Minden Hills close to finalizing 2022 budget

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March 31, 2022

Minden Hills council held third draft budget talks March 24, decreasing the tax levy increase to about four per cent to date, down from 14.4 per cent in December’s second draft.

CAO and clerk, Trisha McKibbin, said “pressure points” included new staff positions, and increases in salaries and hours. The township is looking to add one staff member in administration and one in finance and two in the building, bylaw and planning department.

McKibbin said they had some special projects, some requiring consultants, such as a pay equity review, short-term rental review in conjunction with the County, recruitment, planning consultants and landfill consultants.

There are some capital costs: for information technology, the fire department, and property maintenance across the township. Council endorsed spending up to $300,000 to equip a canteen at the new arena, which the Haliburton County Huskies will operate and collect 100 per cent of the revenue.

There was also talk of borrowing money and utilizing reserves.

“This is a transitional budget for us,” McKibbin said. “This is to move us forward in 2022, recognizing that we have a lot of work to do in 2022, but we’re looking at using those reserve accounts and debentures for financing.”

She added cost pressures included making the new arena and community centre fully operational this year. There have been additional hires, the arena loan has to be paid off at $629,500 a year and there are added equipment and utility-related costs.

McKibbin advised council they need to focus on four key areas. One is the service delivery review at the County, with Minden Hills asking itself, “what are the services we’re offering? Are they the right services? Are we offering them in the right way? And are we meeting the needs of the public?” Another is recognizing that asset management planning is tied to budgeting. There needs to be talk about plans for reserves and a user fee analysis to see if the township is charging appropriate amounts with a view to cost recovery and meeting the township’s expenses.

Director of community services Craig Belfry said they are now at about 13 per cent cost recovery with the new arena and community centre while the industry standard is 40 to 60 per cent. However, it was noted the township is only now starting COVID recovery and beginning to sell rec centre memberships, for example.

At the start of the meeting, Coun. Bob Carter said the four per cent was an “artificial and arbitrary” number based on decisions that had not been made.

He added, “We don’t mention using borrowing to get to that number. Some things you have deemed capital and projects that should be debentured and there’s a debate on whether or not they should be debentured or handled out of our operating budgets,” he said.

“I’m not hung up on what the percentage should be. I think it should be as low as we can possibly get it but I don’t want to make it low this year, and we have to pay for it next year.”

Coun. Jennifer Hughey added, “good job on getting it down to four per cent. I think we’re all very impressed by that number… we just want to see how you got there … as well as what does that mean for next year, and potentially into 2025. That would make me feel more comfortable about our discussions today and decisions made.”

Council also endorsed looking into the FoodCycler counter top composter program that is now being used in Algonquin Highlands and Dysart et al. Staff will return with a fourth draft.

Hospitals facing shortage of doctors

By

Mike Baker

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March 31, 2022

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Haliburton Highlands Health Services CEO Carolyn Plummer has said the emergency departments at the Haliburton and Minden hospitals may face sudden temporary shutdowns in the weeks and months ahead with the organization struggling with a physician shortage.

Addressing the board March 24, Plummer said HHHS has been relying on the Ontario Emergency Department Locum program recently to help cover shifts at the two area hospitals. Due to increased demand in that program provincewide, Plummer said HHHS may not receive the same level of assistance it has grown accustomed to over the past 12 months.

“We are preparing for a crisis situation in which we encounter a shift where we may not have a physician … And if we can’t get coverage, then we may need to close our doors for a short period of time,” Plummer said. “We have developed a protocol to guide us through if that does happen, and what the communication would look like to the community.”

Plummer has previously told media the community would be given at least 48 hours before any service changes are implemented due to nursing shortages.

The Highlander reported on Nov. 25, 2021 that hospital administration was considering reducing hours at one of its facilities after struggling for months to find nurses to staff both emergency departments. At a board meeting in February, Plummer said the organization had been able to maintain services by using agency nurses. Since December, HHHS has relied on eight fulltime nurse equivalents (40-hour weeks) staffed through third-party bureaus.

Plummer indicated there was some positive news on the nursing front last week, informing the board HHHS may be able to benefit from a new provincial program that is allowing some internationally educated nurses to practice in Ontario.

