Looking into Countywide landfills

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November 3, 2022

The County signed off on a single-tier waste management service delivery review at the meeting.

It means consultant, Cambium Inc., will look into whether there can be a countywide-managed landfill system, versus the current four townships running their own.

Council asked for a request for proposals about a year ago. It was sent out by staff this September and Cambium was the sole bidder. In a staff report Oct. 26, it was noted the evaluation committee comprised each member municipality and the County’s new procurement person.

Cambium Inc. is a consulting and engineering company with more than 10 years’ experience completing waste management plans for upper and lower-tier municipalities and has done extensive work locally.

The money is in the 2022 budget, with the County paying half and the four townships chipping in the rest.

Danielsen said, “what I do see is them laying out a path forward for us to sort out how we will manage consolidating waste management.” She said it is a “huge” undertaking and she is personally concerned because of different levels of service between townships and liability issues attached to landfills.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how we sort that out,” she said.

Danielsen added she had faith in Cambium “that they will give us good solid advice and we’ll see what comes back to us and what the new council’s reaction to that is.”

New County council to be handed short-term rental file

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 3, 2022

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County council did not pass a short-term rental bylaw when it met Oct. 26. And, although the file will come back to a Nov. 9 meeting – the last of this current term of council – regulations are unlikely to be endorsed then, warden Liz Danielsen said.

Danielsen said in an interview Oct. 27 that some members of council thought they may be able to pass the bylaw, particularly as “there’s been very little public pushback” but “it’s an important piece of legislation and we want to get it right.”

Consultants, J.L. Richards and Associates, were unable to attend the meeting to deliver their report so director of planning, Steve Stone, took the lead. Council spent hours going through the latest draft of how to, first, register and then, eventually, license shortterm rentals.

“It took us a lot more time than I think any of us anticipated,” Danielsen said. “There were a lot of bits of minutia that we ended up getting through and clarifying. I feel good that we have advanced it as far as we have. I think that what we will see coming back to us is a document that will be easier for a new council to deal with. I think we had really not thought of some things, such as the work the consultant did after our last discussion.”

The consultant is expected to attend the Nov. 9 meeting with answers to questions raised last week and likely a revised draft. But Danielsen said, “we won’t pass it. I really and truly think that at this point in time, we probably shouldn’t be passing it.” She was referring to the fact the new County council will select a new warden Nov. 22 before holding its first council meeting Nov. 23.

She added it isn’t just about the council turnover but, “when you see the level of conversation that we had yesterday (Oct. 26), we weren’t quite ready to pass it. We needed some clarification on certain things and then we weren’t all on the same page.”

One issue raised during the meeting was challenges around a bylaw passed at the County filtering down to the lower-tier governments of Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills. There would also be complications around a municipal accommodation tax with two tiers of government. This led Coun. Brent Devolin to repeat his long-held belief that the County should have only one tier of government.

Danielsen told The Highlander, “I came into the discussion about amalgamation with some trepidation, but the more we’ve gone through this process, the more I see that we really do need to resolve some things.”

She referred to some lakes being in two municipalities with different sets of rules. “How are people supposed to know what it is they are supposed to do? We have different forms in all the municipalities, different fees. We’ve done some work to resolve some of that stuff but no wonder people think ‘what exactly am I supposed to do?’ Or they decide ‘to heck with it, I can’t figure it out, I’m not going to get a permit at all’. I would love to see planning, building and bylaw all land at the County in particular.”

She also hopes the new County council does not scrap a lot of the hard work that has been done to date on the short-term rental and other files, such as the shoreline preservation bylaw.

“The thing that worries me is that there’s been a lot of really good work done by County council in the last four years. I’d just hate to see it all torn down because of new members of council. And I don’t know for sure that that will happen, but you know that there are going to be different perspectives and it’s got to be hard for staff to have worked on things so hard for so long and then all of a sudden it taking a very sharp turn. It’ll be interesting to see how things flow out.”

