As the season comes to a close, Haliburton’s Grassroots Soccer wrapped up a fantastic final week filled with teamwork and high-energy action.
Looking back, the growth of these young players has been incredible, transforming from nervous beginners into confident athletes.
Coaches, parents, and volunteers gathered to cheer one last time, celebrating a summer packed with progress, new friendships, and great memories.
Congratulations to all our players for their hard work.
I’ve been eating vegetables from our garden this summer. The tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, collard greens, beat and brussel sprout leaves, zucchini, onions, strawberries and herbs have been tariff-free.
Canada’s latest round of counter-tariffs on U.S. imports took effect just after midnight Tuesday (Sept. 8), covering $27.6 billion worth of American goods; with the federal government saying they apply to more than 700 product lines.
I’ve been talking to local businesses about what the latest round of tariffs, and counter-tariffs, mean for them. I think I underestimated the impact.
Chatting with Amanda Conn from the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce, Andria Cowan Molyneaux from ACM Designs, Brandi Hewson from WAI Products and Kohara+Co, and Lorne Heise from Heat-Line, has opened my eyes.
Other businesses were willing to talk, and I’ll get to them in the next little while.
Here’s what I learned. They are being charged more money when they buy things from the States. Their customers in the U.S. are paying more for their products. There is a lot to figure out. Was the product designed, or manufactured, in another country that has a problematic trade relationship with the U.S. that further impacts taxes, duties and fees? Cowan Molyneaux said she’s working on a trade PhD, one in which the course content is always changing.
Because of that instability, it is difficult for customers to know what is going on with the prices of things that they are purchasing from said companies.
As Hewson rightly said, the times are uncertain. So many unknowns. As consumers, we have witnessed the cost of living escalate with no end in sight.
What does this latest round of tariffs and counter-tariffs mean for us? Perusing various articles this week, it’s expected that what we pay for things such as shampoo and conditioner could be among personal-care products that see prices spike. Need a new refrigerator, dishwasher, or freezer? It’s likely the cost of appliances are heading north.
Furniture could hit the pocketbook more, especially if you are moving house, renovating or planning a big spend. Another potential ouch could come from clothing and accessories. The problem remains that most of us are not getting wage increases to match cost-of-living increases.
I worry as these tariffs and counter-tariffs come at a time when Highlands’ businesses are heading into a shoulder season. The heady days – if there were any – of summer are over. They – and we – are beginning to tighten our belts as we see the leaves on the Maple trees start to change colours.
We all feel a little vulnerable. But I am grateful our garden is having a good harvest. That’s fewer vegetables I have to purchase this fall. I am trying my best to buy Canadian, or from countries other than the U.S. I am looking at my spending patterns and being more brutal about what I can live without. I’m looking at my banking habits, including investments, to ensure I am getting the best bang for my buck.
And, I am doing my utmost to support Haliburton County businesses. You should too.
The deadline for a referendum on governance changes for this election has passed – with one for the 2030 election too far away, County of Haliburton CAO Gary Dyke told a public meeting in Haliburton Aug. 25.
He, and representatives of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN), brought the community-wide affordability and governance structure study on the road to the public, with additional meetings in Minden Aug. 26, Wilberforce Aug. 27 and Algonquin Highlands Aug. 31.
Dyke said in addition to missing the March 1 deadline, he thinks referendums are difficult, so they have opted for grassroots engagement.
“We would hope we’re getting the same kind of feedback you would get as part of a referendum.”
A former City of Kawartha Lakes resident, who only identified himself as ‘Steve,’ described the amalgamation process there as an “unmitigated disaster.” Twenty-six years later, he said promises had not been kept, staff had ballooned with many on the sunshine list, making $100,000 or more a year, and council had lost control over public input.
More detailed report expected in December
He said the County should think seriously before adopting a single-tier municipality, “because you will regret it down the road.”
But EORN’s Jim Pine said the CKL situation is different than what could happen in the Highlands. He noted the CKL amalgamation was legislated by the province, whereas, “this is a real community effort. There’s opportunity to do it differently here… the status quo for us is a concern. You know where it is going to go…” He added he had a good experience with the City of Quinte West.
Peter Oyler, who has gone through two amalgamations, said in his experience, “costs are more in the beginning, but do level out if the municipality is managed properly, and you elect the people to do the job for you.”
