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Land Trust opens reserve for dose of ‘Vitamin N’

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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Haliburton Highlands Land Trust board chair Gregory Wickware cuts the ribbon for the opening. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust welcomed the public to its newest property with the opening of Barnum Creek Nature Reserve in Dysart et al Oct. 15.

After two years of preparing it, the Land Trust officially opened the 500- acre property to the public. It’s located five kilometres southeast of Haliburton village. The organization has created three recreational trails on the property, including maps and signs.

Leopoldina Dobrzensky, whose family donated the property in 2018, said the new reserve was made possible by the tremendous will of the Land Trust and its volunteers.

“In today’s challenging times, we need something called Vitamin N – which is Vitamin Nature – more than ever,” she said.

The trails total nearly seven kilometres through the property, which the Land Trust will maintain. The landscape also features forests, grassland and wetland. It is also home to a wide range of wildlife, including at-risk species.

Margaret Dobrzensky, Leopoldina’s daughter, said donating the land made sense.

“Why would we not? For us, it was always about the land, always was protecting the sensitive ecosystems home to a diversity of plants and wildlife,” she said.

She added the family has had the property for years and they worked to restore the forest area.

“We marvelled at nature’s ability to renew itself. Now the forest has matured and resolved and it’s ready for its next chapter,” she said. “Enjoy the magic of the Barnum Creek Nature Reserve as it awaits you.”

The reserve will allow hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and some bicycling. Motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs and camping are disallowed.

Land Trust board chair Greg Wickware said they expect the reserve will prove popular. Although not previously open to the public, it has played host to guided hikes during the Hike Haliburton Festival.

“We think it will be very busy,” he said. “This is a well-known property.”

He said a lot of effort went into readying the property and the Land Trust will protect it.

“It’s almost like the impossible dream come true,” Wickware said. “We’re just so thankful that we’re now open and people within the County, and all of Canada, can enjoy it.”

Finding normal in extraordinary times

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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It is not easy finding “normal” these days.

Eight months into a pandemic, it is something I think we are all seeking. When I visited a Highland Storm practice last weekend, I heard from parents about the joys of finding a sense of normal in taking a child to the rink, even with the masks and the social distancing.

Of course, the public health rules mean it is not quite hockey – or life – as usual. The rules we live under are understandable but can wear on us all. As we embark on the last stretch of the year, we must accept a perfect sense of normalcy is not coming soon – and that is okay.

Hockey season would usually be coming into full force this time of year. The Highland Storm’s incredible efforts have allowed the minor hockey season to go on in some form, even if limited to 3-on-3 play without travel. Getting in and out of the rink is also more complicated and the arenas will be emptier.

It is not perfectly normal, but hockey is still back. Players and parents can still enjoy the game on the ice, even with its limitations. Kids can still have fun playing with their friends and making new ones. It will not be the same and that thought may linger. But it is still a chance for kids to get into Canada’s sport. The Highland Storm deserves all the praise in the world for making that happen.

Other recreational activities are staring up again too. The Haliburton Curling Club and Haliburton Dance Academy will also try to keep programming going despite the circumstances. Even if compromises must be made to follow public health rules, the incredible resiliency these and other groups are showing to offer something resembling normal should be commended.

The holiday season is also a time where people will seek tradition. Many likely bent rules to visit family for Thanksgiving and even more will do so for Christmas. Months apart has made our hearts ache for friends and family. However much we are willing to risk in these visits, they will not be quite like holidays of years past. But whether through a screen or at a distance outdoors, we can still find a sense of warmth and companionship with our loved ones.

None of this is to say we should forgo public health rules to find normal again. We must still be vigilant and wary where COVID-19 cases rise. If we want things to get back to how they used to be, following the best public health practices is our only option. Distancing, masks, sanitizer – those are part of normalcy too, now, and will likely leave their mark on the normal of tomorrow.

We can seek out our familiar comforts, but they are all going to remain a little off. That can make it hard to feel normal. But it is something we should accept about ourselves and our reality. It is normal to feel bad about these difficult days.

