Cost of living sends Haliburton County food bank use soaring

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July 14, 2022

SG-food insecurity-1- — Haliburton 4Cs food bank manger Judy MacDuff organizes donations with a volunteer.

A record-breaking number of people are seeking help from Haliburton food banks as inflation hits 30-year highs.

In a presentation to Highlands East council July 12, executive director Tina Jackson said the service is providing food to about 184 people per month.

At the height of the pandemic, they were serving around 170 per month.

It’s likely a reflection of how inflation is impacting the community, Jackson said.

“Anyone who visited a grocery store or gas station recently can appreciate that the cost of living is heartbreaking right now,” Jackson said. In Dysart et al, Judy MacDuff of 4Cs said they have seen an average of 130 visits per month since March, up from 65 to 75 per month in the winter. “That’s unusual,” she said. “Normally our client list is down in the summer, not higher.”

MacDuff points to inflation too.

“Food prices have gone so high. People have to decide between food and heating their homes.” While inflation sits at 7.7 per cent, a recent Statistics Canada study found food costs have risen by nearly 10 per cent since last year.

The Minden Community Food Centre has been busier too, said assistant manager Victoria Lawson. The centre has seen a 25 per cent increase in people served from January to June this year, compared to 2021.

“We don’t question people when they come in, but [food prices] are certainly is a topic of conversation we hear,” Lawson said.

Jackson said the Central Food Network, which includes the Cardiff Community Food Bank, the Food Hub in Wilberforce, and the Heat Bank, reports the spike comes amidst a long-term trend of rising food insecurity in Highlands East. “We’re really seeing an upward trend that follows year over year increases [in usage],” Jackson told council.

The Cardiff location sees 81 visits per month, while the Food Hub in Wilberforce serves an estimated 164 people per month. The Food Network also provides frozen meals, prepared by volunteers. Jackson estimates they distributed 2,100 meals so far.

They delivered 4,208 servings in 2021.

“We were not prepared for the level of need,” Jackson said.

She added many Highlands East residents seeking help didn’t have access to kitchens or even consistent running water.

“Those frozen prepared meals were a critical service for our clients,” she said.

Another area of service that increased was the Heat Bank, which distributed 81 truckloads of firewood in 2021. Usually, they distribute fewer than 65.

“I think that really is related to the cold weather we saw and the number of people needing help to offset fuel costs,” she said.

Overall, 742 people received some form of help from the Food Network last year. Thirty-two per cent of people accessing their services were seniors, 26 per cent children and 42 per cent adults.

Central Food Network board member Nancy Wright-Laking said they’re focusing on funding and awareness initiatives this year.

The network doesn’t receive ongoing government funding, relying instead on donations to aid the community.

“We realized a lot of people didn’t know what the Central Food Network was, what we offered to individuals in need,” she said.

Haliburton Highlands OPP launch project safe trade

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Lisa Gervais

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July 13, 2022

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The Haliburton Highlands detachment has launched an online buy and sell exchange zone at the OPP detachment in Minden in an effort to make online transactions safer for buyers and sellers.

In a July 13 press release, they said project safe trade provides two designated parking spaces in the detachment parking lot, creating a “community safe zone” in which online transactions can take place.

The detachment is located at #12598 Hwy. 35 in Minden and provides a well-lit, public space in which persons wanting to complete online sales or purchases can meet.

Creating a “community safe zone” is about moving online transactions away from secluded parking lots, personal residences or other areas and bringing them to a public place, OPP said.

A number of OPP detachments are inviting members of the public to use their OPP detachment parking lots to facilitate transactions at or with designated parking spaces. For more information visit OPP.ca and search project safe trade. (Lisa Gervais)

Adult students launch futures with diplomas

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Sam Gillett

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July 7, 2022

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Friends and families crowded in McKeck’s Tap and Grill to celebrate Haliburton Adult and Alternate Education Centre (AAEC) graduates June 27.

“Today is about you: I want you to remember the emotions you have today,” principal Lisa Uuldriks told graduates. “The joy of your friends and family… those are the things that are most important.”

As each person accepted their diploma, administrator and head teacher Lori Sargent recalled personal anecdotes about their unique journeys through the education centre.

