Listen to the full interview: click here.

Qualifications 

Carm Sawyer is a mechanic and has owned West Guilford Auto Centre for more than 20 years. He has volunteered on several community boards, including the West Guilford Community Centre and the fireworks committee. He is also a former member of Haliburton Rotary. “I know a lot of people and I talk to a lot of people – that would be helpful if I’m going to help this community.” 

Issues in Dysart et al

His main issue is the shoreline preservation bylaw, passed by County council in August. “Everybody is so misinformed, and they have no idea what this new bylaw really means. We didn’t need another bylaw. Nobody is enforcing the tree cutting bylaw we have in place now, so they’re wasting all this money to put another bylaw in, that again, won’t be enforced.” 

Amalgamation

Sawyer said he didn’t have enough information to make an informed decision over whether Haliburton County’s four lower-tier municipalities should come together to form one single-tier government. “I don’t think it’ll work, because there’s just too much geographic area, it would spread people thin… I’d need to look into it more to give a definitive answer.” 

Health 

“Maintaining two hospitals is very important. If you’re in West Guilford and need to get to the hospital, it’s a lot quicker going to Haliburton than Minden.” He doesn’t believe the township can do much to attract more healthcare workers to the community. “It’s no different than any other business… This is a huge problem across all Ontario. There just aren’t people there for the job. So, I don’t know how we’re going to fix that.” Housing “I don’t think there is a solution. It’s not just Dysart that has this problem, it’s every community Ontario-wide and Canadawide. I don’t know how we’re going to fix it. We can rally for affordable housing, but council would need to work together. This isn’t a one-man thing. We all need to put our heads together. I’m hoping that as a council we can all sit down and be rational and on the same page. Maybe then there will be something we can do.” 

Poverty

“I don’t understand, personally, why there’s poverty… Have you been to any grocery stores? Tim Hortons? Anywhere, basically? Everyone has a help wanted sign up… I think we need to look into poverty, obviously. But we need to somehow educate or inform people about the jobs that are out there. We just have to get people connected.” Shoreline preservation bylaw Acknowledging that the recently-passed shoreline preservation bylaw isn’t likely to just disappear, Sawyer said he’d like to see more in the bylaw focusing on septic tanks. “I don’t agree with what we’re doing, but we’ve got to come up with some sort of compromise.” He applauded Dysart council for not delegating authority to the County, believing that’s something that should be handled at the lower-tier level. 

Short-term rentals

“We’ve got to look into the short-term rentals and come up with a compromise everybody can live with. I think we could come up with a licensing fee and inspection fee, make sure the septic is being pumped. There are some very good policies out there… I think they need to be regulated, and with the licensing, the income would be great for the municipality.” 

Transportation

Sawyer doesn’t believe a wide-scale public transportation system will ever be feasible for Haliburton County. “Let’s say they had someone who wanted to get from Kennisis Lake to Minden, or from Dorset to Wilberforce, how are you going to schedule that? I think there’s just too much distance between everyone to have any kind of schedule.” He did say a single line connecting Haliburton and Minden, or Haliburton and Carnarvon could work. 

Vision for the future 

“The last four years, Dysart has been stagnant. We need to get over that. I hope 10 years from now it can be like it was years ago, when everybody had a job, everybody was busy. We really need to get back to that. I know the pandemic set us back a lot, but we will grow. We just need to get everybody busy and try and get everybody getting along again.” 

Focus for 2023 budget

 “Everybody is going to be upset with the budget this year, because everything has doubled in cost. So many things are costing a lot more now… Nobody wants taxes up, but everybody also wants everything done. We have to sit down and figure out what’s important and what [can wait].” He admitted the budget process would be a learning curve for him. 

Carm Sawyer the candidate

“I have lived in West Guilford my whole life. I only moved once, and that was from one side of my lake to the other… I’ve raised my family here and am a part of this community.” He said he put his name forward after hearing several members of council weren’t planning to return, feeling the need to step up for his community. “I think I’d do a great job. I’ve had a lot of people come in to see me and talk to me. I’ve had people tell me their concerns, which is important because if I don’t know them, I can’t take them to council.”

Listen to the full interview: click here.

