While Dominion Hotel owner Shawn Chamberlin expects his front-of-house to be a little quieter on Saturday afternoons this winter, he’s grateful for what the Haliburton County Huskies did for businesses in Minden these past five years.

Franchise owners Paul Wilson and Ryan Ramsay announced in May that the team would be relocating to Cobourg ahead of the 2026-27 season, calling time on Jr. A hockey in the Highlands.

The team played five seasons out of S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena in Minden. Fouro-clock on a Saturday afternoon was hour of the Husky, with hundreds attending the almost-weekly home games. Since September 2021, the Huskies brought more than 150 Jr. A games to Haliburton County.

“Paul and Ryan did their best and worked hard – they put quite the show together for us these past five years. We’ve got to be grateful for that,” Chamberlin said. “I was very disappointed, but by the same token, it was a bit of a reality check for the whole thing. If it’s not working financially, then it’s not going to last.”

Wilson cut a cheque for $30,000-50,000 each season to balance the books, with Ramsay saying the organization faced a much-larger deficit this season had they remained in the County. He cited increased league fees and transportation costs, with the latter taking a big chunk of the team’s $500,000 budget in 2025-26.

Chamberlin said his restaurant enjoyed good crowds before and after games, so there will be a hit to business. He doesn’t anticipate making any changes, though.

“There’s lots of other stuff going on in the County. There are still different programs and events, live entertainment, bringing people into the downtown during winter. We have the snowmobilers who bring a lot of business,” Chamberlin said.

For Michael Wright and Paula Sylvester, owners of Mulligan’s Pub and Patio that ran the concessions stand at the arena on gamedays, they said they’ll miss the people more than the money.

They were involved with the team since its inaugural season, after Wilson and Ramsay tried one of Wright’s burgers in the summer of 2021. That first year, Mulligan’s supplied the food for the snack bar, but every year since, Wright and Sylvester manned it. Beyond that, they hosted monthly team dinners, annual Christmas parties and endof-season celebrations.

“It was like a gut punch, for sure. Huskies hockey was a big thing for everybody here during the winter. For us, it was something really cool to do. It was so nice being out in the community, connecting with people,” Wright said. “The Huskies became an institution in Haliburton County. We’re going to miss it this season but really hope it can return in future.”

Hope for the future

Ramsay confirmed he is working with two people with ties to the Huskies operation to bring a Jr. C franchise to the County for the 2027-28 season. Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter said he would be in favour of that.

The township had a contract with the Huskies for ice time until Spring 2028. Carter acknowledged the team’s pending departure is disappointing, but he respects it “as a business decision.”

The mayor noted the township would look to plug the gap left behind by the Huskies with other programming for the community, with rentals for other hockey leagues, pickup games, public skating and figure skating all mentioned. The mayor said the arena was built with public programming in mind and not to house a junior hockey franchise.

“The Huskies weren’t even on the horizon when the decision was made to build a new arena. We have this space now that is available to the public and we’ll market the ice hours the Huskies had booked elsewhere,” Carter said, when asked about any anticipated financial shortfall.

Asked if he felt the township could have provided funding to the Huskies, whether by grant or sponsorship, to try to keep the team here, Carter felt that would have been inappropriate.

“They’re just like any other business in the area. We don’t provide them with assistance… I wouldn’t see it as the role of the township to be providing public funding to the team,” Carter said.

Coun. Tammy McKelvey has been a season ticket holder for the past three seasons and said she’ll miss her weekend ritual of heading to the rink. She believes swapping a Jr. A franchise for one in Jr. C could be a blessing in disguise for local hockey fans.

“There are a lot of local players right now travelling out of town to play Jr. C hockey. If we can bring them back home to play, keep their families here to watch, that would be a pretty good foundation for a new program,” she said.

One big complaint from Huskies fans in recent years has been the temperature inside the rink, especially last season during the Arctic blasts. The township didn’t pay to install heaters when the arena was built in 2020, but McKelvey said it is on council’s radar.