Many were balancing school with fulltime work, kids or even learning from afar in northern Ontario. “I’m proud of every one of you,” said Sargent, who gave a special nod to parents and support people who assisted each graduate along the way, drove them to class or helped with childcare.

She said valedictorian Jenna Gray worked especially hard to acquire her diploma.

“Her focus was incredible,” Sargent said. Gray told the class, “we all had something that brought us to the AAEC, and while our reasons may differ, we all had the same goal. We are launching our futures today. We already know that life has twists and turns, and the future will not be any different. We will make decisions, good or bad, and learn from them. We know some days are about making memories and that is just as valuable as any work we may need to do.”

Uuldriks delivered school trustee Gary Brohman’s remarks in his absence. “Keep building trustworthy relationships and good things will happen,” Brohman said.

Teacher Greg Shantz said each student faced adversity in their journey to complete their high school degree but worked hard at the education centre to achieve their goals.

“They get here and they start figuring it out. It’s just awesome to see.”

Wilberforce Elementary School grads show perseverance

By

Sam Gillett

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July 7, 2022

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A teary-eyed crowd cheered as Wilberforce Elementary School’s graduating class of 2022 collected their diplomas June 21 at the Robert McCausland Memorial Community Centre.

“After two long years of doing virtual [graduations] we’re here,” said trustee Gary Brohman.

He commended the class for its perseverance during the past years of online learning, separation from friends and cancelled extracurricular activities.

“Your dedication will carry you through high school and the adult world beyond,” he said. Teacher Jacob Findeis noticed students’ dedication too.

“These kids have kept going,” Findeis said. “They’ve been there every day, they keep trying, they bring a positive attitude. They’re going to take that gumption they’ve shown in the last years and the sky is the limit for this crew.”

He added that as well as being hard workers, the graduating class is filled with kind kids. “They’re really genuinely nice people,” he said. Findeis offered one piece of advice for the students, who will be moving on to high school.

“It’s okay not to know, it’s not okay to not try.”

Valedictorians Ruby Morrison and Daxton Underwood spoke of the tight-knit class history together, and their hope to find a little bit of Wilberforce at Hal High.

“Now we’re going to high school where we can find fun, activities and hopefully teachers like Mr. Findeis,” Morrison said.

Haliburton Lumber prices falling back to normal

By

Mike Baker

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July 7, 2022

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Supply chain issues still affecting Highlands construction

After a whirlwind second half of 2021, where the cost of lumber and other essential building materials practically doubled in a matter of weeks, prices have fallen more in-line with pre-pandemic levels this year, according to Kim Emmerson, owner of Haliburton’s Emmerson Lumber.

An increased supply of popular woods such as spruce, pine and cedar has helped to stabilize the market in recent months, a much-needed correction according to Emmerson after many contractors suffered a challenging building season last year.

But things are far from perfect, he added.

“If you were trying to compare the market with a year ago, then it is definitely better. But have the issues been solved? Not a chance,” Emmerson said. “Right now, it depends on the item. Sometimes things are available and sometimes they aren’t. The fundamentals of the business, being lumber and plywood, that’s quite available now. And it has dropped in price back to pre-COVID levels too.”

Supply chain issues and increased demand last year saw prices skyrocket, with a common 2 x 4 western spruce-pine-fir selling for as much as $1,300 (USD) per thousand board feet in the spring – nearly twice the previous 52-week average of $773.

As of June 22, that same order would run $630 according to the Canadian Forest Service.

Costs of other products, especially those made out of plastic, remain quite high, Emmerson said. And the products themselves can be difficult to find.

“PVC is still quite elusive and can be a challenge to get. Manufactured goods are still taking a long time to come in, too. For instance, windows – you could be waiting up to 16 weeks for an order to arrive,” Emmerson said. “Before COVID, if you wanted a window, you could get one quite easily within a month. Now you’re waiting at least four times that long.”

While last year’s issues in the supply chain could be largely attributed to a lack of products, this year it seems there’s a shortage of delivery options. Many trucking companies are reporting major labour shortages, meaning there are fewer drivers on the road.

“It ebbs and flows. For instance, copper wire wasn’t available for months and months, but now we have quite a lot. ABS pipe is starting to come in now, but that wasn’t available for a long time last year,” Emmerson said. “Items such as manufactured floor joists are very scarce right now, very difficult to find.”

