Maple Lake United Church at a crossroads

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December 2, 2021

Maple Lake United Church has put out an SOS.

Rev. Max Ward wrote local media last week to say, “Our little Maple Lake United Church is in trouble and is reaching out to the community.”

He provided correspondence that was sent Nov. 25 to members, adherents and friends of the church.

“We are hopeful that with a bit of awareness, the church might be able to continue for many years to come into the future but the current outlook isn’t good without an infusion of more people to help with the volunteer work and financial support needed to operate the church.” Ward said.

A few years ago, Zion United Church, Minden United Church and Maple Lake United Church were in talks to amalgamate. Maple Lake opted out at that time but Minden and Zion did amalgamate and the result is Highland Hills United Church in Minden. The Zion church and property were sold and have a new life in the community as a bakery and antique shop.

In the Nov. 25 correspondence, written by Ward, Larry Giles, Deloris Baily and Beverly Upton, they said that after church Nov. 21, a congregational meeting was held to discuss the future of the Hwy. 118 and Stanhope Airport Road house of worship, erected in 1901.

They said they have a small and mostly elderly congregation and have struggled to keep up with the physical and financial demands.

For many years, they’ve relied on fundraising to fill the gap between what the congregation offers in donations and the actual cost to operate the church.

“Then COVID-19 came along. COVID-19 restrictions have been extremely difficult for everyone. For the church, the restrictions continue to prevent us from undertaking many of the fundraisers in a safe way that we normally would have enjoyed.”

On top of that, they say many of their members can’t offer to organize and carry out the long hours standing to put on a dinner, as an example.

“The meeting held last Sunday was to make us all aware of the challenges, to ask for help and pray for guidance. Many memories were shared and even some tears shed with the thought of what will happen to the church should we not be able to continue as before and have to close the building permanently.”

The letter is intended to encourage people to go to worship and contribute physically and financially.

“Spread the word to your friends and neighbours that Maple Lake UC is in trouble. Your presence is sorely missed on Sundays. We understand that some may not feel comfortable being in church at this time due to COVID-19. Also, we know that others now have trouble getting to church due to declining health. We understand and think of you frequently. Nevertheless, some tough decisions need to be made very soon.”

On Jan. 30, 2022, after the worship service, they are scheduled to have their annual meeting. It will include a discussion and a decision regarding the future.

The letter cited three options: continue on with much-needed additional support (examples: increased attendance at worship, increases in offering and fundraising); permanently close the building and amalgamate the congregation with another United Church congregation, such as Highland Hills United Church, or permanently close the building and disband the congregation encouraging members and adherents to attend the church of their choice.

“Sadly, the half dozen regular members that attend worship are very discouraged and fearful that we cannot continue. The expenses of the church continue despite COVID-19 restrictions and lower church attendance.”

Ward said, “One can only guess what would happen to Maple Lake United Church if the church members cannot continue to operate it as a church. During this Advent season of hope, we are hoping for a hopeful story.”

Carter running for Minden Hills mayor

By

Lisa Gervais

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December 2, 2021

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Following Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin’s announcement he won’t be running for mayor again in 2022, Ward 1 Coun. Bob Carter told The Highlander he’s vying for the top seat on council.

Carter said after Devolin declared his intentions, a number of people asked him if he was interested.

“I just decided that I didn’t want to try to mislead people or put people off. I should just decide what it is I want to do.”

He said his motivation has not changed since he initially ran and was successfully elected in 2018. For him, the big issues are housing and the environment as, “without these lakes, we have no reason to get people to come here for our economy.”

He also touched on change, saying it appears to be happening faster or differently due to population growth locally, climate, the pandemic, and a trend that is seeing municipalities generally get less provincial and federal support.

“I want to be part of the team that steers that change, steers Minden successfully through this changing environment.”

He said infrastructure is Minden Hills’ greatest challenge, using roads as an example.

