Mixed bag as students return to virtual learning

By

-

January 13, 2022

Haliburton resident Cody Sprague decided enough was enough last week, granting his two step-children an extended Christmas break after refusing to once again put them through the “torture” of online learning.

Attending Stuart Baker Elementary School for in-person learning since September, the kids – a five-year-old in senior kindergarten and a seven-year-old in Grade 2 – were among millions of students forced to revert back to virtual learning after Premier Doug Ford closed all schools in the wake of the latest wave of COVID-19.

It was announced on Jan. 11 that schools would reopen Jan. 17. Sprague didn’t know that when he pulled his kids. After watching his step-son struggle massively with virtual learning last year, he wasn’t prepared to let that happen again.

“He’s on the autism spectrum, so does need a lot of extra help and guidance. And he easily gets frustrated, which is compounded when he’s sat staring in front of a screen not really knowing what’s going on,” Sprague said.

“Sitting there on a computer, the kids aren’t involved like they would be in-person. It’s not interesting for them. It’s not engaging whatsoever.”

He said the methods used for virtual learning were akin to torture for young children, criticizing Ford for once again closing schools. “100 per cent schools should be open. They have everything in place. They wear their [masks] all day, they have social distancing, the cohorts. It should be safe,” Sprague said.

High schoolers’ grades suffer

It’s not just young children who struggle to keep up with the demands of virtual learning, says Lisa MacPherson.

Her 16-year-old son, a Grade 11 student at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, has seen his grades fall off a cliff ever since reverting to online in 2020.

MacPherson said she’s been forced to keep her son home since the onset of the pandemic due to people within the family’s immediate bubble being immunocompromised. “It’s definitely taken a toll. It’s been a struggle for him doing online because there’s very little help. He’s given his assignments and left to it,” MacPherson said. “When he was in Grade 9, he was getting 90s in math. His average now is around 55 per cent. This whole online learning has completely stunted his development.”

It’s a similar story for Grade 12 student Darian Maddock, who said he was “pretty down” about returning to school this week knowing he’d be doing so virtually. “Ninety per cent of my friends were like ‘great, here we go again’,” Maddock said.

The high schooler says he’s seen a significant drop in his grades, and an uptick in stress, since the province introduced online learning almost two years ago.” He said he’ll likely return to HHSS next year to retake classes with the hopes of getting better grades before pursuing postsecondary programs, if he wants to move on to post-secondary.

Maddock said he’d like the provincial government to know that “this really isn’t as easy as it is to say ‘oh well, kids can go back to online school for two weeks’. You’re ruining the flow of everything.”

What’s online learning?

Nicky Parish wishes her children had an opportunity to participate in virtual learning. Living just outside of Haliburton on Harburn Road, Parish said her internet service is so bad it won’t allow even one of her children to log in to their Google Meet stream, never mind all three.

In fact, prior to the pandemic, Parish didn’t have internet service at her home at all. Having initially been told she was located in a connectivity dead zone, Parish signed up for a $155 a month satellite internet package with Xplornet last summer.

Now, 18 months later, she wishes she never bothered. “It’s a disaster. It’s supposed to be high speed internet, I’m supposed to get 25mbs, but it’s impossible to run any streaming service,” Parish said.

Instead, her three sons, in Grades 5, 7 and 8 at J.D. Hodgson Elementary, have completed paper assignments whenever they haven’t been allowed to be in school.

That involved Parish driving to Haliburton twice a week to pick up and drop off work. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s allowed her children to keep up with their classmates. Issues have arisen whenever one of the kids runs into a problem they can’t solve.

“It can be difficult contacting teachers – if they have an issue with something, it’s all done through email. Then some of the teachers will call once a week to check in,” Parish said. “I have a learning disability, so I struggle and can get frustrated trying to help them. That can definitely lead to issues if we don’t hear back.”

It’s not all bad

Tiffany English has two elementary-aged daughters who thrived in virtual learning when it was introduced in 2020.

Now in Grades 3 and 7 at Archie Stouffer Elementary School, English said her kids have shined academically since returning to the classroom in September, something she owes to the “amazing” work of teachers carrying out virtual learning during the pandemic.