Qualifications 

After working in healthcare for several years prior to the pandemic, Hayden Hughes shifted careers when he moved to the Highlands in 2020. He’s now a contractor, specializing in framing. While he’s never run for municipal office, Hughes served as the New Blue Ontario candidate in Barrie-Springwater-Oro Medonte in June’s provincial election. 

Issues in Dysart et al

Hughes said his major concerns heading into this election are housing, transportation and health care. He’s concerned about Dysart’s senior population and wants to ensure they have the services they need to continue living independently. “The best outcome is to have people aging in their own homes, so that they’re not institutionalized, and keep them out of hospitals… the cost of living now is a problem. If the electricity price goes up, and you’re on a fixed income with most of your paycheck going to warming your house, how are you supposed to pay for those extra hours of home care, or groceries, that you need?” He believes council should be doing more to support the elder population. 

Amalgamation 

“I have mixed emotions. I know government is necessary, but I don’t like when it tries to overreach, expand or gain power. The amalgamation of things like roads [departments] would be amazing, especially for plowing… But amalgamation of the actual municipalities? I would like to get a bit more information on the area, what the people [want to do]. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it.”

Health 

Hughes hopes Haliburton County can continue to support two hospital sites. “Staffing is the main issue. Doctors are needed everywhere. Assuming we’re not creating our own doctors here, why would they choose to come to Haliburton if their spouse can’t find a job? If there’s nowhere to live? If a doctor or a nurse is single, there’s nothing for them to do here. What it comes down to is growth. We need to build our services and grow.” 

Housing 

Prior to purchasing his home, Hughes had major issues finding a place to live in Haliburton. “Trying to find a place to rent was next to impossible… I did some couch surfing, some short-term rentals… you can’t even get started with building a life as a young person because you don’t have a place to live.” Hughes said council needs to work with developers to create more homes in Dysart. He suggested the township should consider expanding its sewage treatment facility, or building a new one, to ensure multi-unit builds can be serviced. 

Poverty 

Hughes believes council needs to work to bring more business, specifically manufacturing as those jobs tend to pay more than minimum wage. He thinks the township should be doing more to help vulnerable residents. “The amount of money people are going to be spending for heating this winter, it’s going to really pinch the pockets of a lot of our constituents… It would be nice if we were able to retrofit some houses away from propane or natural gas… to electrical baseboard heating. I think council needs to be proactive in coming up with solutions, because a lot of people are struggling.” 

Shoreline preservation bylaw

Hughes called the County’s recentlyadopted shoreline preservation bylaw a “necessary evil”. While he sympathized with property owners against the bylaw, he said it was needed to protect lake health. “I don’t like a bylaw that restricts people’s independence with their own property, but we’re just trying to figure out a way that we can protect the water, protect the native species and kind of balance out the eco-system.” He believes the document still needs some work. “There are still a lot of unanswered questions… especially with septics.” 

Short-term rentals 

Hughes believes there are bigger issues. “Our job should be to try to get a better budget to work with so we can do these great things in the future. Where we are right now, it seems like this is going to add expense to our budgets by hiring compliance officers and people to do all the paperwork. I’m not sure if we’re ready for that right now.” 

Transportation

Hughes believes Dysart needs to introduce some mode of public transportation. “There’s a lot of people who, right now, can’t get to and from work because there are next to no [transportation] options. It doesn’t have to be too extravagant; it doesn’t have to be creating a high-speed rail, just more access.” He said it was especially important to establish more options for people with accessibility issues, expanding on the Dymo bus service Dysart already offers. 

Focus for 2023 budget 

“The first thing I would do is look at what we currently have in place financially. Then look at how we can grow our income, but also save some money as well.” He would lobby to expand Dysart’s transportation service for people with accessibility issues. Hughes would like to see the township invest money into hosting more community events during the winter. 

Hayden Hughes the candidate

Hughes recently purchased a home in Dysart after relocating to the area from Barrie in 2020. “I want to make this place home for my future family, I want to see it grow in the right direction. I decided to get involved so I could help steer us in the right direction.” Hughes lives in ward 2, but said he decided to run in ward 4 because “it’s a beautiful place… it’s pretty diverse, has a lot of beautiful lakeshores we need [to protect].”  

Listen to the full interview: click here

Qualifications 

Brian Atkins considers himself a professional problem solver, running his own business where he “deals with toptier clients to address their needs”. He says he’d like to take what he’s learned in his work life and apply it to Dysart council. He is one of the founding members of the Haliburton Waterfront Owners group, who opposed the shoreline preservation bylaw passed by County council in August. 

