Health unit encourages people to get Moderna

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January 20, 2022

Nearly 10 per cent of vaccine clinic attendees decline COVID-19 shots due to the manufacturers, Dr. Natalie Bocking said.

“I have to admit I don’t fully understand all the hesitations on the Moderna vaccine,” she said during a media information session Jan. 12.

She added there’s “very good” data indicating Moderna works. It boosts immunity and has similar side effects to a Pfizer shot. “It’s certainly equivalent to a Pfizer booster dose if not better,” she said. “Both are equally effective.”

Those under 30 will get Pfizer shots at HKPR vaccination locations, due to a provincial shortage of the Moderna vaccine. Moderna has been associated with infrequent instances of heart inflammation in the age group.

Earlier in the pandemic, there were reports of countries not recognizing vaccination matching, for instance receiving an AstraZeneca shot and then a Moderna shot.

Now, Bocking said there is widespread agreement that mixing shots is effective, and travelers need not be concerned. A booster shot, she said, is vital in decreasing the risk of “both symptomatic illness as well as severe illness.”

In the 70-plus age group, 70.4 per cent of people have received a booster dose, as well as 43 per cent of people 18 and older. “We’ve made incremental increases in the coverage among five-11,” she said.

An initial strong uptake amongst families has “leveled off” in the age group. It’s recommended to wait eight weeks between doses for kids.

She encouraged parents to research the vaccine’s safety record: no serious side effects have been recorded in the vaccine’s testing and rollout. There are numerous resources such as kidshealthfirst.ca that answer questions and offer ways to speak one-on-one with clinicians about the vaccine’s effectiveness for kids.

While early studies show Omicron to be a milder variant than previous strains, exponential case growth in the beginning of January caused multiple hospitals in Ontario to sound the alarm over staffing shortages and rising hospitalizations.

Walk-ins available

As of Jan. 18, immuno-compromised people and those over the age of 50 can get a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine without a prior appointment. Walk-ins are now welcome between 1-4:30 p.m. any day the clinic is operating at the Minden arena. Dr. Bocking urged those 70 and older to get a shot as soon as possible.

“Older adults have a greater risk of getting sick from COVID-19, and that’s why we encourage anyone age 70 and older who still needs a booster dose to get one,” she said in a press release. “Book an appointment or walk into any of our clinics in the afternoon, and we will be happy to provide you one.”

The health unit will be at the Minden arena Jan. 20, 21, 24, 27, 28 and Feb. 3, 4 with more dates announced regularly. GO-VAXX bus returns The GO-VAXX bus will be returning to Haliburton County next week.

The retrofitted bus that serves as a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be available to provide first, second and booster doses to eligible individuals, including children aged five to 11. It will be at A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton on Jan. 29, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Appointments can be booked starting at 8 a.m. Jan. 28 through the provincial booking system, or by calling 1-833-943-3900. Individuals wishing to receive a vaccine should bring their Ontario health card. If you do not have a health card, or your health card is expired, bring another form of government ID such as a driver’s license, passport, status card or birth certificate.

The GO-VAXX bus will also be at Lloyd Watson Community Centre in Wilberforce Feb. 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will be back at A.J. LaRue Arena Feb. 12, also from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are unable to book an appointment with the GO-VAXX bus, the health unit has appointments available at various COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the region.

A list of dates and times is available at www.hkpr.on.ca. Some pharmacies are also providing vaccines.

Council looks for ‘hammer’ to stop bad actors

By

Lisa Gervais

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January 20, 2022

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JQ - TripAdvisor passed - 1-web — Tourism committee chair and County Coun. Carol Moffatt said a controversial TripAdvisor marketing campaign should not be garnering so much outrage. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Coun. Carol Moffatt said the most important part of any shoreline preservation bylaw is enforcement.

Speaking during a five-hour, line-byline review of the draft during a Jan. 17 meeting, Moffatt said council can do anything it wants but “if we don’t have a bigger and clearly outlined penalty policy and process we will never stop what we want to stop.”

The current draft stipulates that a first offence could attract a part 1 provincial offences act (POA) ticket of $925. On a second and subsequent offences, a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $100,000 is recommended.