He said if establishing a working group, they should have staff and a community representative to help with transition.
“Contrary to what Steve has said, singletier is the way to go. We cannot afford 32 politicians any longer and spending the money we are on five different treasurers, etc. It can’t go on like this.”
Chris Lynd said with more work to be done, she wanted assurance residents would be involved in the process right up to the time of politicians making a decision. “This is a huge decision to make … I want to be involved.”
Dyke said public input would continue.
Donna McCallum asked if greater collaboration among municipalities had been ruled out. Pine said the service delivery review is now four years old and there had been limited work done to date. EORN didn’t think that was the way to go, but it was part of the status quo model, and ultimately up to councils.
Ted Atkinson said he suspected the service delivery review didn’t go well because it did not have champions.
“It’ll be rewarding when it’s done if it’s done properly and executed really well. And everybody in this room will see the benefit of that down the road. It won’t be tomorrow. It won’t necessarily be in two years, but in five to 10 years, you will start to really reap the benefits. If it doesn’t happen, you’ll start to see the County starting to fall more on its face.”
After a decision of council, Dyke said they would like to have changes implemented in 14-18 months.
Following the meetings, EORN will continue its work to drill down further on the four models it is suggesting the County choose from.
Turtle Guardians founder Leora Berman had a surprising first-time experience in late August, coming face-to-face-to-face with an ultrarare conjoined twin snapping turtle hatchlings in Haliburton.
The Siamese siblings came from eggs recovered from the Eagle Lake area earlier this summer, and hatched Aug. 21 at the non-profit’s incubation centre in Haliburton village. The mini snappers were born with two heads but only one shell and body, a condition known as bicephaly.
Berman said she’d never encountered the phenomenon in-person before. A 2025 study by the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in the U.S. estimated twin births occur in about one per cent of recorded hatchlings. Conjoined twins are much less common, though, with one in every 100,000 cases.
“We’ve had twins before… but it was quite shocking to find a conjoined pair,” Berman said, noting staff have named the young reptiles Bert and Ernie, after the famous characters from Seasame Street.
Despite male names, Berman said the turtles’ sex won’t be determined until adulthood as a turtle’s reproductive organs remain internal while they’re juveniles.
Berman had two theories for the rare birth. Bert and Ernie shared the same yolk sac, which usually means two distinct embryos developed from a single egg, but didn’t completely separate during early development.
It’s also possible the mother utilized sperm from multiple mates during the fertilization process. Berman said females can store viable sperm inside specialized oviduct tubules for several months.
Bert and Ernie may live
Dr. Kristen Janke from the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) in Peterborough told The Highlander she hasn’t encountered conjoined twins in her 10 years with the institution.
“So, it’s certainly rare. In this case, it looks like a twinning that did not fully separate.”
More testing needed
Turtle Guardians operates one of Canada’s largest incubation and conservation programs, with staff and volunteers working to protect nests, nurture eggs, and release healthy hatchlings back into the wild.
So far this year, the group has collected and cared for 13,688 eggs from 482 nest sites across the Highlands – including nine sets of twins, all new records.
Under Ministry of Natural Resources rules, incubators may only keep turtles on-site for a maximum of 10 days once hatched. Berman has sought an extension for Bert and Ernie and is continuing to care for them. She wants to send the twins to Newmarket for more testing.
“They’re sharing a lot and I think they can survive together,” Berman said. “We would want to do a CT scan to see if they have two hearts and figure out what else is going on under that shell.”
The turtles aren’t mobile, with extra limbs preventing them from walking. Berman said the non-functionable legs could potentially be removed, with her Newmarket-based vet having experience with surgical separations.
Despite their many shortcomings, Berman believes they could survive in the wild and wants to give them a chance.
“This is kind of the purpose of our entire program,” she said.
Berman said Turtle Guardians has the longest-running road ecology study in the country. Her analysis shows a decline of up to 40 per cent in turtle populations in some areas of the County over the past 10 years. Since 2022, she’s seen a significant increase in the number of turtle eggs imploding or collapsing before hatching. Berman’s been actively working with academics at the universities of Manitoba and Alberta to find out why and hopes to have some answers by 2028.
