Ever since the snow melted, 76-year-old Peter McLuskey has been pedaling around Eagle Lake on his bike.
He’s not riding strictly for pleasure, and he’s certainly not taking it easy.
McLuskey is training for a 70-kilometer charity ride in Ottawa, one of three cycling events he spent months training for this winter.
He’s raised more than $900 for the ride so far, with all proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario’s (CHEO) cancer treatment programs
McLuskey decided to participate due to a decline in physical fitness that began with a hip replacement in his early 70s.
In the years following, he became slower on his bike.
“I thought if I carried on going downhill like this it’s going to make me a really old man,” he said.
So, he decided to start training.
Throughout the winter, McLuskey logged hours of indoor workouts, guided by video classes and self-monitoring blood
pressure and heart rate.
Windy conditions have made
on-the-road training difficult this spring, but McLuskey said it’s important to gauge his condition by hitting the hills. Eagle Lake has plenty. He’ll often ride around County Road 6, up Highway 118 and loops around Irish Line.
As he begins this season’s calendar of rides, he said age and experience count for a lot on long-distance rides. After the start, he said, “these young guys go like the clappers about 20 kilometers down the road.”
The burst of speed can’t be sustained, and McLuskey often will cruise right by them.
He’s received good-natured pushback from friends about riding long-distance in his mid- 70s, but he said it’s important to keep moving and active no matter your age.
“Try to do something. We’re at an age now where there might be no tomorrow,” he said.
To donate to McLuskey’s fundraiser search for Peter McLuskey on cheofoundation.donordrive.com
Cyclist fights aging with charity rides
Bringing the world to Haliburton once again
The world is coming back to Haliburton County May 1 as Razzamataz returns after more than a two-year COVID-19 hiatus.
The Razzamataz committee is presenting the Kif-Kif Sisters at 2 p.m. at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavillion.
Programmer Isabel Buttler recalled the last show was on March 1, 2020 and there was some concern it might be the final forever.
They lost some committee members from an already small rank of longtime volunteers and then a global pandemic struck.
She said some of their helpers, such as herself, Jolene Thomas and Dawn Mole-Hurd joined when their children were babies and toddlers but they are now growing up.
They had not been able to attract new volunteers and were worried they may have to fold, “which would be a huge loss for families in the community,” Buttler said.
But some new members have come forward to steady the ship and the current committee is more hopeful of continuing a tradition that has been ongoing for 33 years now.
They are planning for a full 2022- 2023 season of shows starting in the fall and running until May 2023. Buttler is pleased with the result.
“I have been the programmer, and it’s always been fun to program Razzamataz. Razzamataz has been able to offer these shows with really great artists for such an affordable price because we’re funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Arts Council. They basically subsidize all the tickets for the shows.
“One of our mandates is to bring in artists from diverse cultural backgrounds and different art forms, or genres, to bring the world to Haliburton so families don’t have to travel, especially with travel being so expensive.”
Buttler added they are still looking for volunteers. “Many hands make light work.”
The Kif-Kif Sisters
The Kif-Kif Sisters are bringing their show ‘Returns Department.’
They are identical twins from Quebec City who have completed studies at the Conservatory of Music and done street performances in 15 countries. In Canada, they have worked with Theatre de l’Aubergine and the Cirque du Soleil.
“We use laughter to unleash the audience’s emotions and always involve them in our performances, allowing them to be a part of the fun while experiencing a unique and intimate event,” the sisters said.
In this show, a pair of twin sisters welcome the audience to the Returns Department. On their conveyor belt, a parade of objects, manufacturing errors, and dysfunctional accessories appear. Labouring with love, the twins handle complaints like boxes of candy.
Little by little, the temptation to play with the merchandise before them takes hold, the objects themselves play some tricks of their own.
Tickets are available online at www. razzamataz.ca or by contacting Dawn Mole-Hurd at 705-854-0728. Masks must be worn.