Issues in Dysart et al 

“One of the cornerstones of my campaign is solving issues with connectivity. We’re past the point that cell phone and internet are nice to haves.” Atkins said a friend of his passed away earlier this year, noting that, during his time of need, he couldn’t get a cell phone signal. “We need to do everything possible to clear the roadblocks and the hurdles and get [these investments] going. If we want to attract people to the region, you must have strong cell and internet services.” 

Amalgamation

 “I think it needs to be explored. There’s too much time and energy being wasted by not having everyone on the same page.” 

Health

Atkins believes community investment is key to the long-term success of Haliburton Highlands Health Services. “If we were able to chip in a couple hundred thousand dollars for HHHS to buy a piece of equipment, so that [doctors and nurses] want to stay here, then that’s absolutely [what we should do]. To attract these people, we need to invest… If we can do that, the question of having to close a hospital site would disappear, because they will both be utilized and busy.” 

Housing

 Atkins believes County council needs to take the lead on identifying areas for large-scale housing development across the Highlands. “There is a lack of action right now. How can you solve a problem when you’re not even looking at the file?” He said the community needed some “quick wins” and promised to consult with staff, both in Dysart and at the County. “I’ll bet a lot of money that there would be solutions just by talking to our staff. We need to engage them and listen to them.” He said he sees “no reason” why tiny homes couldn’t work in Haliburton County. 

Poverty

 “We need to hang up a sign that says we’re open for business, we’re open to removing roadblocks to get things done in a fast and expedient way. If we do that, the poverty level will start to decrease because people will have jobs. The best way of getting out of poverty is, obviously, to make more money. But if the opportunity isn’t there, you can’t do it. We need to give everyone the tools to allow them to make more money.” 

Shoreline preservation bylaw 

Atkins has been one of the biggest critics of the County’s new bylaw. “In the consultant’s report, it says there’s little scientific evidence to the effectiveness of shoreline bylaws. That should have been enough for them to hit the brakes.” His main concern is with the width of the buffer zone between water and undisturbed land, currently set at 20 metres. “It should be five metres max.” He suggests there’s a lack of desire among ratepayers to have a bylaw at all. “I’ve spoken to hundreds of people. You’d be surprised at the number of people that still have no clue this bylaw has been passed… we need to open up the channels of communication so people are aware of what’s going on.” 

Short-term rentals

“You need short-term rentals. But it’s very important to separate the people that are running it as a business as opposed to someone who is renting it just to pay for a new roof. If you’re running it as a business, it needs to be treated like one, and they need to pony up some money and pay the appropriate taxes. They need to kick in their share.” 

Transportation

 Atkins said he sees the benefit in establishing a municipally-run transit system, but that he’d like it to be selfsustaining. “If it can be run in a net neutral, or even a positive financial position, then we definitely need to explore it. It would allow people to move around the County, we could market Haliburton as a place to do business. We can’t rule anything out at this point, except for running it [at a loss]. We can’t keep going back to the taxpayer and expecting them to pick up the tab over and over again. 

Vision for the future 

Atkins believes Dysart’s next council needs to do a better job of promoting the community. “We need to write the book on how to attract more people.” He believes the township needs to be more proactive in reaching out to different organizations, such as colleges and universities, to sell the area to recent graduates. “If we can do that, we can be leaders in different fields.” 

Focus for 2023 budget 

“I want to invest money into things that are going to have a high rate of return. Let’s spend some money and send road crews down for [specialized classes] and teach them so they know how to fix roads and maintain them properly. We can’t keep spending money on the same things over and over again.”

 Brian Atkins the candidate 

Atkins has been visiting Haliburton County regularly since childhood, purchasing his seasonal property in 2015. “I’m there 95 per cent of the time.” He said his number one priority would be reopening the debate at Dysart council on the shoreline preservation bylaw. “I’ve been on this file since day one. I know the ins and outs. I know all the answers.” 