“There should be some money left over from when we debentured the arena costs. There is a long list of items the money could be used for, but we really haven’t had that brought to council yet,” McKelvey said.

Minden Hills council, last Thursday (June 11), sent staff and their consultant engineer back to the drawing board over a proposed crosswalk on Bobcaygeon Road in the downtown.

Director of public works, Mike Timmins, updated council on the project design and public feedback. He noted council approved the project in its 2026 budget; and discussed it at a March 26 meeting. Some councillors were worried about the loss of parking, and wanted to hear from businesses and residents.

The proposed location is halfway between Water Street and Newcastle Street, which Timmins said, “represents a more favourable location with better sight lines in either direction.” He said it would be combined with flashing beacons using push button indicators.

Timmins said the existing courtesy crossings, between UpRiver and CIBC, and where Water Street meets Bobcaygeon Road, have raised pedestrian safety concerns during this term of council.

Timmins said a revised design for the pedestrian crossing reduces the number of lost parking spaces to four. Accessible parking spaces have also been reduced.

As for public feedback, Timmins said “the majority of the negative comments were from residents who did not feel that the pedestrian crossover is warranted, or questioned the timing of the project. Many positive comments were received from residents who welcome additional traffic control safety features in Minden village.”

He said there was misinformation on social media: that this is an overpass with stairs. It is not. Timmins added some residents believed the project has an estimated cost of $500,000. The crosswalk is estimated at $130,000.

Council weighs in

Coun. Ivan Ingram said he doesn’t see the need for the new crosswalk. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. There’s nothing wrong with the ones we’ve had. Nobody’s got hit by a car that I know of. It doesn’t make sense. Why don’t we improve what we have?”

CAO Cynthia Fletcher noted council had already approved the project, and staff and the consultant engineer had done a lot of work. However, Coun. Tammy McKelvey said she did not remember a lot of discussion about the $130,000 spend.

McKelvey said she remained concerned about losing parking in the downtown, and it appeared that to reduce the impact, some parking stalls are shorter. She is also worried about traffic backing up if they have crossing lights. She wondered if it would be better to make it a courtesy crossing.

Timmins said they could formalize additional parking on Water Street since people are already parking there.

Deputy mayor Lisa Schell said the loss of four parking spaces will impact businesses. She added she does not think the crosswalk will be used in the way it is intended.

Coun. Bob Sisson thought they could use existing crosswalks to accommodate the legion’s request for a commemorative crosswalk.

Mayor Bob Carter said they may not have had pedestrian deaths, but the existing crosswalks are unsafe. He likes the centre street crosswalk idea and thought it would be good for downtown businesses.

Coun. Shirley Johannessen expressed disappointment with how some councillors appeared to be walking the project back. “I’m in town almost on a daily basis and there have been very close calls. You hear the honking. You hear the swearing…I’m asking for better safety.”

Timmins said he would need to get clarification on the legality and implications of a new courtesy crosswalk; since there is no obligation to stop and it could cause confusion. He thought they would still lose four parking spots. Council also split the sidewalk tender from the crosswalk tender.

Staff will come back with more information at an as-yet unknown time.

Sandy MacDonald has always believed it takes a village to raise a child and, for the past four years, she’s put that into practice at Wilberforce Elementary School.

Secretary at the rural school, MacDonald was recognized with a Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) director’s award in April for her role bringing several beneficial programs to life.

TLDSB’s Wes Hahn credited her for helping launch hot breakfast and lunch programs for students, developing partnerships with various community groups to bolster extracurricular offerings and putting together recurring events, such as free barbecues and health and wellness fairs.

“Sandy has a remarkable ability to identify emerging needs within the school community and take initiative to address them in meaningful and lasting ways,” Hahn said. “Her efforts have had a direct and lasting impact on students and families.”