Spring the best time to detail your vehicle
If you think you can use a bucket of soap and water and a dry vac to clean your vehicle after a long winter in the Highlands, think again.
Louis Laurcella has been detailing vehicles for 40 years, starting in Toronto where he was one of few who offered the service.
The popularity of the industry has grown, he said, and more people are opting for professional car clean ups.
His business, Louie’s Car Care just outside of Haliburton Village, is booking two weeks out as people look at their rides this spring and realize they’re a bit of a mess.
He said with COVID, a lot of people were busy working from home and their children were at home for long learn-from-home stretches so it was hard to find time to give their vehicles much attention. We’ve also emerged from a long, cold, snowy and icy winter.
Laurcella said sand from area roads, and salt from outside roads, has done a number on people’s floor mats and carpets.
He said hard salt stains are difficult to clean up at home. They use a special salt remover that brings it out so it can be vacuumed and then shampooed.
Vacuums for home use don’t have the suction power to really get upholstery cleaned, he said. They have a tool called the Tornado. In addition, he said they don’t just vacuum, Tornado, and shampoo once, but sometimes four or five times so the carpet comes out “brand spanking new.”
He said detailers offer a range of services depending on people’s budgets.
“Here in Haliburton County, some people don’t have the money to spend on their vehicles. We try and be reasonable,” he said. Laurcella added he’s conscious that seniors in particular are on fixed incomes and budgets.
He said in Toronto, people can pay $75 for a basic exterior car wash and $300 to $400 for interior cleanups alone.
Louie’s and other details have basic, medium and higher-end packages. “It all depends what people want.”
For exteriors, they can wash, polish, wax, apply ceramic coating and remove minor scratches.
This time of year, Laurcella suggests people do at least a basic package at a detailer. This usually involves washing the outside, including under the wheel wells, exterior windows, then inside upholstery, vinyl and windows. A basic service can take three hours.
Laurcella said a lot of people think they can do the job at home, or the local car wash, but “there’s a lot more work involved. People don’t really know how much work is involved.” He added detailers have tools for every stage of the process.
“People think a bucket and soap is all you need, but that’s not true. If you want to keep the value of the vehicle, I recommend getting it detailed once a year. It brings back the life of the vehicle.”
Laurcella added detailers take pride in their work.
“If I was paying the money for this vehicle to get done, I would want a good job … so I look at it that way.”
Spring workshops share creative passions
From sketching and knitting to floral crafting, seasoned creatives are teaching 16 arts workshops aimed at kids and adults this spring.
Organized by the Arts Council Haliburton Highlands (ACHH), the series will run from April 25 to May 28 at various locations.
“We were really pleased with the variety and diversity of the workshop proposals we received.” said Chris Lynd of the ACHH in a press release. “Choosing just sixteen was a challenge.”
The workshops don’t require prior experience. Kids workshops are free and workshops for adults cost $10.
They include sessions on knitting, creative writing, acting, upcycled fashion, crafting bracelets and more.
“I love showing people you can do very simple things with simple materials,” said Noelia Marziali, an artist who will be loading workshops on claymation for kids and floriography for adults.
She said she feels people are “hungry” for live, in-person creative events after so long apart or sharing virtually.
Marziali said she’s especially excited to share her love of claymation with kids.
“You can combine something very tactile, with something technology-based. I love the marriage of those two worlds,” she said.
“It’s pretty magical, it has the potential to really suck someone in. They can walk away in a little over an hour with a video that brings an inanimate object to life.”
Registration information and a full list of workshops can be found at: https://www. eventbrite.com/cc/community-workshopproject-275909
Scott talks economy and social services
The cracks in the Highlands’ workforce took centre stage at The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce’s (HHCC) first in-person event in two years.
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott, the event’s keynote speaker, engaged in discussion about the future of the Highlands’ economy and social services during the gathering at the Haliburton Legion April 20.
