Thousands getting ready for power outages

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June 16, 2022

UPDATE:

Hydro One has issued the following corrections to its outage schedule:

Pine Springs: a planned outage for Monday June 20 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. is now scheduled for Wednesday, June 22 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Carnarvon and area: Tuesday, June 21 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Kennisis Lake, Fort Irwin and Maple Lake: June 26, cancelled.

Thousands of County residents are preparing for Hydro One planned power outages between June 20 and 26.

A spokesperson for the utility said it is because they are investing in improving reliability for residents and businesses by completing upgrades to infrastructure and critical forestry maintenance.

In order for crews to safely complete the work, the spokesperson said three planned power outages are required.

“Our highly-skilled arborists will be completing forestry maintenance that requires specialized equipment to safely remove two large dead trees along Hwy. 35,” the spokesperson said.

Two power outages will take place on:

• Monday, June 20 from 8 a.m. to noon, affecting approximately 460 people in the Pine Springs area.

• Tuesday, June 21 from 8 a.m. to noon, affecting approximately 1,048 customers in the Carnarvon and surrounding areas.

Further, the spokesperson said, “our highly-skilled distribution line crews will be replacing three poles and installing a smart switch; a piece of equipment that can be remotely operated to reduce the number of customers affected by a power outage. As a result, a power outage will take place on:

• Sunday, June 26 from 8 a.m. to noon, affecting approximately 3,900 customers from Maple Lake to Fort Irwin and north to Kennisis Lake

The spokesperson said they understand how difficult it is to be without power and thank customers for their patience as crews complete the important work in the area.

Some tips to help you and your family during an outage:

• Make sure your appliances, such as the stove, are in the off position.

• Make sure your cellphone and extended battery packs are fully charged.

• Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Use a cooler with ice for items you’ll need during the planned outage.

• If your water services will be affected, consider filling jugs of water to use for drinking and cooking.

• If you plan to use a generator, remember to use it in a dry area outdoors away from any open windows, doors and vents. Visit the Electrical Safety Authority at esasafe.com for more tips.

• If your water services will be affected and you have a bathtub, consider filling it with water before the planned outage begins. You can use the water and a bucket to fill your toilet tank to be able to flush.

Affected Hydro One customers have been notified via auto-dialer and can visit Hydro One’s outage map or call 1-888-664-9376 for more information. Right: Hydro One is planning power outages to cut trees and replace equipment.

Minden committee says it’s been ‘totally ignored’

By

Sam Gillett

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June 16, 2022

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Minden Hills Cultural Centre Advisory Committee members (MHCCAC) say the township needs to revise how it conducts committee communications and implement new reporting procedures.

Committee member Jim Mitchell, who tabled the topic at a June 9 meeting, said the committee hadn’t been contacted since the pandemic started until July 2021.

“Since COVID, we’ve been totally ignored,” Mitchell said.

They received no communication on significant staffing events, such as director of community services Craig Belfry’s hiring or the departure of former curator of the Agnes Jamieson gallery Laurie Carmount.

The committee did not hold any meetings from March 2020 until November 2021. The committee has recently been chaired by Mayor Brent Devolin. It was previously chaired by Coun. Jennifer Hughey.

“It seems to me that the township is paying lip service to this committee,” Mitchell said.

Committee member Mary Hamilton said she felt “totally lost, as if there is no communication” between council and the committee.

She said while COVID-19 has made communication difficult, other groups such as the Friends of the Haliburton County Public Library continued to meet virtually.

Mitchell added that the issue began long before lockdowns. Prior to the 2018 election, the MHCCAC submitted a sixpage report with suggestions for council, including topics such as how communication could be improved. He said they heard “almost nothing” from council about their suggestions.

Committee member Erin Kernohan-Berning said recording minutes has been difficult without information from the township on how the committee’s minutes are recorded or addressed. “Lacking that framework, lacking that structure, has made us feel a little adrift. If there is a return to a … framework we can work within, that will be a great improvement,” she said.

