Fleming College’s Haliburton School of Art + Design (HSAD) is nestled in the woods, drawing students from across Canada and beyond for its integrated arts program, metalsmithing course and array of summer classes.
It’s difficult to learn, however, if you don’t have a place to live. That’s why Fleming is putting out a call for Haliburton households to open up to students.
“We’re in desperate need of accommodation options for students, especially within walking distance,” said Sandra Dupret, vice president of Fleming responsible for student experience.
The demand is heightened due to an influx of students starting in January.
Dupret said it can be a chance to earn extra income, or for those who live alone, a chance to have a friend around.
“Some really appreciate that companionship,” Dupret said. “We have found that people are very adaptable to what students’ needs are.”
This year, Dupret said a few students are finding it difficult to find places to live, especially within driving distance.
“Frankly that’s a challenge we’re seeing with the growth here. We can’t grow the enrolment in campus without having places for students to stay, so we’re really dependent at this point, on the support of the community,” Dupret said.
Until a planned residence building, to be located beside the college, HSAD will continue to build community partnerships.
“They’re a key player in helping this campus to thrive,” Dupret said.
West Guilford resident Pat Bain said she wishes she signed on to host students sooner. “All the students I’ve had have been wonderful people,” she said. “To have them in the house, that’s just a comfort to me, to know there’s someone else here.”
Bain has been invited to students’ weddings, even to a student’s family home in France. It’s a lot more than just extra income.
“I always tell them, as well as getting a place to stay, they’re getting a second mother,” she said.
For information on joining Fleming’s list of student apartment options, email och@flemingcollege.ca or call 705-749- 5530 ext. 112
A depleted Haliburton County Huskies battled through a rare three-game weekend last time out, adding a win and two losses to their seasonal record and moving into second place in the OJHL’s East Division.
The first of the team’s triple header saw them make the hour-long trip south on Hwy. 35 to take on the Lindsay Muskies. In what was a tense, hard-hitting game Nov. 12, the Huskies dug deep and at times rode their luck as they battled to a 2-1 regulation win over their nearest rivals.
It’s a game that will be remembered for its unique stat line, with the two teams going a collective 0-6 on the powerplay but each registering a short-handed goal.
After an insipid opening period in which neither team made much of an impression in the offensive zone, it was the Muskies that got things going early on in the second – very much against the run of play. Shortly after Isiah Parris was issued a two-minute minor for interference, Muskies forward Duncan Scullion cut off a loose pass in the defensive zone and raced down the ice unchallenged, firing the puck past Christian Cicigoi at 4:59 in the period.
The lead wouldn’t last though, and it was a familiar face that came back to haunt the Muskies. Defenseman Will Gourgouvelis fired a hopeful shot from near the boards at 15:54, beating Muskies’ goaltender Ethan Fraser high over his glove. It was Gourgouvelis’ second goal of the season – the other coming way back on opening night Oct. 1, when the Huskies defeated the Muskies 3-2 at the same venue.
Heading into the final frame, the Huskies picked up the pace as they searched for a winner. Top scorer Oliver Tarr saw plenty of ice time as the team leaned on their top line for large periods. In the end, the gamewinning goal came from an unlikely source in fortuitous circumstances. Just 20 seconds after hometown boy Joe Boice went to the box for slashing, Sam Solarino went on the forecheck, chasing down a puck behind the Muskies’ goal. That effort paid off, with Solarino catching Fraser in no man’s land, stealing the puck and careening around the goal to fire in the winner.
“It was pretty hard to miss,” Solarino said with a smile after the game. “The goalie came out behind the net and coughed up a pretty bad one. I just followed it up and put it in.”
Head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay was delighted with his team’s performance in what he called a “character win.”
“I think that performance really says a lot about the guys we have in our locker room, and the culture we’re trying to create here. We’re down a few players right now, and are running basically three lines, so to see those guys leave it all out on the ice, battle the way they did and come away with a huge two points … it was great to see,” Ramsay said.