Steel remains in short supply too, and has proved the exception to the rule as far as price corrections go.

“The price of steel has gone berserk,” Emmerson said. “A lot of that has to do with supply. There are still problems with containers coming in from the east. That’s proving to be a pretty significant issue for the industry.”

Emmerson said he isn’t expecting a major shift in lumber prices or availability again this year.

“There’s lots of supply right now, and there’s somewhat less of a demand from what we saw last year because of rising interest rates, and the higher cost of living. Gas prices have had a bad effect, I think,” Emmerson said. “Last year was kind of like a perfect storm. There were lots of people coming up here, looking to do work on their property, but because of everything that was going on in the world [suppliers] couldn’t keep up… Things have somewhat gotten back to normal now.”

School’s Cool remedies COVID learning delays

By

Sam Gillett

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July 7, 2022

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For many kids, virtual classes, masking and cancelled activities meant it’s been a hard time to start school.

School’s Cool, a free tutoring program aimed at kindergarten and pre-kindergarten learners, aims to provide a fun space to catch up on learning this summer.

In 2021, 93 kids took part from across Haliburton County, Kawartha Lakes and Muskoka.

The six-week program, administered by SIRCH Community Services, runs from July 11 to Aug. 18 at Stuart W. Baker Elementary School.

“School’s Cool is a play-based program that increases developmental skills by nearly one year over a six-week period,” said SIRCH executive director Gena Robertson in a media release. “Research shows that those gains are sustainable, resulting in higher Grade 3 testing scores. Past graduates and their parents still talk about the impact that the School’s Cool program had on their school success.”

SIRCH reports that last year, Schools Cool instructors saw kids develop social development skills, learn how to stick to routines and build confidence.

Last year, School’s Cool instructors saw vast improvements with many of the children in the program, which focused on social development, routines, and confidence-building.

“I was nervous how he would adjust to school because he hasn’t left home since COVID. So, he didn’t get any preschool/ daycare exposure,” said Leanne Young, who sent her sons Asher and Isaiah to the program. “Isaiah was really struggling with not having school since April (2021). So, I thought the routine would be good for him,” she told SIRCH.

“Isaiah’s behaviour drastically improved. He was really missing socializing with other kids and having a routine of in-school activity. He hated virtual school. Asher’s vocabulary improved and he was so excited to tell me what they did every day.”

Parents can register their kids for the program at SIRCH or find out more by calling 705-457-1742 or emailing info@sirch.on.ca

New album a labour of Love

By

Sam Gillett

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July 7, 2022

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“Exquisite.” That’s how Jim Love said it felt to shoulder his acoustic guitar once more and strum songs from his latest album, Last Man Standing, to a live crowd at the Dominion Hotel June 4.

“To see the impact your songs have on the audience, it’s the greatest thing,” he said.

The album, released in April, was brought to life with help from well-known friends in the songwriting community, such as Katherine Wheatley.

“People were very, very generous with their time,”

Love said. Love’s songs take the listener to smokey bars, moonlit streets and into the psyche of lovesick wanderers.

“I think they’re vignettes from people’s lives,” Love said. “If there’s anything that is expressed in my music, it’s that longing for relief, that feeling of letting go.”

In the title track, Love sings about an aging crooner, watching the world he once knew slip through his fingers as musical greats fade away. All that’s left are memories as he sits alone at the bar.

That song started with a friend telling him he felt like the last man standing. Love found the line captivating. “This generation will fade, but the music will live on,” he said.

Like many of his songs, he then sat down and got to work. “You work at a song and you have to bring it to life,” he said.

James Taylor, Bob Dylan, John Prine; Love absorbed the storytelling skills of these musical greats as a young adult. Their influence echoes throughout his work, weaving a plucky guitar, wistful backup vocals and even an accordion with lyrics he’ll meticulously work over until they feel right.

On this album, crafted in the depths of COVID-19, Love worked remotely with musicians such as Wheatley. He said that made for a strange experience.

“I saw more of the band in our first album because there was no COVID,” he said. Despite working apart, he’s received accolades from friends in music around the country on his latest set of tunes. “It really hits home, when great musicians send you a note and say ‘this is brilliant.’”

You can listen to Last Man Standing online at music.jimlove.com/album/last-manstanding.

