Minden continues with costly planning consultant

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October 28, 2021

Minden Hills will continue using a Peterborough-based planning consultant as its director of planning position remains vacant.

At an Oct. 14 meeting, CAO Trisha McKibbin asked council to extend the township’s agreement with D.M. Wills Associates Ltd. for another six months.

The township entered into an initial sixmonth pact with the company on April 13, 2021, but it’s over at the end of October.

McKibbin said, “These services have included all planning functions, including but not limited to, shore road allowance applications, minor variance applications, policy development, site plan agreements and planning consultations.“

An attached schedule of fees shows the manager of planning services receives $135/hour; senior land use planner $120/ hour; land use planner $90/hour; planning/ GIS technician $80/hour; and administrator $65/hour.

Asked for clarification on why former planner, Ian Clendening, had left the municipality, McKibbin said, “The Township does not comment on current or former employees.”

Clendening has joined the City of Kingston planning department. He was never named to the province’s sunshine list meaning his salary and benefits were less than $100,000 a year with Minden Hills.

The CAO added, “Minden Hills will be recruiting for a planner, and in the interim will continue to use the services of D.M. Wills. The Township is committed to ensuring that planning applications are processed in a timely manner and are utilizing the services of D.M. Wills to accomplish this.”

Asked what the contract had cost them as of mid-October, McKibbin said $138,576.27.

HKPR thinking ‘outside the box’ on drugs

By

Mike Baker

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October 28, 2021

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Following in the footsteps of several other health care and law enforcement agencies across the country, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) district health unit has supported a new campaign that aims to decriminalize the personal possession of illicit drugs.

During a virtual meeting Oct. 21, board officials were told the local unit was at an impasse, with statistics surrounding opioidrelated drug overdoses spiking to record highs since the onset of COVID-19.

Between April 2020 and March 2021, there were 41 opioid-related deaths in HKPR – up from 21 the year before.

While recognized as a “bold” strategy by Catherine MacDonald, HKPR substances and harm reduction coordinator, she said the move to decriminalize drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and ecstasy would assist the health unit in its attempts to manage an ever-escalating crisis.

“We need to explore innovative health and equity-focused strategies to address this opioid crisis,” MacDonald said.

Nick Seguin, a detective with the Kawartha Lakes Police Services, said that by decriminalizing personal possession of illegal substances, hundreds of people locally would be diverted away from the criminal justice system towards a variety of health care and social services supports.

“By diverting people towards addiction programs, counselling, and harm reduction services we feel that’s the best way to deal with the problem,” he said. “Research shows that laws that criminalize people simply for using and possessing drugs have created serious health and social harms. From a mental health standpoint alone, it is very hard for people to recover from the criminalization aspect of their drug use.

“This is one way for us, potentially, to stop the cycle. If we can get people into programs, we’d be able to, hopefully, reduce crime, reduce calls for service from first responders and, ultimately, bring safer streets to our communities,” Seguin added.

This is a different situation to the one surrounding marijuana, which was legalized in Canada in 2018 and is now sold in stores across the country. These illicit drugs would not be available at retail establishments.

Seguin said other countries that have adopted less punitive policies have not experienced any significant increase in drug use, or drug-related crimes. The movement has been supported by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

MacDonald said other health agencies, such as Toronto Public Health, have endorsed the campaign, while 42 municipalities in Ontario have supported the ‘Moms Stop the Harm’ resolution, which declares the opioid crisis a national public health emergency and calls for a comprehensive list of supports and reforms, including the decriminalization of illicit drugs for personal use. Organizations such as the Canadian Public Health Association, Canadian Mental Health Association and the World Health Association have also called for new approaches to tackling the overdose crisis, ranging from decriminalization of illegal substances to legal regulation.

Federal health minister, Patty Hadju, has stopped short of endorsing the campaign. Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Jamie Schmale isn’t a fan, either.

“There aren’t many jurisdictions in the world that have done this kind of thing, if any. I hope Canada is not the first to try this,” Schmale said. “I haven’t heard any conversations of this happening (in Ottawa). I don’t think the atmosphere is out there from Canadians to move forward with this,” he said.

Board chair, Doug Elmslie, is worried it would place an additional burden on law enforcement, and basically force police officers to also act as social service workers.

But Seguin said while decriminalization would put more stress on police, “The simple answer is that we already are social service workers. The majority of the time, our frontline officers are dealing with folks that are at their worst, and we, first and foremost, try to help them out with their addictions, or their problems.”

The HKPR board unanimously endorsed MacDonald’s recommendation.