Things didn’t quite go to plan on Saturday however, when the Huskies welcomed the table-topping Trenton Golden Hawks to town. Lucas Stevenson got the hometown team off to a perfect start, firing one in after just 1:44 in the opening period after being set up by Tarr.
The Huskies would then give up five straight as the Golden Hawks took charge of the game. Captain Nathan Porter notched a consolation tally late on in the third, before Trenton rubbed salt into the wounds, adding a sixth goal just minutes later. The final score at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena was 6-2.
On Sunday, the Huskies made a trip down to the city to take on the North York Rangers. The team had fond memories of playing at the Herbert Carnegie Centre, recording a 3-1 win at the venue on Oct. 10.
It looked like being another happy visit for the Huskies, who raced out to a 3-0 lead courtesy of goals from Nicholas Athanasakos and Tarr. But the Rangers fired back, netting two goals late in the second and another early in the third, before ending things in overtime.
The point gained from the overtime loss lifted the Huskies into second place in their division, just narrowly ahead of the Muskies and the Wellington Dukes. The hometown team now boasts an overall record of 10-6-1.
They play the Caledon Admirals on the road tonight (Nov. 18), before traveling to the city to face the Toronto Patriots on Saturday. The Huskies will next play on home ice on Nov. 26, against the Cobourg Cougars. That game is slated for a later than-usual start in Minden, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m.
Local group 100 Women Who Care Haliburton County is continuing its mission of supporting some of the Highlands’ most in-demand services.
Since the club’s foundation in 2016, members have donated more than $80,000 to various charitable organizations across the County. The Minden Community Food Centre is the latest beneficiary, receiving a cheque for $6,800 Oct. 27.
That money was raised in a single hour by the group, who met in-person for the first time since the onset of the pandemic Oct. 20 at the Dominion Hotel.
“A pretty special group, who get together three times a year to raise money and give back to the community,” said club executive, Sandra Slauenwhite-Box. “The original concept was centred around fundraising, easy fundraising in a short period of time to support a charity that does great work here, and really helps people.”
Prior to each meeting, members nominate an organization for consideration. All names are then put into a box, with three selected at random. Those charities are then invited to present at the next meeting, with a chance to win that night’s pot. Once presentations are over, those in attendance vote on who they would like to see receive the money.
Each member in attendance on the night donates $100, or if they’ve registered as a team of two they give $50 each.
Other regular fixtures at the events include the Haliburton Hospital Auxiliary, Fuel for Warmth, Volunteer Dental Outreach, Haliburton Emergency Rural SafeSpace (HERS), and the Abbey Retreat Centre.
Pat Bradley and Tina Palmer were inaugural members when the local organization got going five years ago. Starting out with 34 members, they’ve since grown to 78.
“I never realized it would blossom into what it has. I thought it was a fabulous idea at the start, and now, looking at the money we’ve been able to raise, I think it’s even more fabulous,” Palmer said.
Since taking charge of the group last year, Slauenwhite-Box said she’s made it her mission to grow the organization so that it truly reflects its name.
“I would love to see us get to 100 women. I think we’re getting there – we’ve seen steady growth since launching five years ago, and we’re still seeing new members come on board, even now [during the pandemic],” she said.
There’s no annual registration fee to join. Anyone interested in becoming a member can learn more by visiting 100wwchaliburton.wixsite.com.
HKPR District Health Unit and Ontario government are bringing the GO-VAXX bus to Wilberforce Sunday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lloyd Watson Community Centre (2249 Loop Road).
The GO-VAXX bus is a retrofitted GO bus that serves as a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
The pop-up clinic is open to anyone wanting their first and second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. People eligible to receive a third dose can also attend.
“We’re very pleased to see the vaccination clinic on wheels roll into Haliburton County to provide vaccine and encourage anyone still needing their first, second or third dose to get on board and receive a shot,” said Doreen Boville, HKPR health promoter.
According to Boville, the mobile clinic might be back in Haliburton County in late November or early December.
Here’s what you need to know before you go:
• Bring your health card. If you do not have a health card or your health card is expired, bring another form of government photo ID such as a driver’s licence, passport, Status card, or birth certificate.
