Police investigate drowing on Moose Lake

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November 7, 2021

The Haliburton Highlands Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are currently investigating a drowning that occurred on Sunday morning.

On Nov. 7, at approximately 10:26 a.m., members of the detachment responded to a report of a capsized canoe on Moose Lake in Dysart et al. It was reported that three adult males entered the water.

Officers attended the scene with Haliburton County Emergency Services and the Dysart et al Fire Department. One of the adult males was able to safely make his way to shore and was uninjured. The other two parties were unable to make it to shore and they have since been confirmed as deceased.

This investigation is ongoing and the detachment is being assisted by the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, as well as Technical Collision Reconstruction investigators.

The identities of the deceased will not be released until next of kin have been notified. Further information will be released as it becomes available. Investigators are asking anyone with information to call Haliburton OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Winterdance ‘beyond excited’ for season

By

Mike Baker

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November 4, 2021

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Dogsledding will return to Haliburton County next month with Winterdance Dogsled Tours announcing they plan to reopen for the season on Dec. 10.

Tanya McCready told The Highlander it will be “business as usual” for the local operation, who are set to usher in their 23rd year in the community.

“We are beyond excited to get going again – us and the dogs!” she said.

The news follows Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserves recent declaration that it would be shutting down its dogsledding operation effective immediately. On Oct. 21, the organization issued a letter to the community outlining its reasons for exiting the business.

“There are numerous challenges facing the dogsledding business, including unpredictable winter weather patterns, changing group experience profiles, shortages of professional animal care staff and rising health care costs for dogs,” the letter reads.

Tegan Legge, general manager of the Forest, said the organization would now be prioritizing self-guided, low-impact outdoor experiences such as hiking and fishing. She also mentioned the Forest intends to “replace” its dogsledding operations with a different portfolio of experiences in the coming winters. Haliburton Forest had maintained a dogsledding program for more than 20 years.

McCready said she and partner, Hank DeBruin, have adopted 11 of the dogs Haliburton Forest owned for its dogsledding program.

As she looks ahead to the upcoming season, McCready said Winterdance will continue to offer much of the same tour options as in past years.

“We will have half-day, two-hour, moonlight and full-day tours. The half-day is our most popular offering, while the twohour tours are great for young families or folks on tighter timelines,” McCready said. “The programs and systems we have built over the past 22 years have worked really well for us. We normally welcome over 2,000 guests from around the world every season.”

Last year was a bit of an anomaly for Winterdance and the McCreadys. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they had to drastically reduce their offerings, leading to a 70 per cent reduction in usual winter income. The couple helped to offset that loss through the release of Journey of 1,000 Miles, a sequel to the previously published Iditarod Dreamer. The book became an international bestseller, and helped McCready and DeBruin to establish a popular virtual speaking tour.

Over the past eight months, the couple have led dozens of presentations that have streamed virtually to audiences across Canada, the U.S., Central and South America and Europe focusing on overcoming challenges, leading through times of change, teamwork and chasing dreams. All of those stories, McCreary says, were inspired by lessons the pair have learned through their many adventures in Haliburton and beyond.

To learn more about Winterdance Dogsled Tours and their offerings, visit winterdance.com.

Poppies about remembering our vets, says Legion

By

Mike Baker

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November 4, 2021

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“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”

The iconic words of Laurence Binyon, penned in his poem For the Fallen, are often revisited at this time of the year as people look back on and commemorate the sacrifices of our Canadian veterans.

Haliburton Legion president Don Pitman recited them as he helped to kick off the annual poppy campaign in town Oct. 29.

“Why do we do this? It’s the three classic words, lest we forget,” Pitman said.

From now until Nov. 11, poppies will be available in more than 100 businesses across Haliburton. While donations are not required, Pitman said any money given goes directly towards supporting and helping veterans. In 2020, the Haliburton Legion raised around $24,000 through its poppy campaign.

All of that money was sent to the Ontario Legion’s central command and divvied up from there. Pitman says he knows of several local veterans who received money to help with one-time and ongoing costs, while the community’s cadet group and ‘Vet to Vet’ support program was also backed.

“This community has always been very, very supportive of the poppy campaign. We had one of our best years last year, and we’re definitely hoping for another strong campaign this year,” Pitman said.

Volunteers will be on hand with poppy boxes at Foodland, Todd’s Your Independent Grocer, Napa Auto Parts and Tim Hortons all day Nov. 5-7.

Remembrance Day has always been a big deal for Pitman, who had several family members involved in the First and Second World Wars.

