Listen to the full interview on The Highlander’s new podcast: click here.

Qualifications 

Mike Grozelle runs his own construction business. He was an executive for the Royal Canadian Legion in Kinmount for six years, and also worked as a firefighter training officer and licensed mechanic. “I’m aware of the issues surrounding planning and building…I drive on these roads, we pay tax dollars here, I have lots of friends and family and I talk to a lot of people in the area.” He unsuccessfully ran for council in Ward 2 in 2018. 

Amalgamation 

He said he heard amalgamation is “well in motion” in Haliburton County. “I want to know how the people of Minden are going to benefit from having just the one level [of government] so if it’s cheaper to run at one level, then we’ll take a look at that. Right now, I think we have bigger issues to deal with just here in town.” [Haliburton County is not in the process of amalgamating, however, specific township services are enhancing collaboration efforts to unify service delivery.] 

Health 

He said amalgamating Haliburton County hospitals would mean too much travel time for patients to receive care, and doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He added that Minden Hills and the County should look at new ways of attracting nurses and staff to work in the Highlands. 

Housing 

Grozelle was on an affordable housing committee. He said there is provincial money available to finance housing projects, but it’s difficult to access or negotiate. He said the County or Minden Hills could look at purchasing land that could be developed. On the question of balancing ecosystem preservation with housing, Grozelle said it’s worth sacrificing certain environmentally protected areas if there is a high return on housing options. 

Poverty 

He said bringing new businesses to Minden is key to increasing prosperity. He said council’s role is to make it easier to develop new businesses. Specifically, he said this could mean encouraging the planning department to devote staff members to speed up business developments. He said that process could start by having an independent review of why certain planning files have taken so long to get processed, such as the Rockcliffe. 

Shoreline preservation bylaw

 “I don’t think it’s clear enough what you can and cannot do.” When asked to specify, Grozelle said he’s worried neighbours will end up calling enforcement officers on neighbours even when they’re not breaking the rules, for example cutting down dead trees. “I don’t think we have to hire bylaw enforcement officers. I think we just need to educate them and most people… they want to comply with the rules.” 

Short-term rentals 

He said property owners should be responsible for controlling noise and other issues surrounding their short-term rentals. According to Grozelle, cottage rentals likely aren’t the reason long-term rental options are so hard to find since cottages are also used by their full-time owners. 

Transportation

 “There has to be something but I’m not sure that we have to do it at the municipal or County level, the problem being I don’t think the ridership is there. So, it would have to be funded by us almost completely.” He said there are “far bigger” issues the township must deal with. 

Vision for the future 

He said he wants “people to trust us again.” He said bringing new industries to town is a must in order to keep Minden Hills’ population from dwindling. He said the first step in streamlining processes in order to attract new businesses would be talking to staff to find out what issues can be solved. Grozelle said he believes councillors are currently not allowed to speak with staff. He has not asked councillors or staff if that’s true.

 Minden Hills 

He wants to see people trust Minden Hills council. He believes there is a lack of transparency around some financial decisions, such as a Wessel Road cattle grate, which was quoted at more than $250,000, but ended up costing around $45,000. Staff delivered a public report on why the grate ended up costing a quarter of the price in spring 2022. Grozelle said that’s an example of when Minden Hills should award tenders to local businesses. “I want to make sure the taxpayers know what we’re spending the money on, where the money is coming from, and why we’re spending it. I want to see those jobs awarded to people here.” He did not specify how he’d communicate capital spending to taxpayers differently than Minden Hills’ 2022 budget did. 

Mike Grozelle the candidate 

“The heart of the campaign is getting transparent and gaining the trust back. That, to me, are the two main things. If we’re going to make a decision as council, everybody in town should know what it is and why we voted the way we did.” He said he has fresh ideas about bringing new businesses and people to Minden Hills.

Listen to the full interview on The Highlander’s new podcast: click here

Qualifications 

“I’m a people person. I love people, I can talk to anybody, anywhere. I’m not afraid to do that. I’ve owned a business. I’ve rented. I’ve been a landlord. I’ve worked in the restaurant business for years. I just feel for the people and want to make Minden the best as we all can.” 