In addition, the court may order the person to correct the contravention by: rehabilitating the land; removing the fill dumped or placed contrary to the bylaw or permit; restoring the grade of the land to its original condition; removing the topsoil stored on the land; planting or replacing of trees or prohibiting the continuation or repetition of the contravention.

But Moffatt said, “at a $925 fine, that’s a trifling which many consider just the cost of getting what they want.”

She said it is fine to encourage landowners to regenerate and plant “but what’s happening right now, which we have lamented over the past year, is the number of people who are racing. They’re panic projects to get things done before they won’t be allowed to do them.

“So, even if we can’t come to some final answer on what this entire process looks like, we should at the very least find a way to be able to go after those bad actors with a hammer so that those panic projects can’t happen.”

The bylaw will be coming back to council after the review raised more questions than answers during Monday’s meeting.

Moffatt went on to say, “if we want to stop people now, I want someone to tell me … where our hammer is to stop the people who are willingly and knowingly out there clear cutting and hardscaping. It’s happening around us all the time.”

County planning director Steve Stone said if a person, director or officer of a corporation continues there can be a part 3 court summons to pursue much larger fines.

He said the existing bylaw reads $100,000 but if a person were to continue to cut from Monday to Friday, for example, they could be fined an additional $10,000 a day. However, County Warden Liz Danielsen said, “but we need to be prepared to do that, to follow through with that. That’s a direction that has to come from council.

If we’re going to go ahead and try to protect our waterbodies we can’t lay fines unless we have a document in place that lays out what the rules are.” Moffatt added, “have we ever done it, are we going to do it, and how swiftly is council going to have a discussion about entertaining that? You can give someone a $925 fine and they pay it. But they’ve got all their trees cut down for their view and then you make them replant trees. Well, they’ve got 30 years of a good view because they got what they wanted. It’s great to have part one and part three. I get it. It’s not working. People are still doing it.”

Coun. Pat Kennedy said he agreed, and would prefer to see the first fine taken out and replaced with a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $100,000.

Coun. Brent Devolin added, “I’m on the record as wanting to have as big a fine for contravention of the existing bylaw that we have and I wouldn’t have spent the last two years of my time if I wasn’t looking for steel-toe boots to deal with these issues.”

Danielsen asked if council was “looking for a hammer when needed” and said during the Zoom meeting she received “nods all around.”

Huskies add OHL vet for championship run

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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The Haliburton County Huskies bolstered their blueline over the weekend with the addition of five-year OHL veteran Simon Rose.

Drafted by the North Bay Battalion in 2017, Rose dressed in 185 games at the OHL level. That experience, and quality, will be invaluable to the Huskies down the stretch, says head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay, who has his eyes firmly set on a franchise-first league championship.

“Simon is going to be one of, if not the best defenceman in the league. He’s an exceptional talent who has great pedigree having played so long in the OHL,” Ramsay said. “I’m sure he had his pick of pretty well every team in the OJHL, so for us to land him is huge.”

Huskies forward Christian Stevens played a pivotal role in getting the deal over the line. Having played with Rose for several years during his time with the Battalion, Stevens sold the blueliner about what life is like in the Highlands.

That piqued Rose’s interest, and once he got on the phone with Ramsay, the coach was able to seal the deal.

“We just told him what we are hoping to achieve as a team this season, and our philosophies on hockey,” Ramsay said. “It seemed a pretty good match.”

Already boasting defensive talent such as Nathan Porter, Jonah Cochrane, Ryan Hall, Will Gourgouvelis, Jack Staniland and Isaac Sooklal, Ramsay feels his team now possesses the best D core in the league.

The team is expected to welcome Payton Schaly back into the fold over the coming days. Now into his final year of junior hockey, and hoping to secure an athletic scholarship stateside, Schaly moved down to Long Island, New York after Ontario’s lockdown shut down OJHL play. He recorded two assists in five games with the Islanders Hockey Club.

The Huskies are scheduled to host the North York Rangers Jan. 28, two days after Ontario’s lockdown is expected to end. Puck drop at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena is set for 7:30 p.m

Huskies’ newest fans based in South Korea

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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The Haliburton County Huskies have gone international thanks to a local grandmother.

Davis Lake resident Dorothy McIntyre was on the hunt for Christmas gift for her grandchildren just before the holidays.

As they live in Busan, South Korea she always has a hard time finding things small and light enough to ship.

