Report a ‘strategy plan’ for rural futures

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February 3, 2022

An action plan from the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association (ROMA) could influence provincial decisions impacting Haliburton County’s housing stock, workforce and development possibilities.

Released Jan. 24, Opportunities for Rural Ontario in a Post-COVID World is an 84-page “action plan” that digs into five themes they say are shaping life in rural Ontario.

“It’s kind of like a strategy plan,” said Coun. Pam Sayne of Minden Hills, who sits on the board.

“It’s where we can stay on one page, and stay focused on what we want to accomplish based on what the ROMA mandate is.”

The five themes include digital connectivity, housing affordability, access to services, workforce development and efficient growth of rural areas.

They emerged after consultation with municipal leaders and stakeholders across the province, who listed each theme as a key concern.

The report acknowledges that these themes are interdependent. For example, workforce development hinges on housing affordability. In the Highlands, some restaurants and Haliburton Highlands Health Services have cited housing as a barrier to finding sufficient staff.

Beyond laying out themes, ROMA said it will “engage with municipalities, the province and key stakeholders” to implement 23 recommendations.

For example, ROMA plans to “advocate with the province for review of the Provincial Policy Statement… to ensure that the legitimate development aspirations of rural Ontario are not constrained by outmoded views of the economic and social potential of rural Ontario.”

That could result in a push towards mixed-use developments in villages such as Minden or Haliburton, alongside a rethink of municipal zoning restrictions that don’t permit tiny homes or basement suites.

ROMA can’t create provincial policies. But similar to a municipal committee advising council members, ROMA has the ear of provincial and municipal leaders. Multiple mayors and County council members attended the ROMA annual conference when the action plan was presented, and Premier Doug Ford spoke at the virtual event.

A ‘breath of fresh air’

Sayne said short-term rentals have been an “increasing problem” in Haliburton County that she’s eager to work with the ROMA board on.

Specifically, she said addressing shortterm rentals also means addressing a County-wide affordable housing shortage.

ROMA’s action plan states that members could offer insight “on the ripple effects of the forces affecting urban housing markets on rural housing markets.”

Sayne said short-term rentals are tied up with housing stock in the County, when it’s profitable to sell houses or rent them on sites such as Airbnb instead of hosting tenants.

“New families and seniors are losing their housing,” she said. “People have a rental place and all of a sudden when the housing market changed and they could sell off that asset and still be comfortable for retirement, we lost the housing stock in that process.”

She said solutions could include changing zoning and building policies, likely through research and advocacy on the part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, an umbrella association which includes ROMA.

Since joining the board, Sayne said it’s been “a breath of fresh air” to work alongside other municipal representatives across Ontario advocating for issues that will impact Minden Hills.

The ROMA board represents a wide variety of rural regions. Sayne said collaboration increases the likelihood they’ll be able to find solutions.

“When that happens you have a stronger analysis of what’s going on.”

ROMA is hosting a “teeny-tiny summit” March 22 that’s open to the public, where speakers will chat about the report’s findings.

To register: roma.on.ca/learning/events/ teeny-tiny-summit-1v

To read the action plan visit roma.on.ca

County could be one-stop shop for resources

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 3, 2022

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According to the authors of the County’s new community safety and well-being plan, the population of the Highlands is growing faster than the provincial average. We’re also older, not quite as educated, have higher unemployment, food security issues and are poorer. We’re challenged by a lack of affordable housing and, while crimes against people is trending down, property crime is going up.

The snapshot, as taken from the 2016 Census, is likely to change as the new Census rolls out later this month. However, it forms the basis of the “living” plan Strategy Corp. presented to County council Jan. 26.

Warden Liz Danielsen said, “This has been an important project for us all and it’s been a long time coming for us all.”

The County plans to hire a “navigator” to shepherd implementing the plan’s goals over the remainder of 2022.

Strategy’s Corp’s Lauren Wyman said they began their work in April 2021, meeting with community service providers and liaising with the public about crime and socioeconomic issues.