• Ensure you are eligible if you are wanting to receive a third dose. Currently, people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems can get a third dose. Booster doses are also available for people 70+ (born in 1951 or earlier), Indigenous adults and adult nonIndigenous household members, health care workers or essential care providers, and individuals who received a full series of AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson vaccines at least six months (168 days) after their second dose of vaccine. Click here for full eligibility information.
• Eat and drink something before you arrive to prevent feeling faint or dizzy while being vaccinated.
• Dress for the weather in case there is a line-up. Be sure to wear clothing that allows for easy access to the upper arm such as a loose-fitting top or T-shirt.
• Wear a mask that covers your nose, mouth, and chin.
• Do not visit the GO-VAXX bus if you have symptoms of COVID-19.
While COVID-19 may be top of mind for many, area residents are being encouraged to get vaccinated against another seasonal illness that will soon be here.
Influenza season is on the horizon, and to better protect yourself against the flu this fall and winter, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is encouraging people to get their free flu vaccine.
Locally, there are many different ways to get the flu vaccine; including pharmacies in Haliburton County, which can provide flu vaccine to anyone two years of age and older.
High-dose flu vaccines for people 65 years of age and older are also available at pharmacies.
A complete list of local pharmacy locations providing flu vaccines is available at hkpr.on.ca.
Local health care providers can also provide the flu vaccine. People should contact their primary care provider to see about getting one.
The Health Unit is providing flu vaccine clinics for children under the age of five who do not have a family doctor. Clinics are appointment only, so to schedule a time, call the Health Unit at 1-866-888-4577, ext. 1507.
“The flu vaccine is safe, effective and your best defence against influenza,” said Dr. Natalie Bocking, Medical Officer of Health with the HKPR District Health Unit. “Getting the flu vaccine will also help prevent unnecessary hospital visits and reduce the strain on our health care system, which continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19.”
For those worried that getting the flu shot will affect their ability to get a COVID19 shot, don’t fear. “It is safe to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu shot at the same time, so if you’re receiving your flu shot and still have yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, now is the time to get them,” Dr. Bocking added.
Flu vaccine is recommended for anyone six months and older. This is especially true for those most at risk of getting sick from flu, including: babies, young children, seniors, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems.
To further stop the spread of flu, and COVID-19, the Health Unit recommends that people wash their hands thoroughly and often, sneeze and cough into their sleeves, and stay home from work and school if they are sick. Eating well, getting sufficient sleep and being physically active on a regular basis also helps keep the body’s immune system strong.
COVID boosters and pneumonia vaccines
County doctor, Nell Thomas, said people should be reminded about not only flu shots, but COVID-19 boosters and pneumonia vaccines as well.
She said there’s an average of 13,895 confirmed influenza cases annually in Ontario. Each year, flu vaccines are tweaked to capture the circulating strains. These are identified during the flu season in Australia, which happens ahead of North America’s.
She noted that as of 2019, the vaccines no longer use eggs and therefore an egg allergy is not a reason to avoid a flu vaccine.
“You can track on the Government of Canada website a weekly flu report watch summary. Flu season starts mid-November and ends mid to late March. Getting a vaccine reduces risk of contracting the virus, spreading the virus, and reduces the severity of this respiratory illness,” Dr. Thomas said.
She added eligibility for third booster shots for COVID-19 continues to increase, now including health care workers and adults 70 years and older with six months since their last shot. She said research shows immunity to the virus wanes considerably a few months after vaccination, and COVID vaccine antibodies may disappear in seven months, so that as the virus continues to circulate our chances of contracting increases again, as does our risk of transmitting to others or having a more serious illness. “By keeping our immunity high with booster shots, and getting the majority of people vaccinated, the transmission of this virus will be diminished and eventually stopped,” she said.
Dr. Thomas added that anyone over 65, and anyone from 19-64 with immune compromising illness is recommended to get the pneumonia vaccine.
Haliburton man Norman Hart will undergo a “professional assessment” before he is sentenced, after being found guilty of manslaughter in the July 17, 2019 death of his housemate Robert James Brown.