“We’re in this situation where people want to borrow money for annual road repairs and upgrades. I know there’s a certain amount that has to be spent on roads but I think we need to have plans. The way budgeting is done at the municipal level, you’re almost looking at one year and you don’t know what’s coming next and when you’re going to be dropping off the edge of the cliff.”

He said long-term planning is needed to keep taxes at a reasonable level.

Economic development is also important, the councillor said, but barriers to attracting new business include finding staff and housing for those staff. Another hurdle is attracting service providers, including contractors.

He sits on Minden’s housing task force and the KLH Housing Corp. and is looking into getting involved with Habitat for Humanity. He said housing is a complex issue. However, he believes the move to multi-unit development is needed. He added as a driver for Meals on Wheels, he’s encountered elderly singles living in three-bedroom homes on rural roads. He said if they could find housing in town, they could move, freeing up housing stock for families. He said another challenge is the cost for housing when not on municipal sewer or water.

But he believes Minden Hills council is very supportive of housing “and would move heaven and earth to get some housing developments in here.”

Carter grew up in inner city Montreal, moving to rural Ontario in the 1980s. Now retired, the Concordia and McGill University graduate’s work life involved computer science and business administration.

“I worked mostly in heavy industries, big corporations, multi-nationals, travelled extensively, mostly doing IT and engineering work on big projects and worked as a chief information officer for most of my career and senior management, projects, strategy,” he said.

He said he’s learned in the past three years that finances and accounting are different in local government versus industry and that it takes a lot of time to get anything done. However, he said councillors are at the helm of multi-million-dollar businesses.

“If you fail, or if you don’t succeed, the taxpayers are on the hook to bail you out. It’s unlike any other type of business in that regard. You always have to be thinking about ‘what are we doing here and what is this going to mean for the taxpayers, not only today, but the year after, and the year after, and the year after’.”

Mobile clinics to bridge mental health gap

By

Sam Gillett

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December 2, 2021

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The Ontario government has announced new funding for mobile mental health clinics in Haliburton.

Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, said the service is aimed at bridging the gaps in rural mental health access.

“Through our government’s Roadmap to Wellness we are committed to breaking down barriers to accessing high-quality mental health and addictions services where and when it’s needed,” she said in an Oct. 28 press release.

The mobile clinic will be a retrofitted bus, visiting areas around the Haliburton region, open to drop-in addictions support, counselling and more.

Jack Veitch, manager of community engagement and education for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Haliburton region, said the program is a “good first step.”

“Access to services is probably the greatest hurdle for people to get access to ongoing mental health supports,” he said.

That access is severely limited in Haliburton compared to other regions in Ontario.

“There are pockets of towns and communities that are so spread out. It’s hard to get accessible care: you can’t just hop on the bus,” said Veitch.

The funding comes as part of the Province’s Roadmap to Wellness plan, which Premier Doug Ford has said aims to connect more people to addictions and mental health services.

“Bringing mental health and addictions supports and services directly to the people who need them is another way our government is breaking down barriers and making these important services readily available,” said MPP Laurie Scott. “This mobile clinic will support individuals and families in the CMHA-HKPR catchment area and help address gaps in mental health and addictions care.”

The recent funding announcements counter previous decisions, such as in 2018 when Ford’s government cut $330 million from mental health services. In 2020, Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO) said the government’s budget, which did not include any additional funds for mental health supports, fell “much too short of the significant investments needed.”

While it said recent funding announcements, such as the mobile addictions and mental health treatment centers, are welcomed, the AMHO said funding “doesn’t go far enough.”

Local improvements needed

Some who work locally in the mental health field say the provincial government needs to do far more to address the Highlands’ mental health issues.

“Primary care, peer support work and help in both mental health and substance use: there’s still a big gap between what’s needed and what’s there,” said Marg Cox, executive director of Point in Time Centre for Children, Youth and Parents.

“What I would say are some of the big gaps, is the government has invested heavily in COVID responses, but we really have a pandemic of mental health and substance use issues going on in the County.”