“We will use this [motion] as a key strategy to help address the opioid crisis and save lives,” she said.

A night of fright at Abbey Gardens

By

Mike Baker

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October 28, 2021

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With Halloween right around the corner, Abbey Gardens is looking to celebrate the holiday in style – transforming the Glen trail into a series of spooktastic scenes inspired by your favourite horror movies.

Running Oct. 29 and 30, the haunted wagon ride event will take participants on a 25-minute trek through the pitch-black woods on the Abbey site, serving up a healthy dose of scares along the way.

A little different from the majority of Abbey Gardens’ events, which are typically geared towards children and young families, the wagon ride is more aimed towards adults.

“Because of the scare level we have, and some of the jump scares we’ve incorporated and the props we’re going to be using, we’re recommending this event only for people who are 16 years of age and older,” said Ashley McAllister, director of operations at Abbey Gardens. “We really wanted to put something together for the older crowd. There really isn’t a lot of stuff going on for teenagers and adults, and those are the people that want to get out and do stuff, especially around Halloween and especially after the year we’ve had.”

There will be a few scenes set up at distinct points throughout the ride, with a team of approximately 20 volunteers on hand to create a spooky atmosphere and inflict the odd sudden scare.

All of the work for the event has been done in-house, led by the creative mind of Chris Anderson.

A staffer at Abbey Gardens by day, Anderson said he spends many a night thinking up innovative and elaborate to scare people for his favourite holiday.

“I just love Halloween. I’ve always hosted Halloween parties in the past that I’ve put a lot of work into, but given that we just moved to Haliburton and don’t really know a lot of people yet, I couldn’t do that this year,” Anderson said. “So, when I heard we were thinking of putting on an event at Abbey Gardens, I got pretty excited and started offering up all sorts of ideas.”

Before long, he was offered the lead role in helping to organize the event. Leery of giving too much away before hand, Anderson said people should expect “a little bit of close contact” during the ride, and try to be focused at all times.

He did, however, offer up a helpful tip. “We’re definitely going to be focusing on mind games. If you think you’re being distracted one way,

there’s probably a good reason for that,” he said. Participants will be asked to wear a mask at all times during the ride, while McAllister said, because this is an outdoor event, it will be open to those who haven’t been vaccinated.

Each wagon will carry a maximum of 16 people. The event will run from 6 to 10 p.m. See abbeygardens.ca

Shoreline bylaw a start

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 28, 2021

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The great Highlands land rush is posing a threat to our waterways but the consultants’ final report on the shoreline preservation bylaw is one way County officials can mitigate the impact.

Since the outset, we’ve had to agree to disagree with those arguing the existing shoreline tree preservation bylaw is doing the job and this one is not needed. Quite frankly, the old one doesn’t have enough teeth.

And we have sadly seen how some property owners, developers and contractors know it and have been pushing the envelope. For example, we were sent photos of a clear-cut on Drag Lake in the summer. The property owners were fined and ordered to do restoration works. They claimed a misunderstanding of the language in the existing bylaw.

We did not write about it at the time as we did not think it was prudent to single out one possible bad apple. The problem was with the core. The legislation was underripe. This week, Haliburton County council has rightfully taken steps to ensure the bad apples can’t get away with citing the rules and regulations aren’t or weren’t clear enough.

The County’s forestry and bylaw officer is getting busier and busier. Between Jan. 1 and July 15, 2021, the man responsible for the existing bylaw had made 45 site visits, issued four fines, eight stop work orders and seven work orders for remediation to address issues from 2020. Further, unlike those who argue a 30-metre setback is an attack on their Constitutional rights to do what they will with their land, the consultants disagree.

They have recommended a 30-metre buffer as it removes up to 85 per cent of pollutants; 85 per cent of sediment; 75 per cent of nitrogen; 100 per cent of woody debris, maintains water temperature; and protects the chemical, physical and biological components of aquatic systems. Further, the 30-metres is already in the County’s official plan; is what the province recommends; and lots of other comparable municipalities use it.

Some don’t get it, so the consultants have recommended the County do more public education on the connection between shoreline buffers and water quality. Adding further teeth, it’s recommended there be permit approval prior to any future tree removal or site alteration in the zone.

The consultants have also quite rightly suggested that the County continue to talk to its municipal partners, the development community and other stakeholders about a permit-based system.

County council still has some work to do around permitting and will have to get a legal review but they should be in a position to pass the new bylaw at their next meeting. There had better be a discussion about enforcement, too, since all local councils have not spent enough money to date on bylaw enforcement staff.