Moose ski trail to reopen this winter

By

Mike Baker

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November 3, 2022

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The Moose ski trail in Algonquin Highlands will reopen for the first time in five years this winter, thanks to a $10,000 donation from the family and friends of one of its greatest champions.

Before her passing in August 2021, one of Anu Lellep’s favourite things to do was strap on a pair of skis and head out on the trails surrounding her cottage near Kushog Lake. Her feats are almost legendary. Anu would often be out early in the morning and have completed a full circuit of the 26-kilometre trail around the Frost Centre before township staff had a chance to get out and groom them.

Together with her partner, Wally Ozog, Lellep helped form the Ski Friends of the Frost Centre in the late 1990s. The volunteer group maintained the trail loop for 14 years before handing the responsibility to the township in 2011.

Ozog was joined by Anu’s brother, Lembit, and several Algonquin Highlands staffers and council members Oct. 27 for a cheque presentation. Chris Card, parks, recreation and trails manager with the township, said the trail had been closed since 2017 due to safety concerns.

“Beech bark disease hit that whole trail loop very hard… what happens is the tree starts to rot from the middle out, so you can’t see how badly a tree is rotting,” Card said. “It gets to a point where the trees just started falling randomly. We tried to do trail maintenance and clear some of the dead standing trees, but those particularly are very dangerous. As a staff, we just didn’t have the experience to handle them.”

Card hoped to reopen the trail in 2018, forging an agreement with a forestry company to come in, fell the trees and then take the wood away, but after several years assessing the site, the company decided to walk away.

Following Anu’s death, Wally and Lembit knew they wanted to do something to both remember and honour her. They decided it would be “a really nice thing” to get the trail reopened for the community, with the Lellep family contributing $7,282 and the Ski Friends of the Frost giving $2,718. That money has already been put to good use, with 117 trees being removed from the site. Card said another 100 trees have been identified as problematic and will be taken down over the next couple of years. Work has also been done to prune the trails, repair a boardwalk and restore several drainage ditches and culverts.

“I know how dear the whole Leslie Frost ski trails were to my sister. I’m sure she’s looking down on us from somewhere now and appreciating this support.” Said Lemibt, who travelled from Zurich, Switzerland to attend the ceremony. A plaque honouring Anu has been placed at one of the warming shelters along the trail.

Card said the Moose ski trail should open up for sking in December.

New 400-seat arts centre ‘feasible’ for County

By

Mike Baker

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November 3, 2022

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A new performing arts centre is feasible for Haliburton County, with initial work now underway to potentially bring a facility by 2027.

About 50 arts enthusiasts gathered at the Bonnie View Inn Oct. 27 to hear the news.

Conducted by consulting firm Janis A. Barlow & Associates, the feasibility study determined the Highlands could support a new centre with a capacity of 300 to 400 people.

Leading the presentation, Rebecca Cann said she had identified eight possible locations, with two unidentified areas, “meeting all criteria needed.” Cann felt it was premature to share those locations, but said they’re between Haliburton and Minden, have main highway access and are, or can be, fully serviced.

“There is some value in a site not being in a village. There could be an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between residents and communities,” Cann said.

In helping create a roadmap for the Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation (HHACF) – the group looking to bring a new arts centre to the County – Cann spoke to more than 300 residents and 24 potential user groups. She noted a “great desire” for a new space, which should have a performance venue, versatile rehearsal hall, professional backstage facilities, front of house lobby with concessions, administration space for future theatre management, extra offices, music studios and educational space that can be rented out.

Any new centre would need to accommodate a variety of mediums, including acoustic music, opera, film, musical theatre and dance. A proscenium lyric theatre with a pit has been discussed, with a 300-seat main level orchestra and a 100-seat balcony.

The new venue would not replace the existing Northern Lights Performing Art Pavilion, at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, but complement it.

“Even if this new space is built, Northern Lights is not going to go away. It still serves a purpose in the community, and it can continue to contribute,” Cann said. Many user groups reported difficulties and concerns with the pavilion, including limited access, poor noise control, insufficient stage size and backstage facilities, and lack of seating, at a maximum capacity of 226.