“I had two grandfathers, my father and my uncle who all saw time in the military. My grandfathers saw action in the First World War, while my uncle served during the Second World War,” Pitman said. “But this day is as much about new veterans as it is remembering those [who served in the Great Wars]. The perfect example of that is Afghanistan and everything that went on there.”

With the Asian nation recently falling back into Taliban control, Pitman said many veterans who completed tours during Canada’s involvement in the War on Terror have been left questioning their service.

“There are a lot of veterans who lost a lot of friends over there. We lost 165 Canadians over there … Some of the people that came back, who have already been dealing with things like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, have needed additional resources to help them get over the fact that all those lives have been lost, and yet the country fell back to where it was,” Pitman said.

He added, “Remembrance Day is important, number one so that we never forget. Because if you forget, then history will repeat itself.”

HHHS prepares for Epic software

By

Sam Gillett

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November 4, 2021

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HHHS is preparing for a major shift in healthcare record keeping. In partnership with six other healthcare service centres in Ontario, the services will launch Epic, a new clinical information software system, Dec. 3.

HHHS CEO Carolyn Plummer said it will streamline patient information across the service.

It also requires new equipment such as vital sign machines and Workstations on Wheels, funded by the HHHS foundation.

“Staff are going through training and there’s a lot of work to be done,” Plummer told the HHHS board Oct. 28. “It’s a very significant change in their practice.”

First rolled out in Canada in 2015, Epic is a growing medical software system, which is now used in 134 Canadian hospitals.

The system means Haliburton patients’ medical records will be synced between all seven hospitals that have partnered together to implement the system.

“Because we are a small hospital, we rely very much on the services offered by other hospitals in our region,” Plummer said, explaining how many Haliburton residents receive care in Peterborough, for example.

“It will mean one medical record can be securely accessed by each medical provider.”

Previously, a new medical record had to be created for each medical centre they might receive service in.

“The healthcare professionals will be able to have better information at their fingertips, and patients won’t have to be asked the same questions over and over again,” Plummer said.

She also said the system will automatically prompt nurses, physicians and aides when certain care procedures are needed.

“I think it’s going to have a really positive impact on patients,” Plummer said.

Patients can also access their own records online, view and cancel appointments and communicate with healthcare providers.

Nursing Advisory Committee meets

A new committee is focused on supporting and improving the experience of HHHS nurses.

The Nursing Advisory Council had its first meeting Oct. 25.

Plummer reported that the committee is meant to “better understand the current nursing environment and determine ways to support it.”

She said the committee has already begun to review service areas such as dietary workflow on inpatient services. She said that early in October nurses conducted a walk-through exercise in the Haliburton emergency department to determine improvement opportunities such as changing supply quantity orders and improving communication processes.

New call systems at LTC

Work is set to begin on installing a new call bell system in Hyland Crest and Highland Wood long-term care homes.

Funded by the HHHS foundation, the call systems are an electronic notification system which will allow residents to call staff. It’s the same as is currently in use at the health service’s main hospital location.

It will correspond with additional display stations so that nurses and PSWs don’t have to report to a nurse’s station to see the location of the call.

“The residents won’t really notice any change,” Plummer said. “There will still be a button they use to call the nursing staff. But the nursing staff and PSWs in the team will certainly notice a difference.”

Huskies hang on for win over division rivals

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2021

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The Haliburton County Huskies held on for a 5-4 win over division rivals, the Lindsay Muskies, in a fast and physical game at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena in Minden Oct. 30.

With some costumed fans in attendance for the Halloween weekend tilt, the Huskies endured a couple of scares. They made five consecutive trips to the sin bin from 14:53 in the first until 11:12 in the second, giving up two power play goals in the game. Then, with Muskies’ goalie, Ethan Fraser, on the bench late in the third, the fish scored at 17:29 to tighten the game. However, the Huskies held on for the win, improving their record to 7-4-0-0.

The Huskies opened the scoring at 11:28 of the first, with Bryce Richardson scoring his first goal of the season, assisted by Nathan Porter and Riley Rogers. Just a little over a minute later, they scored their second goal, an even strength marker, by Christian Stevens, his first, with helpers from Patrick Saini and Oliver Tarr. The dogs started to get into penalty trouble and late in the period, the Muskies scored on Christian Cicigoi, at 17:54, to make it Huskies 2-1 going into the second period.

Stevens scored again at the 11 second mark of the second to put the Huskies up 3-1, with Richardson and Nick Athanasaskos getting the helpers. But another Huskies’ penalty put the Muskies on another power play and they found the back of the net at 8:10 to make it a 3-2 game. The Huskies’ Tarr answered back at 17:05, assisted by Stevens, to make it 4-2 Huskies heading into the third.

