop talking about it, but rather finding solutions? The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce issued a call to action to all levels of government late last week.

There’s nothing new here, folks. However, the business community had hoped this summer would offer a return to normal.

They banked on making good money to help recover from COVID-19. They didn’t plan to have the staffing shortages that forced them to work double-time, and in some cases, cut back days and hours of operation.

Traditionally, they make enough money in the summer to pay off those lines of credit they needed to dip into in the late fall, winter and early spring. They don’t have that luxury now. As they stare down the seasonal change, they are facing some unprecedented financial stress, which is causing a very real mental health crisis.

The fall-out could affect this community for decades. It’s a complex topic but there are recurring themes. The federal and provincial governments could always do more. We hear all kinds of housing announcements.

MPP Laurie Scott is always happy to tick off the amounts of money pledged for housing. However, we have yet to see that translate into shovels into ground in Haliburton County. And MP Jamie Schmale is always quick to point out the shortcomings of the federal Liberals on this portfolio, but he hasn’t managed to get shovels in the ground either. Our municipal politicians are ringing their hands.

However, they are at the helm of the very places where change is desperately needed. Our current system of a County and four lower-tier governments is not helping.

Five sets of different official plans and zoning bylaws, for example, provide hurdles, not solutions.

Candidates are talking about the need for tiny homes, for example, but are short on mentioning that no township would allow them under current rules and regulations. So, the County and its townships have to figure out the barriers and eliminate them.

That is not going to happen overnight. At the same time, they have to look at shorter-term solutions for that “crisis response” the chamber is clamouring for. A few years ago, there was a housing forum in the County. It is time for a second one. All players must come back to the table. There have to be hard questions asked, and difficult topics raised.

For example, what needs to be changed locally to allow for trailers to house workers? What has to be altered for smaller homes to be allowed. How can we pave the way so there can be more than one dwelling on a residential lot?

Let’s take it one step further. Where could we find land within serviced areas of townships such as Dysart et al and Minden Hills to build? In an area blessed with so much greenspace, could a portion of Head Lake Park be used for housing? In a changing world, where agriculture is not the local industry it once was, is it time to ask whether part of the Minden fairgrounds, for example, could be converted to housing space?

As residents of this County, we also have to ask ourselves some difficult questions.

Do we live on hundred-acre farms near town that we are no longer farming? Are we planning to sell for millions upon millions of dollars or could we take a fair market price for the sake of our community? Are we living alone in a large house on a large parcel of land and refusing to sell even though it could be to the betterment of our community? Clearly, it’s time for all of us to walk the walk, and no longer talk the talk.

Chamber wants ‘crisis response’ to housing

Lisa Gervais

September 29, 2022

The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce is calling on federal, provincial and municipal governments to provide “a crisis response” to an ongoing housing shortage in the Highlands. The chamber issued a media release Sept. 23, saying, “delaying, denying, or not utilizing all available resources to address this issue should now come with an acknowledgment that these negative impacts continue to worsen.”

Chamber executive director Robert Gaudette acknowledged in an interview with The Highlander the crisis is not new, however, a myriad of factors warranted the chamber’s urgent call to action. He added it has to be a municipal election issue with voters going to the polls Oct. 24.

Gaudette said businesses impacted by COVID-19 were hopeful of rebounding this summer. However, many had a hard time finding employees due to a lack of housing. He said owners had to work extra hours or reduce their businesses’ hours of operation.

So, while many businesses rely on their summer earnings to get them through leaner seasons, that isn’t the case this year. “It’s a different world that requires a willingness to change the way and the speed at which things are done.

This is about neighbours and friends who are under incredible stress that need to be prioritized in the decision-making and planning processes.” Gaudette said.

Mark Bell, president of the board of directors, added, “there are long-term implications … including the collateral effects of a reduction in the availability of products and services, a reduced capacity to serve the tourism needs of visitors, stress-related physical and mental health impacts, strategic reduction in the reliance on staff in investment and business modelling, and a reduction in the ability to attract new business and investment into the community.”