But, no one can now say there was no public consultation. It cannot be argued special interest groups drove the process. The final report was done by consultants from outside of Haliburton County. Their work has revealed best practices in other jurisdictions. It is time we all got behind it – for the sake of our lakes, ponds and natural heritage features.

New shoreline preservation draft a ‘landmark’

By

Sam Gillett

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October 28, 2021

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LG-tree cutting (5) — A shoreline in Haliburton County

The County of Haliburton has a new draft shoreline preservation bylaw to consider.

At an Oct. 27 meeting, council received its consultant’s draft bylaw and voted to hold a special meeting to discuss it, and chart the next step towards passing a final bylaw. The new draft bylaw comes after nearly five months of community consultation, stakeholder interviews and two sets of surveys and virtual town hall meetings. “This is a landmark thing within Haliburton County,” said Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin.

Council is now tasked with discussing the draft and may make changes before it is voted on. “Regardless of what we decide, it’s not going to make everybody happy,” Devolin added. J.L Richards (JLR) and Hutchinson Environmental Services Ltd. (HESL) recommend keeping the shoreline buffer at 30-metres in any future shoreline preservation bylaw.

HESL’s scientific review suggests that will remove up to 85 per cent of pollutants, 85 per cent of sediment and 75 per cent of nitrogen from entering lakes. The draft bylaw allows “minor landscaping” which includes the creation of gardens, maintenance and replacement of pathways and driveways up to five-metres wide, and beaches, as well as the removal of topsoil and up to 25 per cent of trees distributed throughout the shoreline.

It would also strengthen the existing tree preservation bylaw by requiring permit approval “to any future tree removal or site alteration in the shoreline buffer zone selected by County Council.” It prohibits removing native vegetation including trees larger than five-centimetres in width, tree trimming and non-emergency removal of trees and stumps, and the placing of fill or altering the steepness of a shoreline more than a certain amount.

Also added is the protection of ponds and wetlands, which would be classified as bodies of water. The new draft includes allowances for a “lesser shoreline” when a property’s lot depth or site characteristics make it impossible to stick to the 30-metre rule. Applications would include a legal description of a site, a project schedule, and a shoreline plan drawn to scale which includes estimated body of water locations and high watermarks, as well as approximate topography and natural and developed feature locations.

The application process, said J.L Richards planner Jason Ferrigan, was “regarded as a way for the community to grow into the bylaw over time” as well as expanding the matters that can be referred to council such as when a permit is denied or delayed. The consultants suggest a transition period, where applicants would be free to submit for a year, with a simplified permit system, before moving to the full application system.

Those requirements contrast the previous stipulations of the council’s draft bylaw, which required applicants to submit exact locations of all vegetation, trees and shrubs, and calculations regarding the property’s stormwater controls. Many who submitted feedback to consultants claimed those requirements were overly onerous and expensive.

The fine for breaking the bylaw is relaxed: consultants propose $925 tickets for firsttime offenders and second offence fines maxing out at $100,000.

The consultants also provided a short summary overview of the bylaw, often including shorter sentences that do not require prior knowledge of terms common in the legal and planning communities.

Ferrigan described it as the “Coles Notes” version of the bylaw.

Council members noted how the draft bylaw process has sparked anger amongst the community throughout the bylaw process. “The divisiveness and infighting amongst friends and neighbours, I’ve never seen anything like it. And I hope it never happens again because it’s been exceedingly disappointing” Moffatt said.

The 827-page final report includes 470 pages of correspondence from Haliburton County residents and organizations, expressing their views on shoreline preservation initiatives. “Unless you’ve been asleep under a rock,” said Devolin, “for any individual or party who has wanted to have input in this, this has been a good and open and transparent process.”

Couple seeks answers after dogs killed

By

Sam Gillett

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October 27, 2021

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4ED325F1-7573-4410-95B7-C5580CDB3153 — Photo submitted

A Dysart couple is reeling after a beloved hound and her three-month-old puppy were shot and killed.

On the evening of Oct. 21, Lacey Finch and Justin Hutchison’s eight-year-old hound, Hunter, and her puppy, Nova, trotted into the bush behind their house as they did every night. They were always let out to go to the bathroom before eating dinner and cuddling in the living room with Finch and Hutchison.

But Finch said, “I called and called and called and they didn’t come back.” Finch said she then heard two shotgun blasts from the forest.

“We didn’t hear yelling, we didn’t hear barking; nothing.”

Hutchison said he figured it was unsafe to go into the forest which borders their backyard because of the gunshots, however, he went to a property on the other side of the forest where it seemed like the gunshots had come from. They said a person on the property denied hearing gunshots.