The Muskies kept fighting back and made it 4-3 at the midway mark of the last frame. But the Huskies replied with a second Richardson goal from Jack Staniland to pull ahead 5-3. With Fraser watching from the bench and the Muskies with six skaters, they found the back of the net to make it a nail-biting 5-4. But the defence and Cicigoi closed the door.

Two-goal scorer, Stevens, said it was a nice win to get under their belts. “We played hard, a little sloppy in the end, but we got the job done so it doesn’t really matter.”

Commenting on a four-game win streak, he added, “streaks mean a lot in this game so if we stay hot, I think we’re going to keep going and I’m excited to be here and I think it’s going to be great.”

Richardson, who also notched two tallies, said, “It’s been a slow start for me this year so two goals tonight is definitely really nice, a couple of good bounces, a great play by Jack Staniland on the second one there. But it’s just nice to get the win.” He said the Nov. 5 game against Trenton will be a good test for the team.

The Huskies return home Nov. 6 against St. Michael’s and play in Cobourg Nov. 8.

School board reports fewer suspensions

By

Mike Baker

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November 4, 2021

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In what staff are calling “a bit of an anomaly,” Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) saw a significant decrease in the number of suspensions and expulsions dished out to students in the 2020/21 school year.

Superintendent of Learning, Paul Goldring, informed TLDSB trustees Oct. 26 that there were 780 infractions recorded last year – with 471 of those for secondary students and 309 for elementary. The main reasons listed for suspensions were conduct injurious to moral tone, fighting and/ or violence, conduct injurious to others, opposition to authority, vandalism and bullying.

When compared with statistics from the prior year, 524 for secondary and 625 for elementary, that represents a near 33 per cent drop.

“It’s important to note that we had two periods of remote learning last year for significant blocks of time. In terms of looking at the last two years of data, it’s difficult to compare year-to-year and establish any sort of trends.”

During 2018/19, the last full school year that wasn’t interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 809 secondary suspensions and 915 elementary suspensions.

Goldring noted that this past year was the first time that elementary infractions had exceeded secondary infractions.

The board permanently expelled eight students in 2020/21. Goldring noted expulsion was a “last resort” for the board, and were only considered after failed mediations with the student and parents.

“Mediation is something we have started to use more and more. The idea is it allows students to stay in school, but receive some level of support,” Goldring said. “The key factor here is we are looking at the situation and making sure the student is not a risk to the school, and other students.”

Further explaining the process, Goldring said school principals tend to take the lead with mediations.

“They will reach out to family and then try to come to a settlement. They will look at the period when the student can return to school, what type of support is needed before they return, and, in a lot of cases, what ongoing support they will need after they’ve returned,” Goldring said. “We see mediation as a very successful tool for us to use. I really like it as it keeps kids in school and gets them the support they need. I see it as a tool we will use more often if we can.”

Property ban lifted

Director of education, Wes Hahn, said visitors would be allowed back on TLDSB premises to attend outdoor functions, but maintained a ban on indoor visits.

“We are slowly moving in that direction (to open up schools to visitors), but there are timelines from the province for when that will take place. For now, we continue to limit visitors to school buildings,” Hahn said. “Even though the different seasons are coming to an end, we have decided to allow spectators to attend sporting events, while wearing a mask and [social] distancing. This is for outdoor only.”

Hahn said the main thing holding the board back from allowing indoor visits is requirements surrounding monitoring of vaccination statuses. He said it would be impossible to have staff on hand to check each individual’s status, and that the board could not have people in the building they’re “not certain of.”

With many indoor sports and clubs set to start up heading into winter, Hahn hopes to receive direction from the province regarding reopening their facilities in the coming weeks.

“We will let parents and the community know when things change,” he said.

Vaccinations

Haliburton County trustee Gary Brohman asked Hahn if TLDSB was tracking data on vaccination rates of its staff.

“We are, and I am pleased to report our vaccination rate is at approximately 87 per cent for staff,” Hahn said. “Our process is that staff have to report being fully vaccinated, being medically exempt, or if they’re [choosing] not to be [vaccinated].”

Any member of staff who isn’t vaccinated is required to participate in an education program highlighting the benefits of the vaccine, and submit to weekly COVID-19 testing and incident screening.”

A Blue Moon rises with new Haliburton online retro store

By

Sam Gillett

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November 4, 2021

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Shawn Butchart spent many hours in a small shed on his parents’ property near Redstone Lake this year, poring over topographical maps of Haliburton’s lakes.

He wasn’t charting a nautical journey; he was designing art for his new brand, Blue Moon Gift Shop.