They found housing and homelessness, poverty and employment, mental health, substance use and addiction and healthcare and system access were the main themes.

“The purpose of the plan is to offer strategic direction and priorities for the County to improve community safety and well-being,” Wyman said.

She added it is about proactive approaches, such as breaking down silos and identifying risks while still taking advantage of “what is so great about the community and the County.”

For example, a concrete action on housing and homelessness could be developing a housing website that builds on existing platforms or sites to centralize information on housing providers, statistics on housing and homelessness and information on how to access housing, including applications and other documents, she said.

Coun. Carol Moffatt said the plan was a “tremendous opportunity for the County to have the portal, or one-stop clearing shop” for resources, as an example. Coun. Pam Sayne said the County of Renfrew has a good resource. “I think the models are out there. I’m very excited about that.”

There are numerous strategies within the plan. With poverty and employment, one is working with potential employers, and training institutions, to develop employment and training placement programs for lowincome groups and individuals.

With mental health, substance use and addictions, it was noted there are not enough resources in the County and the problem requires outreach. A permanent virtual care clinic was discussed as was utilizing people with lived experience.

With health care and system access, Coun. Bob Carter noted that many residents can’t get a primary care provider.

It was also noted that the challenges often overlap.

Coun. Andrea Roberts said, “Everything’s interconnected … I can’t afford daycare because I don’t have a job, but then I have a job but it doesn’t make enough money to afford a car, so it’s transportation. So, I think that’s why having a plan like this, with all the different players at the table, is going to be really valuable for our community.”

Coun. Brent Devolin said there are already strong community resources, for example, the poverty reduction roundtable, which he said “have been doing a lot of this work kind of on the margins. They didn’t have official stature or authority, but with a new mechanism in the community safety and well-being plan, somewhere all of this work, which has been going on for a longtime, can be plugged into. They’ve [the poverty reduction roundtable] had thoughts, and have been looking for a mechanism to move forward.”

Moffatt said the public might want to know who is paying, and while the County is budgeting for the navigator, she said it will come down to lobbying upper levels of government for human and financial resources.

CAO Mike Rutter said next steps include forming a steering committee and an advisory table and ach target area will also have subcommittees. He added the plan must first be distributed to the lower-tier governments for their approval.

Minden roads study calls for 123 kms of fixes

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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Minden Hills’ 2021 Roads Needs Study suggests nearly half of the township’s 278-kilometre road system needs work.

Tatham Engineering, a firm tasked with studying the area’s road usage and conditions, provided two scenarios for future investments.

Total improvements to the road system could mean pulverizing and resurfacing or surface treating certain roads, while reconstructing others that are in the worst shape, for an estimated $30 million over the next 10 years.

An alternative scenario could see more roads pulverized and resurfaced, rather than reconstructed, for a cost of about $19.6 million.

Of the township’s 21 kilometres of asphalt roads, 21 per cent are considered poor, along with 36 per cent of the area’s surface-treated roads and 17 per cent of gravel roads.

The study was presented to council Jan. 27 for councillors to get a background on the shape of Minden’s roads before upcoming budget talks. Staff will also consider a roads usage report, detailing an average amount of traffic on each road. Tatham Engineering recommended traffic volume, road condition, time of need, cost of improvement and work schedule to direct which roads are prioritized.

“I think it’s important for [council] to have the same guidance as me as we work through the budget process,” said acting director of public works Tara Stephens. “The next step for us as staff is to provide the simplified report.”

Mayor Brent Devolin said the extent and cost of roads maintenance shows municipalities, that shoulder the full cost, need more help.

“We can only carry this burden on a certain extent on land-based taxation,” he said. “There’s no way on a municipal tax base that this can ever be paid for.”

Needs-based water work

A performance-based review of Minden’s water and wastewater systems predicts a boost in annual spending. Sixty per cent of Minden’s infrastructure is considered “fair”, meaning it has issues but is working. Ten per cent is “poor”, meaning it needs further spending, and 30 per cent is in good working order.