“It’s a watershed moment for Haliburton County,” Scott told the crowd.
She described how she’s seen the pandemic “throw lots of curveballs” but applauded the adaptation she’s seen in Haliburton County’s business community in the face of expansive population growth and COVID-19.
The discussion gradually became focused on labour shortages, which have plagued every corner of the region’s economy in 2021 and 2022.
Scott pointed to the suite of Ontario-funded incentives, crafted to attract young Highlanders into the trades, nursing and personal support worker roles, as possible workforce boosters. These include offering tool rebates, free schooling and signing bonuses in multiple professions.
But many business owners or organization leaders at the event said it’s still difficult to acquire long-term staff.
“I’m trying to find ways to attract young families here,” said Greg Hebert of Oakview Lodge & Marina. He said declining high school numbers and young families moving away are contributing to the workforce troubles. “What’s keeping young parents here?” he asked.
Haliburton County Public Library CEO Christopher Stephenson said he receives job applications from around the world but lack of housing is a sticking point. “We’re on the map, people want to come here … but when I get into the interview scenario one of the questions I have to ask is what’s your plan for housing?”
Stephenson said he commuted an hour to Haliburton County for months before finding accommodation.
He said internet connectivity for libraries might have been top of mind in the past, but housing issues have become a “really big barrier” for the library service.
Mark Bell, chamber president, asked about provincial incentives to drive up affordable building activity such as allowing tiny homes or easing severance rules.
Chamber executive director Robert Gaudette said boosting the County’s workforce participation rate, which reflects how many people are seeking jobs, could be a good first step.
“We have a lot of folks here. We could take some time to … find out what would move them closer to the labour market, and what’s holding them back,” he said.
“I agree,” replied Scott. “That’s why there’s the personal support worker [high school education program]: to get young people in that high school trained up now.”
Aggie Tose, executive officer of the Haliburton County Home Builders Association, called for more accurate statistics on the number of job vacancies in the Highlands and the corresponding housing needs.
“Until we get those numbers together, I don’t think we have any idea how far behind we are,” she said.
Mike Moffatt, a Canadian economist, said in a November 2021 webinar that Haliburton County needs 1,190 homes built by 2031 in order to keep up with demand.
Scott said she agreed the housing market and employment struggles are intertwined.
“We have a whole bunch of people we have to bring here and get employed, we have to house them,” she said.
Build activity prompts HE application changes
Highlands East has tweaked permit application processes to simplify staff workflow and minimize application mistakes.
The moves come as staff report record-breaking building activity in 2021 with 14.6 per cent population growth since 2016.
At an April 19 council meeting, the township voted to standardize the way site plan applications record a building’s setback from municipally-owned land.
“Building and planning staff have seen an increase in proposals not compliant with building bylaws,” said junior planner Kim Roberts.
She said previous builds have inadvertently overstepped into municipal road allowances, for example.
The township also accepted a recommendation to revise planning application costs.
Current planning fees, said Roberts, are “pretty bare bones.”
Highlands East saw construction values exceed $40 million in 2021.
“We know people are building bigger houses, bigger cottages,” Roberts said.
A new standardized system will mean a flat fee, instead of a refundable deposit and non-refundable administration fee.
“This will better capture municipal staff time and decrease the administrative burden on finance staff to reconcile individual accounts,” reads a staff report.
The new standardized fee for residential site plan agreements will be $1200. That fee doesn’t apply to most residential building applications.
Coun. Cec Ryall said he worried increased fees would stagnate building activity.
Roberts said fees for most residences wouldn’t rise.
“Where we see the difference is where people are wanting to make major changes,” she said.
Roberts added that affordable developments could still benefit from municipal incentives such as waived fees.
Temporary use changes
Building a temporary dwelling on a job site will now require a $5,000 deposit.
Temporary residences, often built during the construction of a house on the same property, can only be used for one year, after which the deposit is returned.
Roberts said this will make it easier to document when an agreement is up.