With two boys, five-year-old Owen and nine-year-old Liam, to buy for, she wanted to get them something that would remind them of home.

Exhausting options, McIntyre was at her wit’s end when, while buying groceries at Dollo’s Foodland in Minden, she saw the answer staring her in the face.

“Haliburton County Huskies sweaters!” McIntyre exclaimed. “We had to think of something that wasn’t too heavy and could be easily packaged, and I just thought a gift from home, of a new hometown team would be perfect. Something that helps us keep a connection with them” she said.

McIntyre has become a huge Huskies’ fan since they relocated to the Highlands ahead of this season.

While she hasn’t been able to attend a game in-person due to health concerns, she has kept up with their progress online and through The Highlander’s coverage.

“I think it’s great that we have a hockey team in the community again. The players all seem like great kids, and the team is doing well too,” McIntyre said. “They’ve been a wonderful addition.”

She explained as much in a letter accompanying the sweaters, telling Owen and Liam about the team.

The gift, she said, provided the pair with three links to Canada.

“First, there is the link to Haliburton County, the part of Canada they know best.

“The second is hockey, our national game.

“And the third is the dog, the Husky.

Huskies were dogs raised to pull sleds for the Inuit, people who live in Canada’s far north,” McIntyre said.

“I wrote all of that in my note, giving them a bit of history and my thoughts behind the gift.”

Hockey isn’t popular in South Korea, McIntyre noted. Her grandsons are more interested in baseball, but were happy when they opened their gifts Christmas morning. They immediately put on their new sweaters and took photos to send to grandma.

“They were happy and smiling. I think it’s actually the first bit of hockey merchandise they’ve ever gotten,” McIntyre said. “This gives them the chance to spread the word about hockey. I’m sure their friends will ask about the sweaters, now they’ll know what to tell them.”

McIntyre hopes the boys will make it back to Canada this year.

They usually visit every other summer with dad, Colin, but had to cancel last year due to the pandemic.

With the Huskies’ pre-season typically kicking off in August, she hopes to take Owen and Liam to their first ever hockey game.

“That really would be quite something. For the boys to get out and see the Huskies play, and maybe meet some of the players. That would be an amazing experience for them,” she said.

Gourgouvelis taking game to the next level

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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The evolution of hockey over the past 15 years has really opened up doors for players such as Will Gourgouvelis.

A silky, skilled offensive defenceman, Gourgouvelis has taken the OJHL by storm in his debut season with the Haliburton County Huskies, suiting up in 29 games and logging big minutes on one of the strongest bluelines in the league.

Despite his slender frame, 5’10” and 154 pounds, Gourgouvelis has forged a reputation as one of the most aggressive defenders on the team, never afraid to throw himself into a big hit. While that willingness to embrace the physical side of the game has endeared himself to fans and coaching staff, it’s when the puck is on his stick that the Huskies’ number 21 excels.

He showcased his skills during a big 2-1 road win over the Lindsay Muskies back in November. Deep into the second period, with the Huskies behind, Gourgouvelis picked up the puck deep, carried it into the zone, danced past three defenders and flicked it backhand over the goalie’s glove to tie the game, capping off a fine individual play.

His biggest inspirations growing up have been Morgan Rielly, the longest tenured Toronto Maple Leaf, and inaugural Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano.

“I like to say that I’m a 200-foot defenceman prioritizing my puck moving skills. I’m good in the D zone, and always trying to work on my offensive game. I’m probably best when I’m getting the puck up ice quickly, just turning the game around and going towards offence,” Gourgouvelis said.

Growing up in Whitby, he developed through the Wildcats system, eventually playing AAA midget. When he was 16, he moved on to play with the Ajax-Pickering Raiders U18 team, racking up 34 points in 35 games. That put him on the radar of several OHL teams and, in April 2020, he was drafted by the Sarnia Sting in the second round of that’s year priority draft.

Due to the pandemic, Gourgouvelis missed out on playing any hockey last year. That stunted his development and killed any hopes he had of cracking the Sting’s roster. So, when the opportunity came for him to head to the Highlands this past summer, he jumped at it.

“I had committed to the Whitby Fury last season, and played in eight exhibition games, but then COVID-19 set in and everything was cancelled. I was surprised when I found out the team was moving, but it was exciting too. Coming up and living in the north is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I knew we would have a good team,” Gourgouvelis said. “This is a pretty great place for me to play hockey.”