Devolin apologized to the committee. He acknowledged “some mistakes were made” in communication efforts. He said COVID19 had an impact as well as staff turnover: Belfry’s position was vacant for more than a year. Both Belfry and CAO Trisha McKibbin began working for Minden Hills during the pandemic.

“I know that’s part of Craig’s feeling that we need to reconcile some of these things,” he said.

Belfry said the advisory committee should be expanded.

“We do need larger community input into here, more membership so we can get the voices,” he said.

A report on the MHCC from Lord Cultural Services, completed in 2020, outlines multiple improvement points for the centre, including bolstering communication with its committees and supporters.

Belfry said he is committed to improving lines of communication between council and the advisory group. The committee has restarted monthly meetings, and Belfry said the hiring of new staff at the centre will position it to restart programming, an area where, he said, the MHCC has been lacking even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There is work to do, there is a huge programming component that is missing,” said Belfry, mentioning how he’d like incoming staff to explore how to expand regular programming beyond arts events.

He added that “there does need to be an arts and culture master plan. That hasn’t happened.”

Change is happening

By

Lisa Gervais

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June 16, 2022

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Taly Williams and Lesley Tashlin mural — Murals are prepared to be mounted on the side of the A.J LaRue arena in Dysart et al, Haliburton, Ontario.

As murals of Lesley Tashlin and Taly Williams were placed on the wall of the A.J. LaRue Arena June 14 – and will be officially unveiled June 18 – one can’t help but feel a wrong has been righted.

Exactly why the two Black athletes were not added to the wall before this is unknown to us. We’ve heard stories but nothing we can substantiate. However, the lack of their inclusion does appear to represent a societal bias of the past. After all, the overlooking of Black athletic performances across Canada has been prevalent.

The fact it took elementary school students to correct this oversight is also telling. The students of Marina Thomazo’s J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School class did what civic leaders of the past and present could not do. They recognized the slight and set out to overturn it.

Dysart’s cultural resources committee, and a subsequent sub-committee, picked up the ball and ran with it. They and the students are the ones who deserve the credit, not the politicians who may take centre stage Saturday.

The students began their quest in March 2021 when they wrote mayor Andrea Roberts – explaining how the accomplishments of the siblings merited a spot on the wall.

On June 22, 2021, council accepted a report from the sub-committee, which included two of the students. The finalized report sought to “remove any barriers to inclusion” on the wall. That included formalized criteria for athlete selection and their connection to the community.

Up to now, all athletes depicted on the arena are white males: NHLers Bernie Nicholls, Ron Stackhouse, Matt Duchene, Cody Hodgson and CFLer Mike Bradley.

JDH Principal David Waito is proud of the way students pushed for change, but believes the focus is on the future and the most important thing now is two athletic heroes are properly being recognized.

He’s right.

Tashlin is the first Haliburton resident to compete for Canada, in the 100-metre hurdles and 4 x 100 metre relay race, at the 1996 Olympics. Williams played defense for the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger Cats from 1994-1996. They both broke multiple sporting records at HHSS. They are role models for all of us.

Across Canada, this story has made waves with athletes and athletic news outlets. Former CFL star Pinball Clemons wrote a letter in support of the students’ campaign, and in May, 2021, Athletics Canada published an article about the effort.

At the end of the day, this isn’t about pointing fingers. It is about recognizing where we as a community have failed in the past and setting out to correct that failure now and into the future. We imagine Saturday’s celebrations will be emotional for Tashlin and Williams. It should be felt by all of us.

June 18 also marks the unveiling of the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame. The first crop of athletes includes a fair share of white males, people such as Bradley, Glen Dart, Hodgson, Joe Iles, Nicholls, Stackhouse, Jake Walker, Ab LaRue, Len Salvatori and three hockey teams.

However, there are people of colour in Tashlin and Williams, and women such as Tashlin, Marla MacNaull, Anna Tomlinson and Linda Brandon.

Wrongs are being righted. Slights are being corrected. Change is happening.

Bell Canada phone services restored at HHHS and municipal offices

By

Sam Gillett

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June 16, 2022

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bell telephone — Haliburton Bell Canada telephone issues

The Haliburton Highlands Health Services and multiple County municipal offices say telephone and landline connection issues affecting Bell Canada customers have been resolved.