“Now we’re moving to a performance versus aged based spending approach,” said Nick Larson of the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA), tasked with evaluating Minden’s systems.

OCWA predicts Minden Hills needs to spend more on water systems each year. Average past spending of $122,000 on water infrastructure will need to rise to $135,000, and current wastewater spending of $93,000 will eventually need to rise to $160,000.

“These are actually a lot smaller than what you’d see in an asset management plan if you did an age-based forecast,” said Larson.

OCWA is preparing a rate study, which will show how much residents could expect to pay for water in the area to fund the water system’s repairs and capital projects.

Larson said evaluating the growing population of an area is key, along with determining how new developments can fit onto existing water systems. “It’s about optimizing the use of your existing infrastructure so you can have more ratepayers pay for the same quantity,” Larson said.

Fatal snowmobile accident in Dysart et al

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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One person was pronounced deceased after a snowmobile collision in Dysart et al Feb. 2.

At approximately 12:30 p.m, Haliburton OPP responded to the single-vehicle accident on Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs trail E109.

The driver of the snowmobile was pronounced deceased. Their identity has not been confirmed by police.

OPP technical collision teams are investigating the incident.

Haliburton Highlands OPP is requesting anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122 or 705 286-1431.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a secure web-tip at https://www.khcrimestoppers.com/, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward

Greater police board transparency

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 3, 2022

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LG-OPP put dent in drug trade 3 — Constable Christopher Darling of the Haliburton Highlands Detachment keeps an eye out from his police cruiser. Photo by Lisa Gervais.

Raise your hand if you’ve heard about CPAC in Haliburton County?
I’d hazard a guess that many of you haven’t.
It stands for the community policing advisory committee. Comprising the OPP detachment commander and the mayors of Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills, it had been in operation for a number of years.
That is until the Community Safety and Police Act in 2019, with the province advising municipalities they have until June 7, 2022 to determine what a new board will look like for their detachment areas.
It’s all part of the new community safety and well-being plan that was presented to County councillors at a Jan. 26 meeting.
While the issue of a detachment board seemed like a minor add-on to the two-plus-hour meeting, it is an important one.
The initial recommendation was for a seven-person board, comprising the County warden, four mayors, a provincial appointment and one member of the public appointed by the County.
Minden Hills Coun. Pam Sayne commented that with five politicians out of seven places, it was top heavy. She also felt it important to have at least two members of the public so the one would not feel isolated.
Coun. Carol Moffatt, who deserves credit for her role on CPAC, and the community safety and well-being plan, defended the five-councillor representation. She argued the municipalities pay for policing so should carry the vote. Carefully choosing her words, she said well-meaning community members may make a decision that could costs the townships a lot of money, for example.
With all due respect to Coun. Moffatt, it is the taxpayers that foot the OPP bill.
She also said she feels citizen board members might not understand the complexity of the job, or that they think they will get in tight with the cops and is worried about the sensitivity of privacy concerns.
With that logic, one could infer that public members of the committee of adjustments, for example, could be disclosing confidential details about land transactions. We don’t think that’s happening.
In the end, the County opted for a board comprising the warden, mayors or designate, a County public appointee and a provincial appointee.
Sayne said she expected reports back from the board to council meetings.
CPAC members have done that in the past. At least Moffatt has to Algonquin Highlands. But, again, with all due respect, they are not detailed reports.
In the same manner, despite the press making the request, CPAC meetings have not been open to us in the past. The press can attend library board meetings, for example, but not CPAC. That is a concern. And as a result, the public is largely left in the dark about what is going on with policing in the County.
We get that some things have to be private, such as a pending drug raid, but the public has a right to know things such as crime statistics, or worrying trends.
After all, these boards are there to provide civilian oversight.
The five-member police services board for the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Services is a good example. While not the OPP but a municipal force, they meet publicly once a month.
There are only two councillors, Mayor Andy Letham and Coun. Pat O’Reilly. The council appointee is a former police inspector, Don Thomas, who chairs the board. The two other civilians are long-time volunteer Wanda Percival and Valmay Barkey, who used to head up Community Care Health and Support Services (provincial appointees). They’re not top heavy. They make good decisions.
The lower-tier municipalities must still approve the composition of the new board but one thing we do demand is greater transparency.