He is billeting with Jim and Cheryl Waddell in Haliburton village.

Still eligible for two further OJHL seasons beyond this, Gourgouvelis said he’s focusing on improving his game and learning all that he can from his teammates and coaching staff.

“Already my development has gone up quite a bit since getting here to Haliburton. Up here, we get to focus on hockey and hockey alone, there’s no distractions. We’re at the rink the majority of the day and working on all aspects of our game,” Gourgouvelis said. “Long-term, I just want to be able to play at the next level, wherever that is. That’s my ultimate goal right now, being able to do this past just junior.”

Ontario opens business rebate applications

By

Sam Gillett

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January 20, 2022

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Highlands businesses required to close or limit capacity due to COVID-19 rules can apply for financial assistance.

The Ontario Business Costs Rebate program opened for applications Jan. 18.

Restaurants, gyms and bars can receive 100 per cent rebates for property taxes and energy costs. Indoor businesses currently limited to 50 per cent capacity can get up to 50 per cent of energy costs and property taxes covered if eligible.

“We recognize that these necessary public health measures are impacting businesses, and as we have been since the beginning of the pandemic, we are there to support them,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, minister of finance, in a Jan. 18 press release.

Highlands restaurants have been forced to offer outdoor and takeout-only service at four different periods during the pandemic.

Shannon Brown, of Till Death BBQ in Fort Irwin, said his restaurant doesn’t qualify for the rebate. He likely won’t need it. He has developed a thriving takeout business serving signature smoked meat dishes. “We were so busy that first weekend I could barely even keep up,” he said.

His partner Joy said the success has also been a community effort. “In the few weeks we have been open we did build some really strong relationships with some of the people up there,” she said. “They are really pushing for friends and family to come and support us because we have built those relationships. We consider them friends and family now.”

For more information visit: app.grants. gov.on.ca/obcrp/#/

Grants connect shops with locals online

By

Sam Gillett

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January 20, 2022

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You can buy nearly everything online with a couple of clicks. But buying local? That’s often trickier.

Thanks to funding from the Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC), Local Initiative Project (LIP) grants might make it easier for local shops to get online.

The money partners Haliburton County sellers with free access to ShopCloseBuy. ca, an online local vendor platform.

It’s an online store with an interface similar to Amazon where local sellers can flaunt their wares.

“I love the local part of things,” said Kyla Grexton, who owns knit and crochet company Keep Me In Stitchez. “I’m a firm believer in shopping local, I try to be conscious of where I spend my money.”

Grexton received a grant that helped launch her products on ShopCloseBuy.ca. Funding includes coaching from SIRCH, as well as a spot at their Haliburton Village storefront.

“Businesses that apply and are selected will receive a multitude of benefits,” HCDC said, “including social media coaching and promotion, enhanced online marketing and much more.

” Christine Hewitt of ShopeCloseBuy.ca said the grant “is really going to allow new and emerging businesses to have a leg up,” in efforts to share products. “This platform is a unified one-stop community hub for consumers anywhere.”

Grexton said applying was “fairly easy. The tech support with ShopCloseBuy.ca is amazing.”

Eric Wolfe, marketing and sales coordinator for SIRCH, said he’ll work with businesses who receive the grant on their marketing and produce a video they can use online.

“We’re also here to provide answers for any questions asked,” he said.

Grexton said she’s “really excited” about the future of the online platform. “I really hope the word gets out and we get more vendors.”

Ten out of 20 grants are available. To qualify, businesses must have been operating for a year or less and have earned less than $35,000 in the year prior to applying.

Applications close at the end of February. To apply or find out more visit shopclosebuy.ca or email info@ shopclosebuy.ca or call 705-457-9977.

Roberts want staff savings to help budget

By

Lisa Gervais

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January 20, 2022

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Coun. Andrea Roberts would like a projected 3.24 per cent tax rate increase at the County whittled down using 2021 savings from payroll that went unused due to staff changeovers.

During a committee of the whole meeting Jan. 12, director of corporate services, Andrea Bull, presented a third draft of the 2022 budget.

The second draft was brought to the December committee of the whole meeting and included a total levy of $20,825,738, which equalled a 3.21 per cent tax rate increase.