During a brief court appearance Nov. 15, defence lawyer Rob Chartier asked Justice Michelle Fuerst if he could have a one month stay so that his client could be analyzed. It was not revealed to the court what type of assessment was to be carried out.
Fuerst agreed to accommodate the request, setting another hearing for 9 a.m. on Dec. 10, where she expects Chartier to provide a status update regarding the assessment.
“We need to move on [with this],” Fuerst said. “… The file is aging, and it’s to no one’s advantage that that happens.”
Hart was not present at this week’s hearing, which took place virtually over Zoom. It was noted that he would not be expected to appear on Dec. 10.
At a previous hearing, on Sept. 7, Fuerst found Hart guilty of manslaughter after an incident at a rented house at 34 Highland Street. A dispute between Hart and Brown centered around a $500 cheque Hart had received from the City of Kawartha Lakes Housing Corporation.
“Norman Hart and Robert Brown got into an argument over how the money from the cheque would be split. The argument turned physical and Norman Hart, while … under the influence of alcohol and drugs, lost control and beat Robert Brown, causing multiple injuries, including serious head and chest injuries that led to his death,” said Rebecca Griffin, Crown prosecutor.
Following the beating Hart fled the scene, returning several hours later with Brown’s ex-girlfriend and another man. When they arrived, they found Brown lying on the floor in the hallway, “cold to the touch and obviously deceased.” Police were called and Hart was taken into custody.
In September, Hart pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, but guilty to manslaughter. His case will be back in court on Dec. 10.
Haliburton resident Bonnie Roe has been recognized for her ongoing work in support of seniors and advocating for change in Ontario’s long-term care system.
On Nov. 16 she was presented with an award from the Toronto-based Institute for Change Leaders at the organization’s fifth anniversary celebration held in the city. Roe was acknowledged for the pivotal role she has played in raising awareness over the myriad of issues senior residents have faced while living in long-term care homes throughout the pandemic.
Back in 2020, she, along with fellow local resident Mike Perry, formed the HaliburtonKawartha Lakes Long-Term Care Coalition after being left “appalled” by reports coming out of Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, where 29 people died after contracting COVID-19. Together, they vowed to take action in hopes of inspiring change in the industry.
The coalition identified six core priorities it wanted the Ontario government to address to improve conditions in the sector. High on that list was advocating for the inclusion of long-term care to the Canada Health Act. The group also called for the reinstation of annual resident quality inspections, exploration of new models of care, an increase to the number of hours of direct care residents would be entitled to each day, and a complete stop on any new for-profit long-term care or nursing homes being opened in Ontario.
Now, more than 18 months later, Roe said she’s proud to say the Haliburton-based coalition has made real ground on many of those files.
“We’ve come a long way,” Roe told The Highlander. “We’ve worked hard on our goals, formulated a campaign and a timeline, and maintained a strong voice over the past 18 months to let our provincial representatives know that we won’t just stand by while our seniors [are being neglected].”
Roe admits she was “completely blown away” when she learned she was to be honoured. She was told the Strategic Win for Change award she was set to receive was being presented in recognition of the work she had done in lobbying Haliburton Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott for greater support for seniors over the past 12 months.
“The Coalition used their resources of pressure and access to media to meet with their local MPP, ultimately calling her out in the local press for not acting. Within weeks $4 million in new funding to pay for more care in the local nursing homes was announced; great news for local seniors and workers, and a community win,” said Olivia Chow of the Insitute for Change Leaders, explaining why Roe was the perfect fit for this award.
While Roe said it was “quite an honour” to be recognized, she said the credit should be split equally among the HaliburtonKawartha LTC Coalition.
“Many of the members of our group have been involved since our inception, and it’s because of each and every one of them, who have the same passion and determination that I have to making a difference in long-term care, that we are where we are,” Roe said. “And believe me, we’re still going strong. There’s still a lot of work for us to do.”
Top of her list is pushing back against a proposed revision of the province’s LongTerm Care Act, which she says ignores calls to limit any new for-profit organizations from getting involved in long-term care. The new legislation recently received first and second reading at the Ontario Legislature.