An Epic success

Plummer said staff has adapted well to the new Epic clinic information system implemented at the Haliburton and Minden hospitals, and that initial feedback from patients has been overwhelmingly positive.

The system went live on Dec. 3, 2021 alongside six other healthcare service centres in Ontario. The primary feature is that patients’ medical records can be accessed at one central hub by any of the partnering facilities. Previously, a new medical record had to be created for each medical centre a patient may receive service in.

Epic first rolled out in Canada in 2015 and is now used in 134 hospitals nationwide.

Finances improving

HHHS will be back in the black before the end of the current fiscal year after receiving a one-time payment of $600,000 from the province to help cover 2021/22 operating pressures.

Board member Irene Odell said that, as of Jan. 31, the organization had a deficit of around $536,000. Half of that, she said, was related to lost revenues due to COVID-19, while the remainder was down to increased compensation for staff and the inflation of food and utilities. With the extra money from the province, this will be the first time since 2018/19 that HHHS is finishing its fiscal year in a balanced financial position.

Odell revealed HHHS had received word from the province that all COVID-related reimbursements would stop as of June 30.

“We will need to be planning for that, as it will affect our next fiscal year,” she said.

Back to business

Hospital foundation executive director Lisa Tompkins said her organization is planning to run a full season of events over the summer.

“Some of the events that we’ve had on hiatus because of COVID over the past couple of years will be returning, so we’re very excited about that,” Tompkins said.

A golf tournament is being organized for July 22 in partnership with NHLer Matt Duchene. Other events will be announced as they’re formalized, Tompkins noted.

‘Devastating’ call inspired better policing

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 31, 2022

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The phone call that would change Paul McDonald’s life came in the middle of the night.

When he was 18, the partner of his 22-year-old sister had tried to strangle her to death with a telephone cord, all because she had told him she was pregnant with his baby.

McDonald jumped in his car and drove the hour to his sister.

“That’s a devastating call to get at two o’clock in the morning,” McDonald says, his eyes welling up with tears.

It was bad enough his sister had been beaten. On top of that, he said the police who responded to the call did not demonstrate how he thought policing should be done.

He chooses his words carefully, since he is a 15-year member of the OPP.

“A negative interaction with an element of policing that is not how I want to see policing done,” he said during an interview at the Minden OPP detachment.

“From the get go, the officers that showed up asked her ‘why are you calling? What happened?’ The perception we got as a family, myself, my oldest sister, and my father, the whole time during that interaction at the hospital and police station with male officers and a female victim was that they were making my sister feel like it was her fault. Revictimizing the victim right at the onset of the call and not looking like they actually cared.”

It was a defining moment for the fourthgeneration police officer.

“I always knew I wanted to be a police officer. From an early age I just knew and after this incident with my middle sister, I knew I was going to try and do better than the people that came before me.”

McDonald, who works out of the Haliburton Highlands OPP detachment, has been nominated in the 7th annual Police Services Hero of the Year awards program.

Nominations came from a victim of a sexual assault who can’t be named as her matter is still before the courts; McDonald’s wife, Krystal McDonald-Smith, the father of a hockey player McDonald coached, John Salfi, and the family of a deceased accident victim.

“Because of you, I am able to fall asleep at night feeling a sense of security,” the sexual assault victim wrote.

Salfi refers to McDonald as an “amazing community role model” in his nomination.

Ben Middleton shares the story of his young brother’s death in a July 2015 car accident and McDonald going “above and beyond” with the family that night. “To officer Paul McDonald, as I write this with tears in my eyes and a very heavy heart, I need you to know that you made an incredibly horrifying situation better,” he wrote.

McDonald-Smith talks about her husband’s mental health struggles after many on-the-job tragedies. It led him to eventually become the mental health liaison officer for the mobile crisis intervention team out of Peterborough County. He was promoted in September 2021 as a sergeant out of Haliburton.

Did nothing for years

However, McDonald admits he did not take care of his physical or mental health for years.

He added like most police officers, he hid behind a badge of bravado, not sharing his struggles with his family.

“I became extremely distant and callous, withdrew and bottled everything up inside to protect them, it made me a worse person until my wife made me see the person I had become.”

The sexual assault case involving the unnamed woman triggered him.

“You don’t sign up to do this job to see death and decay and destruction. It takes its toll on you.”