Asked for examples of what can be done, the chamber said incentivization and reducing red tape.

Gaudette added in the interview the business community wants concrete plans that will see shovels in the ground. “We need to see some movement in terms of planning, or using exceptional measures, or temporary solutions, and throwing everything we can at it,” Gaudette said. He added the chamber isn’t seeing anything, for example, that would allow for a tiny home program.

“Let’s identify what are the barriers to us being able to go out and build,” he said. As for the chamber, he said they are investigating options, such as temporary housing for workers and prefabricated housing.

Municipal role

Christine Sharp is a real estate agent frustrated by “outdated” municipal rules she feels are barriers to housing. “Why can’t land be severed more than two to three times from an original 100-acre parcel? If your lot size is one acre, why can’t you have more than one principal residence for your son or daughter or mother or father to have their own home? Why can’t we grant a licence to have a trailer on a lot that someone can live in for a period of time until they get their feet on the ground?” she asked. “These are not decisions for politicians to make. These are our decisions … the communities’ decisions. We have an opportunity here and unless we address them with our elected officials and speak up with solutions, decisions will be made and rules will be put in place that may not be beneficial to the human beings that make up and grow our communities.”

Township of Algonquin Highlands planner Sean O’Callaghan said their recently-adopted zoning bylaw reduced the minimum square footage for a principal dwelling from 796.5 square feet to 592 in hamlet and rural residential zones. For shoreline residential one and two, it remains 796.5 square feet. He noted their bylaw also allows for an accessory dwelling unit within a principal dwelling and an accessory single detached dwelling within the rural, hamlet residential and rural residential zones subject to provisions.

“Mobile tiny homes would be defined as a trailer under our zoning bylaw and would not be permitted,” he said.

Further, “a traditional home constructed on a permanent foundation with a proposed lesser footprint than what is permitted within the zoning bylaw would require a minor variance”. “A tiny community would most likely require an official plan amendment and zoning bylaw amendment for the specific proposal to address matters of access, servicing, lot size requirements, frontage on a publicly maintained road,” he said.

Since Algonquin Highlands does not have a municipal water or sewer system, any future development there must be serviced by private septic and well. Meanwhile, Dysart et al planner, Jeff Iles, said the minimum dwelling unit area there is approximately 600 square feet for all zones. “

Anything less would require planning approval.” Highlands East and Minden Hills did not respond to emails.

Fundamental questions

Minden Hills councillor, and soon-tobe mayor, Bob Carter has been on the township’s housing task force, and the boards of the KLH Housing Corp. and Habitat for Humanity. He agrees municipalities can do more to promote housing development. For example, four sets of regulations among four municipalities, “is always going to cause difficulties.” He said it is one of the first things the County’s service delivery review has to change. However, he said policy changes do not build more houses.

Carter said the province has to alter its own planning act to help townships. But he said municipalities can look at things such as reducing minimum lot frontages, “to allow three homes where maybe in the past only two were permitted. The important thing is rewriting the strategic plan that’s going to determine your growth and so on and so forth.”

Carter said historic planning documents are not always well thought out. “We’re living with, to a certain extent, the sins of our grandfathers … things that were done in a certain way without any real regard for the future.”

He added other barriers to housing now include the cost of land, sewer and water, materials and labour. In public housing, he said it can cost $375,000 to $400,000 to build a unit, so they are not building as much as, “it’s almost impossible to build something that is in that definition of affordable”.

“So, to a certain extent, the things that are happening at the government level, municipal, and County governments, are not the roadblocks,” he said.

As for a solution to the labour shortage caused by a lack of affordable housing, Carter said he worked in the mining industry for years and the first thing they did in building remote mines was creating a camp for workers.

He said it’s “doable” here. As for more longer-term solutions, Carter cited continued incentives for things such as secondary suites. He said the days of organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or Places for People building single dwellings are also over, with the need for multiple-unit condos to better meet the demand. The other big barrier is finding affordable, serviced land close to the County’s hamlets.