We still have a long way to go in this pandemic. We are in a marathon and we are all sick of it. Nothing but its end will set things quite right again.

But we will make it through. For people, that is normal.

Parents welcome hockey days

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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Storm U11-Blue team player Hunter Hamilton controls the puck during a practice drill. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Taking a child to hockey practice is a different experience for parents amidst the pandemic.

At the A.J. LaRue Arena, the warm lobby sits empty on practice days leading into the season. It’s a safety precaution. Parents must instead sit in the cold stands, socially distanced with masks. With only one adult allowed to accompany one child to the arena, the stands are emptier than they might be otherwise.

It is not hockey as usual, but parents attending practice Oct. 17 said they welcomed the changes and a sense of returning to some normalcy.

“It’s part of regular life, so it’s nice to have regular activities that we participate in,” parent Graham Borgdorff said ahead of an U-11 practice at the Haliburton arena. “There’s a little bit of disappointment that we aren’t able to do it as a family right now, but physical activity is important and some normal things are important.”

About 160 kids have returned to the practice ice for the Highland Storm. The season will be different, with only 3-on-3 and in-house competition. Off the ice, players and parents must wade through additional safety precautions.

Shannon McCracken said the new rules can be a little frustrating at times, such as the doors only being open 10-minutes before the practice and locked if missed. But she said her son is excited to start hockey again and they are thankful it is going ahead.

“Everybody is doing their best and we just have to figure it out within those guidelines,” she said.

Cynthia Hutchinson said her son loves being out on the ice and the new restrictions are understandable.

“It means the world just to be able to get out of the house and do something, be active,” Hutchinson said. “We’re just happy to be out on the ice so we’re going to do whatever it takes to be out there.”

Games are due to start this weekend, the product of months of effort by the Highland Storm to keep the hockey season alive, even if restricted. So far, there are no confirmed COVID cases stemming from the practices.

“They’ve put in an incredible amount of works and hours just to make this happen,” McCracken said of the Storm executive. “I’m truly thankful for the amount of dedication they have to youth playing hockey.”

Outdoors and creativity at heart of Highlands’ vision for tourism

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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MMGY NextFactor senior vice president, Greg Oates, presents at a town hall event for a Destination Development Plan March 3. File photo.

Stakeholders envisioned how to make Haliburton a place where anyone can “celebrate the essence of Canada’s outdoor and creative spirit.”

That was the guiding vision pitched Oct. 19 by consultant MMGY NextFactor as part of a Destination Development Plan it is making for the County. More than 25 people attended an online visioning workshop to provide more feedback before it is brought to County council next month.

The draft plan was made with public input collected by surveys and town halls dating back to May 2019. NextFactor senior vice president, Greg Oates, said the plan will help the County grow while addressing challenges identified by stakeholders, such as youth and worker retention.

“In Haliburton Highlands, you’re completely, it seems, based on the data, leaving money on the table. Because there’s demand for businesses but not the people to support those businesses,” Oates said. “It’s a more long-term, overarching, sophisticated thinking that realizes that certain challenges need to be addressed in alignment with the marketing and driving growth.”

The draft plan is still subject to change but featured four strategic goals: optimizing the year-round visitor economy, diversifying destination development, enhancing the destination brand and strengthening community collaboration. To achieve those, NextFactor suggested many different strategies based on feedback, such as more gatherings amongst the tourism sector, expanding events and business hours and exploring options for more revenue such as a bed tax.

Attendees offered a range of feedback, such as how to improve marketing. Oates quoted one anonymous stakeholder as saying, “half of the people we speak to in Toronto don’t know about Haliburton Highlands.”

“We work at the tourism trade shows every year and concur with this statement,” Barbara Kraus said. “The 50 per cent that have heard of us generally have a family/ friend’s cottage, so the exposure, for the most part, does not come through our marketing.”