Multiple groups across Ontario have raised the alarm over spikes in opioidrelated deaths. The HKPR district health unit issued a press release in August outlining the threat.

“We are issuing this alert to make community members aware that more drug overdoses are occurring in Haliburton County and remind everyone to be extra vigilant,” said Catherine MacDonald, a registered nurse and substances and harm reduction coordinator with the health unit. The HKPR health unit reported 30 suspected opioid overdoses in the region in November.

Mental illnesses such as addiction coincide with a drug supply tainted by highly toxic substances such as fentanyl, which has caused nearly 23,000 deaths in Canada since 2016.

Communities such as Peterborough have implemented safe consumption sites, places where people who use injection drugs can do so under supervision.

In Haliburton, the HHHS offers multiple crisis interventions, counselling and treatment, and a Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic as well as psychiatric intervention.

HHHS CEO Carolyn Plummer said, “We have certainly seen a rise in requests for service related to circumstances of the pandemic, as people face employmentrelated issues, loss of housing, and relationship concerns that are not unique to our community.”

She added that mental health service referrals “have also become more complex and are increasing to align with the population growth in our region.” She said her teams see transportation as a barrier to care.

“While it impacts many aspects of life in the Highlands, a lack of transportation for people trying to access mental health services continues to be a significant challenge,” she said.

Nancy Brownsberger, a registered social service worker and owner of Grow Optimism Consultants in Eagle Lake, agrees that in Haliburton, access remains a top challenge.

“In a community that is remote and as large as ours, it means you’re going to the emergency room for those supports,” she said.

“I think the risks are increased marginalization, increased poverty, and increased mental illness that goes untreated.

It increases the risk of suicidal ideation, it increases the risk of disconnection,” she said. It’s an issue that she believes deserves all of Haliburton’s attention.

“Our communities are only as strong as our most marginalized members,” she said.

County awards RFP for short-term rental review

By

Lisa Gervais

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December 2, 2021

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Haliburton County council has selected one of the firms from its shoreline preservation bylaw process to now spearhead its short-term rentals’ review.

The project has been awarded to J.L. Richards and Associates at a cost of $55,235.55 plus taxes. The County will fund half the cost and the lower-tier governments the other half.

On July 28, council approved a request for proposals for consulting services to assist in the review and consultation for the County.

Director of planning, Steve Stone, in a report to the Nov. 24 meeting, said the plan is to do a community survey, technical literature review, analysis of context, and public consultation – leading to the development of shortterm rental policies and regulations specific to the Highlands.

A technical literature review means finding and summarizing best practises for protecting the public’s quality of life with short-term rentals. It includes a look at what has recently been published by accredited land use policy and regulatory specialists.

Analysis of context means providing a list of municipalities in the province that have policies and regulations. It will outline the legislative authority under which the policies and regulations have been enacted and the prohibitions, exemptions and other requirements.

“The Council for the County of Haliburton has identified the protection of its settlement and lake side neighbourhoods as a significant policy area within this term of their Council,” Stone said. “It is expected that upon completion of the objectives outlined … the successful candidate/ firm will then be in a position to guide the development of a final Short-Term Rental policy and regulations to be considered for implementation by the County of Haliburton.”

The County received one other bid, from Granicus.

However, Stone said J.L. Richards Ltd.’s submission stood out for a number of reasons, including their overall approach to the project, an engagement plan with stakeholders that will be tailored to meaningfully secure input and buy-in from the local community, completion of similar projects, experience and qualifications of project team and previous experience with small and rural municipalities.

Stone said the work will be done in the first quarter of 2022 and will be completed by the end of March.

Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt commented that the analysis of context requirement could be problematic since they tried that with the shoreline preservation bylaw.

“And we know that the response to that was that inquiries were made to other municipalities, to provide context about their own shoreline work, and we were told that nobody called them [the consultants] back.

“So, I would just hope that knowing that, going into this process, that we would require a little bit more … it seems strange to put in an RFP and have the proponent come back and say we’re going to check with everybody. I just don’t want to hear at the other end that they checked and nobody called them back.