Nominated for the award by principal Mike Gervais, MacDonald said it was a huge surprise.

She joined the school in 2022 following stints working in Peterborough, Bracebridge and Port Sydney. While she’s always tried to expand social programs at her previous schools, MacDonald said the community response in Wilberforce has been particularly special.

“I’ve always tried to get the community more involved everywhere I’ve been, but in Wilberforce especially it seems like people actually want to be a part of the school and have a positive impact on kids. It’s a beautiful community,” she said.

Partnerships have been struck with the local legions, Wilberforce FUNraisers, the Wilberforce Walkers, Breakfast Clubs of Canada and several businesses, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Todd’s Independent Grocer, Rexall and Timber Mart.

Individual residents also regularly chip in. Angelo and Brandi Bortolazzo, organizers of the Benoir Lake Radar Run, have been longtime supporters of the schools’ nutrition programs and, on May 25, put on a free BBQ for students and families that attended the spring health fair in Wilberforce.

Speaking to other donations she’s seen recently, the Bortolazzos donated a washing machine and dryer to Cardiff Elementary School, for the kindergarten class; a lady bought a pair of flip-flops for every student at Cardiff elementary; while a recent import from Toronto made a financial contribution after learning about all the good things the schools do.

“He was shocked, he said it’s like a private school with all the things we have going on and the meals we provide to our kids,” MacDonald said.

She noted 35 of 49 students in Wilberforce utilize the lunch program, with everyone benefitting from the breakfast programs. Other initiatives include weekly pickleball at The Lloyd Watson Centre and crochet and knitting classes provided by a local volunteer.

“I just start thinking of ideas when I’m sitting at my desk. What can we do to enrich these kids’ lives, make things better or more fun for them,” MacDonald said. “There are a lot of families who struggle in our community, so when I hear those stories, I do some research, talk to some people and, usually, we find a way to help.”

Preparing for her retirement this month, MacDonald said she’ll miss the day-to-day of life at the school but has no intention of completely walking away. She plans to volunteer and wants to expand her hot breakfast and lunch programs to other schools in the County.

Speaking to the award, she feels it should be shared with the wider community.

“This isn’t just a one person effort. It’s everybody. It takes an entire community to pull this together. There are so many people who deserve recognition,” she said.

CanoeFM was recognized at the recent National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) awards, with Lorne VanSinclair winning for his show, Backbeat Radio, in the blues or similar music category.

The NCRA announced the winners of its 2026 Community Radio Awards in Broadcast and Online awards in May.

“These awards are a way to highlight the incredible work everyone has done and give it the recognition they deserve,” station manager, Roxanne Casey, said.

Casey said years ago, VanSinclair reached out to CanoeFM with an idea for a blues program — and the station proudly gave him the opportunity to bring his passion to local listeners.

“Backbeat has since grown from a community radio show in Haliburton County to an internationally-heard program airing on approximately 30 stations and online platforms across Canada, the U.S., Germany, and beyond,” Casey said.

VanSinclair said as a child, the family’s TV never worked, so he constantly listened to radio.

“But it was rock and roll, which is a combination of blues and country and gospel and pop. It was all mixed in there at the time, and I just became more fascinated with the music that went into it.”

He began buying vinyl. He found music from the 30s, 40s and 50s, “just had a special character about it; that was much more creative; nobody had ever done this before.” He also loved the production value; being able to hear individual instruments.

VanSinclair said the hard part for him was explaining to award judges what he does because, “it’s not exactly a blues show.” He refers to it as “vintage popular music,” while acknowledging it’s blues-based.

“Basically, all popular music comes from the blues, and I play a lot of really good blues stuff, but also Eddie Arnold, country, pop music. I play everything mostly from the 20s to the 60s, and that’s kind of hard to explain.” He loves that community radio allows him to play what he wants and not have to stick to a formula.