A point of contention was the promotion of Algonquin Provincial Park, 12 per cent of which is in Haliburton. Oates said that brings cache to the destination, but stakeholders pushed back and said there should be more promotion of other outdoor experiences.

“Algonquin Park is overused. Brand may be useful but we have great (maybe better) Algonquin landscapes and experiences,” Barrie Martin said.

NextFactor identified other challenges to tourism in the area, such as the need for more programming, transportation and long-term planning. Although outdoor recreation is the primary tourism driver, Oates said other initiatives such as arts, culture and food are also needed to increase visitor spending.

Ontario Highlands Tourism Organization executive director Nicole Whiting said it was important for Haliburton County to trust in the process, even in the pandemic.

“With everything happening right now, I find it super exciting we have an opportunity to focus on a discussion that is focused on possibilities. We’re living through a very stressful and difficult time but eventually, it will be behind us,” she said. “I have 100 per cent confidence this process is going to position Haliburton Highlands for a solid recovery.”

New master plan for Head Lake Park

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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A new design for Head Lake Park as part of a draft master plan unveiled Oct. 20. Photo via Basterfield and Associates.

Dysart et al unveiled a vision for Head Lake Park Oct. 20 with a proposed master plan that would add a variety of new features.

Peterborough-based architectural firm Basterfield and Associates was hired to oversee the plan’s creation and revealed its draft to a group of municipal officials and stakeholders Oct. 20. The plan envisions a massive transformation of the park and proposes additions such as a splash pad, off-leash dog park, a new northern bridge and pathway improvements.

A wide range of community representatives offered feedback, including members of the local Rotary Club, Lions Club, the snowmobile association and the Haliburton County Farmers Market. Landscape architect Brian Basterfield said he was glad to hear from a range of sources.

“You can’t get a good design solution unless you get everybody at the table,” Basterfield said. “We’re pretty darn close to something that can be truly a master plan that speaks to the future opportunities.”

The plan also proposes a new walkaway around the stage area, a large central green area, a library park plaza, an expanded playground, a reconstructed water feature replacing the fountain and new tree planting.

Basterfield said this is a long-term plan that could take 10-20 years to fully implement but would allow the municipality to take advantage of grant opportunities as they come.

“We’re all going to be much poorer at the end of this COVID response in terms of government funds,” he said. “It’s not to say things can’t continue to move forward in a very staged process.”

“It will be up for council to decide the priorities and what gets done.” Mayor Andrea Roberts said. “Unless you want your taxes to go sky high, we’ll never get this all done at once.”

Attendees made several suggestions to adjust the plan, such as a new dock on the north end of the park and adding fruit trees. Group representatives also raised questions to ensure the new features would not hamper the park’s ability to accommodate their regular activities.

Additions like the splash pad, proposed for the north end of the park near Rotary Beach, will take further technical work before coming into being.

“This needs to be viewed as a blueprint for moving forward with ideas and locations,” Basterfield said. “There would be a whole series of design exercises attached to establishing a splash pad.”

Basterfield said they will adjust the plan based on feedback before presenting it to council for final approval, likely in December.

“I really want to thank the stakeholders for your interest and dedication in helping make sure this project is right for our community now and in the future,” Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy said. “Lots of exciting things to come.”

Picketing for change to long-term care homes

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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Terry Hartwick was one of the local Long-Term Care Coalition Haliburton-CKL members who held an information picket in Haliburton Oct. 8. Photo by Lisa Gervais.

With a sign attached to her windshield reading ‘LTC action day – our seniors matter,’ Terry Hartwick said she came to a Dysart municipal parking lot with other members of the Long-Term Care Coalition Haliburton-CKL on Oct. 8 to raise awareness.

“One of the things is people in general, and communities in general, don’t really know how long-term care is run unless they’ve had a loved one in a home. So, I think that it’s really important that we make it known,” Hartwick said.

Other placards coalition members placed on their cars included, ‘seniors, not profits,’ ‘fix LTC – seniors matter,’ and ‘put the love back in long term care’.”