“I think the local comparators are vital in these kinds of things. It was missing from the shoreline preservation bylaw and I don’t want to see the same piece missing here.”

Haliburton’s housing need is great

By

Mike Baker

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December 2, 2021

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Over the past several weeks, I’ve found myself writing about a myriad of issues relating to housing in the Highlands. While the stories may be different, there’s a common theme stringing them together – availability, or lack thereof, and affordability. This isn’t new. Housing has been an issue in Haliburton County long before I pitched up with pen and paper. And that, in and of itself, is the problem.

We’re all well aware of what’s going on now, so why aren’t we doing anything about it? I hear people admitting there’s a lack of housing in the Highlands, and that we sympathize with those who find themselves, quite literally, on the outside looking in. I’ve listened as various individuals and community groups emphasize their support for affordable housing.

So, again, why is it we haven’t seen any substantive movement on the handful of projects and developments that have been brought forward over the past year?

Dysart council agreed to give away land on Wallings Road more than a year ago to support the development of a 48-unit affordable housing complex, to be managed by Places for People. Since then, miles of bureaucratic red tape have held the project up, to the point that some area residents are questioning whether or not construction will ever get underway.

Concerns have been raised about potential projects that would see apartments built on Grass Lake, the corner of Maple Avenue and Victoria Street in Haliburton village, in Glebe Park, and along Hwy. 35 in Minden. Together, along with the Places for People project, it’s estimated these builds could bring well over 200 new rental units.

It’s easy and far too simplistic to suggest these concerns are simple NIMBYism. I’ve spoken to many of these people. For the most part, they’re level-headed and well researched.

Their anxieties surrounding safety and environmental impacts aren’t unfounded.

Still, I feel the need to reiterate that there are people living in our community right now without a home. According to the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Housing Corporation, there are at least 15 families, seven seniors and seven youth without a fixed address in the Highlands, with a further 10 households sleeping outside, in a vehicle or a seasonal trailer.

Michelle Corley, manager of the program, said she’s never seen the situation this bad before. It’s important to note that these aren’t just low-income families. These are working professionals, some of them well paid. I spoke with one family at a recent Places for People fundraiser.

They’re living on one income, but were comfortable as recently as 12 months ago when they were renting a place in Minden.

Now, they’re splitting time between a trailer and a seasonal cottage, after their landlord decided to sell. They have spent months trying to find a more permanent solution, to no avail. I’ve heard stories from nurses who moved from the GTA and promptly left again after finding it impossible to secure suitable accommodation.

The lack of inventory is driving people away, and others outdoors. It’s time for difficult decisions, such as having to choose between giving a person a home, or what’s deemed to be a marginal piece of wetland, or disrupting a property owner’s home comforts, for which there is no decision at all.

Our community is growing.

Ten-year projections suggest we’re going to see an influx of more than 2,000 new residents by 2031. Experts are predicting we’ll need to build around 1,200 new units to meet demand. Our only option is to develop within our urban centres, where new builds can tap into existing infrastructure.

This type of vacant land is scarce, meaning we need to build where we can. We need to stop dragging our feet.

This situation isn’t going to get better on its own. We need municipal leaders to be strong, and our community to be open-minded and accepting of development.

Roberts, Kennedy cleared of Wallings road conflict of interest

By

Mike Baker

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December 2, 2021

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Dysart’s top two elected officials have been given the green light to continue participating in talks over the proposed Places for People affordable housing development slated for Wallings Road.
Mayor Andrea Roberts and deputy mayor Pat Kennedy were each accused of having a conflict of interest by area resident Andy Muirhead who, in a recent letter submitted to council, asked that they recuse themselves from any future discussion of, and decision on the prospective development.

Muirhead’s claims stem from the fact that Roberts resides on nearby Halbiem Crescent and is a member of the Haliburton By The Lake Property Owners’ Association, whose president Tim Negus appeared before council Nov. 23 to voice his group’s collective opposition to the Places for People project.