After a sleepless night, the couple called the police.

Hutchison later found the dogs’ bodies covered with sticks on the adjacent property, their collars removed.

He called the Haliburton Highlands OPP, and an officer attended the scene. According to an OPP press release on Oct. 27, the incident is under investigation but the individual responsible has not been identified.

Hutchison has since buried Hunter and Nova on their property together, along with the puppy’s favourite toy and blanket.

“I’m scared. I’m exhausted. I’m beyond sad for my dogs. They were more than dogs to me, they were my whole life,” Finch said.

Finch described Hunter as “the most gentle dog ever,” who was more like a child than animal. The dog had her own Instagram account “househoundhunter,” where videos and pictures show Hunter posing with other dogs, cuddling on boats, wagging her tail while playing in the snow, and, most recently, keeping a careful eye on Nova.

“You can see how much she was loved, and what her personality was like from her pictures.”

Finch said they were excited to bring Hunter hunting with Nova, to show the puppy how to help. “It was going to be Nova’s first time at the camp this year. Her first time following her mom and her dad.” The couple said they appreciated the outpouring of phone calls, text messages and online comments of support they’ve received since posting about the incident.

“We’re not out there for a hate crime, we’re out there to prevent this from happening to someone else.” They urge people to remain calm and let the police conduct their investigation without interference.

Finch has started a hashtag, #JUSTICEFORHUNTERANDNOVA.

“No matter what happens in the sense of justice, they’re not going to bring back the two things we want.” Hutchison said. “We don’t feel safe [being near] someone who is capable of doing that.”

Finch said justice also means ensuring this doesn’t happen to more families.

“We want to make people aware you just can’t shoot a dog when it comes on your property: you need to follow the correct steps.” Finch said if they had been called or

notified their dogs were trespassing, they would have immediately come to get them. Each dog had a tag and collar.

“I want people to know how much I loved them,” said Finch. “I won’t forget them, they weren’t just dogs.”

The OPP said police are aware of social media posts by other individuals discussing the matter, but cautioned that the person

responsible for the shooting has not been identified. “The Haliburton Highlands detachment will be investigating any incidents that appear to be in response to this shooting,” the press release states.

The OPP requests anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122 or contact Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Two charged with firearms offences after dispute in Haliburton

By

Sam Gillett

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October 27, 2021

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Haliburton Highlands OPP have charged two adults after an incident involving assault and firearms.

On Tuesday Oct. 26 at 3:35 pm police received a report of a male and a female in a dispute in downtown Haliburton. Reports claimed a male was in possession of a firearm.

Officers located both people and recovered a firearm. Police charged an adult male with pointing a firearm, careless storage of a firearm, weapon, prohibited device or ammunition, unauthorized possession of a firearm, failure to comply with release order, two counts of assault, possession of a prohibited device or ammunition for dangerous purpose and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

He is also charged with possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking; a category of substances that includes heroin, cocaine, opium, oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, methamphetamine, and amphetamines.

A second male was also charged with two counts of failure to comply with a release order.

Both people are being held in custody until a bail hearing. Police said the identities of the accused are not being released in an effort to protect the identities of the victims.

In a press release, OPP said “if you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, you are not alone. Please call 9-1-1 if you feel that you are in danger.”

OPP investigate downtown Haliburton break and enter

By

Sam Gillett

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October 27, 2021

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Haliburton Highlands OPP is investigating a break and enter at the Remax real estate office on Highland St. in Haliburton.

Police discovered several pieces of electronic equipment were stolen from the offices between the evening of Oct. 21 and the morning of Oct. 22

This incident is still under investigation.

Police are ask anyone with information or video surveillance please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or contact Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Show your support by dressing in purple Oct. 27

By

Mike Baker

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October 27, 2021

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Pull out your favourite grape-coloured garb this Wednesday and show your support for Dress Purple Day.

An annual event organized by the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, Dress Purple Day is designed to raise awareness about the important role that individuals and communities play in supporting vulnerable children, youth and families and helping them get the resources they need. The event is designed to build stronger partnerships with cross-sector service providers to focus on strengthening families through enhanced community-based prevention and early intervention.

“Dress Purple Day is more important than ever, since the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional stressors for families, and in some cases has increased the risk for the well-being and safety of children and youth,” said Jennifer McLauchlan, executive director of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society (KHCAS). “On Oct. 27, we are calling on all Ontarians to wear some purple to show children, youth and families that they are here to help.