Amalgamation 

“I like [the County and municipal structure] the way it is at the moment. So, I’m not sure. I’ve had people say that they don’t want it. But it’s something I would have to talk to somebody that’s more educated than I am on this.” 

Health 

She said healthcare issues are related to a labour shortage that is prevalent everywhere, including local businesses. “One year we had a lot of kids, but they seem to go back to university and not come back home. There just isn’t anybody looking, wanting to work? I’m not sure what they’re doing. That’s again something I would have to sit down and really talk to somebody about that has education on this.” 

Housing 

She said she favours working with builders to increase housing by adding flexibility to housing options. “Our town is getting bigger. There are lots of people and it seems that people are leaving and coming back, but they don’t have anywhere to go.” She added that long waitlists for housing provide difficulties. “That’s a long time and people are living in tents and trailers that aren’t equipped for winterizing and stuff. I hope that things can get better.” 

Poverty

She said she’s been researching the issue and local organizations seeking to address poverty. “If we can maybe do more fundraising to donate to them, or to other causes.” She said she favours improving education tools and gave examples of fundraising through public art, or relaxing rules around farming on private properties. “It’s really sad to see people living in tents or not being able to afford food because they need heat or stuff like that. So, hopefully we can rise up and do better things all together as a community.” 

Shoreline preservation bylaw 

She said she understands the opposition to the bylaw but said lake and fish health are a priority. “I’ve seen a couple of places where I live in [that have degraded shorelines] and it doesn’t look as nice as it used to. So, I believe that it should be kept, to a certain point, natural.”

Short-term rentals

She said short-term rentals “give people a place to go and maybe help the landlord or the owner,” but said she doesn’t support increased regulations as long as renters are abiding by existing rules and not discarding garbage on roads or letting off excessive fireworks, for example. 

Transportation 

“When I had a business, it was in Algonquin Highlands, and it was hard for people to get to work if they didn’t have transportation.” She said she heard ideas about using school buses for public transportation. “It’s something that I would have to learn.” She said she could imagine supporting a County-wide transport system, but said rentals and affordable living pose a big concern too. 

Vision for the future 

“I’d like to keep some of our history here. Again, just be here for the people and continue with what’s going on, but better things. I think some things have gotten lost over the years and like to bring things back.” She specified things that have gotten lost include roads, communication surrounding the arena construction and issues with the landfill. 

Minden Hills 

Johannessen said roads are a chief concern, as well as boat launches such as the currently non-existent launch on Bob Lake or the currently closed Minden village boardwalk. “People come into town to use it when they come to visit and that’s supposed to be a highlight and [they’re] not able to use it.” She did not provide details on alternative funding models or budget changes which could finance these projects. “Again, that’s something I would need more education on. What I’ve heard is the roads seem to be a tough thing for people. I’m not sure, we can probably cut back a little bit on something, but I don’t know if that’s the answer.” 

Shirley Johannessen the candidate 

“Obviously, this will be a new venture for me and no, it’s not an easy one. I want to be the voice and help people out and communicate with people and work together as a town and as a team and keep going for our town that we love so much….This is where I’ve chosen to continue to live and work and I’ve just had so many people come forward, especially when they saw my name, and thought that I would be good because they know I can talk to people and that I care.”

Listen to the full interview on The Highlander’s new podcast: click here

Qualifications 

Ingram served as parks manager, arena attendant, water and sewage worker and environmental property operations manager in Minden Hills until 2019. He said he learned how to balance spending public money with completing new projects. “Council allowed me throughout the years, through my budgets and grants and other initiatives, to go ahead and do those projects. And we’ve done a lot.” 

Amalgamation 

He said some services, such as roads and bylaw, could be combined, but is hesitant about amalgamating governments. “I really don’t like the idea of a County council as I feel the public’s input will be lessened, they won’t be able to speak out as much. It would mean more work for County-level councillors, which means I would say probably with amalgamation you’re going to see increases in councillors’ and mayors’ wages.” 