“They had great first report cards after being away from public school for so long, and now excel in some areas at school that they didn’t before we did the online learning,” English said. “For virtual, they are completely self-sufficient. This is very familiar to us, and the girls are excited they get to keep their in-school teachers. Things have went off without a hitch so far. “I would say both settings work for us,” she said

ERs staying open but at a premium

By

Lisa Gervais

-

January 13, 2022

0

LG - HHHS changes - 1_Easy-Resize.com — HHHS CEO Carolyn Plummer

The emergency departments at Haliburton and Minden hospitals continue to operate as normal thanks to agency nurses covering staffing gaps, Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) president and CEO Carolyn Plummer says.

In a Jan. 7 community update, followed by a Jan. 10 interview, Plummer said, “It’s not something that we want to be doing for the longer-term, but I’m thankful we have that option right now to help get us through this tough time.”

In a Nov. 22 letter to the community, Plummer said that HHHS’ continued challenges around staffing and nursing capacity meant that it was very likely they would need to reduce service at one of their emergency departments, including closures during certain hours and days.

Despite Omicron forcing eight per cent of staff to isolate since Christmas Day, Plummer said they’ve been able to stay the course.

She said they are working with various agencies across Canada to recruit mostly Ontario-based staff for short-term coverage. She stressed that staffing challenges are not new to HHHS and pre-date the pandemic, but COVID-19 has exacerbated it.

“In the past, it may have taken time but we were able to recruit people to replace folks retiring, for example. Now the pool of available nurses for recruitment is basically non-existent. So it’s become increasingly difficult to find staff to come here and it just isn’t here, it’s everywhere.” Plummer noted in her Jan. 7 community update that major urban hospitals such as Willian Osler Health Systems in the GTA have seen demand for services outpace available staffing recently and Campbellford Memorial Hospital had to close their emergency department overnight on Dec. 24 as a result of insufficient staffing.

Plummer said the agency nurses “are coming from all over the place. We have some from the GTA, and other parts of the province. We’ve even contracted with an agency out of British Columbia.” She said in some instances, nurses may work at another setting and are coming to earn some extra money.

HHHS is having to provide accommodations and Plummer said they have been working with AirBnBs, particularly ones close to both hospital sites.

Asked for an estimated cost to date, the CEO said she was still waiting on that but it will likely be made public at the board’s Jan. 27 meeting. According to Indeed, as of May 1, 2021, the average salary for an agency nurse is $41.56 per hour in Canada. Another employment site said the cost of nursing service provided by an RPN ranges from $45 to $60 per hour, while the rate for a RN is $55 to $80 per hour. Companies can require a minimum number of hours per visit, and discounts may also be offered if organizations hire a nurse for more than a certain number of hours.

Plummer said the agency nurses do come at a “premium.” She added that every time someone new arrives, although they have nursing skills, they do not know the organization and other staff have to continually assist with onboarding.

She said the long-term solution continues to centre on recruitment, although they have not had a lot of luck recently. HHHS will be hiring student nurses in future, which have resulted in permanent, full-time hires in the past.

They’re also having a nursing fair later this month. However, she said they are competing with hospitals across Canada. Plummer is grateful they have not had a problem finding agency staff. She’s also hopeful the provincial government will help HHHS – which is already in a deficit position – to cover the added costs.

“The direction we’ve been hearing from Ontario Health is we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to remain open and avoid reducing services and that’s what we need to do for this community as well so we’re hopeful that the incremental costs associated with all of this will be covered, that we will get help with those costs.”

However, Plummer encouraged the community to stay safe and follow all public health advice. “Things are still precarious. It wouldn’t take much for Omicron to have a real effect on our staffing. So, we’re not saying we’re out of the woods by any means, but we’re doing what we can to stay open and avoid service reductions.

We are also at the same time preparing for what has to happen if we’re not able to (adequately staff).”

Folk society says thanks to Canoe

By

Sam Gillett

-

January 13, 2022

0

The Haliburton County Folk Society is saying “thanks” after a bingo-funded cash injection. CanoeFM donated $5,000 to the society from its weekly radio bingo.