Kennedy has family who reside in the neighbourhood. The project has hit something of a snag in recent months, with the County expressing concern over the ability of the existing Wallings Road/CR 21 intersection to handle what would be a massively increased flow of traffic.

It has been suggested that a go-between road connecting Wallings and Halbiem could alleviate those concerns.

Muirhead indicated that since Roberts and Kennedy have “actual or clearly apparent conflicts surrounding the consideration of traffic routing” at the location, that they couldn’t be trusted to make an impartial decision.

He went as far as to suggest that council, influenced by Roberts and Kennedy, had deliberately avoided properly discussing a potential Wallings/Halbiem thoroughfare – something he believes would be the “safer and more reasonable option.”

While an official complaint has not been submitted, Roberts and Kennedy took it upon themselves to reach out to the municipality’s integrity commissioner, Harold Elston, earlier this month to get his input on the situation. “Deputy mayor Kennedy and I felt it best to face the allegations head-on,” Roberts said.

In her correspondence with Elston, Roberts asked three questions: if, as a member of the HBTL property owners’ association she was in a direct or indirect conflict when the president appeared as a delegation to express the group’s opposition to the development; does the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act have an exemption where the interest of the general public overrides any direct or in direct conflict; and does she have a conflict over discussions regarding the intersections of Wallings/CR 21 and Halbiem/CR 21.

Elston found that, since HBTL does not have a direct pecuniary interest (financial) in the matter, Roberts did not have a conflict. In Kennedy’s case, he asked Elston if, since his daughter resides in the HBTL subdivision and may be affected by decisions made concerning this project, he is in a direct or indirect conflict pertaining to potential changes to the road access, or the project in general. Elston determined he was not.

“As I understand it, your daughter’s home is not a competing development site, nor is it adjacent to the property that Places for People would like to purchase and develop … Their property is at a considerable distance from the site and will not be impacted in any way by the proposed development. Accordingly, your daughter does not have a direct pecuniary interest and, therefore, you have no deemed direct pecuniary interest,” Elston wrote.

“Based on what you have told me … you may participate in these matters without fear of contravening the [municipal] code.”

Sleeping in Cars event rakes in over $12,000

By

Mike Baker

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November 25, 2021

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It was a long, cold night for a group of 14 area residents Nov. 19 as Places for People held its Sleeping in Cars fundraiser under the stars at Abbey Gardens.

The event was a “tremendous success,” according to lead organizer Nataly Mylan, raising more than $12,000 to help Places for People with its mandate of providing affordable living spaces to some of the community’s most in-need residents.

Fay Martin was the top individual fundraiser, bringing in more than $5,200, with remote participants ‘The Chilly Chicks’ raising more than $3,000. Various county residents, including Minden councillor Bob Carter and Dysart mayor Andrea Roberts, stopped by over the course of the evening to drop off donations.

“I think the night went very well … I am extremely thrilled at the amount raised. I believe people really appreciate how difficult life would be without safe, secure, stable housing,” Mylan said. “We are grateful to have such a generous community.”

Having spent an uncomfortable evening in her car, Mylan said she has certainly gained a new appreciation for the home comforts she often takes for granted.

“Privacy is non-existent in a car, and with two teenage kids that is especially problematic. There was no way I was going to exit my ‘cocoon’ once I was in bed, so calls to the bathroom were ignored,” Mylan said. “And we were without our loyal dog companion, something that seems insignificant considering the magnitude of being without a home, but I was reminded of the comfort and love we would not have without him.”

Emily Stonehouse, a board member with Places for People, feels it’s important that the organization host events such as Sleeping in Cars to remind area residents that, even though they may not see people sleeping on the sidewalk along Highland Street in Haliburton or Bobcaygeon Road in Minden, homelessness is a real problem in our community.

That fact was showcased eloquently on the night by a local couple who, for reasons outside of their control, have found themselves without a home since April.