Changes since then have included $40,000 for a new library website, which would be funded by Safe Restart money so have no impact on the budget. There has been an increase in OCIF-formula based funding from $284,000 to $630,334. Bull said that could cover the potential costs of a traffic light project on County Road 21. She had no details but said a report would come to a future council meeting. Other changes included a decrease of $11,967 in social services and housing and an added $2,500 for website licensing.

During a verbal presentation, she added she would like an extra $15,000 to cover anticipated insurance increases this year. Warden Liz Danielsen noted the library board looks to be trimming $15,000 from its projected budget so that timing was good on the insurance ask.

Roberts then said they’d have more information when they knew how expenses shook out in December – to have a better handle on where the 2021 budget came in at.

“We did have quite a staff changeover at the director’s level so sometimes in my mind, savings in that area, they don’t necessarily need to be carried over,” she said. “I would like to see a more fulsome report of where we’re at.

“I know we don’t have to make a decision right now but there are opportunities for savings from the 2021 budget. Generally, we get this big, long report ‘and this amount goes to this reserve and this amount goes to that reserve’ but why would you put savings from staff in a reserve?

“I know it was a difficult year but I would like to see if there’s an opportunity to even bring the levy lower than what it is if there are savings in that regard.”

Warden Liz Danielsen agreed it would be good information to have before finalizing the budget. Bull said she could provide a report.

Coun. Carol Moffatt added, “I don’t think there’s any rush. I think if we can just continue to cross some T’s and dot some I’s then I think we have a little bit of time to make sure that those things are done. It’s fine by me.”

Big-ticket budget items:

• Replacing two data center servers used by County and local municipalities; the County administration core switch; the public works administration copier; upgrading five staff laptops; one-third cost of a new IT technician emergency services.

• Purchase of two ambulances; replacing eight public access defibrillators; ambulance laptop and server contribution; upstaffing the Tory Hill base to 24/7 yearround and development of a master plan for paramedic services planning.

• Addition of funding for two bylaw officers and one plan examiner (six months) to enforce the shoreline preservation bylaw if approved.

• Continuation of the enhanced flood plain mapping project (LiDAR); implementation of climate change mitigation and adaption projects.

• New director of economic development and tourism

• Public works: 33.6km of road projects; six structure projects; purchase of 1/2 ton pick-up, a tandem plow and grad-all; salt storage shed at Highland Grove; roof repair and storage bin at Ingoldsby; garage windows for Eagle Lake buildings; renovations and roof replacement at the registry office.

• Increase in affordable housing target program funding; contribution for the Hwy. 35 development; addition of a procurement coordinator, community safety and wellbeing position (nine months); waste management study; implementation of electronic records management system; finishing implementation of new financial software for the library and the addition of 1.5 FTE staff and sick benefits for part-time staff.

‘Long road back’ says MP Jamie Schmale

By

Mike Baker

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January 20, 2022

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MP Jamie Schmale has hope life will return to some semblance of normality in 2022, though he warned Canada’s postCOVID-19 recovery will be a difficult one.

During an interview, Schmale said as we move into a third calendar year of the pandemic, the long-term impacts of provincial lockdowns, “lavish” federal spending, and burnout of thousands of health care and education workers would be felt for years to come.

“This pandemic has certainly been challenging, and there are many obstacles we will have to overcome,” Schmale said.

“We need to get our inflation crisis, our labour crisis, our housing crisis under control. We need to bring a sense of fiscal sanity back to Ottawa.”

Late last year, inflation hit a three-decade high – up to 4.7 per cent in November – with many industries looking to recoup money lost during the early stages of the pandemic. Schmale feels the Liberal government has exacerbated the issue through its spending habits, forcing the Bank of Canada to print money at a recordbreaking rate.

Since February 2020, the government’s printing press has created north of $370 billion.

“This is a problem,” Schmale said. “The longer we keep printing, the more the dollar becomes worth less, the more the savings accounts of our working class becomes worth less. It’s a dangerous cycle, and the fear is that once this starts happening, businesses might have to close, we might see more dependence on government. Life is going to become more difficult for everyday Canadians.”

While he agreed with the rollout of programs such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and several businessrelated supports during the early stages of the pandemic, Schmale feels the Liberals are taking advantage of the current situation to push through several self-serving initiatives he says will be deficit financed.