After nearly two years of cancelled concerts and reduced ticket sales, society president Walter Tose said the donation will help “keep some live music going in the Highlands during this pandemic and will allow us to keep doing so when we are able.”

The society’s open stage concert was booked for Jan. 8 but was the latest in a long line of concerts cancelled by COVID19.

A Feb. 19 concert featuring local musicians Jess Knights and Cassidy Taylor will likely be postponed too.

In the past, they’ve presented concerts virtually, including a monthly open stage for local musicians.

“We have been able to carry on the open stage in one form or another,” Tose said.

While the CanoeFM donation along with a three-year federal grant, Tose said the society is financially “sound.”

“If we didn’t have the CanoeFM money we’d end up losing income or losing revenue,” he said. “It assures us we’ll be able to continue to do these things once we get out of this current situation.”

New program lifting up Haliburton youth

By

Mike Baker

-

January 13, 2022

0

An innovative new pilot program designed to connect troubled youth in Haliburton County with meaningful employment has seen some success in recent months.

The Haliburton Youth Hub was selected as one of six locations across Ontario to lead the Lift initiative last spring. The program, launched by the Canadian Association for Mental Health, provides integrated employment supports for individuals aged 14 to 25, helping them with a wide variety of job-based skills and connecting them with potential employers.

Ryan Martin has been running the program in the Highlands since September. He has around a dozen clients he’s actively working with, some of whom he’s already helped place in jobs.

“One of the really cool things about Lift is that it’s an individualized program. We really tailor our services to the needs of the clients,” Martin said. “Once we’ve connected with someone, we’ll meet with them, work on long-term career planning and get as much information as we can to get to know them and come up with ideas for what we can do for them.”

The most important component, Martin says, is figuring out a client’s preferences.

“They’re not going to be interested and properly apply themselves unless it’s something they really want to do,” he noted.

“Once we learn where their interests lie, we can take things to the next level, so to speak.” Once the ball starts rolling, things can develop quickly. One of the principals of Lift is rapid job searching, Martin said, meaning clients are, ideally, placed into a job within a month of signing up.

“Within that first month, I’m helping people do resumes, write cover letters, going out and actually applying and then helping them with the interview process,” Martin said. “The idea is that everyone should at least have been interviewed within 30 days of seeking out our services. I think we’ve been pretty successful in maintaining that so far.”

One of the interesting parts of Lift is that services don’t end as soon as a youth is matched with an employer. Martin says there are no timelines in place, so, theoretically, he could work with an individual for the entirety of the three-year pilot.

Job coaching has already become a key part of his job.

“The first goal is to get them a job. From there, we work to solve any performance issues, and just making sure they’re comfortable in the work place,” Martin said. “For the most part, our employers have been very supportive, and they’ve been happy with the youth we’ve matched them with.”

Martin is also available to offer supports and advice to employers throughout the process.

Lift operates from a zero-exclusion policy, meaning anyone is welcome to access services, regardless of the severity of their mental health, disability or substance abuse issues.

That policy is one of the main things that drew Martin to the job.

“The only criteria for engaging in this program is having a desire to work. We believe people can improve their situations by having a job,” Martin said. “Research shows that 60 per cent of people with serious mental illness report wanting to work, but only about 20 per cent are employed. So, this policy is all about recognizing that, regardless of their issues, these people are capable of being in the regular workforce.”

Highlands teen to play Div 1 NCAA lacrosse

By

Mike Baker

-

January 13, 2022

0

Haliburton County’s Jaxon Gill has spent the past 18 months chasing his sporting dreams stateside, with eyes firmly set on forging a career in lacrosse.

The high school senior is doubling as a student athlete at a private boarding institution in Virginia, where he plays a key role on the Christchurch Seahorses varsity lacrosse team. A talented forward, Gill tallied 75 points in just 15 games during the 2021 season.

A string of impressive performances put him on the radar of several top ranked NCAA programs across the U.S. In October, he committed to playing Division 1 lacrosse with Quinnipiac University, based in Hamden, Connecticut.