He knew he needed help and went to counselling, which led to him becoming the mental health officer in Peterborough.

“I thought, if I can go and get counselling for myself and talk to people, then why can’t I do that for other police officers and the general public?”

He got healthier and it saved his marriage.

“Mental health is not talked about. Everybody hides it. Everybody has skeletons in their closet that they’re too embarrassed to show. But we go to the dentist for a broken tooth, we go to a doctor for a broken arm, why aren’t we going to the medical profession and counsellors for a broken mind?”

The new mental health liaison officer now also comes to the Haliburton detachment.

Through it all, McDonald said he has never forgotten how his sister was treated that night. He added he believes he has been gifted with emotional intelligence. He tries to bring that to every aspect of his life and certainly his policing.

He always asks himself, “If this happened to my wife, my sister, my father, how would I want the officer to be interacting with me right now?”

As for the awards nomination, he said he doesn’t do his job for recognition. He doesn’t care if he wins but the nominations have touched him deeply, especially his wife’s. “To say that I’m her hero really takes its toll. If it wasn’t for her telling me that I needed to wake up, I wouldn’t have progressed to where I am right now.

“I just want to help the most people I possibly can before I’m not able to do it anymore.”

The Police Association of Ontario award winners will be formally announced during the PAO’s annual general meeting in June.

Fleming build split into three phases

By

Mike Baker

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March 31, 2022

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Dysart council and Fleming College officially got the ball rolling last week on a new student housing development that could one day provide accommodation for up to 94 people.

Slated for a 3.7-acre plot within Glebe Park, the development is to be completed in three phases according to Cal Brook, lead architect on the project. A first phase, pending site plan approval, will see the construction of two three-storey buildings, with a second and third phase each calling for one additional building.

Council signed off on rezoning the land March 25, with mayor Andrea Roberts expressing her excitement that a project several years in the making had finally come to council.

“It has long been a desire for the municipality and indeed the County to see a student residence here, which will only help the college to grow,” Roberts said. “This is a very exciting day for Dysart, and for Fleming College.”

Maureen Adamson, president of Fleming College, was in attendance at the virtual meeting. She said she was delighted the project was moving ahead, noting it was a major part of the institution’s long-term plans for the Haliburton School of Art + Design.

It isn’t quite full steam ahead just yet, however. While there seemed to be an acceptance that the development would go ahead, there are a few hurdles to overcome before construction can begin.

Construction set to start next year

Some of those concerns were raised during a public meeting last week. One local resident, Adam Brine, owns a residence at 34 Glebe Rd. While he said he was supportive of the project, he was concerned about Fleming’s plans to create an expansive parking system and the impact that would have on his home. Brine said he was worried the lights Fleming plans to install would be visible from his house. He asked if the college would plant evergreen trees along his property line to shield any light pollution.

Jim Blake, representing the Glebe Park and Haliburton Highlands Museum committee, raised concerns over a walking trail and snowmobile trail that will need to be redesigned should the project move forward. He also questioned Fleming’s plans for a new entryway, calling them “very awkward and unusual.”

After Brook confirmed Fleming was planning to use asphalt to finish the 196- space parking lot at the site, Coun. John Smith wondered if there was a better alternative. He suggested a permeable base would be a more ideal fit.

Susan Conner, Fleming’s project manager, said these concerns would be addressed in the coming weeks and months. The issue will be back before council later this year for site plan approval.

In discussing timelines, Conner said her goal was to complete 100 per cent of the design work for the project during the 2022/23 fiscal year. Pending council approval, she estimates construction on phase one could begin in late spring or early summer 2023. That initial phase is expected to take 18 months to complete.

Roberts said the project would fill an important need in the community, especially in light of the current housing crisis.

“There is no such thing as affordable housing anymore. Accommodation [in Dysart] is unattainable for someone trying to come here to go to school. It’s just not fair right now,” she said. “Without a student residence, I really feel the college could have gone backwards … This is a big win for all involved.”

New film ‘a love letter’ to Highlands artists

By

Mike Baker

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March 24, 2022

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A new 15-minute film shining a light on some of the County’s brightest up and coming artists will debut at the Haliburton Highlands Museum March 25 and 26.