They gathered in the municipal parking lot across from Baked and Battered.

Hartwick said, “we’re a grassroots coalition for Haliburton-City of Kawartha Lakes and we’re doing this in Haliburton today. We’re wanting change in long-term care and we need it now.”

She said that 80 per cent of deaths from COVID have been in long-term care homes. She acknowledged that locally, she knows of no positive cases of COVID-19 and no deaths in any Haliburton County long-term care homes. She said they are lobbying on behalf of the “wider” experience.

“So, we’re looking for some short-term and long-term goals, for instance, getting rid of four-bed wards, giving PSWs more pay and more benefits, more staffing in general so that there’s four hours per day minimum per resident of direct care and staff working in only one facility. We’re also looking at an increase in infection prevention and control,” Hartwick said.

She added the other main goal is getting long-term care included under the Canada Health Act. She said proponents are hoping to make a submission to the federal government by Feb. 1, 2021.

The local coalition spokesperson added they are collaborating with other entities, such as the Services Employees International Union, the Ontario Health Coalition, and the Ontario Medical Association and local doctors. “So, we’re working together with lots of people to have a strong voice.”

Hartwick added the reason she is taking a lead role in the local coalition is that her parents were in long-term care in Haliburton’s Highland Wood. Both have now passed away, including her mom in 2019 around the time of the Highland Wood roof leak evacuation.

“So that was a hard move for everybody right … really hard … I’m honouring both of my parents.” She added that at 72, she herself could be looking at a move into long-term care “in a few years from now.”

For more information, contact: hckllongtermcarecoalition@gmail.com or go to their Facebook page: Haliburton-CKL Long-Term Care Coalition.

Dysart residents want action on speeding

By
Lisa Gervais
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Haliburton Lake Cottagers’ Association president Glenn Scott (left) and Fort Irwin Residents’ Association treasurer Joe DiFrancesco stand next to a new (slow down) sign put up at Haliburton Lake Road July 4. Photo submitted.

Residents and visitors’ need for speed in Dysart et al was a topic of discussions at the Oct. 13 committee of the whole meeting.

There was a request by taxpayers for warning signage on Loon Lake Road, and to lower the speed limit on Wigamog Road. Director of public works, Rob Camelon, said he didn’t know if requests were being made because the municipality has done traffic counts, “but it just feels like the floodgates are opening on people concerned with vehicles travelling perceivably fast on municipal roads.”

Camelon said he had concerns with what was being asked for in the Loon Lake Road area.

“I don’t think there’s a speeding issue there if they’re doing 50 km/h,” he said of the majority of drivers. “What I’m finding now is there is a lot of perceived speeding on some of these roads.”

Camelon said that might have to do with road alignment or brush “but I don’t think it’s something that signage is going to fix.”

He is further worried about setting a precedent creating sign pollution. The Haliburton Lake Cottagers Association and Fort Irwin Residents Association received approval in the summer to post signs in the Fort Irwin area. The association provided the signs, and council the poles and installation.

Mayor Andrea Roberts asked if that could be done in this case.

However, Coun. John Smith said there was no data to prove the Haliburton Lake signs had made a difference and council should adopt a more holistic approach, including community safety zones. Camelon stressed he’s not an advocate of signs.

“If they don’t want to pay attention to the black and white signs saying 50 km/h, they’re probably not going to pay attention to the other ones.”

He added if they approve signs for Loon Lake Road, other requests will pour in.

Coun. Larry Clarke wondered if the township could ascertain where things such as sightlines make it sensible to have signage for safety reasons, versus a community initiative.

Deputy-Mayor Pat Kennedy said it’s people’s neighbours that are speeding and perhaps it’s about education by lake associations and OPP enforcement.

“It’s your neighbour that’s speeding, not Joe Blow from Kokomo driving through to get from one area to another … Perhaps a letter from council to the OPP asking for some presence for the $2.2-million a year we’re giving them to help the speeding on some of our side roads may also be beneficial,” he said.