Making it work

Cann presented a potential budget, saying HHACF would need substantial buy-in from the municipal, provincial and federal governments. She said the group could apply for grants, but fundraising would be required, too. She did not provide an estimate, with HHACF chairperson Dan Manley saying a figure will be made public later this month.

Cann based her budget on HHACF developing a program with professional shows by traveling troupes. She estimated annual running costs for payroll, occupancy and programming at $800,000. She expects the venue to recoup around $650,000 through ticket sales, rentals and concessions, with the remaining $150,000 from donations, sponsorships and grants.

She said HHACF could bring in more than $1,000 every day the theatre is rented, recommending a $700 flat daily fee and an additional $1.75 per seat.

“This is a lot more than performance groups are used to paying right now. But, for this to be feasible, you’re going to need to charge [at least] $1,000 per day.” Cann said the new arts facility could generate around $1.14 million annually for the community.

Next steps

The HHACF has secured the Peterboroughbased Dennis Group to complete a fundraising study, with work ongoing. Conversations will now proceed over a potential location. If they can find the money, Manley said it will likely be three to five years before they can get shovels in the ground.

“Even if we raise all the money in six months, we still have to go through architecture. There will be a lot of community feedback, we still have to secure a site and do evaluations on that site.

“It’s exciting, because I think this project is good for our region. Haliburton County is at a tipping point where there’s lots of great things about to happen. This is just another piece of the puzzle to attract more people and businesses to the Highlands. We want to give people an opportunity to do more things here, to see more and not be forced to go out of the County.”

Scott unveils $20M high-speed internet investment

By

Mike Baker

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November 3, 2022

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The Ontario and federal governments are partnering with Bell Canada on a new $20 million investment to further bolster internet services across Haliburton County.

MPP Laurie Scott was at the County of Haliburton office Oct. 28 to make the announcement, joined by warden Liz Danielsen, Minden Hills mayor Brent Devolin and Dysart et al deputy mayor Pat Kennedy. Scott said the money would help connect thousands of homes across 16 communities in the Highlands to reliable high-speed internet.

The bulk of the work, around 75 per cent according to Scott, would involve installation of or upgrades to hard-wired fibre optic connections. The remainder will feature infrastructure upgrades for line-of-sight connections.

“There has been a lot of work over a lot of years leading up to this… it really is great news for our community and for those who have been waiting for high-speed internet connections,” Scott said.

She noted the latest investment builds on the Ontario government’s previous $4 billion commitment to bring all rural communities online by 2025.

Projects in Highland Grove and Paudash are expected to wrap up by March 2025, with Carnarvon, Eagle Lake, Fort Irwin, Gooderham, Haliburton, Horseshoe Lake, Ingoldsby, Irondale, Lochlin, Lutterworth, Minden, Moore Falls, Tory Hill and West Guilford looking at a completion date of December 2025.

Devolin said it’s been a “big priority” of his to improve high-speed internet options in Haliburton County. He has been one of the driving forces on the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) board, resulting in last year’s $300 million public-private partnership with Rogers to improve cellular connectivity throughout the region.

“We have two titans fighting over who can more quickly serve the people of Haliburton County. It’s great news,” Devolin said. “I think the next 24 to 36 months are going to be exciting, with the amount of stuff that’s coming here. When we get to the end, people are going to be like ‘holy, I didn’t think they could do that’.”

He believes this project is “legacy stuff” for the Highlands.

“This is about ‘have’ and ‘have not’ communities, and we want to be a ‘have’. We need [high-speed internet] for health care, education, working from a distance and just keeping track of friends and families. It’s never fast enough, but we can finally say improvements are coming,” Devolin added.

Danielsen said the announcement would be welcome news for businesses in the area.

“Access to high-speed internet is essential to allow rural residents, businesses and communities to grow and prosper in an increasingly connected world. Businesses need to remain competitive, and the lack of reliable internet should not be a barrier to their success,” she said.

Health services forced to dip into line of credit

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 3, 2022

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Province late with $1.75 million in payments

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) is having to access its line of credit due to financial pressures, including the high cost of agency nurses, the province’s slow transfer of funds, and inflation.