Greg Sadlier and Darian Maddock of local art group Camexicanus have been working on the project for close to a year. Titled Creative by Nature, they delve into the lives of seven artists across various modes who each got their start in the Highlands.

“The idea was to go out into our community and tell a story about art and the people that make it,” Sadlier said.

Maddock added, “For me, it was about putting a spotlight on youth art, because there’s a lot going on here in Haliburton County. With the pandemic, a lot of this stuff has been put on the backburner. People haven’t been able to get out, see things and be exposed to art. So, we wanted to do that, get out there and show people that there is good, local, young artists and talent in this community.”

Among those featured in the movie is acrylic painter Sophie Creelman, performing artist Brooklyn Sidsworth, film director Kate Campbell, multi-disciplinary artist Scott Walling and aspiring cinematographer Rowan Tofflemire.

Several of the artists will be in attendance at the museum on back-to-back nights this weekend as Camexicanus hosts its first event in more than two years. There will be live music, dance, visual art, films and the announcement of the group’s 2022 season program. The event begins at 7 p.m. and admission is by donation.

“This will be a great family event. It’s something that people of all ages can enjoy,” Sadlier said. “We’re very proud of the movie. It’ll be a bit of a love letter, like a letter of gratitude to the arts and the artist community in Haliburton for getting through these past couple of years, because it has been really tough.”

Camexicanus has been going strong in Haliburton County since relocating to the community in 2019. The brainchild of Sadlier and his partner, Hannah, the nonprofit was intended to introduce music into the lives of impoverished youth in Mexico. Over the years, it has evolved and today offers programming for hundreds of kids across the continent.

A second home base has been established in Wawa, a rural community located approximately 530 kilometres west of Sudbury. Sadlier and Maddock produced a second film, also titled Creative by Nature, featuring several Wawa-based artists. The pair visited the community earlier this month to air the movie.

Looking ahead to the summer, Sadlier said he’s excited to bring back day camps and Camexicanus’ popular music program. He’s also hoping to kickstart the organization’s summer exchange program, bringing in several students from Mexico.

“We’ve really grown in Haliburton over the past few years. We were able to do a lot of really cool things when we moved things up here, and it’s going to be great to get things going again,” Sadlier said. “This is such a passion project. Seeing the difference our programming has made, it’s been a great experience so far.”

Huskies make it a six-point weekend

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 24, 2022

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The Haliburton County Huskies finished off an impressive weekend of OJHL hockey March 20 when they easily handled the struggling Caledon Admirals 7-1 at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena.

It capped off a three-day home stand in which the Dogs mauled the Mississauga Chargers 9-3 March 18 and squeaked past division rivals, the Trenton Golden Hawks, 2-1 on March 19.

The wins gave the Huskies a record of 27-14-1-4 on the season, putting them just one point behind Trenton and four points behind East Division leaders, the Wellington Dukes.

“It’s great,” coach Ryan Ramsay said of the wins and a seven-game victory streak. “Our boys are playing really well.

He added, “We’re pretty dialled in with the systems that we’re doing which is what you want this late in the season with the playoffs right around the corner. They are wanting to win and adjusting well.”

The points against Mississauga and Caledon were expected but Ramsay was most pleased with the Trenton match. He said his boys played a sound 60 minutes and didn’t give the Golden Hawks much. He also praised the play of goalie Christian Linton.

Linton got the weekend starts as Christian Cicigoi was out with a lower body injury and the coaching staff wanted to give him the time to be fully recovered heading into the playoffs. Having a duo going into the post-season is a bonus for the Dogs. Not all teams have that one-two punch.

The coach was also happy to see players get their names on the scoresheet with the 18-goal weekend.

“Everyone’s getting chances, which is nice. We went through a tough stretch where we didn’t score too many and guys were holding their stick a little tighter, thinking ‘what should I do here, what should I do there’ and I said ‘just do the same thing you’ve always done. You’re here for a reason. Do what got you here. Don’t change it because you’re not scoring. You’re getting chances’.” Ramsay said his players have got their confidence back.

After a scoreless first period against the Golden Hawks, the Dogs got on the board when Sam Solarino scored at 6:17, assisted by Cameron Kosurko. Then, it was Christian Stevens’ turn, bulging the twine at 13:20 with helpers from Schaly and Nick Athanasakos. Trenton fought back for one in the third, with Aiden MacIntosh firing the puck home at 6:16, but the Dogs held on for the all-important win.