In its 2021 budget, the federal government promised to spend $30 billion over the next five years and $8.3 billion per year after that to create and sustain a national child care program, while $17.6 billion was set aside to aid Canada’s “green recovery”, with a target to cut the nation’s emissions to 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

The calling of an early election still rankles with Schmale too, a $610 million expense he feels nobody wanted and changed very little.

That money would have been better spent addressing issues such as housing, Schmale said. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, house prices in Ontario increased by more than 15 per cent in 2021, pricing many out of the market.

Schmale said it’s an issue he’s all too familiar with.

“Housing is not affordable now for many Canadians. I think those trying to get into the market are feeling like they’re never going to be able to do it,” he said. “They just don’t see an opening.”

The feds have promised to build, preserve or repair 1.4 million homes over the next four years, but even that may not be enough to keep up with current demand, Schmale fears.

It’s not all bad though, Schmale said, as there have been some positives over the past 12 months.

“We’re one of the world leaders in terms of vaccinations, and we didn’t tip our hospital capacity at any point during the pandemic. There have been a lot of successes,” Schmale said.

“Looking ahead, we have much to do. We need to look after our tourism and hospitality sectors, which have probably been the hardest hit over the past two years. We need to get more people back into the workforce, and really kickstart our economy,” he added. “We have to rebuild our health care sector, address the affordability crisis. There’s a lot of work to do for us to get back on track, it’s going to be a long road back.”

Lack of skilled labour, housing hurting County

By

Lisa Gervais

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January 20, 2022

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County councillors discussed a skilled labour shortage and a lack of housing when they approved staff going forward with finding a consultant to create a county-wide economic development strategy during a Jan. 12 meeting.

Director of economic development and tourism, Scott Ovell, said “it is essentially a road map for economic transformation, growth, and yields long-term prosperity for a community.”

He said the final report will have action steps involving the public, businesses and institutions that can be initially implemented over a five-year period.

“While the County has had tremendous success developing and marketing tourism, the challenging realities of today’s economy call for new directions, ideas and approaches to enhance economic growth, attract investment and ensure that opportunity continues to be a significant part of the County’s quality of life,” Ovell said.

In debating the recommendation, Coun. Cec Ryall said for five years now, and exacerbated by the pandemic and explosive growth, a lack of skilled workers has been identified.

“We’re finding we just don’t have enough skilled people. Are there other line items in this strategy, a way to start working with the skill providers, be it the colleges or apprentice board or whoever?” he asked.

“Also, with a high unemployment rate in Haliburton County to put some of our people back to work for businesses that are currently growing and thriving. I just didn’t see that in the report as a line item.”

Ryall noted that businesses said with sufficient staff they could increase sales 15 to 20 per cent.

“And I think that is going to be something that we need to deal with.”

Ovell said the RFP will be designed to be “fairly broad” however “if that is a priority, we can definitely drill down and include that in there.”

Coun. Brent Devolin said one strategy might be encouraging colleges that teach things such as construction and hospitality to come to the Highlands. Coun. Carol Moffatt said “semi-facetiously” it may be a matter of bussing apprentices to Peterborough. But Ryall said what’s needed is qualified instructors, not bricks and mortar to come to the County.

Coun. Andrea Roberts raised the housing issue.

“How does housing equate into something like this because to me that’s one of the biggest obstacles,” she said. “People can’t move here because there is no place to live. So how does housing tie into an economic development strategy?”

Ovell said the lack of housing for potential workers will no doubt be identified in the final strategy but he wants a document that is within the County’s power to take action.

“I don’t want a document that says we need to expand broadband or housing. I want a document that has tactics or objectives that utilize what tools are at the County’s skillset or the townships’ skillset so something in our toolbox so we can actually make a difference.”

Moffatt said, “I wonder what happens if or when we come across something that is beyond our current toolbox. Hopefully there’d be something built-in that would allow for us as a community to go and get or somehow acquire something that we’re missing to move us to the next level to feed the growing needs as opposed to saying we don’t have those skills or skillset or toolbox so we can’t go there. Sort of looking for the biggest blue sky possible. Here are our problems. How are we going to build back to get there so hopefully that would be part of it as well? We don’t have this so we have to go and get it.”