In her report to the Oct. 27 board meeting, CEO Carolyn Plummer said, “pressures and scarcity of recruits to fill vacancies has led to continued staff replacement through use of staffing agencies.” She added there are increased accommodation costs in acute care, and the same pressures “to a lesser degree” in HHHS’ long-term care programs.

“These pressures, along with rising costs for utilities, fuel, raw food, and supplies are contributing to an ongoing deficit,” Plummer said.

Head of the board’s finance committee, Irene Odell, told the meeting that at the end of June, HHHS was running a deficit of just over $220,000. However, she added, “that was actually looking better than reality” because HHHS made some income from property sales. Otherwise, she said the deficit would have been $655,000.

“Sad to say, we’re still trending very high going throughout the year in spite of all of the different risk management that the organization is putting in place to deal with that,” Odell said.

She noted they were also waiting for cash flow from the Ministry of Health, “and this has been for some months now. They owe us $822,000 for our last fiscal year and $928,000 for our current fiscal year. As far as we know, this money is all approved and should be coming in. Without that we’re drawing on our line of credit, which does cost the organization money in interest. We’re very concerned about this…we’re hoping these funds will be coming in soon.”

Plummer said the $1.75 million in overdue funds are for incremental COVID19 expenditures, long-term care funding, the COVID assessment centre, wage enhancement funding, and nursing retention bonuses.

The CAO added that on Sept. 28, HHHS received a funding letter from Ontario Health East for $270,000 to support operating pressures. She said the money will help cover some of the nursing agency costs from over the summer. “However, we will continue to communicate our ongoing deficit position and continued operating pressures to Ontario Health East for further support.”

Elsewhere in her report, Plummer said, “the dire staffing situation at HHHS has not changed since the last report. However, the longer this situation continues unchanged, the more challenging it becomes. Although HHHS is doing what it can on a local level to address our staffing needs, so many of the challenges and barriers to recruitment and retention facing HHHS are the same ones affecting healthcare organizations across the province and country.

“Some challenges, such as a lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of living, are affecting sectors and businesses outside of healthcare as well. HHHS will continue to do what it can to improve our retention and recruitment efforts, while also continuing to engage in regional and provincial discussions about our needs,” Plummer said.

Increase in COVID cases

Plummer said HHHS had recently seen an increase in positive COVID cases among staff, as well as patients arriving with COVID.

“Although it is difficult to have a true picture of the prevalence of the virus locally, it does appear that cases are increasing in the community as well,” Plummer said.

Regionally, there has been “a definite increase” in cases, the CAO added, with the Peterborough region sitting at ‘very high’ on their COVID-19 risk index and the highest number of cases in the province.

“Peterborough Regional Health Centre is also seeing an increase in the number of patients presenting and admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, and an increase in staff and physician cases. Ross Memorial Hospital also experienced a facility-wide outbreak.”

Plummer said an increase in cases is somewhat to be expected for this time of year, given people are spending more time indoors in the cooler weather and with school back. However, she added, “it is also a strong reminder of the need to remain cautious and protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our community from the spread of the virus, particularly given the highly transmissible nature of the predominant sub-variants of the virus.”

With the bivalent vaccine now available, HHHS is encouraging people to stay up-todate on their COVID-19 vaccines. She said there are also concerns about an early and difficult flu season and they’re coaxing people to get their flu vaccine. People can get both at the same time.

Plummer said the HHHS COVID-19 steering committee was meeting this week to review current precautions in place at HHHS to determine whether any revisions are needed.

Huskies get a lesson in weekend losses

By

Mike Baker

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November 3, 2022

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Haliburton Huskies vs Brantford 99ers — BRANTFORD, ON - OCTOBER 6: Ty Collins #77 of the Haliburton County Huskies follows the play at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre on October 6, 2022 in Ontario, Canada (Spencer Smye / OJHL Images)

The Haliburton County Huskies got a taste of adversity this past weekend. The Dogs lost a heartbreaker in double overtime Oct. 28 against the Pickering Panthers.