Health

 He said he likes the current system of two hospitals. He said Minden Hills has a doctor shortage. “It’s definitely an issue we need to talk about. I know because I’ve hit [the ER] a few times over the years. You wouldn’t believe how many people are coming from Lindsay and further out because our emergency room is so fast…. I know that at a funding level, it puts us at a disadvantage because we’re dealing with people that aren’t actually living here.” 

Housing 

“I’m only one person, but I can certainly bring the thoughts to the table. I like the idea of small homes. They’re affordable. Again, they just need to be regulated.” He said Minden Hills needs provincial help to regulate and increase housing stock. Poverty He said housing and short-term rentals both intersect with discussions about poverty. “We have to bring ideas to the table, like small homes, like encouraging people that have cottages to adapt them for apartments. I know a lot of people in town who have basements that are completely empty.” He said he’d support changing zoning bylaws to encourage secondary suites. 

Shoreline preservation bylaw 

He said he supports the bylaw as it stands but said there’s room for improvement. “I don’t think it’s done. I think we need to spend a little time on enforcement to get some idea of what we’re looking at and what’s happening.” The bylaw outlines plans for multiple new staff to conduct enforcement operations and process applications. 

Short-term rentals 

He acknowledges short-term rentals are important to homeowners but said they could be taking housing from long-term residents. “I’m all for them if they’re regulated. The problem I have is a lot of these short-term rentals are renting them out without the awareness that there are maybe 10 or 15 or 20 people coming to that residence.” He said he’s also concerned about the impact on septic systems. 

Vision for the future 

He said he sees the town growing more in future years, and sees housing remain a concern. “I want Minden to be a place that people want to come and visit and stay, use the local amenities, support local business.” Ingram said he’d like to see the Minden BIA re-formed and have council representation, and maybe open up online surveys to solicit community wishes for the downtown. He said he’d like to see more sidewalk sales and other special events. “I really don’t know what the single answer is to help these people [downtown]. Again, if you make the downtown more accessible and more inviting, people are going to come there, no matter whether there’s a Dairy Queen out on the bypass and liquor or beer store, they’re still going to come in and want to walk [by the river] and interact with the local people. These businesses depend on them.” 

Minden Hills 

He said multiple projects in Minden Hills need attention, such as the water system. He said he does not support using debentures for capital projects, as Minden Hills did with the arena and multiple ongoing road reconstructions. However, he said the work needs to be done, even if it means a rise in taxes. “I don’t think avoiding it is the answer.” He said he feels like Minden Hills can be “more aggressive” with the province for more funding for projects like waterworks. 

Ivan Ingram the candidate

 “I think if you talk to anybody I dealt with, in the 31 years I worked [at the township]… they’d be quite happy with what they received from me or what I did for them. I’m not bragging but that’s what I was paid to do… This town has allowed me to buy a home. It’s allowed me to live here. It paid my wages. I want to give back… I want to help the town grow. I want this County on the map again. And we’re just not doing it right now.”

Listen to the full interview on The Highlander’s new podcast: click here.

Qualifications 

The Highlander asked Ellis why she was running for mayor, not councillor. “I thought maybe I could make more of a difference.” She said her background is in human resource management, including finance, payroll, compensation, and dealing with people. She spent 13 years working in the County roads department. She recently helped conduct the 2021 Census and took a casual job at a longterm care home in Bancroft to get out during COVID. She’s also travelled. 

Amalgamation 

“I don’t think amalgamation is going to solve any problems. The smaller municipalities would lose our voice and service levels and have a tax increase. In the more rural areas, we’d be paying for services that we don’t use, such as water, sewer, garbage pickup. If it wasn’t implemented perfectly and thought through very carefully, I think it could end up being a costly endeavour. I don’t think that’s something we should be moving forward with yet.” 