The Drop Zone coming to West Guilford

By

Mike Baker

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July 7, 2022

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If you build it, they will come. That’s the mantra being used by three long-time County residents who have established a new popup arcade at the West Guilford Community Centre.

The Drop Zone will operate every Friday at the facility throughout the summer, with select Saturdays also on the schedule. Cousins Susan Bridge, Lynne Stamp and Cheryl Cooper have spent months building the operation after becoming disillusioned over the lack of children’s activities in West Guilford in recent years.

“We grew up here on Pine Lake and when we were kids there was a lot of stuff for kids going on here at the centre. Over the past year, we started talking and thought it would be great if there was more for children and families to do in this community… so we decided to make it happen,” Bridge said. “We started a non-profit called Families in Motion, and got to work on various projects and programs. The Drop Zone will be our first initiative.”

The trio received a $5,000 grant from the Haliburton County Development Corporation to help with start-up costs, and have invested an additional $5,000 of their own money.

The Drop Zone will debut this weekend, running Friday and Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. Bridge says she’s expecting it to be busy. “There’s a lot of excitement. Everyone we’ve told about this has just been over the moon. I think it will be a great addition for our little community,” she said.

There will be various arcade-style games available, including brand new pinball machines. The team has also purchased air hockey and foosball tables, while there will be karaoke for the musically inclined.

Stations will be set up for younger children, with train and Lego tables planned for this weekend. There will also be an indoor putting green and floor curling, something Stamp hopes will encourage parents to stick around.

“We want this to be a very family-friendly operation, so we’ll have activities appropriate for all ages. We’re hoping that parents will not necessarily just drop their kids off, but join them and come inside to see what we have to offer.”

Each night at The Drop Zone will end with a movie, beginning at 7:30 p.m. This weekend’s offerings include The Emoji Movie, airing Friday, and The Batman, being shown on Saturday.

Long-term, Bridge says she and her cousins have big plans for Families in Motion. They hope to offer special events through another venture they’re calling The Celebration Station, where people can book equipment for birthdays and other parties. The trio also wants to establish various holiday camps in the future.

To mark their grand opening, Stamp says there will be face painting, door prizes and other giveaways throughout the weekend. Entry is $5 per person.

For more information, visit familiesinmotion.ca.

Harassment, vandalism prompt cameras

By

Sam Gillett

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July 7, 2022

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Security cameras will be installed at the Scotch Line landfill in Minden Hills to combat vandalism, trespassing and harassment.

At a June 30 council meeting, manager of waste facilities, Nikkie Payne, said the OPP encouraged the idea after staff reported harassment issues.

“They’re really supporting that we have some sort of video surveillance at the sites… to identify any perpetrators,” said Payne. “It’s to protect not only township and contract staff but the township’s assets.”

Payne said she was not permitted to disclose details of the harassment concerns.

Trail cameras were previously installed at the site, but since the video data is stored on the camera, it’s easy to steal or erase.

Payne suggested getting cameras with cellular capabilities or secure data storage so the files could still be viewed if the camera was stolen or broken.

Under municipal security camera guidelines, the data on the cameras would only be viewed by Payne or the director of public works if unauthorized activities were happening or suspected to have happened.

Minden Hills’ policy states security cameras must be protected from unauthorized access. Payne said technically this would not allow the cameras to be mounted on the landfill’s gates or to have data stored remotely.

Council approved the exception to the rule with the assurance that “staff would make all reasonable efforts to implement manual workarounds and to follow the video surveillance policy as much as possible.”

Iron Mine, Little Gull and Ingoldsby landfills don’t have cellular capabilities, so cameras would only be installed at the Scotch Line landfill. Payne said cameras could be installed at these sites later.

Minden Hills responds to short-term rental study

Councillors had a chance to review progress and give feedback on the County’s ongoing short-term rental review.

“I’ve been watching it unfold at the County level and I’m still so concerned,” Coun. Pam Sayne told Jason Ferrigan of J.L Richards and Associates (JLR), who delivered a report on the review.

Ferrigan said possible policy options include occupancy and stay duration limits, possible zoning rules and more.

More than 1,500 people responded to a short-term rental survey.

Ferrigan said it’s clear the community holds strong views for and against short-term rentals

“They are both influenced by and affect many aspects of community health and viability,” he said.