“We appreciate the hard work of our staff team to connect and coordinate with Bell to resolve these issues,” said Carolyn Plummer, President & CEO of HHHS. “We are thankful that the issue is resolved.”

Dysart et al, Highlands East and Algonquin Highlands have posted notices stating Bell customers seem to be able to connect to their services again.

A Bell Canada spokesperson said the outages were caused by an issue with Iristel, a company used by Bell Canada to service internet-based phone connection software such as landline messaging systems.

An Iristel spokesperson said the company had temporary issues with their network in the County and “asked Bell to mitigate the potential issue for their customers by routing the traffic to one of our other interconnect points with them but they refused thus impacting clients. We didn’t have this issue with anyone else other than [Bell] customers.”

Bell Canada telephone issues plaguing Haliburton Highlands

By

Sam Gillett

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June 15, 2022

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Businesses, healthcare centres and municipal offices are reporting widespread telephone issues.

All four municipal offices have issued warnings that Bell customers seem unable to connect to their office landlines.

“Bell customers calling on a mobile or landline phone are currently unable to connect. Callers may get a busy signal or a ‘customer not available message’,” states a June 14 media release from the Township of Minden Hills. “Calls placed through other networks such as Rogers, TELUS or NFTC are still connecting.”

The Haliburton Highlands Health Services released a statement regarding similar issues, which seem to be only affecting customers of Bell Canada.

“Work is being done with Bell to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and HHHS will provide an update when the issue is resolved,” reads a June 13 media release. Calls to emergency services do not seem to be affected.

The Haliburton County Public Library also issued a statement on social media notifying callers of the issue.

The Highlander has been made aware of multiple private businesses and individuals experiencing issues connecting to landlines which use Bell services as well.

A Bell Canada spokesperson said the outages are caused by an issue with Iristel, a company used by Bell Canada to service internet-based phone connection software such as landline messaging systems. No estimated timeline for fixing the issue was given.

An Iristel spokesperson said the company had temporary issues with their network in the County and “asked bell to mitigate the potential issue for their customers by routing the traffic to one of our other interconnect points with them but they refused thus impacting clients. We didn’t have this issue with anyone else other than [Bell] customers.”

The Highlander will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Not lame ducks yet

By

Lisa Gervais

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June 13, 2022

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We’re starting to hear the term “lame duck” in reference to municipal councils.

It refers to restricted powers during election periods.

Basically, if new councils are going to be quite different from the old ones come the Oct. 24 election, there will be a period of time where they will be restricted from making key decisions.

The thinking is, even though they’ve not been sworn in – and likely won’t be until November – a new regime is on the way and they are the ones to make key decisions.

Lame duck refers to the period after nomination day Aug. 18 when council could be restricted from appointing or removing any officer of the municipality; hiring or dismissing an employee or disposing of any property with a value of $50,000 when it was acquired, unless included in the 2022 budget passed before nomination day. They are not supposed to make any expenditure or incur any other liability which exceeds $50,000, again, unless included in the 2022 budget.

Council can delegate the authority to carry out these matters to a person or a body when in lame duck. For example, County of Haliburton CAO Mike Rutter is the delegate for that council and CAOS generally get selected.

Lame duck will likely apply to the County, for example, since four of eight incumbents are not running (Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt; Minden Hills mayor Brent Devolin; Dysart et al mayor Andrea Roberts and deputy mayor Pat Kennedy). The other four, Highlands East mayor Dave Burton, deputy mayor Cec Ryall, Minden Hills deputy mayor Lisa Schell and Algonquin Highlands deputy mayor Liz Danielsen are all running but we don’t yet know if they will be acclaimed or if someone will run against them.

Of course, lame duck would not apply in an emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The council could still make decisions for something such as that.

The point, however, is County council still has more than two months to make decisions before nomination day and any question of being in lame duck mode. And indeed, there is nothing stopping them from making many decisions up until Oct. 24, a full four months away.

Yet, for some time now, some of them are already saying they want to defer major decisions to the incoming council. Perhaps the most notable is the shoreline preservation bylaw. Other major items are the service delivery review and short-term rentals.