The pair, who asked that their names be withheld from publication, have lived in Haliburton County since 1987. They owned a place of their own before selling in 2016. Since then, they rented a small place in Minden, but were given an eviction notice earlier this year after their landlord sold the property.

“We’ve been looking, but just haven’t been able to find anything we can afford. The monthly cost for rental properties now is way crazy. It’s more than double what we were paying before,” one of them stated.

As of press time, there were just two online postings for apartments in Haliburton County on Kijiji, a three-bedroom house in Minden listed at $2,000 a month and a one-bedroom apartment in Haliburton listed at $1,400 per month.

The couple spent the summer living in a trailer on a friend’s property. They have recently moved into a small cottage, although they can only stay there until May. Looking long-term, they are considering pooling their money with a family member to try and find a place where they can all live.

“We don’t want to live together, but that’s the only option that we have right now in order to find something. We’ll be 63 soon. We want to live alone, but this is the situation we’re faced with.”

Places for People is currently working with Dysart et al and the County on a proposal to develop an affordable housing complex on Wallings Road in Haliburton. The project, if approved, will feature up to 48 one-and-two-bedroom apartments.

All money raised through the Sleeping in Cars event will go towards the Wallings Road proposal, Mylan said.

“We have the opportunity to respond to our needs in our own unique way; to ensure that we keep our retail workers, our seasonal workers, our elders, and everyone in between in a dignified way that benefits our communities as a whole,” Mylan said of the project.

Relocating a little piece of Minden history

By

Mike Baker

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November 25, 2021

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Having spent the best part of a week restoring “a cool piece of Minden’s history” over the summer, Sharon Lake resident Brian McGroarty wants to reassure area residents that an old lighthouse, that for decades sat on a property overlooking Hwy. 35, lives on.

In August, while returning home from a morning scouring for goodies at area garage sales, McGroarty and his partner Jan Delville noticed something different about the lighthouse they had long admired – it had a small ‘for sale’ sign attached to it.

“This lighthouse has been on that property forever, I think for over 40 years” McGroarty said, referencing the home immediately north of the Kawartha Dairy and Minden Coin Wash. “I love something that has history and character, and when you come across something like this it really doesn’t get any better.”

McGroarty spent $100 to acquire the lighthouse and a further $100 to restore it. The finished product now sits in his backyard on Sharon Lake Drive, overlooking the water.

Many of his neighbours and visitors to the lake have marvelled at the structure, McGroarty said. The couple are renowned in their neighbourhood for decorating their property with antiques and collectibles.

Adding the lighthouse was an opportunity McGroarty says he could not pass up. Now, it will serve as the crown jewel of their lakefront home.

“When I tell friends and family about the lighthouse, their immediate reaction is to go ‘aww, you got that?’ I think a lot of people have recognized it over the years, which is why I wanted to come forward and let people know where they can find it,” McGroarty said. “I think people will have noticed it’s not there anymore. I know that I have it, and I still find myself looking towards that same spot when I drive by.”

He and Delville said they would welcome any visitor who wanted to stop by, check it out and get a few photos.

“It’s a piece of Minden history. We don’t just want to keep it for ourselves,” Delville said.

As well as the main structure, which stands around eight feet tall, McGroarty also took possession of a smaller lighthouse, which he says he plans to refurbish next year. While he doesn’t yet know where he will put that lighthouse, he says it will be well away from the main structure – likely on the front of his property, overlooking Sharon Lake Drive.

“I’ve always been attracted to these little oddities. I see beauty in things old and worn down,” McGroarty said. “I’m just so happy to have been able to get my hands on this lighthouse. It really did deserve to be fixed up and showed off. It’s a beautiful piece.”

Former teacher loved and respected by all

By

Mike Baker

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November 25, 2021

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A former auto shop teacher at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School is being remembered for his boundless community spirit, and a “kind and gentle” nature that resonated with students and family alike.

Bill Johnston was an institution at the local school for more than 30 years having taught there from 1967 until his retirement in 1998. Over the years he taught hundreds of students how to change a tire, identify issues under a car’s hood, and make simple repairs.