Sayne added that the lack of zoning rules unfairly prioritizes short-term renters over marginalized groups in the community.

“We are allowing it to happen as governance and yet when people are gathering in parks because they have nowhere to live, we’re kicking them out right away,” she said.

Coun. Bob Carter urged JLR to consider “responsible person” legislation. Municipalities such as the Bruce Peninsula require each short-term rental unit have a responsive contact able to deal with sound complaints, for instance.

“After the fact the township can go back to the owner and give them demerit points or pull their license…. I think the concept of a responsible person is a good way to control costs of enforcement,” Carter said.

Inflation impacts municipal operations

Minden Hills roads crews are feeling the impact of rising oil prices.

Director of public works, Mike Timmins, requested the roads capital project budget be boosted by $50,000 from the township’s reserves to fund road resurfacing projects.

“Not only does the process rely on equipment, but there’s also a lot of oil-based processes involved in the work… it’s been drastically impacted by these rising costs,” Timmins said.

Costs currently sit at $17,345.35 over budget, with another $32,654 added for other possible fees.

Council also approved a contract extension for landfill services in Minden administered by Watson General Contracting which will rise by four per cent in 2022.

It will cost the township $304,960.52 to run its landfills for the 12-month period, an $11,729.25 increase from the initial quote.

New leadership team at Archie Stouffer

By

Lisa Gervais

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July 7, 2022

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They started as classroom teachers in Cardiff in 2004 and 2005, and now Mike Gervais and Lauren Alleway are reunited and taking a leadership role at Archie Stouffer Elementary School.

Gervais has been named principal and Alleway vice principal of the Minden institution.

After Cardiff, they both moved on to other elementary schools in Haliburton County and are well-known educators of both students and colleagues.

They said they are “excited” about taking on their new roles for the 2022-23 school year.

“We know that we’re going to have a lot of fun together,” Alleway said before school broke June 30.

She added there had been a lot of improvements under former principal Dawn Sudsbury. “We both know that with our backgrounds in curriculum and as classroom teachers, we’re confident that we can keep that moving forward and continue to have a positive impact,” she added.

Gervais said both he and Alleway are raising their own children in the Highlands and have a vested interest.

“Having our kids connected to all the different things that happen in the County really ingrains our commitment to giving back, whether it be through our jobs or our involvement in the community,” Gervais added.

As for ASES, he said they are “blessed” to have taken over a school that already has so many “fantastic” people working there, from teachers to educational assistants and custodians. “Top to bottom, they are committed to making Archie an incredible place. We’re honoured to have that opportunity to work with these people and lead these people … it’s a great group, very keen to become involved and provide opportunities for students to advance their learning and their own teaching practice, which is an amazing thing.”

As for what they would like to accomplish, Gervais said while the Leader in Me program is effective and inspires students to become trailblazers, they believe they can achieve the same goals, and seven habits of leadership, without using “a canned program.”

“We believe it’s ingrained in our school improvement plan, the Ontario curriculum and supported through board initiatives. Our focus at this school is a balance of achievement in academics and achievement in equity and inclusivity. So, we want to supply students with a safe place to learn, and we want to promote an environment that fosters the best opportunities to be successful in their learning.”

Alleway said for her the focus is recovering from COVID and tackling issues such as literacy. Sudsbury presented to the board last year, indicating 15 per cent of Gr. 2-8 students were reading at grade level.

The new VP said it’s about “closing some of those gaps.” She said during 2022, staff had done a “really great job of getting started and recognizing what are the best practices to move forward with that … staff spent a lot of time reflecting on the shifts they’ve made in order to have impact on student achievement and taking that information and continuing moving forward.”

Gervais said they had implemented specific and targeted instruction based upon the diagnostics to close the gaps. “Building our understanding of phonemic awareness and phonological awareness [sound structure of words]. We did targeted PD throughout the year, to build our teachers’ capacities to provide for these students based upon these COVID gaps and we’re proud to say over half of our school now has already closed the gap and are reading at level in one year of what we consider a three-year plan.”

He added they are seeing more parents coming onboard to reignite the home-school connection for reading. Materials are again going from school to home and back again.

With math, they are also making strategic moves to close those gaps, he said.

“It’s all about knowing and understanding the needs of our learners, creating programming and connecting with families, whether academic or social.”