“We are able to essentially put a calendar reminder to follow up with those folks,” she said.
Coun. Suzanne Partridge asked how the department will enforce the year-long term limit. Roberts said the deposit will likely be enough of an incentive.
“Most people in the middle of a construction project do want to get their $5,000 at the end,” she said.
Municipal land purchase requires consultation
The township is standardizing the application process for use of municipal land. While Highlands East has a policy in place regarding unopened road allowances, Roberts said many applications center on the use of land-crossing trails, or docks which are adjacent to municipal road allowances.
Applications must enter a usage agreement with the County, and the use of municipal lands does not mean it’s exclusively used by the landowner.
Without a policy in place, Roberts said the township is making these decisions on an “ad-hoc” basis.
Municipal access and encroachment applications would trigger the notification of nearby residents who could voice concerns to staff and council.
Staff get mileage hike
Highlands East will join the County’s other lower-tier municipalities in hiking gas reimbursement rates.
The rate will be tied to the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) suggested allowance of $0.61 for the first 5,000 km and $0.55 after.
“It was felt simplest if we followed what CRA provides as their mileage,” said CAO Shannon Hunter.
Hunter explained the CRA gauges appropriate mileage rates based on a number of factors including gas prices and inflation.
Minden Hills tax levy likely 5.5 per cent hike
Minden Hills’ latest draft budget is 1.5 per cent higher than the previous, bringing the anticipated 2022 tax levy to 5.5 per cent. It will mean an additional $16.33 per $100,000 of residential assessment for taxpayers.
The draft also includes $6.7 million in projects funded through debt.
On April 20, council voted to provisionally approve the budget ahead of an April 28 meeting where the public can comment, such as on a governance model for the Agnes Jamieson Gallery. The township is expected to adopt the budget at that meeting.
Coun. Bob Carter voted against the draft over concerns about the funding model. He said using debt financing to complete projects such as Scotch Line reconstruction would impact ratepayers next year in a “double-digit” 2023 budget.
“It’s like we’re borrowing money for operational expenses … that is something philosophically I am opposed to,” Carter said. Staff said a double-digit increase is unlikely.
The $3,495,700 reconstruction is set to be financed through debenture, money borrowed by the township and repaid yearover-year.
Staff proposed borrowing $6,760,578 for projects completed in 2022. Yearly interest costs are estimated to be $578,630, which staff said will call for a six per cent 2023 tax rate increase.
“We do feel that it is important [the road reconstruction] begins in 2022,” said McKibbin. Staff estimated the roads will cost $25,000 annually to service as their condition declines.
A staff report said financing the work through the tax levy would push this year’s budget past a 5.5 per cent rise.
Mayor Brent Devolin said “the product we’re going to get in the end is a much more substantial road. It isn’t just a light upgrade or repurposing … this is a substantially different road that is going to come out the other end.”
Carter said since the project doesn’t yet have completed engineering plans, “the chances are, it’s not going to be done in 2022.”
Snack bar conversation continues
The township is likely to approve using $300,000 of borrowed funds to retrofit the recently-opened arena snack bar – a recommendation that continues to spark controversy at meetings.
Coun. Pam Sayne said she “cannot support” using taxpayer funds to outfit the space, which the Huskies will be responsable for opperating.
“If we’re going to do any kind of debenture of $300,000, we should put it into services we’re trying to maintain as opposed to services that are not for the full municipality,” Sayne said. “Whether it’s the boardwalk or boat ramps that everybody uses in the community, I think we’ve pulled way too much towards the arena at this point.”
Deputy Mayor Lisa Schell called the snack bar a “necessity,” and said the Huskies’ game-day attendance proves how dire the need is.
“It’s so important to have within a community centre when you have user groups using it,” she said. “I think more people will use a snack bar … than a boat launch at Bob Lake.”
Coun. Jean Neville said since a municipal tender, released three times, went unanswered, it makes sense to supply the space to the Huskies.