Coun. Walt McKechnie agreed with lake associations getting the message out that people need to slow down.

When it came to the ask to reduce the speed limit on Wigamog Road, Coun. Nancy Woods-Roberts said it is a busy road, narrow, densely-populated, pedestrians cross the road to access the lake, and there is a school bus using it.

“I think we should reduce the limit on that somewhat if we have the capability,” she said, suggesting at least to 40 km/h.

Camelon pointed out it is a shared road with the Township of Minden Hills so they would have to consult with them.

Kennedy stressed it’s about education there as well, since some people walk three abreast on both sides of the road. Staff were again concerned about setting a precedent.

“If we do Wigamog, why not Wonderland, or Peninsula?” Camelon asked.

Roberts agreed that Camelon should come back to council with a bigger picture report on the issue.

Council received both requests for information only.

McKecknie said at the end of the day, it comes down to common sense.

“You can’t fix stupid. We’re all driving too fast.”

Police investigating fatal collision in Highlands East

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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Emergency responders on the scene of a fatal collision on Glamorgan Road Oct. 16. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Police are investigating a fatal single-vehicle collision in Highlands East on Glamorgan Road Oct. 16.

In a press release, Haliburton Highlands OPP said they responded to the scene around 7:50 p.m. alongside the Highlands East Fire Department and the Haliburton County Paramedic Services.

Paramedics transported the driver of the vehicle, 44-year-old Jeffrey Teatro of Haliburton, to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. A post-mortem examination is scheduled.

Glamorgan Road was closed for several hours while the OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigators attended the scene, but police have since reopened the road.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation.

Authorities investigate fatal Highlands East fire

By
Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter
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The Office of the Fire Marshal investigated a fatal fire in Highlands East Oct. 15 and 16.

The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) is investigating a fatal home fire in Highlands East on Glamor Lake Road Oct. 15.

Haliburton Highlands OPP, the Highlands East Fire Department and Haliburton County Paramedic Services responded to the scene around 4:40 a.m. After firefighters put out the blaze, the OFM attended and fire investigations supervisor Richard Derstroff said they recovered one deceased victim from the debris later in the day.

The OFM was on scene again Oct. 16 and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation, Derstroff said.

“There was a lot of damage and a lot of information to go through,” Derstroff said. “The entire structure was into the basement, was into the foundation.”

Derstroff said three family members did make it out of the fire, but there were some injuries. He said the OFM has not had the opportunity to interview them yet.

He said OPP and the Highlands East Fire Department are co-ordinating on the case but could not provide an estimate for how long the investigation might take.

A post-mortem investigation of the victim is scheduled for Monday.

The Highlander will update this story as more information is made available.
              

Minden and Dysart volunteers knock down fire

By
Lisa Gervais
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No one was hurt when a cottage caught fire in Minden Hills Oct. 15.

Minden Hills fire Chief Nelson Johnson said his department responded at 4:38 p.m., arriving at a single family detached cottage on Curtiss Road in about eight minutes.  

“With four firefighters arriving with the initial group, we deployed two hose lines to contain the fire,” Johnson said.

He said the resident of the cottage was on scene, discovered the fire and reported the situation, including that there was no one in the building. 

He said his department quickly controlled the fire with the initial team while the second arriving team set up a portable pump from the lake to provide water to the fire engine.

Other firefighters started to arrive and there were 10 volunteers from Minden Hills. Johnson said they called for assistance from Dysart, so there were more than 20 volunteer firefighters to assist.

The fire was controlled by 6 p.m. and extinguished by 7 p.m. with the fire department off scene by 7.30 p.m.

 “I would like to thank the volunteers that responded to assist with the control of the structure fire. Everyone was a great help and the teamwork displayed allowed us to have the fire under control in a short time,” Johnson said.

“We also would like to thank Dysart et al fire department with their assistance during this incident. They provided a valuable service and we greatly appreciate having the resources available when needed. “

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