Huskies 9 Chargers 3

On Friday night, the Huskies came out strong against the Chargers. They scored nine goals in the first two periods with Oliver Tarr recording a hat-trick.

The Dogs scored five unanswered goals to start the first period, beginning with Tarr at just the 24- second mark. Other first-period goal scorers were Bryce Richardson, on the powerplay, Joe Boice, Jonah Cochrane, Tarr again and Isaac Sooklal. The Chargers got one back but the period ended 6-1 Huskies.

The Huskies scored another three in the second frame: Payton Schaly, Tarr on the power play to secure the hattrick and Sam Solarino. The Chargers managed to get two past Linton and the third was scoreless.

Huskies 7 Caledon 1

Against Caledon Sunday, the Huskies made it a six-point weekend with an easy 7-1 victory.

Jack Staniland opened the scoring at 5:10, then Tarr got his fourth goal of the weekend at 16:38.

The Dogs stormed out in the second period. Lucas Stevenson scored just 58 seconds in then Stevens potted one at 1:12.

Caledon made it 4-1 on a powerplay but the Huskies were far from done. Stevens scored his second of the period and Lucas Marshall also joined the goal parade. Rose scored in the third.

In a rare afternoon game March 23, the Huskies defeated the Chargers 4-0 to extend their winning run to eight games. Payton Schaly recorded a hat-trick in the road game, while Oliver Tarr notched his 32nd goal of the season.

This coming weekend could be the Dogs’ biggest test of the season as they host Wellington March 26 and Trenton March 27.

Ramsay said the Dogs are having more success with Trenton than Wellington at the moment.

However, he said they’ll have to play both to get out of their division come playoff time. He said it’s a good test, really good games and exciting hockey.

“It’s exciting. We had great crowds all weekend. People are really supporting us and having fun at the games. It’s great to see.”

Staniland pursuing his dreams in Haliburton

By

Mike Baker

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March 24, 2022

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Lindsay Muskies vs Haliburton County Huskies — Minden, ON - October 2: Jack Staniland #22 of the Haliburton County Huskies skates with the puck during the third period at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena on October 2, 2021 in Ontario, Canada (Photo by Ray MacAloney / OJHL Images)

With just two weeks left in the OJHL regular season, Jack Staniland is giving everything he’s got to help the Huskies head into playoffs with some momentum.

The 19-year-old defenceman has been a key contributor down the stretch as the Dogs have rallied off seven straight wins, including dominant displays this past weekend against the Mississauga Chargers and Caledon Admirals.

Learning from captain Nathan Porter and recent acquisition Simon Rose, Staniland has seen his game reach new heights in his debut OJHL season. In 44 appearances with the blue and white, he’s put up three goals and nine assists. Often leaned on to help transition the puck up the ice, Staniland has stood out as one of the league’s top up and coming offensive defencemen.

He showed as much during a game with the Lindsay Muskies in December. With the scores level and the timer ticking down, Staniland picked up the puck at the point, danced past three Lindsay players and fired the puck home with a backhand shot to complete a phenomenal individual effort.

Born and raised in Port Perry, Staniland spent the bulk of his minor hockey career playing in his home community before making the jump to AAA with the Central Ontario Wolves when he was 14. There he met fellow Husky Joe Boice.

After finishing his U18 year with the Wolves, Staniland made a single appearance with the Markham Royals during the 2019/20 OJHL season and signed on to play with the Whitby Fury the next year, only for the pandemic to cancel the season.

When he learned the Fury would be moving north to Haliburton, Boice was his first call as he debated whether or not to follow.

“He told me all about what a great spot Haliburton County is. Then I talked to Ryan [Ramsay, Huskies head coach] and it was the same kind of thing. They were describing this amazing place to me, so I made the decision to come up here,” Staniland said. Billeting with Boice, Staniland has grown accustomed to life in the Highlands, spending his off days out hiking and golfing during the warm weather, and ice fishing in winter.

Now that spring has sprung, Staniland is excited about what that means for the sport he loves: playoffs.

“It’s just a different feel. Things get more physical, everyone is playing extra hard because they know it’s pretty much do or die. Even playing AAA was incredible, I can’t wait to experience that with the boys here in Haliburton,” Staniland said.