Listen to the full interview: click here

Qualifications 

Ron Evans runs an art studio, Indigo Dragonfly, on Kennisis Lake Road, with his wife, Kim. He’s lived in the community since 2009. His professional background is in journalism, live theatre and theatre management. For several years, he’s hosted a weekly show on CanoeFM, 25 O’Clock, under the pseudonym ‘Brother Bill’. He has had a lifelong interest in politics. “I caught the bug when I was 17. I was brought into a municipal campaign for the mayor of Georgina… Nearly 40 years later, this will be my eighth election cycle, either volunteering or working with different government agencies or parties. But this is the first time I’ve been a candidate.” 

Issues in Dysart et al 

Evans said his number one issue is preserving Dysart’s natural beauty, something he feels props up the local economy. “The preservation of the lakes and surrounding land is everything up here. We’ve already seen what’s happened in Muskoka, their lakes are pretty much toast, and you can’t afford to buy anything there. Kawartha Lakes is the same. If we don’t start doing something, we’re next.” 

Amalgamation

“Folks who are actually on [council] might not like it, but I think if the duplication of services is too much then it would make sense to streamline it. I wouldn’t have a problem with amalgamation as long as it’s done properly and all of our needs governmentally are still taken care of.” 

Health 

Evans would be in favour of maintaining two hospital sites in Haliburton County, though said more needed to be done to attract healthcare workers to relocate to the community. “HHHS [was asking people] to call ahead to see if the emergency department was open over the summer, and that was an astounding thing to see. I would never think you’d see something like that here.” 

Housing 

Evans believes Dysart’s next council needs to work closely with local MPP Laurie Scott to lobby for provincial money to help fund new housing developments. “We need more help in this County.” He believes working with Fleming College, or another post-secondary institution, to bring a trades school to the Highlands would also help. “We’re definitely hurting [for people] in a lot of construction areas. Something like a college brings you a built-in workforce to the community.” 

Poverty

 “It’s really hard to do anything that’s beyond short-term. There are some government programs you can go through to get help, but the results aren’t usually as great as you would hope them to be.” He believes it’s unrealistic to expect businesses in the service industry to offer a living wage to workers, pegged at $19.42 in Haliburton County prepandemic. “To me, it all comes back to human infrastructure. Invest in people and invest in the community… We need to do more brainstorming with places like the chamber of commerce to see if there’s anything we can possibly do that we haven’t thought of.” 

Shoreline preservation bylaw

Evans believes the new shoreline preservation bylaw adopted by County council in August is a good starting point. “Is it perfect? No. Did they have to give up a lot of stuff? Yes, they did. But like any bylaw, it can be changed if it needs to be.” He’s concerned about how the bylaw will be enforced in the future. “If you look at how much work [the bylaw officers] would have to do, how many applications they’re expected to have, it simply doesn’t add up. They’re going to need more people to handle this, to manage this.” 

Short-term rentals 

“There are, potentially, so many legal issues with this… There are so many questions. If you’re renting to somebody that obviously doesn’t live there full-time, who’s responsible for their conduct? And if you are renting regularly, then aren’t you technically a business? Council is going to have to look at this.” He said STRs were starting to become a problem in some areas, notably around Kennisis and Redstone lakes. 

Transportation

Evans said he would be open to exploring public transit if there was enough demand from the community. “You can run a transit system at a deficit, because, really, it’s an investment. But there has to be a certain point where you say ‘no, that’s too much’.” He thinks offering a seasonal service, operational during the busy periods in spring, summer and fall, could work. 

Vision for the future

 “To be a successful municipal government, we have to look at our infrastructure. I’m not talking just roads and internet; I’m talking about the human portion. Our housing system is in rough shape. There’s no place for people to rent. There’s no low-income housing… I’m really hoping the next council is going to take these issues and run with them.” Evans said he would also focus on bringing new business to Dysart, and improving senior services. 

Focus for 2023 budget 

Investing in roads and other municipal infrastructure would be Evans’ focus if elected, though he wants to make sure Dysart spends within its means. “We need to be cognizant of where we’re spending the big bucks. That would be, I imagine, police and something else like snow removal. Those are things we would have to look at.” 