In our opinion, pushing these big-ticket items to the next council in November would simply be an abdication of councillor responsibility. The council has already made decisions in its 2022 budget around the shoreline preservation bylaw, for example. There is nothing that would prevent them from moving the file forward.

After years, and tens of thousands of dollars, a decision should be made before lame duck. In the same vein, councillors must continue to push forward the service delivery review and make a decision about how they are going to manage short-term rentals in future.

Councillors need to complete the job they were elected to do.

From Haliburton to Everest: Highlander journeys to top of the world

By

Mike Baker

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June 9, 2022

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MB-EverestClimb1 — Photo submitted by Liliya Ianovskaia

It was third time a charm for Highlands resident Liliya Ianovskaia, who last month made history by becoming the oldest Canadian woman to conquer Mount Everest.

The 62-year-old mother of three took several weeks to scale the mountain, the highest point on earth, completing a lifelong dream to reach Everest’s summit.

Her adventure was notable too in that she shared it with one of her daughters, Dasha, the pair becoming only the second mother-daughter duo to make a successful climb. Now back in Canada, Ianovskaia said it was the experience of a lifetime. “The peak of Everest is very special.

While on final approach, it really dawned on me that there was nothing taller in the world. I felt it with every fibre of my being,” Ianovskaia said.

That final approach was years in the making. Ianovskaia dreamed of tackling the beast as far back as 2010, when she first took up mountaineering.

Having had experience rock climbing and ice climbing around the Highlands – with her favourite spots being around Kushog, Raven, Sherbourne and Oxtongue lakes – Ianovskaia found herself yearning for more.

After a few months training, she set out to climb her first mountain, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Africa’s highest mountain, its peak sat 5,895 metres above sea level. A challenge, for sure, Ianovskaia reflects, but that only fueled her desire to chase bigger, more demanding summits. Over the next few years, she would successfully manoeuvre almost a dozen peaks in Europe, North America and South America, including the Matterhorn in Switzerland (4,478 metres), Pico de Arizaba, Mexico (5,636 metres), and Illimani, Bolivia (6,438 metres).

Having mastered the Andes and Alps mountain ranges, Ianovskaia turned her attention to the grandaddy of them all – the Himalayas.

“It took me years of training and preparation for that fleeting moment at the top of the world. For me, it was all worth it.”
Liliya Ianovskaia

In 2018, she and Dasha climbed Ama Dablam in Nepal (6,812 metres), and then, the following year, tackled their first “eight-thousander”, Cho Oyu (8,201 metres), the world’s sixth largest mountain. It was during that Cho Oyu climb that Ianovskaia realized she could conquer Everest. After returning home, she immediately went about planning her excursion. She was to leave in March 2020, but days before her departure the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic and the trip was cancelled.

She spent more than a year training, pushing her body to new limits in the hopes that, when she finally made it to Base Camp, she would have it within her to reach Everest’s summit. Ianovskaia made the trip to Nepal alone in 2021.

While waiting out the weather at Base Camp, she contracted COVID19 and had to be evacuated. She spent 10 days in quarantine before returning home disappointed. Rather than admit defeat, Ianovskaia wanted to give it one more shot. In March, she and Dasha made the trip to Base Camp.

A view from the peak. Photo submitted by Liliya Ianovskaia

On May 14, at 6:20 a.m. local time, they reached the top of the world. “We spent about half an hour at the summit, taking in the moment. There was nothing around but snow, and nothing but clouds and countless mountain peaks below.

“Everest casts a peculiar shadow that has the shape of a perfect pyramid – it was breathtakingly beautiful,” Ianovskaia said. “Somewhere down and to the left of us, there was a large storm happening. We watched it pass, hundreds of tiny lightning strikes passed down below. It was unbelievable.”

The duo flew a conjoined flag at the peak, representing Canada, their home, Belarus, their place of birth, and Ukraine, to show support for the crisis occurring in Europe.