“A dream come true,” Gill told The Highlander of his signing. “I love lacrosse, and now to have the opportunity to play it at a really high level, I’m really excited. Just the whole aspect of playing on a Division 1 team, that’s a really big deal for me.”

It’s certainly a far cry from the environment he grew up in, playing box lacrosse in Lindsay as part of the Kawartha Lakes Fury. He was 10 years old when he picked up his first spoon, joining some of his friends on the ‘local’ team.

According to Gill, it was pretty much love at first sight. He took to the sport quickly, and before long made lacrosse his primary focus, even ahead of hockey. He started playing field hockey in Newmarket when he was 12, which opened his eyes to a completely different style, and level, of play.

As his skills developed, Gill considered his options. He had been told by coaches that he was good enough to play at a higher level. Last year, right before the onset of the pandemic, he made the decision to transfer from Haliburton Highlands Secondary School to Christchurch. Since there was no school team at HHSS, and Gill was restricted to playing solely box lacrosse during the winter, he felt the only way he could keep progressing was to move.

It was a shock to the system the first time he took to the field in Virginia.

“Even though I had played field lacrosse before, it wasn’t the same as American field. Down here it’s a different game. The biggest change was I started to use both hands [on the stick] instead of just one, which is a typical Canadian thing that most people do,” Gill said. “It was a jolt, definitely. A big adjustment. But my coaches and teammates were really supportive. Since then, I feel I’ve elevated my game to a whole new level.”

Christchurch went to the Virginia state championships in 2021, and Gill hopes he can lead his team to a title in what will be his final season.

He admits he’d be lying if he didn’t already have one eye on the future, though. He’s already met with his future coaches at Quinnipiac, and has decided to major in communications. He and his dad visited the campus in August.

“It was great, sort of like seeing what my future would be,” Gill said.

“I know I’m going to have to work really hard if I’m going to play in my freshman year, Quinnipiac has a great program with a lot of good players, but this is just the next challenge for me. Since I started playing lacrosse, it’s almost like everything has been leading to this. I can’t wait.”

COVID-19 puts Storm season on ice

By

Sam Gillett

-

January 13, 2022

0

Highland Storm players won’t hit the rink again until Jan. 27.

The season was paused due to provincial COVID-19 restrictions barring indoor sports and the use of indoor training facilities.

“We understand this is a disappointment for everyone at the moment. We want to thank everyone for making hockey their sport of choice this season and we look forward to returning to the ice as soon as possible to get back to the game we love,” said the Ontario Minor Hockey Association in a press release.

Tony Prentice, Highland Storm president, said it was tough news to break to players and families after the club’s executive met on Jan. 5.

“We hate to see kids miss any hockey,” he said.

During the shutdown he said he’s heard of coaches sending training material to players, however, there won’t be practices or outdoor training sessions.

“We all support the healthcare system,” he said.

“At the same time, we feel sorry for our kids who want to be on the ice to play hockey.”

Shutting down the organization temporarily isn’t hard, Prentice said. It’s rescheduling games and making up for lost time that he suspects might pose issues in February.

Prentice encouraged players and parents to “stay positive. There’s got to be better times ahead of us,” he said.

“We can all celebrate hockey but we all gotta’ do our part.”

Pond hockey falls through the cracks once again

By

Mike Baker

-

January 13, 2022

0

It’s worst case scenario once again for John Teljeur, who for the second consecutive year has been forced to cancel the Canadian Pond Hockey Championships.

Slated to begin Jan. 28, the event was expected to bring around 500 visitors to Haliburton. With Ontario in the midst of another lockdown, and COVID-19 cases continuing to soar, Teljeur said he and his team of volunteers could not see a clear path forward.

“There’s no way we can be confident of hosting the event properly, and that the restrictions currently in place won’t get worse,” Teljeur told The Highlander. “I know there’s a lot of players that are not going to be very happy with me, but the event really would have been a pale imitation of what we have done in the past, even if we were allowed to go ahead with it.

“In the end, we decided we did not want to take any risks with anybody’s health. I hate the fact we’re making this kind of decision again, but it’s the responsible thing to do,” he added.