In the organization’s 2020/21 fiscal year, 141 families residing in Haliburton County accessed programming provided by KHCAS. The organization offers four core services – adoption, foster care and alternative care for children, child maltreatment aid, and support services.

KHCAS works with many other service providers across Haliburton County to support children, youth and families, and collaborates with community partners to speak up for every child and youth’s right to safety and well-being in all spaces, says McLauchlan.

While the organization used to recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month in October, the child welfare sector no longer marks the occasion.

“Vulnerable and marginalized families, especially from the Black and African Canadian community, have told us that the campaign’s emphasis on reporting led to an unwarranted increase in surveillance of their families and communities, says Nicole Bonnie, CEO of the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies. “In many ways, the former Child Abuse Prevention campaign was more harmful than helpful.”

On the contrary, Bonnie says the Dress Purple Day campaign is all about reminding anyone making referrals to child welfare to “check their biases.”

“We know that racism, prejudice and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, ability, poverty and sexual orientation can lead to the overreporting and oversurveillance of families in certain communities,” Bonnie said.

McLauchlan says there are other ways, aside from wearing purple, that people can participate and show their support on Wednesday, including: participating in social media using the hashtag #IDressPurpleBecause; putting up one of the Dress Purple Day posters, found at oacas.org, in your workplace; and using the web banner, found at oacas.org, for your workplace website.

To learn more about the signs of child abuse or neglect and how to report concerns, visit www.khcas.on.ca.

Current booster eligibility

By

Sam Gillett

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October 21, 2021

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Close-up medical syringe with a vaccine.

By Dr. Nell Thomas

Colin Powell died this week from complications of COVID-19. The former U.S. secretary of state had a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. This 84-year-old had two COVID vaccines and was about to get his third.

He was eligible for a third shot because his cancer made his immune system less able to mount antibodies and build a strong defense against the virus. He was also eight months from his second vaccine.

A weaker or compromised immune system is both unable to mount a strong immune reaction and less likely to keep immunity. That’s why annual influenza vaccines offer a “high dose” version for people over 65 years.

As we age, our immune systems cannot build as strong an army of antibodies as can a young person’s. In children and babies, a tiny dose of a vaccine turns on a highly robust immune response, which is why vaccinating babies is the ideal time to get the best immunity to diseases. Scientists and health officials are gathering and analyzing data to determine how long we should wait between COVID vaccines and who is most likely to need earlier boosters. That people with suppressed immune systems would need sooner boosters has been certain. What is not certain is how long to wait.

One recent study analyzing Pfizer vaccines suggests antibody levels wane and disappear after seven months. This small study analyzed blood samples from 46 healthy young or middle-aged adults after receiving two doses, and then six months after the second dose. The initial high levels of antibodies dropped ten-fold by seven months.

In half the adults neutralizing antibodies were undetectable six months after the second dose, particularly against Delta, Beta, and Mu. Neutralizing antibodies are only part of the body’s immune defense against the virus but are still critical in protecting against infection.

The authors recommend administering a booster around six to seven months from initial dose. In contrast, a study in Italy showed that seven months after the second dose, there is no reduction in the efficacy of mRNA vaccines in the general population, with a slight decline seen for specific populations.

This report by the health ministry examined data from more than 29 million people who received two doses of an mRNA vaccine. In the general population effectiveness against infection after seven months was 89 per cent.

Protection from hospitalization and death at six months from the second dose was 96 per cent and 99 per cent respectively. However, in Italy mask rules are very strict and there are stringent behavioural rules, contributing to low infection rates.

Also, individuals with compromised immune systems lost protection much faster, measurably lower after 28 days from the second dose. Another study by Pfizer published in the Lancet looked at 3.4 million fully vaccinated people and concluded that the vaccine remains highly effective at preventing nearly all virus-linked hospitalizations for “at least” six months, but protection from mild or moderate infection falls to less than 50 per cent.

Overall, the Pfizer vaccine remained 90 per cent effective at preventing hospitalizations for “all variants,” including the delta, however protection against infection waned significantly over time, falling from 88 per cent within one month after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to 47 per cent after six months.

They concluded that “breakthrough infection” occurring in vaccinated people is because of waning immunity and not because the new variants are escaping protection. In Ontario third shots are now being given to people: (1) with solid tumor transplants; (2) receiving chemotherapy; (3) receiving immune compromising treatment; (4) residents of LTC or seniors in congregate living settings. (5) Advanced HIV or AIDS or other primary immunodeficiency. Details in this link: COVID-19 Vaccine Third Dose Recommendations (gov.on.ca)