He’s asked what goes into putting a show out. “I go through my digital collection and pick out music I want to play. The hardest part is deciding what order to play it in, because when you’re playing something that’s widely varied like that, it has to sound good together. It always has to sound like one continuous piece of music, even though it could be recorded 100 years apart by totally different artists.”

He also finds bands playing vintage music as, “even though I’m doing a show on 50s music, I didn’t want to do a show just about dead people. I always invite current musicians who are playing music in that same style.”

The host added the award is a feather in the cap for CanoeFM. “It is just a fabulous station, so it’s good to see them getting a bit of notice themselves. They’re always called the little station that could. They really punch above their weight.”

When asked if his mission is to keep music alive he said, “very much … because a lot of the music I play is really obscure. I’d much rather be playing to a very young audience who is hearing all his stuff for the first time and saying, ‘whoa, what the heck was that? I didn’t know that was around’.”

And he intends to keep on doing the show, “for as long as I’m able.”

Casey couldn’t be happier, saying, “Lorne’s story reflects the heart of Canoe FM — a community station where passionate volunteers and experienced broadcasters can share their talents, preserve musical history, and connect listeners locally and around the world.” You can hear Backbeat every Sunday morning at 10 a.m.

By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After close to four decades, nearly 25,000 guests, and countless memories shared inside one of Haliburton County’s iconic architectural landmarks, Don and Jessie Pflug have closed the doors of the Stouffer Mill Bed & Breakfast.

For 37 years, the Pflugs welcomed 24,968 guests at their unique residence in Algonquin Highlands. And if it wasn’t for Father Time, the couple would have likely continued along with hosting visitors from afar. Don will celebrate his 89th birthday on July 29, the exact same day the couple is scheduled to pack up and move to Minden.

“Age and the property is a lot of work,” Don explained when asked when he knew it was time. “We don’t have any employees, we do it all ourselves, and I keep the road open in the winter, and I look after it in the summer and everything. And Jess is a little younger than me, but, you know, she has the brunt of the bed and breakfast because she’s doing breakfast every day.”

The building itself was a local wonder in the Highlands. It is a dodecagon, a symmetrical, 12-sided structure that was built 50 years ago by original owner Elgin Stouffer.

“He built it out of his head,” Don recalled. “There are no plans. I didn’t get any plans with it.”

Each wall contains a heavy steel rod, leaving the entire upper floor suspended from above. The foundation is just as sturdy, featuring a massive central tank in a full basement with a poured concrete floor thick enough that the owners used to seamlessly drive their car in a full circle around it.

“So the house is not going anywhere,”

Don said with a laugh. Don and Jessie’s venture into the B&B business started by accident, essentially. In 1989, the couple was working in real estate when the housing market suddenly tanked. Left with few options, they took a leap of faith on the unique property, which sat on 136 acres of forest featuring five kilometres of trails, which Don had carved out.

The idea for the business came simply on a quiet morning overlooking Halls Lake.

“We came up one morning and looked out at the lake, and it was absolutely beautiful,” Jessie said. “Don said to me, ‘You know, Jessie, we should be sharing this.’ And I said, ‘well, why don’t we start a bed and breakfast?’ We said, ‘okay, let’s do it.’ That was the amount of thought we put into it.”

For nearly 40 years of operation, the three-bedroom B&B generated staggering statistics with 37 years in business and 25 consecutive years of visits from a single group of friends.

When Stouffer Mill first opened, the internet as we know it did not exist. The Pflugs built their reputation through physical guidebooks, local word-of-mouth, and expensive radio advertisements. Their breakthrough came via a snail-mail invitation from a new website called BB Canada. Don and Jessie signed up immediately.

Decades later, that adaptability saved them during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the hospitality industry took a massive hit, Don researched hospitalgrade disinfectants, bought a fine-particle paint sprayer, and carefully sanitized every railing and surface. They divided their dining spaces into three isolated areas, turning their rural property into a muchneeded refuge for isolated city dwellers.