The championships were to take place at Pinestone Resort, with games on the pond in front of the facility and other activities inside. Pinestone has hosted the event several times since it was first brought to Haliburton in 2013.

Teljeur said he was unsure what things will look like next year, and could not confirm whether the championships would ever be back in Haliburton.

“It’s tough to say what the future holds for the event. Maybe we need to look at other venues going forward. There’s no way I could put the event on at the size it was [at Pinestone] now, and I’d like to grow the event,” Teljeur said. “We do want to come back to Haliburton in 2023, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and a lot of things to figure out.”

Stevenson has eyes on Div 1 scholarship

By

Mike Baker

-

January 13, 2022

0

Rookie forward Lucas Stevenson is making a big impression during his debut OJHL season.

The 18-year-old, two-way forward has been an ever-present for the Haliburton County Huskies, suiting up in 29 regular season games and establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with on the team’s top line.

With 16 points on the year, Stevenson has fitted in seamlessly with regular line mates Oliver Tarr and Patrick Saini; his defensive prowess proving to be a perfect foil for two of the team’s top scorers.

“I’m having the time of my life playing in Haliburton. I love everything about it – the team, my billets, the community,” Stevenson said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

Stevenson is living in Minden with Caroline McEathron and John Stark.

The teenager, born and raised in Ajax, has really had to work to get to where he is today. His path to junior hockey has been different to most; as one of only four Huskies not to have been drafted into the OHL, Stevenson has scratched and clawed his way to the big time – taking nothing for granted, and treating each and every shift out on the ice as if it were his last.

Stevenson was introduced to hockey when he was four. He played AAA with the Ajax Pickering Raiders for several years, before moving on to represent the Markham Waxers at the U16 level. He played two full seasons with the Waxers, becoming a standout on the team.

During the summer of 2020, while preparing to return as one of the locker room leaders, Stevenson received a call from Ryan Ramsay, then head coach and general manager of the Whitby Fury. It took him by surprise.

“He explained to me how he’d like me to fit into the team, what he thought I could bring,” Stevenson said. “I was pretty excited. I wasn’t sure I was going to [get the chance to play] junior hockey.”

The COVID-19 pandemic shot down his chances of playing in Whitby that year. Stevenson wondered if that was it, his chance having come and gone. But he heard from Ramsay again last summer, this time with a bit of a different proposition.

It was a big deal for Stevenson moving to Haliburton County – his first time away from home. He was familiar with the area, with many of his childhood friends having cottages in the Highlands. Still, it was an adjustment over those first few weeks.

Now completely settled in, the forward is excited about what the Huskies can achieve this season. Challenging for top spot in the OJHL’s East Division, the blue and white are looking a solid bet to make the postseason. Once there, Stevenson believes the team has what it takes to challenge for a championship. “

I think our team is unbelievable. We’re strong all over the ice. We’re going to go really far and have a deep playoff run this year,” Stevenson said.

He expects to return to the Huskies next season, but looking long-term Stevenson is hoping to emulate Tarr, who recently signed a commitment to play Division 1 NCAA hockey with Buffalo’s Canisius College.

“I’ve talked to a couple of schools. It’s been a cool experience – I didn’t get drafted during my minor midget year, so this has been new for me. It’s nice to be recognized and gives me good motivation to continue improving my game,” he said. “A Division 1 scholarship is definitely the goal.”

Families welcoming Huskies into the fold

By

Mike Baker

-

January 13, 2022

0

It’s been a remarkable debut season in the Highlands for the Haliburton County Huskies, backstopped by a group of 12 unsung community heroes.

Junior hockey is a competitive environment, with a professional feel. Players are recruited from all over the province, and sometimes beyond, to represent teams like the Huskies. Of the 22 players currently on the blue and white’s roster, only two are homegrown.

So, what happens to the rest?

Enter Jess Jackson, volunteer billet coordinator with the Huskies. Since the organization arrived in the County last summer, Jackson has been hard at work recruiting families willing to welcome players into their households for the season.

“We’ve been so lucky,” Jackson said. “We’ve had so many great families come forward to take players in; without them, we really wouldn’t have been as successful as we’ve been this season. Having a strong billet program makes such a big difference.”