Carter said he’d like to see more models such as the Hunter Creek Estates south of Minden. Carter acknowledged there are no easy answers, but it is important for the community to talk about possible solutions, including municipalities getting into the housing game more seriously. “These are some fundamental questions that we have to answer as a community. What is it we can do to allow us to have that future growth?

How much does government get involved? It is definitely time to have that discussion. I don’t disagree that we need to be coming up with some answers right now.”

OPINION: What are we doing about shorelines?

Sam Gillett

September 29, 2022

According to the 2021 Census, Haliburton’s population has grown nearly 14 per cent since 2016. Many lakefront property owners have noticed the bump: our County’s lakes are growing busier and busier and property values and building activity have skyrocketed since the early 2000s.

A lake assessment, completed in partnership with the Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Associations, showed only 46-47 per cent of shorelines surveyed in Haliburton County are still natural.

Experts say 75 per cent should be “naturalized” to help a lake stay clean.

In 2020 the County of Haliburton first circulated a draft shoreline preservation bylaw.

Nearly immediately, landscapers, construction companies and many residents took issue with the way the matter was being handled, or whether the public had enough time to weigh in. Over the next few months, Council heard waves of criticism over the draft bylaw, specifically its lengthy application process and restriction of development within 30 metres of the water. In January 2021, they decided to get help.

They hired Hutchinson Environmental and J.L Richards to lead a review of the bylaw, get the public’s opinion and draft a new one. The consultants began work that spring.

More than 18 months later, in August of this year, council passed a new shoreline preservation bylaw.

This paper has written more than a dozen articles on the bylaw, the reasons behind it, and the criticism it stirred up, but here are the basics: the province of Ontario recommends limiting development near water bodies within the Precambrian Shield (which includes Haliburton County).

Multiple environmental scientists I and my colleagues spoke with echoed a need for stronger protections against overdevelopment on Highlands’ lakes, to preserve wildlife habitat and prevent pollutants from entering our waterbodies.

However, many Highlanders said they felt they weren’t listened to during the consultation period before the bylaw was passed.

A petition signed by more than 200 landowners claimed that J.L Richards’ method of interviewing lake associations may give the wrong impression of landowner sentiments, especially when some lake associations don’t count all lake residents as members.

Nearly all lake associations are members of the CHA, which publicly supported the creation of a shoreline preservation bylaw.

Others claimed the bylaw might halt the development of new builds while not addressing the many lake-front lots that are mowed or developed in contradiction to the bylaw.

Still, more claimed that septic systems aren’t taken into account.

Faulty septic systems can lead to pollutants leaching into soil and, eventually, water bodies. However, many seem to be misinformed about key aspects of the final document and current events.

For instance, routine tree maintenance and trimming is allowed, and several stipulations about tree cutting were already enshrined in the County’s 2018 tree preservation bylaw, which this new document adds too. You can still build a sizeable path to the waterfront.

As well, municipalities have already completed hundreds of septic inspections, most completed by contracted student staff, this summer alone. Before the final council vote, Dysart et al mayor Andrea Roberts mentioned a new council could vote to overturn the bylaw. She’s right. Councillors can change the bylaw too, which has been described by many as a “living document”.

Some candidates in this year’s election have campaigned on promises to change or overhaul the bylaw.

The shoreline preservation bylaw is the most significant and controversial decision this County council has made.

But the bylaw will affect homeowners from Gooderham to Dorset, with municipal councillors playing a role in handling complaints or criticism too. We’re asking each candidate how they feel about the final document. We hope they’ve read it.

Dysart et al, ward 1: Tom Bailey

Mike Baker

September 29, 2022

Listen to the full interview, click here

Qualifications

Tom Bailey graduated with a degree in business and communications from the University of Ottawa. After working in sales for several years, he opened his own construction and carpentry business in Haliburton County in 2021. “After living here for a year, and getting to know a lot of local people and talking about the big local issues and concerns, it made sense to run. A lot of people expressed to me that having some young blood in office would be really nice… I figured this would be a good way to get involved and help ensure Haliburton remains an awesome place to raise a young family.”