Launching Nov. 4, Blue Moon will be an online shop featuring hyper-local posters, T-shirts, wall art and sweaters.

“The thing I really love about being in Haliburton is everywhere you look is a picturesque, beautiful view. Everywhere you look is beautiful,” said Butchart. “I thought if I could capture even a little portion of that and put it on a poster that I’d have something pretty good.”

His designs range from the real-life overhead maps of Kennisis and Koshlong to apparel that celebrates tall tales and local culture, such as “Wilberforce Bigfoot Field Research Team” and Cardiff Motorcycle Club hats.

“I’ve got a real retro vibe going,” Butchart said. With a background in graphic design and web development, Butchart said he enjoyed trying to convey the hazy summer atmosphere of a time long past. “The whole concept behind Blue Moon is I wish I woke up in 1970, and everything kind of looks like that.”

Butchart calls the online store a “labour of love” which marks a shift in his career. “I sort of decided I want to get back into more creative design: fun stuff that I really enjoy making,” he said.

For Butchart, Blue Moon is also a way to celebrate the community he moved to 10 years ago – a place he and his partner plan to move to full-time when they start construction on a home next spring. “

I feel so at home and comfortable, I just love Haliburton,” he said. “It’s hard to put into words. I’m a more visual person so maybe you can see the love for it come across in my work.”

Blue Moon Gift shop can be accessed at bluemoongiftshop.ca .

Concerns voiced over shoreline permits

By

Sam Gillett

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November 4, 2021

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While County council will discuss the draft shoreline preservation bylaw at a special meeting yet to be scheduled, stakeholders have had a week to pour over the consultants’ final draft.

The Haliburton County Home Builders Association (HCHBA) said in a written statement they’re “pleased with the progress” that’s been made but are concerned about proposed site alteration permitting processes.

“The requirements for this process are far too extensive, time-consuming, and costly,” wrote Aggie Tose of the HCHBA.

“The HCHBA is also concerned with time delays to receive approvals. Currently, our local building departments are overloaded and are having a hard time keeping up with the demand. How many more County or municipal employees will be required to make sure this application process operates efficiently and effectively?”

At council’s Oct. 27 meeting, Algonquin Highlands mayor Carol Moffatt said recommendations in the draft need to be paired with a discussion of “who, and with what money, and under what timeline” the bylaw would be implemented and enforced.

“In order to really discuss sort of what resources are required to implement a bylaw we really need a firmer understanding of what will be in the bylaw,” said County CAO Mike Rutter.

Schedule ‘A’ of the draft bylaw outlines a permitting system that would be handled by municipal building departments.

It contains fewer precise requirements than previously suggested in a Countydeveloped draft tabled in Jan. 2021.

Landowners would not have to provide the location of soil or material stockpiles on a site nor the location and dimensions of staging areas for heavy machinery. The permit requirements can be waived if planning officials judge the work’s impact to be minimal.

The draft states all major construction and site alteration activities “will be required to apply for and receive permit approval before such significant projects and activity are undertaken in the buffer area” of 30 metres from a shoreline’s high watermark. It also establishes opportunities for residents to speak to council when permits are not approved or delayed.

Concerned Haliburton Waterfront Property Owners, an unofficial group of more than 160 cottage owners, have advocated for a smaller setback of 10 metres, a buffer that peer-reviewed research estimates would eliminate 65 per cent of sediment. The group also lobbies for a less onerous permit system.

“Before this schedule is finalized,” states the group’s written response to the draft, “we strongly encourage County officials to meet with the representatives of the homebuilders, landscapers and site services companies to negotiate better requirements in Schedule A that aren’t unnecessarily difficult, expensive or inflexible.”

Other permitting requirements include documenting existing topography of the site and land within 30 metres of the site, and the locations and dimensions of stormwater management or drainage systems such as ditches and roads within 30 metres of the site.

Environment Haliburton! president Terry Moore, instrumental in the Love your Lakes lake health monitoring project, has studied the environmental impact of development on Haliburton’s watersheds for years. He said the permitting approach looks to be far more effective than an after-the-fact complaint system.

“Hopefully this bylaw will begin to alter what is happening on the shoreline, and we’ll be able to save more, stop the erosion of natural shorelines and restore what we’ve lost so far,” said Moore.

Moore added that the County’s official plan already indicates a minimum setback of 30 metres from the water.

The document states that “development and site alterations shall be set back a minimum of 30 metres from the high watermark of lakes, rivers and streams.”

Unlike the previously proposed draft, the bylaw currently on the table suggests a shoreline buffer of fewer than 30 metres can be permitted if it’s not possible for reasons such as lot depth.