“This community has really rallied behind us, and we want to do all we can to give them something to cheer for. I think we’ve got a great shot… especially with the crowd for our home games. They’re always so loud, and that will really help [to spur us on] during playoffs.”

Eating disorders a systemic problem

By

Mike Baker

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March 24, 2022

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Preliminary results from a new research project focusing on supports for eating disorders in rural communities has found that at-risk individuals are often left waiting for at least a year before being matched up with a specialist that can diagnose and help treat a problem.

U-Links Centre for Community Based Research has partnered with student Sarah Moret and professor Dr. Naomi Nichols, both of Trent University, on the project.

Daniela Pagliaro, U-Links’ logistics coordinator, said this assignment had been on the organization’s radar for more than two years. The idea was brought forward by local resident Sandra Woods, a long-time volunteer with the National Initiative for Eating Disorders.

“She reached out to us and asked how individuals and families access information and support around eating disorders in rural Ontario, and we thought that was a very good question. We worked with her on a proposal back in 2019, and then tried to find a good match to take this on,” Pagliaro said. “We’re glad we waited, because Sarah and Dr. Nichols have been a tremendous fit.”

Moret, who is studying sociology with a specialization in health studies, opted to take the project on as her honours thesis. She has spent the past couple of months researching the issue, interviewing service providers and people who have experience living with eating disorders, and compiling her final report.

“The early things that have come up during her research is there’s a need for more specialized staff and programs for this sector; more education for all involved, so not just the person going through it, but their family, their supporters, and even the medical community. Those who specialize in eating disorders understand it, but many GPs don’t have that specialized training,” Pagliaro said. “Often, they either don’t understand the problem, or they just miss it completely.

“The other problem identified was lack of access to consultation services. There’s a major barrier in terms of response. When you live in a community like Haliburton County, you need to be referred to a specialist outside the community … there can be long delays of a year or more before any contact is made between the individual and services,” Pagliaro added.

Over the past 12 months, SickKids hospital in Toronto says it has seen a 35 per cent increase in admissions to its eating disorder program. Pagliaro said she’s seen reports that suggests the total number of cases Canada-wide has gone up by as much as 150 per cent.

Undiagnosed and untreated, many eating disorders can be fatal. Of all mental health disorders, Pagliaro said those centred around eating and body image have the highest mortality rate, at 20 per cent.

Moret will be presenting her findings at U-Links’ upcoming celebration of research event, being held virtually March 26. Pagliaro says there will be several recommendations brought forward on how to best address some of the issues being reported locally.

“This is something we need to fix. Right now, we don’t know if this issue is being identified in the systems we have in place. We had a chat with someone at [Haliburton Highlands] Health Services two years ago when we started the project, and we were told they don’t collect this specific info, so they couldn’t tell us how many people in this area have been referred to some kind of eating disorder service,” Pagliaro said.

“If you don’t have the information, how can we move forward? We need answers to these questions before we can decide what we’re going to do,” Pagliaro added. “This is a systemic problem, and the pandemic has just highlighted it even more. We know the rates are high for the general population, and it’s going to be true for here too.”

Ron Gambell was a community sage

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 24, 2022

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On the Friday before he died, Ron Gambell spent nearly a full day downstairs in the antique store and restaurant he shared with wife Suwan Khamduang.

It was unusual as his illness often kept him in the couple’s upstairs living space.

However, on March 4, he sat in a chair near the fireplace most of the afternoon and early evening and continued to try and sell antiques online while waving at people outside coming for takeout.

“That day, he sold about four pieces. He never stopped selling,” Suwan said with a chuckle, reminiscing on her partner of 22 years.

Suwan said Gambell didn’t care about the money at that stage. The selling was simply in his blood and he enjoyed it.

Gambell died March 6 at home. The businessman, former municipal politician, Rotarian and booster of all things Minden was 89.

He started his career as a salesman with General Motors before opening Gambell Motors and then Gambell Antiques and Tea Room in Minden, now Suwan’s Thai Restaurant.

Suwan said she chose well when she and Ron became business and life partners in 2000. She said he taught her a lot about the business world as well as Canadian culture. Suwan had come to Canada in 1994. She is planning to stay in the community and continue running the restaurant while scaling back the antiques side of the operation.