As she reflects, again, on the award, Roe said she will use it to remember all of the seniors who have tragically passed away since the onset of the pandemic.
“I’m going to dedicate the award to all of the lives that were lost so unnecessarily due to neglect and COVID. And to all of the families who didn’t get to spend the final days with their loved ones. That’s why we’re here, that’s why we’re fighting for this,” Roe said. “Long-term care homes should be just that – a home. People should feel that the care they receive is above standards, not below. These facilities should feel like a home to our seniors. They should feel safe, and be able to live in dignity.”
To learn more about the HaliburtonKawartha LTC Coalition, visit ltcneedsyou.ca.
Matthew Wesley is a building inspector living amid rolling hills of trees and thick bush near Minden.
On his organic farm, he and his partner and their kids tend to goats, a few chickens, a new litter of puppies, trees tapped for spring maple syrup. In his basement, there might be a computer hard drive.
On it, guesses Wesley, might be a musical ghost. The phantom in question is a collection of digital music files.
They represent the culmination of his former life as a singer in the fast-paced world of punk rock, shredding stages from Newfoundland to Florida, sharing festival lineups with Blink182 and working with some of the biggest names in music, poised for a leap into stardom.
The 10 songs make up the final unreleased album from The Getaway, called Left for Dead.
For 15 years, it was.
Now, Wesley and his bandmates are living out a punk rock resurrection. He received word the album is being picked up by a Quebec-based record label that released it Sept. 17 across streaming platforms. “I hadn’t listened to it in a long time,” said Wesley.
He said he now dials up the tunes while driving. “I’m proud to say it really holds up!”
The Getaway arrives
Wesley was The Getaway’s lead singer, joining in 2001 when Punk was spreading like spikey-haired wildfire, connecting with a generation that felt unheard, and often let down, by the political class of the United States and Canada.
Out of Toronto, the band’s day-to-day was grinding for what could come next. “Every moment you’re like ‘how do we get to the next level. How do we book this show, who’s going to put out our next album?’” he said. Level by level, they moved up. Channeling wild energy on the stage (Wesley was known for lighting firecrackers mid-show) the band toured Canada.
They were one of the first of the genre to travel to Newfoundland, and shook the walls of high school cafeterias in Heartland, New Brunswick, parkside clubs in Halifax and downtown bars in Montreal.
The fanbase was building, their music was connecting with more and more people. They even played the Haliburton Arena, though punk rock didn’t have a huge following in Wesley’s homeland. It felt like a breakthrough was coming.
“Everyone had their own idea of how we were going to break through and make it,” said Wesley. “When you’re in a band that’s pretty much your number one, friends, family, relationships. Those all take abackseat to it. Not everyone is going to be okay with you doing that.”
Sailing through cities across the States, coming into contact with the “broken and those who’d fallen through the cracks” of the American dream, influenced Wesley’s songwriting.
With a snarling guitar, muted strumming complemented by the thumping drums, he wrote about heartbreak, growing up and coming face-to-face with injustice. The band connected with Joe Escalante, a producer with worldwide acclaim who worked with the biggest punk bands alive, including Blink-182 which many critics, including The New York Times, claim is the most influential band in punk history.
He connected them with Ocean Studio in Burbank, California, where they recorded songs and melodies.
“We really thought we were going to have an opportunity there,” he said. The producer was one of the best in the business, going on to work with the Lumineers and The Cold War Kids. “We’d seen some pretty big disappointments,” Wesley said. “It seemed that this was the next plateau and this would be a jumping-off point.”
It wasn’t.
Their record label, caught in industry drama surrounding another band, folded. But The Getaway’s record was legally bound to the label and stuck in limbo. “Everyone remembers it differently,” said Wesley. “For everyone, it was a bit of a traumatic experience.”
Wesley and his bandmates moved on. Some stayed in music, Wesley went back to school and soon embarked on a successful career in planning.
“It all stopped,” Wesley said. “There was no more gas in the tank.”