The HCHBA said it’s “confident there will be more opportunities to speak with council ahead of the bylaw being passed. HCHBA is looking forward to continuing this process and reaching an effective and amicable conclusion.”

Rail Trail ready for snowmobile season

By

Sam Gillett

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November 4, 2021

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The Haliburton County Rail Trail looks to be in fine form for the winter’s snowmobile season, said Haliburton County Snowmobile Association president John Enright.

After checking out progress on the granite overlay, Enright said the club is “beyond excited.”

“From my memory it’s never been in this good a shape going into the season,” Enright said, mentioning how the smoother surface means sledders can ride with less snow and maintenance.

The cost of resurfacing 23.3 kilometers of trail totaled $232,751, funded by an Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) grant.

That left 5.7 kilometers of trail which Hawk River Construction is set to complete by 2022, funded by the County.

The County will spend an additional $42,390 to complete rail trail resurfacing this year.

In a report to council, director of public works, Robert Sutton, said that staff approved the extra work since the contract “is currently mobilized and time was of the essence.”

Staff propose approaching ICIP for additional funding opportunities, using remaining ICIP funds, money allotted to rail trail maintenance and approximately $21,000 from the rail trail reserve fund in the meantime.

The report states granite screenings are “native to the County and as such they are in keeping with the natural setting of the trail as well as they are more environmentally-responsible and costeffective in comparison to importing limestone.”

Limestone is estimated to cost 23 per cent more than granite, and must also be trucked in from much further away. Sutton told council, “there’s a significant greenhouse gas effect” of importing the material.

Dysart mayor Andrea Roberts said she’s noticed parts of the new surface make the trail difficult to use.

“What we have in that section has so much sand in it you cannot ride a regular bicycle.” Roberts said. “It feels like you’re walking on a beach.”

Sutton said the surface should compact, and that staff “are looking at ways we can address a consistent surface.”

Also planned are $27,005 in accessibility improvements, including 15 stone benches and 500 meters of barriers.

Haliburton Highlands Museum director Kate Butler and Curve Lake First Nations representatives will consult on what culturally and historically important spots along the trail could be marked with signage.

The next Haliburton County Rail Trail round table meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m.

Devolin will watch election from sidelines

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Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2021

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Minden Hills mayor Brent Devolin says he won’t be seeking a third term in office.

Devolin hinted at his political future in a social media post Oct. 25 when he said he would be watching the 2022 Minden Hills election “from the sidelines.”

He said he had planned to make an announcement Jan. 1, 2022 but took the lead from Toronto Coun. Joe Cressy, who told the public about his pending departure a year out from the next municipal election, scheduled for the last Monday of October.

Devolin said his friends and colleagues in Minden Hills and on County council knew he would be leaving but he wanted to give potential candidates time to prepare.

“It takes you a year worth of legwork if you’re actually, legitimately, honestly wanting to do the job,” Devolin said in an interview Nov. 2.

Into his eighth year as mayor, Devolin said another factor is that he’s tired. “There is a lot of politician and staff fatigue after COVID.” He foreshadowed that many will leave municipal politics by next fall. Devolin added he is a firm believer in term limits.

He said he first ran in 2014 as he was unhappy with the state of affairs in Minden and at the County.

He is pleased with the work he has been able to do on the flooding portfolio, including better communication with the Trent-Severn Waterway and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, as well as lobbying for multi-million-dollar funding for work on County dams. He is also proud of the LiDAR mapping that has been done.

“That’s a big part of what I wanted to achieve and it’s either done or substantially done.”

He is also pleased the township was able to build a new fire hall and community centre as well as two affordable housing structures with a third public-private venture on the way along Highway 35 by the legion.

Working with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network on connectivity has been “icing on the cake” he added. “We’re in the early days of the actual construction project for the next four or five years for the mobile broadband wireless that we’re going to have.” With a projected 95 per cent connectivity for Haliburton County, “those are huge lifetime achievement things for me personally.”

He said his one regret is that he was not able to push to consolidate local government. “I have no hard feelings for those that have a different perspective.”

But in the end, he said, “Its been a good ride. I’ve had some successes and failures. And I don’t care whether you’re talking baseball or whatever, nobody bats 1,000, right?”

In Minden Hills, he thinks the greatest challenge is unprecedented growth and the impact on the environment.

He also believes the role of a municipal politician has changed drastically since the days of part-timers working off the backs of envelopes.

However, he said “It is now time to apply my efforts to something else other than this and move on. Just because I’m not going to be elected anymore doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be engaged in my community or be involved with things that I think will move the needle.”