Retiring Gooderham and Dysart librarians “encouraged a lifelong love of reading and learning”

By

Sam Gillett

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February 3, 2022

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JQ - Library reopening - 1-web — The library board opted to delay a plan to use the Dysart et al branch as the first location for curbside pickup in the County. File photo.

The Gooderham and Dysart branches of the Haliburton County Public Library will look a bit different in 2022.

That’s because two of the longest-serving staff members have moved on to new adventures.

Vicki Fraser and Marilyn Billings have retired; Fraser after 22 years with the Dysart branch and Billings after 41 years in Gooderham. Billings started at what was then called the Glamorgan Library in 1980.

“I never thought of it as a career,” she said, “it was just something I loved doing.”

Starting at two hours a week, Billings enjoyed developing a vibrant calendar of monthly events. She recalled everything from pumpkin carving night, pumpkin seeds found in books days later, to multiple craft nights and coordinating a heritage display showcasing old-fashioned devices such as ice-cream makers, laundry tubs and even a butter churner.

Billings said she was especially proud of the annual Authors Day which began in 2001 after she began noticing how many great authors called the Highlands home. “That was a personal interest of mine: I wanted to know who our local authors were,” she said. Once, a cottager suggested they host a ukulele club.

“Let’s give it a try and see what happens,” Billings said. The club went on to gather multiple enthusiastic members who play the ukulele to this day.

She said customer service was her favourite part of library work. Mingling with the patrons or “leading them to a real good book you’ve read yourself. That really makes a difference,” Billings said.

Fraser said the people that visit the library made her job rewarding.

“I hope I have encouraged a lifelong love of reading and learning for patrons both young and old in our community,” she said.

“All of my patrons from the old branch to my new branch have been so kind, generous and made each day a joy for me. Libraries are all about the people, and Dysart branch has the best people ever. It is the people I will miss the most and I am forever grateful for our time together.” Fraser thanked Sandre and Brian Daoust for a note in The Highlander recognizing her service and CEO Chris Stephenson who she said went “an extra mile to make me feel valued and missed as I begin my new journey.”

Fraser said library work suited her from the start. “The first day I started I fell in love with the whole thing: you can have a ton and a half of books but it’s about the people,” she said.

“People are generous, they’re thoughtful, if you’re stuck on the side of the road, five people will stop to help you.”

Fraser was known for her book recommendations. One co-worker suggested she might be the “Oprah of the Library.”

“I would promote a book, and they’d have to run out and buy five more, six more copies,” Fraser said.

Those around the community noticed Fraser’s dedication to library patrons. She was awarded a customer-first employee award from the Haliburton Chamber of Commerce in 2015. “That was fabulous,” she said.

While both women worked with books, magazines, newspapers, and later e-books, audiobooks and computers, it was the people who walked through the door who defined their careers.

“It’s about the people: the people who run the businesses in town, it’s one of those things where I loved what I was doing, the people and the patrons,” Fraser said.

Billings said the community expanded beyond year-round residents too. “The people who came back to their cottages for the summer were just as part of our family as the year-round community.”