Seven hundred clicks from Minden
Anthony Grenier co-owns People of Punk Rock Records. He launched the label to support punk rock in Canada, transitioning from a Facebook page where he shared band videos and photos.
Early in 2021, Adrian Mottram, a member of the band, bought a record from People of Punk Rock’s online store.
He sent a message to Grenier and asked if he wanted to have a listen to their long-lost album. “I’m no musician,” Grenier said. “When I listen to an album it’s like I either like it or I don’t.” He listened to Left for Dead 10 times in one day.
“What we like to do is release really cool stuff. It was a good opportunity to release something which makes people go ‘wow, this is something really cool that was supposed to be released 15 years ago, but it’s out in 2021.’”
Wesley said he’s still in disbelief.
“That just never happens. We worked really hard to get record labels to notice us.
For a label out of the blue to say they really like it, they want to put it out – that’s huge. It felt like it was something that was unfinished and it was always going to stay that way,” Wesley added. Wesley said there’s been some chatter between bandmates.
Should The Getaway play some shows? Revive some of the early 2000s punk rock? He won’t rule it out, but the thought of heading on the road in a bus seems a lot less tempting when he has a family and a full-time job.
The future of the band might not be the main point, he said. ‘When I thought the only ones who remembered us were us; it’s really special.”
Jodie Langemann has spent his career mentoring young adults but now it’s his turn to receive a helping hand from Medeba, the village of West Guilford, Lakeside Church and the wider Haliburton County community.
Jodie suffered a significant stroke Oct. 19 and has been in hospital in Kingston ever since, with wife, Sarah, at his side. A GoFundMe has been established to help them with costs.
They are also accepting prayers, said Medeba executive director Steve Archibald, who has worked with Jodie for years.
From Alberta originally, Jodie “fell in love with the idea of camping as a tool to reach and train and develop young people and has spent most of his career working as a leader,” Archibald said.
At Medeba, he is the director of a Christian development leadership program known as Prosago.
Archibald said the program averages about a dozen kids a year.
He said Jodie is a big guy who seems a bit gruff at first “but he really has an incredible heart for young people and to see them develop.”
It can be a tough program, identifying wonderful things about kids but also areas where they need to grow and change. However, graduates emerge with an affection for Jodie, “because he sticks with them through that over the course of that year,” Archibald said.
“He’s willing to work with anybody. He’s got a heart that wants to see people reach their potential and is there to help them do that.”
Megan Rapley, a former student at Prosago and colleague of Langemann’s at Medeba, created the GoFundMe.
She said Jodie had been with Prosago since 2008. “In those 13 years, Jodie has impacted numerous lives, not only by his role on staff with this life-changing program, but also by making a personal investment into so many of the young people who go through Prosago and Medeba as summer staff. Before his current role as Prosago director, Jodie was involved with other programs and camps, where I am certain he had a great impact on the people that surrounded him there too.”
A lover of sports, and a gifted athlete, Jodie has a great group of friends he plays hockey and golf with, Archibald and Rapley said.
Archibald said the news came as a shock and there are a lot of unknowns about the future. Sarah declined an interview request but, via Archibald, said they welcome prayers.
“They are a family that are dependent on God for things, so they are praying and hoping for a miracle. We are looking to see what the Lord might do here, everyday giving that to God and prayer … we’ll see where that all goes for sure,” Archibald said.
“I’m hoping that people will stick around for the long-term because this could go on for months or years and what will be their needs financially or otherwise? Hopefully we’ve got people that will see the immediate needs but also will walk alongside them.”
See the GoFundMe page at gofundme. com/f/loving-the-langemanns
For more information, there is a Facebook page called “Jodie Langemann’s Journey Back.”
Haliburton County has released its roadmap for creating a community climate change action plan. In broad terms, the initiative has three stages.
The first is to develop a plan to reduce corporate emissions and next, adapt County and municipal operations for a warming world. The last stage, developing a community plan, is just getting underway.
Ads in local media encourage the public and stakeholders to sign up to join an advisory committee, focused on chatting about recommendations and next steps. “This will focus both on reducing emissions from our broader community as well as adapting,” said Climate Change Coordinator Korey McKay. “This isn’t the only group that will provide input, [but] this will give preliminary input into strategies, goals and actions.”