On Oct. 29, he passed away at the age of 80, shortly after suffering a stroke. His family held a memorial service in his honour last week at Haliburton Community Funeral Home. Dozens of people attended in-person, with a virtual offering made available to those who couldn’t be there.

“I have come to realize just how amazing and exceptional my dad was.

He was a truly gentle, caring and sensitive man who could command the attention of a room without being loud or boisterous,” said son, Mark Johnston. He shared stories of the guidance his father offered him while growing up: how he was supportive when, on the pair’s first hunting trip, Mark had trouble pulling the trigger and making his first kill; or, when Mark was about to embark on an overseas mission trip, offering a piece of wisdom that changed his son’s entire outlook on the adventure.

Tales of Bill’s humour also drew more than a few laughs. Mark recalled a time when he and his friend, Benton Brown, were out in his back yard hitting a few golf balls.

“My dad strolled out with a book under his arm and walked up to Benton and said, ‘I was just going through some stuff in the house and I found something that I thought you might find useful.’ He handed Benton the book, which was called ‘Golfing for Women’,” Mark said. “Then he just walked away. It was so funny, and I still think about that all the time.”

Born in Haliburton in 1942, Johnston spent the majority of his life living in the community. Upon graduating from HHSS in the early 1960s, he took on a mechanic apprenticeship at Curry Motors. He then moved to Oshawa, working at another Chevrolet dealership, before returning home and, ultimately, rounding out his professional career by moving into education. In 1975, he married Jane Stokes – also a teacher at HHSS. Together, the pair had two children, Mark and Tammy.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Tammy said her dad actually foreshadowed the event, and had but one request.

“Dad told me once about a funeral he had been to. The minister had approached him and said, ‘when we grieve, what we’re actually doing is feeling sorry for ourselves because our loved ones are no longer with us. The truth is, they’re doing just one, and they’re in a better place,” Tammy said.

“Dad then said, ‘when my time comes, I don’t want people to make a big fuss or get upset. I just want them to remember the good things.’ I see a lot of truth and value in that story. “When I look back on the last 34 years I got to spend with dad, there are so many good things to remember and be grateful for that it almost doesn’t make sense to be sad,” she added. “I remember the good things. Dad’s spirit is very much still there, and the connection remains. And I know he’s doing just fine on the other side.”

Talent readies for Highlands Christmas Shindig

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 25, 2021

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The Highlands Christmas Shindig “now has a life of its own” as organizers ready for the Nov. 27 event Mike Jaycock said.

“The wonderful talent lineup has been rehearsing and they’re all primed and ready to go,” he said. “ We’ll have a live audience, which will be wonderful for the performers too.”

Jaycock said the volunteer production staff have been working diligently to create stages, backdrops, sound, lighting and technical equipment to stream the signal via YouTube (search Highlands Christmas Shindig), Facebook (Highlands Christmas Shindig page) and fuelforwarmth.com.

Three cameras will capture all the fun and, thanks to a strong internet feed at the Haliburton Legion, they will have a clean, clear video stream.

Close to 30 production volunteers are involved in the planning and delivery of the fundraiser. Many have been working on it since the late spring.

“It’s so typical of the Highlands that, when there’s a worthy cause, the good’uns pitch in and make it happen. All that remains is for our viewing audience to join us Saturday evening and be generous in their giving to Fuel for Warmth. They’ll be able to do that at fuelforwarmth.com,” Jaycock said.

The tech team, led by Tammy Rae, will be doing live feeds on Saturday, every hour for five minutes, from noon to 6 p.m. “This will give folks an opportunity to access the feed on their smart tv, computer or tablet and test it out. People will get to see snippets of the tech rehearsal and the flurry of activity at the Legion. How fun is that?

“We hope people near and far join us to celebrate Haliburton talent, visiting guests, and the fun. After all, it’s in support of a cause close to all our hearts.”

The Haliburton Christmas Shindig is Saturday evening at 7.30 p.m.