“I told Ron I’m going to stay here. This is my home. I feel love in this town,” she said.

She said the other gift Ron gave her was allowing her to be herself. He never wanted to change her. He also shared a love of her Thai culture. They visited together last in 2017. He wanted to go back but age and illness did not allow it.

“I miss him because we spent time together so much and I miss cooking for him. He enjoyed that.”

A political force

Former municipal councillor Jeanne Anthon met Gambell after moving to the County in 1991 and running for office. She said the former reeve of Lutterworth Township and Haliburton County warden reached out to her early in her campaign to find out what kind of politician she might be. It was the beginning of a long relationship, “I believe of mutual respect. I certainly appreciated his history in the area and he had an excellent memory so that was a real plus.

“He really wanted to put you on the right path with the best knowledge of the community and what the issues might be, so I consider him a kind of a sage for the community. I certainly respected his opinions and felt that he always had the best interest of the community at heart.”

Anthon said she admired his attitude about competition.

“He considered competition a grounding to make Minden a destination. In other words, he loved to have other antique shops in the area because Minden was the destination for antique shops and that would only help his business. I appreciated the wisdom of that.”

Anthon added the antiques store was Ron’s office, and “you knew you could get some answers when you went into the antiques store. Ron was there with his resident wisdom.”

He was also instrumental in getting the first women to join the Minden Rotary Club when he invited Anthon and Shirley Kuni to join the male-dominated ranks.

“There was resistance and he fought the resistance,” Anthon said. Later she said members commented it was the best thing that ever happened to Rotary.

“Ron saw potential and went with it. He respected women and he knew that given an opportunity we could provide strength and opportunity in communities.

“The more dynamic the community, the bigger the smile on Ron’s face. He really liked to see events and activities that demonstrated the strength and livelihood of a community. He was a very positive person. In spite of any challenges, he seemed to find the positive.”

Jim McMahon was another reeve of Lutterworth, and proprietor of what is now the feed store in Minden.

“As soon as I arrived, Ron came over, welcomed me, and we hit it off, just bang. He was a great guy, supported new businesses.”

McMahon said he was also “quite the character.” He recalled how Gambell was first reluctant for Suwan to establish a Thai restaurant in the County, thinking the cuisine would not fly. But he came around to the idea and it has been a huge success.

“He was a real champion for Minden and promoted Haliburton County.”

A Celebration of life will be held in the fall at Suwan’s.

Storm requests tournament rental reduction

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Sam Gillett

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March 24, 2022

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Minden Hills council has requested staff report back on a fee reduction request from the Highland Storm.

A letter to council from tournament director Craig Smith said his organization will struggle to afford the $350 per day cost of renting the upstairs room of the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena. The Storm previously paid $100 per day for the space, which is used by away teams and families.

“Our small town of Minden needs these tournaments to help get [through] the winter months. We are soon going to be booking our next year tournaments and obviously, we will have to move more of them to Haliburton as we can’t afford $700 [for two days] to rent the upstairs,” Smith said.

Director of community services Craig Belfry said township regulations call for a maximum of $700 fee deductions per organization per year.

He also raised concerns over revenue flow if multiple community groups are given fee breaks.

“We have had concerns about fees coming in before,” he said.

Deputy mayor Lisa Schell said, “my concern is what’s going to happen then is Highland Storm will take all their business to Dysart,” since Dysart’s rental fees are substantially lower.

Belfry said if that happened, other ice users would still need to use ice space during tournament weekends. He predicted that wouldn’t result in a decrease in revenue.

Coun. Pam Sayne said further fee waiving could hurt taxpayers, considering the “tremendous undertaking” of funding the $13.3 million arena.

Coun. Jean Neville said if the upstairs room in question “is not being used during those weekends, would that make a difference? It’s a shame if the room is sitting there empty.

” Schell added that Minden has made lots of concessions for the Huskies team to use its facility. “I don’t see why we can’t make the concession for them as well.”

In Smith’s letter, he outlines how tournaments in Minden bring dozens of outof-town families to the area who inject the economy with tourism dollars.

“Many of the teams travel a far distance and fill our local resorts and hotels for the entire weekend,” he said.

A staff report on the matter will be discussed during 2022 budget deliberations.