It was former Husky, Nick Athanasakos, who scored the game winner, at 44 seconds of the second OT frame. Then, on home ice Oct. 29, the Toronto Junior Canadiens held off a Dogs’ comeback for an empty-netter, 5-3 victory.

The Huskies had come into the weekend on a nine-game undefeated streak. Head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay had to laugh at the fact Athanasakos potted the game-winner. “It always happens like that. He’s a good kid. I have nothing bad to say about Nick. It just simply didn’t work out so, good for him.” On Saturday, the guests from Toronto got on the scoreboard first. Cooper Bertrand fired in a powerplay goal at 17:34 with Will Gourgouvelis in the penalty box for hooking.

The Junior Canadiens padded their lead in the second on another powerplay, this one for too many men on the ice. Owen Saye made it 2-0 at 14:12. However, the Dogs got their own powerplay and Christian Stevens made good on it, scoring from recent addition Boyd Stahlbaum and Ty Collins at 15:54 to give the Huskies some life at 2-1.

But the Junior Canadiens answered back with less than a minute to go in the frame, as Tyler Fukakusa found the back of the net to put the visitors up 3-1 going into the third. Toronto’s Ben Van Waterschoot seemed to break the Dogs’ back when he scored a fourth Junior Canadiens goal at 5:01 of the third.

But the locals showed some grit as Stevens scored his second of the game on the powerplay at 14:39, from Patrick Saini and Isaac Sooklal, to make it 4-2.

Then, Collins bulged the twine at 16:17, from Saini and Stevens to make it 4-3. Ramsay said, “there was definitely no quit. We have enough skill, even if you’re down two to three goals with five to seven minutes left, you get a quick powerplay goal. Our powerplay is second or third in the league. We can crawl our way back into a game.”

The Dogs pressed for the equalizer but Van Waterschoot found the empty net at 19:22 to hand the Dogs just their third regulation loss of the season.

“You don’t want to go through a whole season with no adversity,” Ramsay said. “Because you get into the playoffs, and you get down in a series, and everyone doesn’t know how to take it. It’s a long season, a seven-to-eight-month season, so you’re going to have some ups and downs. It’s a good learning lesson for our group.”

Ramsay added they were the more skilled team but, “hard work will beat skill if skill doesn’t show up. I think we just have to work.”

Ramsay said the other thing is the Dogs are now ranked as one of the top teams, not only in the OJHL, but in Canada and teams know that so come ready. Panthers 2 Huskies 1 In the Friday night tilt in Pickering, the two teams traded second period goals before the game went into overtime. Chase Strychaluk opened the scoring for the Dogs at the 4:22 mark, unassisted. Pickering answered back at 12:51 when Aron Jessli scored on the powerplay. After a scoreless third and first overtime, former Husky, Athanasakos, exacted his revenge with the game-winning goal.

The Huskies travel to Caledon Nov. 3 and are back on home ice Nov. 5 against Trenton. Puck drop is 4 p.m. at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena.

Don’t undo the County’s good work

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 3, 2022

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The County of Haliburton will meet Nov. 22 to select its warden for the next year. Current warden Liz Danielsen has done the job the past four years.

It will be interesting to see – with so many new faces on this council – whether Danielsen will run and retain her seat or whether someone else is jockeying for the top job.

Along with Danielsen, the others returning to the council table are Highlands East mayor Dave Burton and deputy mayor Cec Ryall as well as Minden Hills deputy mayor Lisa Schell. That is four of eight.

The newcomers are Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey, a past warden, deputy mayor Walt McKechnie and new Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter. We are expecting Algonquin Highlands, which elects its deputy mayor from among its ranks, to select ward three councillor Jennifer Dailloux.

While I often criticize County council on these op ed pages, I do so in my role as watchdog. When I look back upon the volume of work this council has done in the past four years – particularly amid a global pandemic – I have to concede there have been some major advances. Three files in particular stand out for me.