Three of the County’s four volunteer fire departments are actively searching for new recruits, with fire prevention officer, Mike French, saying some services have been stretched over a busy summer.
In a report to Algonquin Highlands council Aug. 13, French said he and colleagues in Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills have been inundated with calls related to downed hydro lines in recent months.
“It’s been keeping our volunteers busy,” French said.
He noted some fresh blood has come through the doors in the County’s northernmost township, with one new volunteer added in Oxtongue Lake and two going through the process to be onboarded in Dorset. That won’t bring the department to a full quota, but its a start, French said.
“Recruitment is a challenge that’s common across fire services throughout Ontario who rely on volunteers,” French said.
Numbers were also down in Minden Hills, with the fire chief there, Don Kruger, saying he has three volunteer vacancies he hopes to fill this fall. The Dysart et al department under Dan Chumbley also has room to grow, while Highlands East chief, Chris Baughman, has said he’ll always consider new applications.
Part of the problem, French said, is that volunteers are so well-trained here they can get hired to become full-time firefighters in other communities. He credited that to the program launched by former Algonquin Highlands chief Mike Cavanagh, who left for Peterborough in 2020.
“In the last six years, we’ve had eight firefighters graduate from our recruit training program and go on to become full-time. When that happens, we pretty much lose them. We can call on them when they’re here, but we don’t have the consistency,” French said.
“We’re highly respected throughout the province, which is nice to see as it provides good career opportunities for people… but it’s a hit when [the volunteers] leave,” he added.
French said anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should check in with their local department.
Despite announcing Feb. 14, 2022 that it would be bringing a new long-term care home to Haliburton County – and Extendicare being mentioned at an Aug. 25 Dysart et al council meeting as a “possible” tenant for the new County Road 21 development – the company declined to comment on any developments when contacted by The Highlander last week.
A spokesperson told the paper, “with the developments at council having just happened earlier this week, we don’t have a comment ready to share at this time. It’s possible that may change in the future.”
At last week’s meeting, Dysart et al council elected to move forward with its planned residential and community development on CR 21, endorsing a preferred concept and vision for the municipal lands.
Consultants from The Biglieri Group pointed to a block earmarked for a longterm care home and mentioned Extendicare by name.
“The long-term care block we have been discussing with potential tenants, Extendicare … and this is a block that works for size. So, originally there was a request for six acres and we brought it up to 8.35 acres, so it’s a bit bigger, it’s flatter; it can be developed,” the consultants said.
Another reference was an ask “to accommodate detailed design work between the possible tenant for the long-term care facility to give them the opportunity to have flexibility in that regard.”
On Feb. 14, 2022 there was a press conference to announce a new $41 million, 128-bed, state-of-the-art long-term care home for Haliburton County. A location was not announced. However, since Extendicare has an existing long-term care home in Haliburton, it was anticipated they would remain in the village.
Then minister of long-term care, Paul Calandra, Haliburton-Kawartha LakesBrock MPP Laurie Scott, Extendicare president and CAO Michael Guerriere, and then County warden Liz Danielsen spoke during the press conference.
“The Haliburton project will enable us to replace our current facility and build a brand new 128-room long-term care home, more than doubling our current capacity in the community,” Guerriere said at the time.
He added it would feature state-of-the-art design standards, “to meet the current and future needs of seniors.”
According to the president and CAO, it would equate to more space to connect with loved ones, increased privacy and comfort; be more conducive to resident quality of life; have enhanced resident activity areas and flexible space for restorative and palliative services.
“Extendicare is committed to serving seniors in this region long into the future,” he said.
With schools reopening next week, more than 275,000 teachers and education workers across Ontario will return to the classroom without a contract after their existing terms expired Monday (Aug. 31).
The situation is impacting employees at public elementary and secondary schools, including Catholic and francophone institutions.
In a Sept. 1 statement, leaders from the province’s five big education unions said they first engaged the province in March in hopes of finding a quick agreement.
“Instead of engaging in negotiations early… and showing a real commitment to stability and improving student success and wellbeing [education minister Paul] Calandra dismissed our call and confidently announced he was ‘optimistic’ deals could be reached before Labour Day. He was wrong,” the unions said.
Last month, Calandra told the CBC he was confident a deal could be reached.