“Councillor Sayne obviously hasn’t been there when there are hundreds of people in that arena who desperately want a snack bar,” she said.
Council also approved a two per cent water rate increase and five per cent wastewater increase for Minden and Lutterworth ratepayers.
Minimum rates for property owners on Minden’s water systems will be approximately $47.80 more annually, while in Lutterworth it will be a $24.01 hike.
Businesses search for workers at job fair
Businesses at a Haliburton Highlands Secondary School job fair said they’re struggling to fill vacancies before a busy summer.
An estimated 100 high schoolers and a scattering of adult job seekers attended the fair, organized by the Haliburton County Home Builders Association (HCHBA)
Glen Rickerby, Home Hardware district manager, estimated 40 per cent of teens who attended stopped at employers’ tables to chat.
High school student Rio O’Malley said teens are looking to “have fun, work with good people and make money” at parttime jobs. O’Malley is working multiple jobs this summer, and said a “good work environment” makes for an attractive workplace.
Damon Harriss, another student, said some of his classmates don’t want to work in the summer because they’re at cottages or playing sports.
“Some people don’t want to work in something they’re not interested in,” he said.
Harriss plays sports all summer and looks for schedule flexibility in potential jobs.
HCHBA executive officer Aggie Tose said in an email that “The students and public that attended were very engaged. The students had very appropriate questions.”
Rickerby said it has been “extremely tough” to hire seasonal and full-time staff since 2020, with both Haliburton County locations seeking to fill a combined 40 positions.
He received approximately 300 resumes in 2019 and 40 in 2020, and said they’ll likely be understaffed this summer.
“We push through and adapt,” he said. “I’m hoping we can not only hire, but get the students involved. Interacting with people you don’t know is a life skill.”
Others from businesses such as Kawartha Dairy and BKS Carpentry said positions have gone unfilled for months.
Some pointed to the discontinued Canadian Response Benefit or employment insurance as reasons why Highlanders may not be seeking jobs.
While it’s difficult to gauge how those programs might have impacted the Highlands’ labour force, unemployment rates in Canada are at pre-COVID-19 levels.
In fact, the labour participation rate — people employed or looking for work — aged 15-24 was 64.7 per cent in February 2022 and 65.4 per cent in February 2020.
Dysart to get legal help on land use
Confusion and complaints have prompted Dysart et al to seek legal advice on private docks and paths which encroach on municipal land.
Council received a complaint at its April 26 meeting pertaining to a $500-a-year agreement permitting a dock and trail on a municipally-owned section of Lake Kashagawigamog.
According to Virginia MacLean, a lawyer representing an anonymous client, council failed to provide public notice before rendering the decision in 2011, and the agreement violates a provision under Ontario’s 2001 Municipal Act that the lands should be an “open highway” for public use.
Deputy mayor Patrick Kennedy said the issue wasn’t about the individual property. Similar agreements about unopened road allowances are common across Haliburton County.
“I think we need to go back right to the drawing board and rethink what we’re doing with unopened road allowances,” he said.
Mayor Andrea Roberts suggested the township defer the file until it receives legal advice.
Roberts and other members of council said the use of municipal land for private docks and structures is a widespread issue.
A following agenda item concerned an application for a shared dock on Mink Road which sparked further discussion of municipal land-use rules.
Five landowners submitted a joint request to erect two docks on a municipal slice of Long Lake waterfront.
Director of planning Jeff Iles said the application contravenes the township’s official plan which states road allowances are to be preserved for lake access for the general public and not add to an already crowded lake. The recreational carrying capacity for Long Lake is 53 lots, however there are currently 159.
However, the applicants are already using the area for water access.
The landowners were instructed to remove existing docks in 2021 but representatives from the group said they were unable to do so since the lake was frozen.
Nick Neag, who spoke on behalf of the property owners, said he understood concerns about increased pressure on the area’s lakes and influx of rental activity, but said none of the land owners plans to rent out their properties. He added there won’t be structures erected on shore.