Apart from advisory committee meetings, she guessed online surveys might be the main way to engage the wider community. While COP26 saw global leaders discuss national climate agreements, The Highlands needs to brace for a warming world, say local groups like Environment Haliburton! and Concerned Citizens of Haliburton County.
They organized a rally on Nov.5, where 15 people gathered to ask questions and raise concerns about climate change on the front steps of the County’s offices. Warden Liz Danielsen, Dysart Coun. John Smith, climate change coordinator Korey McKay and CAO Mike Rutter attended the rally. “Local leaders play a vital role in turning pledges into action,” Carolynn Coburn of EH! and CCHC said at the gathering. Danielsen, addressing the crowd, said “we really are in a bad spot when it comes to climate. We need to make a change here in Haliburton.”
The County has spent the past year and a half, with the help of McKay, educating municipal councils on how climate change will impact the Highlands, and how the Highlands’ emissions are contributing to the crisis.
Assessing the damage
County Climate Change Coordinator Korey McKay answers questions about the County’s climate strategy.
During Minden Hills’ Nov. 11 council meeting, councillors listened as McKay explained the County’s plan.
She has a lot of practice: attending Zoom meetings for all four municipalities, explaining the process of collecting greenhouse gas emissions information and outlining ways all four townships and the County could cut back. Strategies for reducing the County’sfootprint hinge on McKay’s community greenhouse gas inventory, the first of its kind to be conducted in the County.
A greenhouse gas inventory is an estimation of the emissions that Haliburton produces: 299,522 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2019, out of Canada’s total output of about 582 million. Per capita emissions in the county is 7.6 tonnes a year per person; lower than the provincial average of 11.2. Driving is the largest emitter in Haliburton, accounting for an estimated 199,851 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a figure obtained by calculating average road usage in areas around the county. All lower-tier governments, as well as the County, are on board with a plan to reduce their corporate emissions below the 2018 baseline by 30 per cent by 2030.
“My work is really to investigate the impacts locally, and what we contribute locally. Seeing those numbers really helps to localize the issue,” said McKay. “In tandem with creating a plan is also having an educational piece; why climate change is an issue and what are the co-benefits that we can realize when we implement a climate change plan.”
From the County of Haliburton’s Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. County of Haliburton.
There’s broad scientific consensus that warming temperatures will impact life in Haliburton. As McKay’s report states, annual precipitation will increase, along with the likelihood of flooding. In 2013, floods in Minden caused an estimated $571,000 in private residential damages.
Frequent winter storms could prove disastrous in a county with many hard-to access roads and isolated communities with little or no cell phone reception.
That’s a future which many in the County fear. “There were people stranded for weeks…” in parts of Ontario and Quebec, said Coburn, talking about an ice storm in 1998 that caused 34 deaths in Quebec and Ontario. “In situations like that, we’re going to have to depend on people within walking distance, our neighbours.”
For Coburn, the issue of climate is local: if municipalities and counties don’t step up, federal initiatives will flounder.
The Europe-based Climate Alliance, a network of cities fighting climate change, said municipal action can lay the foundation of change. “Municipalities can engage their residents to contribute to the fight against climate change in their everyday lives, be it in terms of consumption patterns, lifestyle choices or ways of doing business,” they write on their home page. Municipalities can also chart development and urban expansion.
Near Haliburton, Grass Lake cottagers are rallying to protect a private stretch of wetlands that could be turned into condominiums. “We want to protect this land and, ultimately, protect Grass Lake,” organizer Carolyn Langdon said in a prior interview.
Wetlands such as the Dysart property play a vital role in fighting rising temperatures. The County is home to part of the Highlands Corridor of provincially significant wetlands, zones that act as carbon sinks and are also shown to help mitigate flooding.
While blanket wetland protections fall outside municipal jurisdiction, conservationists are taking action.
Spearheaded by the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT), there’s a growing coalition of private property owners signing up to protect areas of wetlands on their properties.