Ron Evans the candidate 

Evans has lived in the Highlands permanently since 2009, though has been visiting the County since the 1980s. “I really want to take the politics out of the government and give it back to the community and be as transparent as possible.” If elected, he would host regular town hall meetings, or a monthly or bi-monthly basis, to hear the public’s concerns and take them back to council

Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

Jennifer Korpela spent two years as the acting head secretary at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School during the pandemic. If elected, she said she’ll become a full-time councillor. Korpela volunteers with non-profit Walkabout Farms and was a member of the

sports wall of fame mural fundraising committee. “I’m an excellent listener. If on council, I would listen to the voice of the community, do my own research and make decisions based on facts rather than hearsay or fear.”

Issues in Dysart et al

Listing housing as her number one priority, Korpela said she’s also committed to keeping taxes low. “Lots of people

are struggling.” She also wants the township’s next council to focus on waste management. “Right now, we’re taking our garbage elsewhere. We’re not dealing with our own mess. I’d like to really look at our landfills and see what options we have.” Korpela said she also wants to work with stakeholders in the tourism industry to make Dysart more of a year- round destination.

Amalgamation

Korpela said she is against amalgamation. “It just doesn’t sit well with me. The most effective government is the government closest to the people. When you move a step away from the people you serve, I don’t think that is in the best interest of our communities.”

Health

“It may not be a popular opinion, but I do believe we could be a bit more efficient if we have one hospital. To me, the cost of having two separate buildings, two separate staffs – I think it would be very beneficial to our community to have one facility serve as a main hospital, and the other be turned into a full-scale long- term care home.” Korpela said having

one facility could help HHHS lobby the province for upgraded equipment, such as a CT scanner.

Housing

“A good majority of our issues, like poverty, labour shortages, all come full circle to our housing situation. That is something the new council is going to have to face.” Korpela said the township needs to rethink its zoning bylaws. She would be in favour of people turning bunkies or accessory buildings on their properties into legal rentals. She would like council to look into expanding Dysart’s sewage treatment plant, which she believes would open the door for significant development around Haliburton village.

Poverty

Korpela said she’s been in touch with the Haliburton Kawartha Lakes Poverty Reduction Roundtable to understand why poverty is so rife in the Highlands. “The group indicated there’s 11 different resources that need to be topped up in a community for individuals to thrive. They have identified four key areas and made a number of actionable suggestions on what can be done.” Korpela said focusing on food security, employment and education, children and youth, and housing are key.

Shoreline preservation bylaw

“I’m disappointed the bylaw was passed. I think it’s full of holes. It’s not clear or concise. It’s open to interpretation.” Korpela doesn’t believe it does much to address lake health. “For properties that have already been clear cut, there’s nothing in there to renaturalize… I think the bylaw needs to be amended and made a little more concrete, because right now there’s not much in there that’s enforceable.”

Short-term rentals

Korpela accepts short-term rentals have

a place in Dysart. She would like to see them regulated. “There are nuisance, safety and environmental concerns with them… Short-term rentals have become a bit of a commercial enterprise. I think that needs to be tightened up.” She would like to see the township hold owners accountable when complaints are made.

Transportation

Korpela is a fan of Dysart’s Dymo bus service and believes the township should look into establishing a wider transit system. “If we look at other small communities’ steps ahead of us, one being Innisfil. They have a ride share service and the municipality provides discounted rates for people going to town hall, the rec centre or to get groceries. People can also apply for a different level of service where they get four free trips to the food bank each month, or to childcare services… If we speak to communities that have these systems in place, we could come up with a fantastic plan for Dysart.”

Vision for the future

Korpela wants to help Dysart meet its

full potential. “We want to move forward and get ahead with the times as far as [internet and cell] connectivity, and the medical system, but at the same time we need to hold onto our smalltown charm.” She’d like to expand on the municipality’s strategic plan, passed by council earlier this year. “It’s a bit generalized and open to interpretation… hopefully the new council can massage it and use it to help drive creative solutions for some of our major problems.”

Focus for 2023 budget

Korpela said her focus would be on fiscal responsibility and ensuring several “long overdue” projects come to fruition next year. “Replacing the playground at Head Lake Park, I’d like to rework the budget to see if there is a place where we can afford do to that. I’d also like a little bit more money for our roads.”