Coun. John Smith said it was an inappropriate use of public land and suggested paying contractors to come in and remove docks.
“Frankly the backlot owners have completely ignored orders and instructions given to them to have their docks removed,” he said.
The application prompted public correspondence in support of the land use and rebuking it.
One email from Trevor Benson, a local landowner, argued that permitting docks and private structures on public waterfront access is unfair to waterfront property owners paying extra fees for their lake access.
“It seems to us that giving a license of occupation for a minimal fee is incomprehensible,” he said.
Roberts said it was important to judge each land use application similarly.
“It’s hard to be heavy-handed on one hand and lenient on the other,” she said.
Coun. Walt McKechnie pointed out his window to docks on municipally-owned land on Moose Lake. He said diving into the issue was “opening a big can of worms.”
Council voted to allow a one-year license of occupation for the docks on Long Lake, with Roberts suggesting that license of occupation agreements are “all about the liability” of using municipal land.
Moffatt third mayor out of election race
After 16 years of public service, Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt announced April 23 she will not be seeking re-election in the fall.
She joins Dysart et al mayor Andrea Roberts and Minden Hills mayor Brent Devolin in exiting public life following this term of office. The municipal elections are slated for Oct. 24 this year.
Moffatt said the decision was “tremendously difficult” and came with “mixed emotions.” “
While I’m passionately drawn to participating in what’s ahead for the Haliburton Highlands, it’s no secret to many that I’ve been at a personal crossroads for some time now,” she said.
“As the days have ticked along, it’s become very clear that ‘some day’ is now, so I’m choosing to shift my focus to the many personal pursuits I’ve set aside throughout 16 years of public service.
“Politics is an oddly captivating challenge that I’ll certainly miss being involved in – and there will undoubtedly be days when I’ll question this choice but for right now, it’s the right one for me.
She went on to say, “I’m excited for the revival of unfinished projects and the start of new ones. There are histories to preserve, photographs to make, stories to write and many roads to travel.”
Moffatt cautioned would-be councillors that the job is not “for the faint of heart, and yet we need people full of heart to do it.
“To those seeking office this fall: be strong, fair, responsive and open-minded. Work to build better forward, and remember that the correct decisions are rarely the popular ones.
“To those voting this fall: choose flexible, forward thinkers with broad knowledge who can listen and work as a team toward progress.”
The new Algonquin Highlands council will be sworn in Nov. 15 and until then, Moffatt said her commitment to governance, both at the lower-tier township and upper-tier County of Haliburton “is steadfast; and I’ll work toward a collaborative leadership transition.”
She added she was grateful for “this amazing experience” and thanked members of council, staff, and the public for putting their faith in her over the years.
Proud of hands-on research
Moffatt first ran for council in 1994 but lost by 22 votes. She then became heavily involved in the community. She was elected to her first term as a councillor in 2006 and was acclaimed as mayor in 2010, 2014 and 2018. She has also served as County warden.
She said that when first elected in 2010, she handed CAO Angie Bird a list of more than 80 housekeeping items, such as policies and procedures, and all have been long done.
She’s proud of the township’s “very solid” council-staff working relationships that have fostered progress, collaboration and modernization as part of a team. She joked a well-worn phrase she uses, “we all need to concede something for the greater good” will likely be etched on her tombstone.
She is pleased with her ability to communicate, becoming the first elected official in Haliburton County to use social media for public education and engagement.
Some of the wins have included getting the Ministry of Natural Resources headquarters at Stanhope; being asked to run federally in 2014; being part of an all-female council that made Chatelaine magazine’s top women of influence and a phone call from the prime minister.
At the County, she comments on things such as OPP billing reform, work on the rail trail and tourism director’s job, and more recently the community safety and well-being plan.
“That’s the stuff I feel best about, having had really hands-on and research-based involvement in.”