Health

Ellis acknowledges health care personnel shortages. However, she said the County is trying to recruit family physicians and emergency room doctors. She said the province provides incentives, too. She said people can go to regional hospitals to see specialists and avail themselves of telemedicine. Asked whether there should be just one larger hospital in the Highlands, instead of two smaller ones, Ellis said, “I don’t like closing down any kind of health care thing. They should stay open if we possibly can do it.” 

Housing 

“Homes for People [Places for People] have approached Highlands East in the past. I think that definitely should be revisited. A condominium company met with Highlands East about building condominiums in Cardiff. I would certainly be interested in inviting more interested builders like that. The Ontario government is talking about expediting the process for building permits etc. I think the rental review people should look at some of their policies and give back some more control to the homeowners. I think that would open up a lot more homes.” 

Poverty 

“We have the food bank. We have the outreach in Highland Grove. So, if you need something, for example, a sofa, it’s close. If you can’t afford to pay, you don’t have to pay. So, as a community, as a whole, they are pitching in to help. But as far as the municipality goes, the only thing I can think of is to encourage people to fill the vacant job positions that are available right now.” Shoreline preservation bylaw “We’re not the first place to bring that in. I think it’s a good idea. Maybe the 30 metres is a little bit much [The County actually passed the bylaw at 20 metres] but they did the studies and proved it’s the best way to go about the shoreline preservation because of the erosion.” 

Short-term rentals

“The County is looking for feedback from the community and listening. They have not moved forward yet. They’re wanting to monitor septic capacities and noise, which is a problem, as is parking. But we do have people monitoring the septic systems, and the cottage associations keep an eye on stuff like that.” She added, “Council and cottage associations should be able to find something that works for both of them.” Asked if she does not think they should be registered and licenced, Ellis said, “my fears about licensing and regulating is how much legality is that going to put on each one of the municipalities? So, we can say it’s safe for you to rent that cottage and then something happens in that cottage. What are the legalities that are going to come back on Highlands East?” 

Transportation 

“I’d look to other municipalities with similar demographics and see what they’ve attempted. Do the research to see which direction we should go instead of just jumping in blindly. There’s gas tax funding. I’ve read up on this on-demand service. It sounds like Uber, but it’s not Uber.” 

Vision for the future

 “I’d like to see the businesses we have stay because I think they’re actually meeting all of our needs. So, as far as bringing any new businesses, we don’t need to. I don’t believe in moving forward that way. I believe in supporting what we have.” As for the population surge, and dealing with it, she said in part, “tell the cities, you’re not gonna’ fix your problem by sending people to rural communities.” She added, “I think if we can sustain what we do have right now it will make everything more prosperous.” Asked for her plan for prosperity, she said, “I cannot because that’s a problem that starts at the federal level and trickles right down to our level.” 

Highlands East 

“There needs to be a considerable amount of change in the way council thinks.” Asked what she meant, she said, “how they’re looking at things. Instead of basically sitting there, policies and everything, start listening to the people and bringing more of that stuff into the council meetings. I just figured there needs to be more conversations between the community members and the council.” Asked how she would bring that about, Ellis said, “I would encourage all the councillors to listen to everybody and don’t brush them off. If it sounds like something that the rest of us on council need to hear, bring it forward. Everybody’s open to new ideas and let’s all explore everything.” She said the biggest challenge is post-COVID recovery. 

Cheryl Ellis the candidate 

“With human resource management, it’s all trained skills that would really be an asset to this position. I know what goes into road maintenance. I was also a volunteer firefighter. I have a feel for how municipalities are run. I have lot of ideas. I would like to see some way to keep our young families in the area. If we keep our young families, we keep our schools, we keep our stores, we keep our towns alive.” Asked how she would do that, she said, “we need more jobs.” How would she help create them? “I think we should go back to the old days. Whenever you could, you only hired within the municipality in which you lived. I know it sounds like discrimination, but there’s still countries that do it. If you’re not a resident there, they’re not giving you a job.” She would also like to see more incentives for training and transportation. “I don’t have experience sitting there and listening and approving and all that, but whenever they start talking finances or grants or legislation, road improvements any of that stuff, I understand a lot. My areas of expertise are more hands-on.”