Traversing a chasm on the ascent. Photo submitted by Liliya Ianovskaia

Having returned home May 21, one would have forgiven Ianovskaia for taking a break. Instead, she has already planned her next ascent – K2 in Pakistan.

She leaves later this month. While it took a great amount of training for Ianovskaia to get to the point where she felt comfortable challenging Everest, she firmly believes it’s a task any climber can complete.

“Be courageous and follow your passions, but be realistic about it,” Ianovskaia said, noting that on top of the physical demands, the cost to climb Everest is also substantial. The required permits alone run approximately $11,000 and once flights, equipment and guides have been paid for, it’s not unusual for a single climb to run in the region of $30,000 to $40,000.

“It took me years of training and preparation for that fleeting moment at the top of the world,” she added. “For me, it was all worth it.”

Minden Rotary celebrates 75 years

By

Mike Baker

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June 9, 2022

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With dozens of pivotal community contributions under its belt over the past three quarters of a century, Minden Rotary is the embodiment of its mantra “service above self”.

The club celebrated its 75th anniversary with a dinner gala fundraiser at the Minden Community Centre June 4, inviting past and present members for a trip down memory lane to remember the connections, friendships and projects the group has fostered and supported since its inauguration.

Legacy members and past presidents such as Dick Schell, Bill Obee and Paul Sisson were on hand, much to the delight of outgoing president Lynda Litwin.

“This was a wonderful event to recognize and acknowledge the contributions our club has made to the community over the past 75 years, and it was great to have so many long-standing members in attendance,” Litwin said. “We had a lot of people saying they were close to tears when they walked in, saying it was the first time they had been anywhere or seen anybody in more than two years.”

A member since 2013, Litwin has helped to steady the ship during the COVID-19 pandemic. She played a key role in Rotary’s efforts to staff the vaccination clinics that took place in the community in 2021-22.

“That was one of our biggest success stories. We got the call from the regional health unit saying they were looking for help, and one of our members, Sally Moore, took it over and led the whole effort,” Litwin said.

“We ended up with over 200 volunteers, which is a testament to what a wonderful community we live in.”

When Jeanne Anthon thinks about the many contributions Minden Rotary has made to the community, there was one project that stood above all others.

“I really feel strongly that Minden Rotary ensured the development of our local hospital and provided financial stability to it for a lot of years,” Anthon said, noting the club’s contributions to the original build were around $150,000. “Then you look at things like Rotary Park, the tennis courts, the village green, even the original arena… They might not have happened without Minden Rotary.”

Anthon has been a proud member of the club for 31 years and was one of the first women permitted to join, alongside Shirley Kuni in 1991.

While she admits it took a little while for her to get up to speed with the inner workings of the club, now she couldn’t imagine life without it.

“I consider Rotary like my other family… It has become a very important part of my life,” Anthon said. “I look forward to our weekly meetings. I cherish the friendships I have made over the years. It’s been a pleasure, truly, to put service above self.”

Rotary around the world

Minden Rotary is hosting a ‘Rotary Around the World Meet and Greet’ via Zoom June 13 at 7 p.m.

The event is being described as a sharing of information on the work that Rotary accomplishes around the world and in Haliburton County.

“Our plan is to help folks living locally to know that there is a host of people around the world who are peacekeepers and who find their way to the areas of need… flooding, earthquakes and war,” said Rotarian Sally Moore. “Our Rotarians at home are these kinds of people and we wish to tell the world that it is a family of people who follow the mantra ‘service above self’.”

To access a link to the meeting, contact Moore at info@sunnyrockbb.ca, or by calling 705-286-4922.

The search for Grace is on

By

Sam Gillett

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June 9, 2022

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The Land Between charity is urging Highlanders to keep an eye out for Grace.

The snapping turtle, likely more than 125 years old and known for her missing eye, hibernates in a wetland near the Haliburton Highlands Secondary School on Gelert Road.

Leora Berman, The Land Between chief operating officer, said it’s important Grace is found so she can be fixed with a geotracker device. Aside from an unconfirmed sighting in mid-May, she hasn’t been spotted since 2021 when she was recorded emerging from the wetland on Gelert. The Land Between previously raised concerns over the infilling of an environmentally protected wetland zone on private property within the area Grace likely hibernates.