“People from the city, if you were in a condo, you had to get away,” Jessie recalled. “They could come here, walk the trails, and just breathe. It gave Don and me a purpose through COVID.”

As for saying goodbye, the announcement of the closure was met with tears, hugs, and an outpouring of messages on social media from around the world. Over the decades, the mill hosted everything from standard road-trippers to international weddings, including a memorable winter wedding on New Year’s Eve and a ceremony where a bride’s parents flew in directly from Shanghai.

So what’s next? The 12-sided house is transitioning into a private residence, and Don and Jessie are downsizing to Minden to stay close to their church and friends. They have zero plans to slow down. Don is already eyeing a return to the curling rink, and both intend to find new volunteer roles.

“I just like to thank them all for finding us and adding to the quality of our life,” Jessie said of the nearly 25,000 past guests. “It was always like opening a Christmas present when a guest came to the door. We cherish every one of them.”

The County of Haliburton handed out its first-ever accessibility awards during a ceremony before a May 27 council meeting.

Coun. Jennifer Dailloux, on behalf of council’s joint accessibility advisory committee, said, “today marks an important milestone for our County as we recognize the people, businesses and organizations within Haliburton County whose actions help make our community more inclusive, welcoming and accessible for all.”

She added, “accessibility is about more than removing barriers. It is about creating spaces, services and opportunities where everyone can participate fully and with dignity. These awards shine a light on leadership, compassion and commitment that helps move us forward together.”

Community member Curtis Eastmure was awarded for his work in helping to get hand railings installed at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion. Dailloux said a representative of Aging Together as Community approached Eastmure about the need and he took quick action to get it fulfilled.

Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride won in the business category. Dailloux discussed a number of initiatives they have undertaken that makes the hill accessible for everyone, including seniors, and people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Some examples include barrier-free washrooms, a wheelchair ramp, seniors’ rates, and the CADS (Canadian Adaptive Snowsports) program. The program provides support for persons who have physical or intellectual disabilities.

The other recipients were the Haliburton Legion’s Mike and Cheryl Waller. The legion recently installed a lift, ramp, handsfree entrance doors, accessible washrooms and parking. Dailloux called them “champions of access.”

She said all of the winners had made a “meaningful difference” to our community.

The Cardiff food bank has been renamed in honour of one of its longest-tenured volunteers, outgoing Highlands East coun. Cam McKenzie.

The space will be known as ‘Cam’s Cupboard’ in recognition of the decade McKenzie spent working there. He joined the food bank, operated by Central Food Network (CFN), in 2015 when it was operating out of the basement of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Through his 10 years with CFN, McKenzie helped transition the food bank to its current location at the back of the Cardiff Post Office at 2778 Monck Rd., planned volunteer work schedules, arranged bulk food pick-ups and community drop offs and oversaw community shopping days.

He stepped down from his volunteer role last spring after going through some serious health scares. That’s the reason the three-term councillor has also decided to call it quits with Highlands East, confirming on June 15 that he won’t be seeking re-election.

Asked for some of his standout memories from volunteering with CFN, McKenzie said it’s the connections he’s made that he holds close. One story about assisting a family with three growing boys always stands out.

“We helped a lot of people over the years, but this family I especially remember. We used to get a good deal on apples from a local producer, so I told the mom to grab a grocery bag and fill it halfway full with apples for her boys. They couldn’t believe it,”

McKenzie said. “They left the food bank that day so excited because each of the boys would have an apple for their lunch every day that week. That’s the kind of thing this is all about.” McKenzie said he found out CFN was planning something earlier this year. He was supposed to attend a gathering at the Cardiff food bank a few months ago but had to cancel last-minute following a difficult morning health-wise. CFN’s Tina Jackson had arranged for McKenzie’s two children to be there for a surprise unveiling of the new sign, which is hanging by the main entrance.