“We remain committed to getting a negotiated settlement, so teachers have certainty, parents have certainty, and students have the best opportunity to succeed,” Calandra said. “My focus is clear: putting student achievement first and giving every student the opportunity to succeed.”
Mike De Rose, president of the local Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) union, said the standoff shouldn’t impact back-to-school preparations for parents.
“School will begin normally and I don’t think parents should approach the start of the year fearful of an imminent strike,” De Rose said, noting there are several legal steps before a strike can occur, including bargaining, conciliation, initiating a strike vote and, if successful, posting advance notice.
“Our objective in bargaining is an agreement, not a strike,” De Rose added.
He said his union represents approximately 650 teachers across 40 schools within Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB). While ETFO bargains on behalf of members on key issues at the provincial level, De Rose said there will be negotiations with TLDSB over local issues.
He said teachers have been consistent about the problems they want addressed, with priorities centred around safer schools, sustainable workloads and better supports for students.
“Those issues overlap considerably. When students don’t have timely access to educational assistants, mental health professionals, special education resources and other supports, those needs don’t disappear. Increasingly, they’re downloaded into classrooms,” De Rose said.
Last month, Calandra announced the government will open 35 new and expanded schools this year. He said the additions would add 18,000 more student spaces and over 1,000 childcare spaces for young families.
On teachers, Calandra said he felt it was essential that all parties have a clear mind of what issues will be negotiated centrally, and what will flow down to the local level, before bargaining begins. He said all parties are aligned.
“We all have the same interests in mind, which is to the students,” he said.
Investment needed
De Rose noted that, when adjusted for inflation, public education funding has been cut $6.3 billion since premier Doug Ford assumed office in 2018. Eight years ago, the province invested about $29 billion in schools with that number increasing to almost $31 billion as of the 2026-27 fiscal year. Inflation increased 26.51 per cent nationally between those dates, according to the Bank of Canada.
With teachers tasked with doing more with less, De Rose believes the current system is failing some students. He notes there’s been a marked increase in violent incidents inside the classroom in the past decade.
TLDSB reported that, during the 202425 school year, there were 922 reported incidents of student aggression. De Rose said that was the largest category of reported workplace incidents from unionized members, though he’s not sure it captures the full picture.
“We know violent incidents are often under-reported, so the real number is much higher,” he said. “This isn’t about blaming children… the answer is to make sure schools have enough qualified adults, special education resources, mental health supports, behavioural expertise and programming to meet their needs.” The ETFO conducted a bargaining survey of the membership over the summer and will be consulting with members through September. His hope is to avoid a long, drawn-out stalemate – something he’s hearing from colleagues, too.
“I wouldn’t characterize what I’m hearing from teachers as an appetite to strike. Teachers want to teach. What there is an appetite for is change,” De Rose said.
“Our members are increasingly frustrated by a publicly funded education system that asks educators to manage larger and more complex needs without always providing the staffing and resources necessary to do that successfully,” he added.
The negotiations are also impacting more than 500 secondary school teachers, supply staff and professional student services personnel at TLDSB’s seven high schools.
Calandra’s press secretary, Emma Testani, said the ministry was still waiting to hear what issues will be negotiated locally.
“Those decisions are still underway, with some unions choosing to bring this matter to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. We respect their decision to do so and, at all times, are ready to continue discussions on the scope of central versus local issues before proceeding to the next stage of negotiations,” Testani said.
According to data logged by citizen scientists across Algonquin Highlands, the spiny waterflea and Chinese and banded mystery snails are the most prevalent aquatic invasive species found in the township, while Boshkung and Beech lakes boast the highest number of water-based non-native critters.
Trent University students Meagan Shier and Vidishi Hatwell have compiled a first-ever aquatic species inventory for Algonquin Highlands, delivering their report to council over the summer.
“The purpose of this project was to create a baseline inventory throughout Algonquin Highlands. We compiled existing records, identified invasive species present, and provided maps that can support future monitoring and education,” Shier said. “This gives the township a starting point for future stewardship and decision-making for lakes.”
Shier and Hatwell pulled information from existing databases like iNaturalist and EddMapS. They split invasive species into three categories – plant, fish and invertebrates.
While Shier said they did not find any prohibited species under the Ontario Invasive Species Act, there were several restricted species found. Invertebrates were the most populous of the three.