Jennifer Korpela the candidate

Korpela moved to Dysart et al with her family in 2017. “It was a good choice for us. We’ve really enjoyed living here and immersing ourselves in the culture of the community… I have a lot of experience dealing with lots of people from lots of different walks of life, hearing their stories and working head-to-head and heart- to-heart with them on issues that affect their lives. Then trying to come up with solutions. That’s something I really enjoy doing and is part of my motivation for running

Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

Dan Roberts spent most of his professional career in banking and

the corporate sector before recently retiring. He grew up in Haliburton and while he moved away for work, always maintained a presence in the Highlands. “I’ve basically spent every weekend in Haliburton for I don’t know how long. I have a lot of long-time friends here from high school that I’ve kept in touch with, so I know what’s going on here. I know what the community is all about.” He feels his background in business would help him come to grips with the councillor position.

Amalgamation

Rather than see all four lower-tier municipalities in the Highlands come together with the County to form one single-tier government, Roberts would like them to work together on several key files. “Maybe we could have one roads department instead of four. Our ambulance service covers the whole County. I don’t see any reason why our fire department couldn’t work that way.”

Health

Roberts believes the province should have focused on establishing one hospital site in Haliburton County several years ago, but that now Haliburton and Minden each have facilities of their own it would be difficult to amalgamate them. “Do we need two hospitals? I don’t think we do.

I think we need one good hospital for an area the size of ours, but I’m not sure how we go about doing that now. That would have to be something we were really sure on, that we’ve spent time debating and consulting [with the community].”

Housing 

“We need housing. It’s going to take a lot of work, not just from council but from the whole community.” Roberts believes Dysart needs to take a look at its building code. “We have to be a little more forgiving on what we’re doing as far as getting permits and giving people the ability to build houses. We have to speed things up a little bit.” He said he would be willing to take

a look at, and keep an open mind about, any proposed housing development that crosses council’s table.

Poverty

“When I hear people say we’re one of the poorest counties in the province, I find that really disappointing because there is a lot of wealth here. This isn’t something we’re going to be able to deal with overnight. It’s going to take a complete change of thinking.”

Shoreline preservation bylaw

Roberts believes any bylaw is useless without effective enforcement. “You can put bylaws in all day long, but if you can’t get people to police them, then it doesn’t really matter. I’ve read the proposal and, honestly, I’m not really sure what we are accomplishing here. Most of the people who live on the waterfront take care of their property, they care about the lakes and their shoreline… I’m not sure this was necessary, or money well spent.” Roberts believes the lower-tier townships should have been more involved in the process.

Short-term rentals

Roberts believes regulating short-term rentals could be a good revenue generator for the County and lower-tier townships. He believes there will be issues surrounding enforcement. “One of our biggest issues in the County is following up on things. We just don’t have the manpower. Bringing in another bylaw is great, but it doesn’t address one of the key issues, which is how would we actually police this thing?” 

Transportation

Roberts believes Dysart could make a public transit system work, but only if it operates on a limited basis. “We have a lot of roads in Dysart. I don’t think we could service them all with a bus, but you could definitely service some of the more major areas. Then you see how that goes and build the system from there. We don’t need to have regular routes running all the time, but maybe if you had a bus running at eight in the morning, and then again at four in the afternoon… that could give people the opportunity to run just one car and still be able to get around the community.”

Vision for the future

“Dysart and Haliburton County are kind of a retirement community for a lot of people. I don’t think we’ve done enough over the years to promote industry and trades. We need something to keep our young people here, and they’re key to the future growth of the community.” He said Dysart could be a good landing spot for a call centre, or light manufacturing and technology-based businesses. “To have those companies here, there’s a couple of things you have to do. Tax wise, you need to help them out a little bit. And second, employees need housing. We need to make some real inroads there.”

Focus for 2023 budget

Roberts says Dysart’s next council won’t have any choice but to focus on housing. His second priority is attracting more healthcare workers. “We need to be more diligent with how we’re spending our money, and we also need to work more with the province and the federal government to get grants and bring more money in here to help develop our County.”

Dan Roberts the candidate

“I plan on living the rest of my life here, so I’d like to see Haliburton do well. I’d like my grandson to stay here, and my other grandchildren to be able to move here… I’m not afraid to stand up and going to be the right decision in a lot of people’s minds. You’re not going to please everybody, but as a councillor you’ve got to do what’s best for the community and that’s something I’d focus on.”

Listen to the full interview, click here.