“We are hopeful because if she’s alive and well, she will be found again,” said Berman. She said turtles are creatures of habit, following regular routes as they move around their habitats.

For example, Grace has arrived at a local family’s dock for 40 years at the same time each year.

Berman urged anyone who spots the large snapping turtle to text or call The Land Between charity (home of the Turtle Guardians program) and provide its location.

“We are located in her neighbourhood and have many staff and volunteers on hand so if we are alerted right away, we should have plenty of time to meet up with her,” Berman said.

Since it’s turtle nesting season, Berman also encouraged people to report sightings of turtle nests too.

All turtles, including painted turtles, are at risk of becoming extinct. To enhance turtle hatchlings’ chances of survival, the Land Between can extract nests in precarious locations by roads or driveways, and they will be hatched in the charity’s climate-controlled facility each summer before being released back into their nesting habitat.

To report a sighting of Grace, nesting turtle or turtle nest, call or text 705-854- 2888. There is a $125 Foodland gift card for helping to locate Grace

Haliburton High school enrollment expected to fall next year

By

Mike Baker

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June 9, 2022

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Enrollment across Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) is expected to drop for the 2022/23 school year.

In a May 24 report, superintendent Tim Ellis said the board is projecting 11,203 elementary students – a slight increase from this year – and 4,773 secondary students in September. According to stats from the Ministry of Education, the board had 10,849 elementary students this school year and 5,645 secondary students.

He indicated this year’s totals were higher than the board had anticipated, attributing that to people relocating from the GTA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Now we’re seeing a trend of folks that lived in Toronto getting recalled back to the city for work… Because of that, our estimated enrollment for this year is going to be lower,” Ellis said.

He noted these were just projections, and the final totals in September could be higher. He indicated, though, that it was better for the board to project low so as to not get caught out with budget forecasts.

Diving into the numbers, Ellis calculated TLDSB would receive around $218 million in revenues next school year. From that, he’s projecting $94.2 million for pupil foundation, which supports classroom and teacher costs; $14.1 million for school foundation, which covers the salaries of principals, viceprincipals and secretaries; $19.6 million in qualifications and experience funding, which Ellis said can differ depending on the number of teacher retirements; $27.6 million in special education funding; $16.1 million for transportation; and $20.5 million for school operational costs.

Trustee John Byrne asked if the projected costs for transportation accounted for the recent increase in fuel costs. Ellis said the ministry uses a fuel escalator and de-escalator algorithm to determine how much money a school board receives to offset the cost of fuel. He noted that amount can change month-to-month, but the board is usually covered.

Ellis said he would be tabling a full budget for trustee consideration in June.

BIRT program making a difference for students

One of the success stories of the current school year, according to superintendent Jennifer Johnston, has been the success of the board’s Behaviour Intervention Resource Team (BIRT).

TLDSB employs three teachers and seven educational assistants to operate the program, which provides in-class supports to youth with behavioural issues.

“These educators are advocates for equity and inclusion… They are able to figure out the underlying issues for the behaviour and put some strategies in place to rectify them,” Johnston said.

During the 2021/22 school year, there have been 157 BIRT referrals board-wide. According to Johnston, the average length of BIRT involvement with a student has been 32 days.

In most cases, a single stint working alongside BIRT educators has resulted in positive behaviour from the student.

“We’re very proud of the work our BIRT team has been able to do this year,” Johnston said.

Measuring success

Director of education Wes Hahn said he will be using two key indicators to measure the board’s success over the next 12 months.

“One of the things we have talked about as a team is professional learning… The pandemic had a big impact, and we couldn’t do a lot of the training we would have liked, but we’re starting to do that and catch up now,” Hahn said. “It’s important we provide our staff the opportunity to develop. I’ve always said you can’t ask people to do things they’re not trained or supported to do.

“Then equity of inclusion is huge too. We want our students to feel like they belong. That includes students with special ed needs, to LGBTQ needs. We have a lot of work to do to continue on that path so they feel connected, reach their potential and achieve success,” he added.