“Natural solutions can help to mitigate impacts like flooding and drought, conserve biodiversity, protect ecosystem services, connect landscapes and capture and store carbon,” said HHLT chair Shelley Hunt in September. “Canada has committed to protecting 30 per cent of our landscape by 2030. In Ontario, only 10.7 per cent of our landscape is currently protected.”
Decision with ‘an eye to climate’
The Green Man, right is a costume created by EH! to represent animals and natural life that doesn’t have a voice in climate conversations but is disproportionately impacted by climate change.
“My question is: why the reluctance to declare a climate emergency?” EH! President Susan Hay asked Warden Liz Danielsen at the rally.
In 2019 council voted against the declaration, with some councillors saying at the time it was premature given they had no road map for handling the issue. “I really feel that the message that conveys to the community is not a good look,” Hay said.
Danielsen replied: “I can’t disagree with you, but I also cannot answer for the rest of County council. It’s a group decision and it’s not mine to make.”
Haliburton’s neighbour, Muskoka, recently declared a climate emergency in tandem with Gravenhurst and Huntsville. They also implemented a 50 per cent reduction goal by 2030. That’s a steeper climate change goal than the Highlands.
“We set targets we know we can accomplish,” said Danielsen. “I think we’re on the right track.” Coburn said she sees the County taking the issue “more seriously than in the past. However, she added, “I’d like to see more talk about it, I’d like to see them making decisions with an eye to a changing climate.”
That’s what Lauren Phillips would like to see too. The Haliburton Farmers Market coordinator moved to the County in 2020.
She said climate action “starts from the ground up.” Despite forecasts of a difficult climate future, Phillips said she wants to be able to tell future generations “I tried my best. I did my best to have a voice and make it heard.”
A rotting issue
Many tonnes of compostable waste end up in municipal landfills around Haliburton. File.
“It breaks my heart,” Oliver Zielke said loudly, his voice ringing out over the crowd facing Danielsen, Rutter, McKay and Smith. He was asking about composting. Or, specifically, why no municipality within the County offers composting services to commercial facilities, multi-residential buildings or individual residents.
While a waste audit, scheduled in Dysart and Minden Hills this year, will provide a clearer picture, a large amount of compostable waste ends up in landfills.
In Dysart alone, a 2019 staff report estimated 667 to 1,111 metric tonnes of residential food waste ended up in the dump. Townships have developed composting initiatives, like the FoodCycler indoor composting unit program that Dysart and Algonquin Highlands recently endorsed. While landfills only account for about five per cent of Haliburton’s emissions, Zielke pointed to the long distances Haliburton waste travels after it’s pitched. For example, Dysart’s garbage is sent to Orillia, then transferred to Watford, nearly 500 kilometers from Haliburton.
In an email, Dysart environmental coordinator John Watson said this is because the Dysart landfills don’t have “environmental safeguards” in place to mitigate methane gases produced by waste.
A path forward
The majority of Canadians believe climate change is a present threat, according to a Research Co. poll. The Highlands’ recent shoreline preservation bylaw exposed fractures in how the community wants to deal with it.
For Leora Berman of The Land Between, the shoreline preservation draft process was a good first step in protecting lakes and wildlife habitats as temperatures rise: what’s needed, she said, is more community involvement.
“The county has shown leadership recently with the shoreline bylaw,” she said. “The issue is they haven’t done the consultation and education necessary. If they do the consultation and education and consider the constituents partners with them, they’ll do a great job.”
While the County hosted two virtual openhouses on the shoreline bylaw, anger from the bylaw’s opponents and misinformation spread primarily on Facebook has dismayed members of council. “The divisiveness and infighting amongst friends and neighbours, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt said at an Oct. 27 meeting.
Warden Liz Danielsen and Terry Moore of EH! reported they’ve received threats and verbal abuse in relation to the bylaw. Even throughout EH! And CCHC’s other events throughout the year, Coburn said many in the County seem misinformed about climate issues or quick to dismiss activists.
“We’re all regular people, there are some people who call us extremists,” Coburn told the crowd. “We care about nature and the future of humanity.”