Haliburton trucker makes trip to Ottawa

By

Mike Baker

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February 3, 2022

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Walking along Wellington Street in Ottawa Jan. 30, Haliburton resident Kevin McColl said he saw lots of smiling faces and “good people pulling together for a great cause” as thousands of ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters arrived in the nation’s capital.
McColl, who operates McColl’s Trucking and Logging, made the trip with friend, John McNeil. Together, the pair spent the day challenging vaccine mandates imposed by the federal and provincial governments.
While media reports from the event, which saw as many as 10,000 people attend, have been mostly negative, with images depicting protesters desecrating the National War Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a statue of Terry Fox, McColl said his experiences were overwhelmingly positive.
“It was just the most amazing thing. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my life. I spent the whole day there and there were times that I just teared right up,” McColl said. “There’s always going to be a few people who spoil it, but from what I saw, and the people I spoke to, it was all very respectful.
“The thing that upsets me, is all the negative stuff is being reported and talked about. But nobody shows, or is talking about the people cleaning up the statues, and cleaning the streets. There were many of us there doing that, too,” McColl added.
The convoy has received national attention in recent weeks. The event was launched, initially, in protest of the federal government’s decision to reinstate COVID19 vaccine requirements to re-enter the country by land as of Jan. 15.
Prior to that, truck drivers and other essential workers had been exempt from the two-week quarantine for unvaccinated travellers crossing Canada’s borders. While there were some in attendance who took exception to provincial regulations, such as Ontario’s latest lockdown and mandates stipulating certain workers must be vaccinated, McColl said his, and many others’ main gripe, was the border issue.
“It’s this new mandate that’s got everybody bent out of shape. I have no problem with masking. I have no problem with anybody who wants to get vaccinated. I’m not, and won’t be, but whoever wants to, that’s their choice,” McColl said. “The problem is when you lose your choice, you start to go down a slippery slope.”
Many people shared their personal stories, with McColl saying he heard from a nurse and former RCMP officer he said were forced to resign after refusing to be vaccinated. McNeil said it was an emotional day for him being around so many likeminded people. “People have had enough. We’re two years into this now, everybody just wants to have their freedom back,” McNeil said.
With protests continuing, McColl intends to return to Ottawa this weekend. This time, he wants to take his truck.
As a show of solidarity standing alongside his fellow truckers, McColl has decorated his vehicle with Canadian flags, something he says has been very well received in Haliburton.
“We’re not asking for much, we just want to live. We want our businesses to operate,” McColl said. “People just want to get back to some sort of normal.”

Two charged after crashing stolen vehicle in Highlands East

By

Sam Gillett

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February 2, 2022

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Two Dysart residents are charged with multiple offenses after crashing a stolen vehicle in Highlands East Feb. 1.

OPP officers and paramedics responded to a single-vehicle collision on Essonville Line shortly after 8 a.m. The car involved in the accident had been reported stolen in the GTA. Police report that both occupants fled the scene before they arrived.

A police emergency response team and K9 unit located both people and they were sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A 31-year-old from Dysart was charged with operation while impaired, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, driving while under suspension, failure to remain at the scene and failure to report an accident. They’re scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Minden April 6.

A 44-year-old from Dysart et al was charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of break-in instruments, failure to comply with release order and possession of ammunition contrary to a prohibition order. A bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay was set for Feb. 2, 2022.

Teen planet protector is an ‘Enviro-Hero’

By

Sam Gillett

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January 27, 2022

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SG-planet protector-1- — Blake Parkinson is “over the moon” at his award. Submitted

Blake Parkinson said he was “a little bored” at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the Grade 8 student picked up a camera and started chatting about his passion: protecting the environment.

Two years later, Parkinson hosts live discussions on social media, a podcast about sustainability and even a digital magazine. And, he’s been recognized for his work.

Parkinson was recently awarded a youth Enviro-Hero award from the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust, after being nominated by Kirsten Sixt of the Lake Kashagawigamog Organization. “I was like ‘woah!’ I was over the moon with joy,” Parkinson said. The HHLT said Parkinson’s education initiatives and fundraisers show dedication to environmental education.

He’s organized shoreline cleanups and a save beluga whales campaign at his school, as well as a World Wildlife Fund swim fundraiser at his family’s cottage on Black Lake. “It really started with my family and then I said you know what I want to encourage more people to be environmentally friendly,” he said.

On his Planet Protectors Instagram page and website, Parkinson tells viewers how to make recyclable Christmas ornaments, shares news about animal protection on the podcast and has even started a digital magazine that summarizes international efforts such as the United Nation’s sustainable development goals.