The shoreline preservation bylaw. The short-term rental bylaw. The services delivery review. We’ve written extensively about the shoreline preservation bylaw. Despite the hyperbole out there, it is a good piece of legislation. It is designed to crack down on big developers doing egregious things to our shorelines.

It is not worried about small development on your cottage property. Despite that stated fact, lobbyists would have people believe otherwise. We urge the new members of County council to read the actual final document and come on board. We also encourage the lower-tier councils to endorse it.

Dysart’s failure to do so is a slap in the face to the work of County council.

The short-term rental final bylaw is likely to come before the Nov. 9 council meeting although we expect the outgoing council will not pass it. However, they have well laid the table for the incoming council. This is not contentious. The new council should proceed with the file so it is in place to begin the registration process for the spring.

The service delivery review must also continue. Some good work has been done on this file. The fact that the public could go to any township for household hazardous waste days is a small example of greater efficiency for taxpayers. We will also be interested to see what Cambium Inc. comes up with in terms of a Countywide landfill system. I would actually urge the incoming council to take this file as far as it can go.

It is time for one planning, building and bylaw department, for example. Further, in four years’ time, it would be good for this council to have fully examined whether or not it is time for one tier of government in Haliburton County.

happen are dropping the shoreline preservation bylaw, and its years of hard work, not proceeding with short-term rental registration and licensing, and backing off of the services delivery review. Rest assured; we will be watching.

Places for people ‘divorces’ Dysart et al over housing project

By

Mike Baker

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November 3, 2022

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Haliburton County non-profit Places for People (P4P) has pulled the plug on its planned development on land facing Wallings Road.

Serving notice to Dysart et al staff Oct. 24, P4P president Jody Curry said the decision marks the end of a disappointing two-year journey of miscommunication, bureaucratic red tape and NIMBYism.

“We have given divorce papers to the township… it’s a disappointing outcome, especially after how much work our team has put into this. In the end, our board, decided that, with all the changes that have been made and the resistance we’ve seen to the project… it’s just not possible for us to move ahead,” Curry said.

She added, “the goalposts have changed on several occasions.” When P4P entered into a verbal agreement with the township in November 2020, plans called for the construction of 60 units across five buildings, all with access onto Wallings Road. Dysart was to sell the land to P4P for $2.

Following initial negotiations with staff, P4P agreed to lower the number of units to 48. Council initially expressed hope a final agreement could be reached to break ground in June 2021. It didn’t happen. Curry believes the main hold-up was an issue between Dysart and Haliburton County over the Wallings Road and County Road 21 intersection.

The County believed it couldn’t handle the extra traffic, while Dysart felt issues could be mitigated by making changes to the intersection.

It remains unresolved.

Curry and colleague Fay Martin presented a plan to council that would have seen 48 units on a smaller, 0.92 acre plot, fronting Halbiem Crescent. The Haliburton by the Lake (HTBL) property owners’ association formed to object last November.

Meanwhile, P4P was still working with the township on a letter of intent, outlining details of the deal, that satisfied all parties. After more than a year, Curry thought there was a breakthrough this summer, with both sides happy to sign.

But when she was presented with an agreement of purchase and sale, found there was a clause P4P could not agree to. “They added an ‘as is, where is’ clause, which means we agree we’re taking the property as it is, regardless of what we might find down the road. That hadn’t been there before, so I was a little worried,” Curry said.

After discussing this issue with the P4P board, they decided to pull the plug. Curry said she wanted an assurance that if they found contaminated soil, they would be able to walk away as remediation costs would make it impossible for them to proceed.

Asked if the recent announcement that Paul Wilson, owner of Harburn Holdings, planned to donate one of four potential plots of land on Peninsula Road to P4P had any bearing on their decision, Curry said they could have done both projects at the same time.

Dysart deputy mayor Pat Kennedy said, “one of my biggest failures was not seeing shovels in the ground on this.” He did a lot of legwork before it was brought to council, and said he was disappointed to hear it wouldn’t be moving forward. “I think this was a slam dunk, a great news story for the community, the township and P4P. It was a property that fit within their mandate and the location, with access to the schools and downtown, I thought it was perfect. I thought we had checked all the boxes. Apparently, we didn’t check any,” Kennedy said.