“I felt bad about missing that one,” McKenzie said. “It does make you feel good, being recognized like this. I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve had a lot of help over the years and there’s a great team in place now… the food bank is established, where it really wasn’t when I got involved.”

Jackson paid homage to McKenzie at CFN’s annual general meeting, held virtually May 28. She said he “gave so much of himself” to the Cardiff food bank, establishing a reputation that will live on long into the future.

“His compassion, stewardship and empathy for neighbours have created a legacy that will endure,” Jackson said.

An unveiling ceremony for the sign will be held June 30 at the food bank.

Three terms and out

McKenzie was first elected in 2014 as the Ward 1 representative for Bicroft. He was re-elected for a second term in 2018 and acclaimed in 2022.

At 78 years of age, McKenzie said he was following the advice of one of his Hollywood heroes, Clint Eastwood, who in the 1971 classic Dirty Harry said, “a man’s got to know his limitations.”

McKenzie added, “I’ve enjoyed my 12 years on council, but my health is telling me no more.” The outgoing official believes it’s an interesting time to get involved in municipal politics, with the County spearheading a project looking for ways for the four lower-tier townships to work more closely together.

“The new affordability and feasibility review is maybe the most important thing I’ve been involved in as a councillor. The decisions made on that file will impact people for generations,” McKenzie said.

By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As Bookapalooza returns for its annual celebration, literary talent is taking over the County, showcasing the local arts scene alongside major international bestsellers.

The festival is hitting its stride with a soldout exhibit hall on Saturday at the Minden Community Centre and a headlining lineup featuring bestselling authors Bianca Marais and Marissa Stapley.

For Douglas Tindal, a Countybased author and arts council member, Bookapalooza is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the literary community that operates quietly behind the scenes.

“When someone moves to Haliburton, one of the first things you see is the incredible range of musical talent. It’s everywhere. Then you see either the visual arts or the performing arts,” Tindal told The Highlander. “You don’t as readily see the literary arts. Bookapalooza is an event that tries to give the literary arts centre stage.”

Stapley, one of Bookapalooza’s headliners, brings literary starpower to the festival with a personal connection to the County. As the first Canadian author selected for Reese Witherspoon’s book club with her novel Lucky, Stapley fulfilled a dream of buying a cottage in Haliburton thanks to the success of the book.

“My reaction was just like… it did feel like winning the lottery,” Stapley told The Highlander in a recent interview. “It’s so rare. I’m still the only Canadian who’s been a Reese’s pick. It’s such an honour, honestly.”

The success of Lucky didn’t just stop there. Next month, an adaptation of Lucky premieres on Apple TV, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, of The Queen’s Gambit, as the protagonist. When asked about letting Hollywood take the reins of her creation, Stapley said it was like taking a leap of faith.

“Lauren Neustadter, who’s a producer at Hello Sunshine, really describes it well. She calls it a trust fall, and you have to do that,” the author explained. “I think a great adaptation uses a piece of book [intellectual property] as a companion. I think it’s less interesting to me to watch something come to life on screen that is word-for-word and scene-for-scene exactly the same as the book, because the mediums are so different.”

Stapley began her writing career in her mid-teens with her father working at a small-town newspaper as a reporter. At just 16 years old, she began covering assignments and writing columns for him when he took a vacation, .

Stapley said her journalism background saved her “from fear of the blank page.

“That deadline-driven environment… there was so much that I learned about writing and really just actually being a productive writer from journalism,” she said.

Joining Stapley on stage is her close friend Marais, who wrote the buzzworthy book Hum If You Don’t Know the Words, a historical novel set against South Africa’s 1976 Soweto riots.

While the afternoon author Q&A and evening dinner are ticketed, admission to the main Bookapalooza exhibit hall is free to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to speak with about 40 local writers representing everything from memoirs and young adult fiction to historical drama.

Stapley offered some parting advice for local writers who may be grinding through their first or second manuscripts, and that is it’s a marathon, not a race.