The students found 45 observances of the spiny waterflea in the watershed, with 29 Chinese mystery snails and 24 banded mystery snails identified. Zebra mussels were also found.
Problematic non-native plants include European frogbit, curly-leaved pondweed, yellow iris, Eurasian watermilfoil, phragmites australis and purple loosestrife. Among the species of invasive fish found were the rainbow smelt, rockbass and smallmouth bass.
“Observation data shows invasive species are distributed across the township and not isolated to one lake,” Shier said, noting Boshkung, at 38 observations, and Beech at 29, had the highest total of confirmed non-natives. Council was told they should be the priority waterbodies for future observation, though Kushog, St. Nora, Big Hawk and Little Hawk lakes were outlined as secondary priorities.
Because the lake system in Algonquin Highlands is so interconnected, with ties to the Gull, Muskoka, and Lake Simcoe watersheds, Shier said there’s potential for invasive species to flow downstream, potentially impacting other lakes.
“Algonquin Highlands is a headwater region – that means the invasive species introduced here have a very large potential to spread. Species like zebra mussels and other invasive aquatic plants can alter water quality, nutrient cycling and aquatic food web structures pretty quickly,” Shier said.
The likeliest cause of invasive species entering a lake, Shier said, is inadvertent transfer from a boat that wasn’t properly cleaned after being on another lake.
Shier downplayed the likelihood of lakes eliminating invasive species once they’ve taken hold, saying it then becomes how to best manage the problem. The students put together a pamphlet that advises people how they can help stop the spread of non-natives.
Early detection remains the most effective management strategy, as trying to control or mitigate an already-populated species can be expensive. Earlier this summer, volunteers with the Drag and Spruce Lake Property Owners’ Association said they’ve spent around $180,000 removing Eurasian watermilfoil over the past six years, with no end in sight.
Get involved
Shier said public education is the key to further developing the inventory.
“This is intended to become a living resource that grows over time,” she said.
Deputy mayor Jennifer Dailloux, a member of the township’s environmental and stewardship committee, said the project, which U-Links partnered on, provides more of an understanding and awareness of the types of invasives impacting local water systems.
While the numbers provided by Shier and Hatwell were relatively low, Dailloux said there’s potential for the problem worsening before it gets better.
“Looking at the map, we’re not getting as much reporting in the northern lakes. We definitely need to focus on monitoring in the south, but raising awareness with some lake associations in the north is important too,” Dailloux said. “Paradoxically, it could be that the greatest indicator of success of this work comes in two or three years through more blips on the map. I think there’s action we can take to boost participation.”
Parks, recreation and trails manager, Chris Card, confirmed the township installed educational signage about invasive species and how to avoid spreading them at all municipal docks and landings in 2021.
By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ontario’s home-care framework fails families dealing with dementia, leaving unpaid caregivers to carry much of the responsibility until a crisis forces them to seek help, according to one of the region’s top specialists.
Dr. Jenny Ingram, a geriatric medicine specialist, explores the issue in No More Silent Battles, a documentary about dementia care in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. The film follows four local families and looks at how provincial programs fall short, while also suggesting changes to the way dementia care is funded and delivered.
“On day one of a dementia diagnosis, it’s largely a time-limited medical appointment,” Ingram told The Highlander in a recent interview. “There is no organized offering of information for everybody. It’s all left on the shoulders of the family to figure it out.”
Families can struggle to find early support in a diagnosis. Ingram said that public home-care interventions are often brought in only once a patient is in crisis or ends up in a hospital. She also pointed to provincial intake forms that, she said, treat cognitive decline as an afterthought, focusing on physical disabilities instead.
“The tools are very sensitive to physical challenges, but very insensitive to cognitive difficulties,” Ingram said.
That disconnect becomes obvious when contracted home-care workers arrive at a person’s home. Agencies often work on tight schedules, with personal support workers expected to complete tasks like bathing within a set amount of time. Ingram said for someone living with memory loss, having an unfamiliar face rush them through something like a bath can be frightening rather than helpful.
“People with dementia don’t function well when they’re on the clock,” Ingram said. “Home-care providers are untrained, unfunded, and unable to add the time commitment and complexity that dementia requires. And the government sanctions this and endorses this. They just give them a set amount of time and if you don’t get it done, tough. That’s not a dementia-sensitive home-care system. That is kind of like a production line that’s on a timer.”