Mayor Andrea Roberts expressed her disappointment but said she understood why P4P was walking away. “Until the road access issue gets resolved, I think any development [on Wallings] is going to be met with a lot of opposition. I fought for the County to take this issue on, to fix the intersection at Wallings… it didn’t quite go that way,” she said.

The outgoing mayor was surprised to hear the ‘as is, where is’ clause was the final nail in the coffin, stating that clause is included in every municipal land transaction.

NIMBYism ‘too much’

“Things got very nasty, very quickly,” Curry said, noting she received dozens of unsavoury emails from people opposed to the project.

Roberts said she had been targeted too, stating “last November, there were some pretty dark days for me personally.”

Neither was willing to share emails but Roberts indicated some had come from neighbours along Halbiem.

Martin said NIMBYism was the “stake through the heart of this project.” “Making housing happen is really, really hard. I don’t want us to blame Dysart council… the truth is well-meaning citizens can kill [development],” Martin said. “We need places for people that we need to hire to live in. All I hear is, ‘why doesn’t somebody do something about it?’

Every single citizen needs to look deep within themselves and say, ‘am I part of the problem? Or am I part of the solution?’ “Unless everybody puts their shoulder to the wheel, you’re not going to find solutions. Not in this small community

Nature expert tips for your ‘piece of heaven

By

Sam Gillett

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October 28, 2022

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“Keep it natural and they will come,” naturalist Terry Sprague told a crowd of nearly 40 who joined Environment Haliburton! to hear from the acclaimed nature columnist and educator Sept. 20.

He’s written more than 2,000 columns about the outdoors for the Picton Gazette and regularly trains landowners on how they can naturalize their properties.

Property naturalization means letting the natural plants and animals that visit your property direct how it’s maintained.

Sprague’s talk focused on how Highlanders can make their properties safe havens for wildlife without attracting nuisance animals and pests.

He said Haliburton County’s unique geography – plenty of lakes and forests – means it’s “essential you protect these natural features and the watercourses that they touch.”

He said the main reasons to attract wildlife are to “complete the picture” of the environment. Trees, shrubs and lakes should be accompanied by their oldest inhabitants, Sprague said.

“You do have to be cautious though when attracting wildlife to the backyard,” he added.

He said deer, for instance, should not be fed. If people feed animals such as deer, they’ll congregate in these residential settings, which can lead to disease, or predator dangers.

“Eventually, if you don’t do it the right way you may have an overabundance in what you’d try to attract in the first place.”

To make a property attractive to animals, Sprague said it must meet four basic needs: containing food; water; places where wildlife can raise their young and hide; and space. “With few exceptions, all species of wildlife require a certain amount of real estate, that can vary depending on the species,” Sprague said.

He added these needs can be subtracted to deter pest animals, plant shrubs by the water, for instance, and geese are less likely to frequent your grass to avoid feeding in an area with hiding places for predators.

Often, making habitats for critters such as bees, butterflies or squirrels is easy. It can mean leaving dead trees on the forest floor, which can turn into homes for insects, or piling up brush on your property to provide a home for bigger animals.

“I get a lot of enjoyment watching birds in these brush piles in the wintertime,” Sprague said.

Planting native trees, shrubs and other plants might also bring you more winged visitors, Sprague said, along with being more apt to grow and thrive in the Highlands environment.

For shoreline-loving trees, he suggested Silver Maple, Green Ash, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, White Cedar, Eastern Hemlock or Hackberry. Native shrubs include Red Osier Dogwood, Grey Dogwood, Elderberry, Serviceberry, Nannyberry, Chokecherry, Pussy Willow, Winterberry and Highbush Cranberry. Groundcover options include Fragrant Sumac, Virginia Creeper, Wintergreen, Bittersweet and Bearberry. Wildflowers include Turtlehead, Swamp Milkweed, Cardinal Flower and Touch-menot.

Sprague said naturalization isn’t hard, but requires research. “It’s a case of caring for your little piece of heaven responsibly,” he said.