“Never give up. My mom always used to say, ‘you’re the fastest overnight success. It only took a decade,’” Stapley said. “I feel that no writing is ever wasted. It’s so important to find the joy in writing, even through the disappointments, and the rejections, and the struggle to find time.”

As for Saturday’s Bookapalooza, Tindal’s message to anyone who might be on the fence about attending is simple.

“It’s one day a year. And if you miss it, you’ve missed it. So you don’t want to take that chance, do you?”

By Adam Frisk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

While a recent string of wet weather has been well-received, Haliburton County’s fire services are standing together with a single message: the wildland fire risk is high across the region.

The long stretch of dry weather has left the forest floor across all four townships vulnerable, leaving municipalities to raise the fire danger level to “high.” Both Highlands East and Algonquin Highlands issued a statement on social media and their websites, warning of the fire threat.

“Please note that the fire rating within the Township of Algonquin Highlands has been moved to high. Daytime burning is prohibited this time of year,” the municipality said in the statement. “If you are burning at nighttime, please take extra caution and ensure your fire is fully extinguished.”

The four townships use roadside signage to indicate municipal burn allowances throughout the year, but not the daily environmental fire hazard ratings that are posted on their websites.

Conditions dryer in southeast of County

“It’s the burn levels. It’s not the fire danger rating,” explained County fire co-ordinator Michael French, who speaks as a unified voice for all four local departments. “It’s your burn opportunities.”

The County is operating under a uniform “yellow” condition, which permits open air burning strictly between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. No daytime burning is allowed anywhere in the County between April 1 and Oct. 31, and grass fires are entirely prohibited.

According to data from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES), the recent storms brought heavy rain to portions of the County while other areas saw less, leaving the forest floor to dry out at
different rates.

Provincial officials rely on the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index, a system maintained by Natural Resources Canada, to map the risk. Currently, the County’s fine fuel moisture code, which measures the dryness of forest debris, remains in the low to moderate range.

However, the Build Up Index (BUI), which calculates the moisture buried in the forest floor, tells a different story.
“The BUI is primarily in the moderate range across the area, with higher values in the southeast portion of Sector E01, Haliburton’s primary area of fire responsibility,” Evan Lizotte, information officer with the AFFES, explained to The Highlander.

While township fire chiefs have the authority to declare municipal fire bans within their borders, a worsening dry spell could trigger a broader provincial response. AFFES said that should conditions get to a point where any open air fire poses a threat, or if active wildland
fires begin stretching provincial response systems thin, the MNR can step in with a blanket Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ).

“They are implemented by the MNR when conditions are so hazardous that an open-air fire of any kind, no matter how well tended, could represent a real threat to the surrounding area by escaping or spreading out of control,” Lizotte said.

“RFZs are also implemented when there are increased fires on the landscape that may impact our response capacity, and any new fire starts would put pressure on our response system managing existingwildland fires.

Fire bans are imposed by a local municipality within municipal boundaries. An RFZ and a fire ban can be in place at the same time.”

The good news is that for now, provincial officials said the current conditions are well within normal expectations for early
June.

“Periods of dry and wet weather are a normal part of our climate,” Lizotte said, noting that while weather systems can occasionally cause longer dry stretches, “the current conditions in early June are not out of the ordinary compared to the past few years.”

The County fire co-ordinator noted that residents and visitors have been following the rules and that fire calls have not been driven by carelessness.

“We have had a lot of significant bushfires over the last little while, but none are the cause of human error. They’re all natural fires,” French said.

“The majority of them are power lines, but there’s been no fires that have been caused by human error, or people burning outside
the rules, which is nice to see.”

He said that because residents and cottagers are following the rules, local fire chiefs chose to hold off on escalating the County into a “red” condition, a total fire ban, last week.

“We did have the opportunity to put a fire ban on last week,” French said. “We chose not to because we didn’t want to penalize the people when they were following the rules. We had no issues.