Amalgamation

“I’m indifferent. I think it has its pros and cons. Each township has its own quirks. But I do think there are a lot of ways that things can be systemized and efficiencies can be created.”

Health

“I’ve had no bad experiences. I’ve been to the ER twice over the past year or so and was treated very well,” Bailey said. “If you live here and you’re going to have children, you pretty much have to go to Peterborough to deliver a baby. It would be nice for young families to have that comfort level, knowing if they’re going to be delivering a baby, they don’t have to drive an hour and a half, as you don’t know what could happen in that time.”

Housing

Bailey said addressing the lack of available and affordable housing in Dysart et al was one of his main priorities. “If you’re looking for a short-term rental in the area, your options are extremely limited, and those that are available are very expensive. That makes it very difficult to attract someone to come work here, because the cost of living is so high. An obvious solution is eliminating a lot of the red tape [for] getting building permits for multi-unit dwellings or basement apartments.” Bailey said the township needed to take an active role in identifying areas where condos and apartment buildings could be built, and work to bring developers to the community. He said he was “generally in favour” of Harburn Holdings’ proposed development on Grass Lake.

Poverty

“The most logical fix, to me, is creating more jobs in the area… There’s a lot of factors that would prevent people from opening a new business or staying in business in this region. The municipality needs to [address that]. Property taxes are substantially higher here than in other locations. Maybe by providing an incentive to have a reduction on that for the first X number of years in business would help get the ball rolling, and help the business set their feet firmly on the ground.”

Shoreline preservation bylaw

“I think the bylaw is a little bit extreme. As a cottager before, I am 100 per cent in support of maintaining lake health and ensuring properties are not being clear cut. With that being said… it seems like it was rushed to approval. I think it should be revisited to find a balance between people having autonomy over their property, but also within reason where they’re not doing something completely crazy.”

Short-term rentals

Bailey said he’s in favour of maintaining short-term rentals in Haliburton County. “They represent a huge opportunity for the local economy. I think it would be a really bad decision to eliminate short-term rentals. I don’t think implementing regulations and bylaws is feasible or a good use of municipal time.”

Transportation

“I think something could be done with specific routes and some solid planning. I’d say the whole township needs kind of an overview plan, for transportation, housing, all of its issues. If you have a bus that runs from Haliburton to Minden, and you have plans for housing along the side of County Road 21, then that would make complete sense. If you’re going to put housing 20 minutes off one of the main roads, then [a bus route] is not going to make much sense.”

Vision for the future

“I think just attracting more young families and creating opportunities for young families, while also maintaining a quality place to live in retirement. Circling back here, but a community centre would be huge – the construction would bring a lot of jobs, and then the opportunities a new building would provide. I’m a big hockey fan and seeing the Huskies have a great first year was great. Their games became a real social event. I’d love to see more of that, just local attractions for people to get involved with.”

Dysart et al

“Sustainable growth and development are my top priorities. I think Haliburton has a lot to offer, but there are some areas where there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Bailey said. “Providing a lot of programs and opportunities for kids is a major factor for me too. My wife takes our little boy to Bracebridge for swimming lessons. It’s about an hour and a half drive each way, so that’s not ideal. It would be great to see something like a community centre, with a pool, here in the township. That would be great for young families, but also the older population too.”

Tom Bailey the candidate

“I grew up cottaging on Little Boshkung Lake, so I’ve spent pretty much every summer of my life in the area. Haliburton County became like a second home to me. My main priority is to ensure Haliburton remains a beautiful place, that people want to come, visit and live in.”

Dysart et al, ward 1: Rob McCaig

Mike Baker

September 29, 2022

Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

McCaig worked in advertising and marketing before retiring in 2020. “I was in charge of marketing for SoftMoc in Canada. I did strategic planning, tactical planning, budgeting. I used to take care of a budget of $35 million, so I’ve got pretty good experience when it comes to numbers,” he said. McCaig is an active volunteer with CanoeFM.