“My main goal is to encourage people to live more sustainably and think more about the environment in their everyday lives,” he said.

Parkinson faces the camera with a confident smile. “You might not have thought about this, but sunscreen actually does have a negative impact on lakes,” he said, framed by tall trees lining the shores of Lake Kashagawigamog.

It’s from an episode of Blake on the Lake, a series of environmental tips and tricks Parkinson delivers through The LKOs YouTube channel. “When we do really small things it is a big change,” he said, chatting about Planet Protectors’ daily sustainability prompts and tips. Some ideas Parkinson gives out are simple, such as unplugging electronics when not in use or using paper straws.

“It’s those small things you can do,” he said. “Saving the planet doesn’t need to cost money.” He encouraged Highlanders to approach tough environmental issues such as the proposed shoreline preservation bylaw with an eye to the past and future.

“Approach [issues] slowly, give it time. You also need to think more on the environmental side: how are animals going to be affected, how are ecosystems going to be affected?” he said. Parkinson said his dream job is to work for the U.N. on climate action.

With scientists worldwide calling for urgent action to mitigate rising temperatures, he said change is possible. “I see hope, I see a world that is in our hands. We have to mold it the best it can be,” he said. “We don’t have that much time to do it, we need to act as fast as possible.” Parkinson and the other Enviro-Heroes will be recognized at an awards ceremony at a later date.

Planet Protectors’ website: planetprotectorsch.wixsite.com/ planetprotectorsca Follow Planet Protectors on Instagram @ planetprotectors_ca

Livestreaming a pandemic boon

By

Lisa Gervais

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January 27, 2022

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JQ - Service delivery review - 1 — Councillors from all four townships met Nov. 25 to discuss a services delivery review. Photo by Joseph Quigley

As a journalist, and member of the public, I often reflect on the pandemic and what changes it has imparted on our society.

Naturally, the list of cons often surpasses the pros.

However, there have been some silver linings for the fourth estate and I would argue that also translates to some wins for the general population.

For example, earlier this week I was able to attend the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) annual conference.

That was because it was virtual. So was the 2021 one. In the pre-pandemic past, the conference was held in Toronto and it wasn’t feasible for a small-town newspaper such as ours to send a journalist there for the two-day conference. It would have been costly with transportation, accommodation and meals.

So, if we did a story – and we didn’t always – we relied on our municipal councillors to come back and tell us what had gone on.

On Jan. 24-25, I was able to watch it myself, either live or recorded.

For a newspaper editor, it was a win-win. As a taxpayer, I also did not have to foot the bill for our councillors to attend in-person. The con for them is that they enjoy the casual conversations that often arise at these conferences, making valuable connections. However, there is still the option of reaching out to someone who spoke out during a session and touching base in other ways. It does not have to happen in a bar with a drink in hand.

In the same manner, I was able to attend the Ontario Municipal Association (AMO) conference.

For the public, I think the live streaming of council meetings has been a pandemic gift. In the past, it has been difficult for some people to attend council meetings because they are held during the day and require driving to one of the municipal offices. Now, people can view from their homes either live or recorded.

There are times when only a handful of people are watching, but on other occasions, such as the recent shoreline preservation bylaw meeting, there were close to 80 at some points during the meeting.

As a reporter, I can truthfully say that my reporting is more accurate now as well. I can go back and check what people have said. There is no longer an opportunity for subjects to say that they have been misquoted.

The other real benefit to journalists, and some members of the public, is the livestreaming of court proceedings. In the past, we rarely, if ever, would drive to Lindsay to cover a court matter. Now, if there is something major on our radar, we can follow the proceedings.

Since the nature of the court system is a lot of deferrals, we are not wasting as much time waiting for matters to be finalized either as we might have in the past. Nor are we having to email the Ministry of the Attorney-General’s office or the courthouse in Lindsay to see what is going on with a particular case.

It is the type of access that we should have had all along. It is the type of access that we cannot be denied in future. After all, if we can improve our reporting, the public is better served.