Qualifications

Nancy Wood-Roberts considers herself a seasoned municipal politician, having served 14 years on Dysart council. She has also spent 40 years as a frontline nurse at Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS). “I don’t have an agenda to bring to the table. I listen to our community and value consensus-based decision- making.” She believes her communication skills have enabled her to be an effective councillor during her previous terms.

Issues in Dysart et al

“Protection of our lake health and our roads are big issues. We have to have safe roads. We have to have good infrastructure in place to provide safe and efficient services for all of our residents, and that includes broadband service as well.”

Amalgamation

“Amalgamation does not create a smaller government. It creates a more complicated structure. It makes it much more difficult for the public to engage with council. I just don’t think it’s going to work here.” With the County investigating areas where the four lower-tier townships could work better together through its service delivery review process, Wood- Roberts believes waste management and planning departments across Haliburton County would benefit through improved collaboration

Health

Wood-Roberts believes Haliburton County is better served by having two hospitals. “It’s going to be very expensive to try and do one [hospital] site here. I think the most efficient use of money would be to put in a CT scanner, that way our ambulances wouldn’t forever be on the road transporting people [to hospitals in Lindsay or Peterborough].” She believes the staffing shortages at HHHS facilities can be alleviated by creating more housing options for potential workers.

Housing

“Our essential workers don’t have a place [to live]. Young people with families don’t have a safe space. We need to support sustainable and safe housing development.” Wood-Roberts said she would be in favour of changing Dysart’s zoning bylaw to allow more secondary dwelling units, such as basement apartments. She said at some point the township will need to expand its sewer line to allow for more development in Haliburton village. She believes vacant land along County Road 21 could be developed and turned into housing

Poverty

Wood-Roberts said she’d like to bring more post-secondary programming to Dysart. “We need to encourage [Fleming] College, or other colleges, to have programs here that are skill-based so people don’t have to leave the community to find other opportunities or learn a trade.” She also believes Dysart needs to continue supporting programs for children living in poverty. “We have agencies we work with together to combat poverty – Point in Time, SIRCH Community Services, the 4Cs Food Bank. There’s no money to be made, but some of our programs are very, very well received by the community.”

Shoreline preservation bylaw

“I think it needs some work. I’ve had many, many people reach out to me with concerns. I do think we need a bylaw, but there needs to be some changes. Right now, enforcement could be very expensive and Dysart taxpayers would be paying 40 per cent of the cost [for policing the bylaw]. That’s a lot of money… And for people who aren’t on a waterfront, I can see why they are totally against [spending that money].”

Short-term rentals

Wood-Roberts believes short-term rentals that are operating like a business should be regulated. “If I have a cottage and the place beside me is being rented out 52 weeks a year, that’s not a cottage anymore, that’s a commercial enterprise. There should be a municipal accommodation tax on places like that.” She’d like to see the township implement a three-strike policy where, if there are issues with a rental unit or specific owner, Dysart could revoke their license.

Transportation

Due to Dysart’s geographical landscape, Wood-Roberts doesn’t believe a transit system with buses running regular routes would work. “It’s incredibly difficult to provide equal service to everyone everywhere. Transportation systems are never revenue neutral. They come at a great cost to taxpayers… I’m not sure if there would be a big appetite to support such a system [in Dysart or Haliburton County].”

Vision for the future

Wood-Roberts believes the strategic plan Dysart council adopted earlier this year will help guide municipal direction for years to come. “I would like to see that living document move forward, that we follow those principals and guidelines that we’ve set out for ourselves and the community. Dysart needs to grow, but it has to be sustainable and safe. We need to look at how we can improve our services and help all our residents, permanent and seasonal, to enjoy what we have to offer.”

Focus for 2023 budget

“Roads would be a priority. Just driving around areas in ward 2, there are some areas that need brushing, for visibility and safety for pedestrians. Also, I’m not sure housing is going to necessarily be a budget issue, but it’s on the forefront of my mind and is something I will be pushing for.”

Nancy Wood-Roberts the candidate

Wood-Roberts is a lifelong resident of Dysart. She served as ward 1 representative on council from 1998 to 2003, returning to the role following the 2018 election. She is now looking to represent ward 2. “I just feel to be a more rounded councillor, I need to be able to represent more of the municipality.” She said she is proud of the work she has put in over the past term, having played a pivotal role in the formation of the township’s strategic plan. “My goal would be to improve our service delivery and quality of life for everyone in the municipality.”