Amalgamation

“You don’t just amalgamate to save money, you amalgamate to improve quality of service. I do think there’s efficiencies to be had, but if you do save in upper management jobs, we need to make sure the savings are reinvested back on to the front lines,” McCaig said. “Amalgamation in theory is good, but we would have to sit down and really plan it out. It works in some municipalities and doesn’t work in others.” McCaig said he’d like to see Wards 1 and 2 in Dysart amalgamated.

Health

When it comes to amalgamating one site over the other, that’s difficult. I sure as hell don’t want to close the hospital in Minden and have someone in Dorset having to come to Haliburton. In health situations, minutes matter, so it’s a very delicate issue. Bottom line, I don’t think we should be closing any hospitals.”

Housing

“We need to lobby the federal and provincial governments. They tend to overlook Haliburton,” McCaig said. With Fleming College recently receiving the go-ahead from Dysart et al council to construct student housing on municipal land in Glebe Park, McCaig believes there’s an opportunity for further development. “Down the road, there’s some potential to do some affordable housing, more in the way of co-op housing and offered up specifically to those from Haliburton first, those in cottage country first,” he said. “If you run sewer lines up Industrial Park Road and attach to College Road, that could be a good area [for some housing].” McCaig said he was against the Harburn Holdings development proposal for Grass Lake.

Poverty

“Food prices are going up 20 per cent. People are having to make a decision – do you heat your house, or do you eat? Gas prices are going up… We need to lobby the other two governments to get their act together and help our community, because nobody should go hungry, and nobody should grow up poor.” He said one of his priorities would be establishing more community gardens across Dysart et al.

Shoreline preservation bylaw

“In theory it’s a good document, but it still needs work. They didn’t address septic tanks, which, if they’re failing, can lead to leaching into our lakes. They didn’t address Airbnbs and how they affect lake populations and people that live around the lakes… I also think we need more policing on our lakes,” McCaig said.

Short-term rentals

McCaig believes short-term rentals do have a place in Dysart et al, “but they should be regulated, no question. We’ve got some pretty good cottage rental companies up here, and they do a good job. But as far as Airbnbs, they’re not for Haliburton, in my opinion.”

Transportation

“The municipality should partner up with some of the legacy families in this community to put together a bus that comes into town four times a day, and maybe goes to Minden twice, maybe Bancroft twice. That way everybody can get around town,” McCaig said. He believes such a system could be self-sufficient, if handled properly. “We should sell and put advertising on the bus. When I worked in radio, we used to have a promotional vehicle, and we sold advertising, so we didn’t have to pay [for it]. So those buses could and should be paid for by advertisers.”

Vision for the future

“In five to 10 years, hopefully there’s a little less of a pile of splinter groups in the community. Hopefully everybody is working together as a team. We need to get everyone working for the betterment of Haliburton County, and for Dysart,” McCaig said. “We need to think longterm. We need to do strategic plans. We need to look to our community and do more focus groups, and really pull people together. We’ve got some environmental issues that we need to address as soon as possible, but we also need to look at some social economic situations… There’s a lot of work to be done.”

Dysart et al

“I’d like to keep cottage country, cottage country. I didn’t come up here to live in Pickering, Richmond Hill or Barrie,” McCaig said. “There are some inefficiencies here that need to be looked at. We have crumbling streets… We have to make sure people can get around town as much as possible.”

Rob McCaig the candidate

After coming to Haliburton County as a seasonal resident since the 1980s, McCaig moved to the community permanently in 2020. “This is going to be a full-time gig for me. You have to be accountable to residents. If there’s an issue, you need to act quickly,” McCaig said. “I really want to become deputy mayor, or mayor down the road… I’m not a quiet person. I tend to break through the clutter and I stick up for my rights, and the rights of others. I’m not in politics for me, I’m in it for the community.”