When the support isn’t there, family members are forced to fill the gap themselves. Citing data from the Alzheimer’s Society, Ingram said 82 per cent of unpaid caregivers in Canada are under the age of 65. Many have to reduce their work hours or leave the job altogether. She said caring for a relative with dementia requires an additional 10 hours a week compared to assisting someone with a physical illness alone, contributing to an estimated $25 billion in lost wages each year in Canada.
“That doesn’t really take into account those who stay in the workforce but are both distracted and having to leave on and off during the workday or the work week to deal with issues as they arise,” Ingram said. “Because as you know, dementia doesn’t go to bed.”
The number of people diagnosed with dementia in the province is expected to triple over the next two decades. Ingram said relying on family caregivers cannot continue without putting even more pressure on them.
The documentary highlights examples of care that take a different approach. In one Peterborough case, lawyer Jane Rutherford hired a private companion for her father, Bill, who frequently wandered from his care facility. The companion began taking Bill out to golf in the summer and to play pool in the winter. The regular routine helped keep the father safe while also giving him activities he enjoyed.
No More Silent Battles proposes two changes at the provincial level. One would create a credentialed “Dementia Support Worker” role, with specialized training and higher pay. The other would establish Dementia Care Ontario, an agency modelled after Cancer Care Ontario that would help co-ordinate care from initial diagnosis through end-of-life.
For families trying to manage dementia care at home in the meantime, Ingram offered some simpler advice: don’t spend energy trying to tell a loved one their version of reality is wrong. Instead, she suggested changing the way the caregiver responds.
“The only person who can voluntarily change their approach is the care provider,” Ingram said. “Living in the present moment, avoiding arguments over past details, and meeting them right where they are makes for pleasant, if not joyful, days.”
A screening of No More Silent Battles will take place at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion on Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. Admission by donation. A panel discussion with Ingram will follow.
A Hal High graduate is getting a little extra financial support as he gets ready to start medical school next week.
The Kawartha Lakes Medical Society (KLMS) announced Aug. 18 that Minden’s Liam McAlister is the recipient of their 2026 first-year medical student award. Launched in 2024, the initiative directs cash to youth looking to train for a career in the health care sector, said Dr. Sheila-Mae Young, KLMS’ scholarship officer.
“KLMS looks forward to following Liam’s progress through medical school and residency and hopes to one day welcome him back as a physician practising in the City of Kawartha Lakes or the County of Haliburton,” Young said.
After graduating high school in 2019, McAlister completed his bachelor of science in physiology at McMaster University in 2023. He earned his master’s in interdisciplinary medical sciences at Western University in April 2024. He’s enrolled at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSOM) in Sudbury for the upcoming fall semester.
Speaking to The Highlander Aug. 25, McAlister said he’s spent almost a decade planning for a career in the health care sector.
“I started to realize when I was in high school that I wanted to go into medicine. I always liked science and then had some life experiences that sort of pushed me into health care,” McAlister said. While still early in his training, he said he’s considering family medicine as his specialty.
Young said the grant is for $2,000. It’s meant to help with school supplies and moving costs. McAlister was one of two applicants.
The award is presented annually to an applicant who is a usual resident of Kawartha Lakes or Haliburton County, is enrolled in year one of an Ontario Faculty of Medicine program, has made meaningful contributions to life in their community, and agrees to maintain an ongoing relationship with KLMS and other health care organizations in the region.
Young said the hope is that fully-trained professionals will return to work in their home community, addressing physician shortfalls in rural areas like the Highlands. Applications are due by June 30 each year, with recipients selected by the KLMS executive.
McAlister said the money was a big help, with the $2,000 going towards his first tuition payment, which was due this week.
Having already been in touch with physician recruiters in the Highlands, McAlister said he can see himself returning home to practise sometime in the future.
“I’m definitely open to it. NOSOM is really good at extending us into all different areas, but I know I want to get into rural medicine somehow and I think I’d like to get back home one day,” McAlister said.
Young added KLMS has a long history of supporting education of future health care professionals, with the organization also supplying $600 bursaries to one graduating student from each of the five high schools in the region, including Hal High.