There are 12 billet families across the Highlands. Many agreed to take in two players – something that has helped build team camaraderie, Jackson said.

Kim and Kevin Hodgkinson live on a rural property in Gelert. When they learned Haliburton County would be gaining a junior hockey program, they immediately started to think about billeting.

“My brother has been a part of junior hockey for a long time, so I know the drill,” Kevin said. “We thought it was a wonderful opportunity for us to open up our home. My wife and I never had the chance to have kids, so it was a nice idea for us to get involved with this and experience what it’s like to have some kids around.”

Forward Sam Solarino has been living with the pair since last fall. Defenceman Jonah Cochrane joined him in November, after he was acquired from the Wellington Dukes.

The Hodgkinsons have loved the experience so far.

“It’s been great. They’re kids, but they’re also adults at the same time. They help out with stuff around the house and they’re very self-sufficient,” Kevin said. “It’s not hard to get attached to these guys; they’re wonderful people and they’ve got a lot of drive.”

Don and Julie Pernerowski were one of the first families to sign up. Having seen their son, Taylor, travel out west to play junior hockey in the late 2000s, they saw this as an opportunity to do their part and give back to the hockey community.

They have forwards Nick Athanasakos and Patrick Saini living with them on Horseshoe Lake.

“We’ve been involved in hockey all of our life, but since our kids have been done, we’ve really missed it,” Julie said. “Because people have stepped up and provided a home for our kids in the past, we thought it was our time to help out. It’s been an awesome experience so far. We couldn’t have asked for better kids. They’ve just become a part of our family.”

All billets receive a monthly stipend of $475, paid by the players’ families, and a pair of season tickets supplied by the team. The expectations are that they will provide a bedroom for the players, have food in the house, and cook an evening meal. Transportation to and from the rink for games and practices is the responsibility of the team.

Jackson said she’s still on the lookout for potential billets, both for this season and next. Anyone interested can message her at huskieshousing@hotmail.com.

“There’s no perfect fit, no ideal scenario as to who can be a billet family. Anybody from a single working professional, to a family with children, to a retired senior can take a player in. I think anyone can be a candidate for the program,” Jackson said. “I don’t think we can ever have too many families on board.”

Connect online with Algonquin Highlands

By

Mike Baker

-

January 13, 2022

0

Algonquin Highlands has launched a new public engagement platform it hopes will encourage township residents to provide feedback and share ideas on key municipal issues.

‘Let’s Connect Algonquin Highlands’ is a multi-faceted portal that staff will use to consult and communicate with community members on a variety of themes on an ongoing basis, according to communications coordinator Chad Ingram.

The website went live on Dec. 20.

“Heightened, two-way communication is really the goal here,” Ingram said. “One of the great advantages of the platform is that it houses a number of tools all in one place. We can conduct polls and surveys, but there are also opportunities for residents to share stories and engage in more open forums.”

There are two projects currently open for discussion on the portal, one concerning Algonquin Highlands’ zoning bylaw update – with discussions around cannabis cultivation, backyard hens, backyard beekeeping, and septic system setbacks ongoing – and a public survey seeking input that will be used in the creation of a new municipal communications plan for the township.

Mayor Carol Moffatt says she’s excited to offer a new way for residents to interact with council and municipal staffers.

“This [is a] more robust way of engaging with the community,” Moffatt said. “We’ve had a lot of success with social media over the years, but this is very different and will allow a more focused and issue-specific way for the public to participate in local government.”

There are already more than 80 registered users on the site. The portal cost $7,632 to set up. It can be accessed at letsconnectalgonquinhighlands.ca. Ingram said one of the key selling points of the software is its versatility.

“The potential applications are limitless, really. If there was a controversial planning application before council, for example, the portal might be used to conduct a poll to provide council with a snapshot of public opinion on that project. At a recent meeting, one member of council suggested it might be used to gauge reasonable thresholds for fee increases. Once events are up and running again, we could use it to ask for suggestions for added features to those events,” Ingram said.

“You can also do fun things with it – photo contests, for example, or a poll asking residents to vote for their favourite Algonquin Highlands landmark,” he added.