Dysart et al, ward 1: Pat Casey

Mike Baker

September 29, 2022

Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

“My grandson will be the eighth generation on our property. The Caseys have been in Haliburton County since 1867… We have a long history, centuries of looking out for and being in Haliburton,” Casey said. “I own Total Site Services, Casey’s Water Well and Geothermal and Green Haven Estates and Developments – being in business a long time, dealing with people, challenging personalities and complex issues, I feel has set me up well so that I can be an effective councillor.”

Amalgamation

“I’d stay away from it for now. We’ve seen amalgamations in different townships and communities, like the City of Kawartha Lakes, and it was a trainwreck. That community is still scarred over the whole thing,” Casey said. Health Casey believes a lot of people, especially healthcare workers, are still burnt out from the pandemic, which is feeding into the staffing issues at HHHS. Regarding the potential amalgamation of the two hospital sites in Haliburton County, Casey said he was on the fence. “If we were to go to a single facility, how would that work? Where would it go? Would the province give us more [funds] to operate? I think this deserves a few more questions and definitely more answers before I can say yes or no on either side.”

Housing

“There are different levels – yes, we need housing for families… we also need housing for our retired people. Townhomes and condos would work. If we could get people set up, especially entry-level or mid-range, then they can focus on moving up. When our seniors move into a retirement-type spot, that opens a house for the kids looking to start out. It’s all a cycle.” He also believes tiny homes are a “great idea”. Casey says he is pro-development “when it makes sense” and indicated he would be in favour of Harburn Holdings’ proposed development on Grass Lake.

Poverty

“In terms of a County-wide solution, I don’t believe in handouts.” He believes more needs to be done to prepare youth for the realities of life, and to make sure they’re aware of the opportunities that currently exist in the working world. “If we’re able to facilitate partnerships between the high school and Fleming, to get training programs in place, that helps get them into the system and started on the path of life. I think that’s a grassroots approach we can take to try and ease the problems we’re seeing around poverty.”

Shoreline preservation bylaw

“I struggle with the shoreline bylaw, because there’s already measures in place [to protect lake health]. We already have a tree cutting bylaw, and it’s already policed,” Casey said. “There seems to be a steady erosion of civil liberties. If I buy a piece of property, as long as I’m not starting a meth lab, or making chemicals on it, clear-cutting or pouring concrete from one end to the other on the lake, I don’t see the problem if I want to trim [my shoreline] out so that it looks awesome. I want to see a bit of the lake. If I want to put a fire pit down there, that’s great. Maybe hire some landscapers to help bring the value of the property up. When you’ve got to start going through a permitting process for all of that… that’s a problem for me.”

Short-term rentals

“You’ve heard the story a hundred times where somebody comes up into an Airbnb and the place has turned into a rodeo, where there’s lots of noise and drinking and partying… Nobody wants that,” Casey said. He owns a seasonal property in Trent Lakes, a municipality that has recently started regulating short-term rentals. “They have a three-strike rule and give you an outline of what you’re allowed to do and what you’re not allowed to do,” he said, noting that would be his preferred route should short-term rentals be regulated in Haliburton County.

Transportation

“A County-wide, or even a municipality wide transportation system is a tall order. In Dysart, we have the Dymo bus and that’s definitely a necessity that has to be maintained, but in terms of transportation for the general public, it’ll be a stretch to make that work with all the other overhead problems the town has,” Casey said. “If a private enterprise came along and found a way to do it, then hats off to them. I would support that.”

Vision for the future

Casey said he wants to make sure Dysart takes a well-rounded approach to programming moving forward, with options for all age levels. “Activities for our retirees and our kids are important,” he said. Casey would also like to see some investment in downtown Haliburton.

Pat Casey the candidate

“We’ve done a lot in the community, in terms of business and such. There’s an opportunity to have a fresh set of eyes with some good ideas… I have a little more time on my hands now, the kids are starting to do their own thing and the businesses are stabilized, so I have the time,” Casey said. He noted there are several issues he wants to focus on, chief among them eliminating red tape and finding efficiencies where the four lower-tier governments in Haliburton County can work on certain files and issues together.

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