Rainfall forces road closure, flooding in Minden Hills

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September 23, 2021

Minden Hills has announced that Upper Dutch Road will be closed due to multiple days of heavy rainfall. The road is closed to traffic from the intersection of County Road 121.

In a press release issued at 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 23, the Township urged caution “around area lakes, rivers, creeks and other water sources such as ditches, as high water levels and swift currents can create unstable conditions.”

Portions of the Riverwalk in downtown Minden are currently underwater and the Township currently advises against using the the Riverwalk and Boardwalk at this time.

Minden Hills said they warn residents in areas near high water to take precautions to protect property that may be at risk.

More to come from The Highlander.

Editorial: Money well wasted

By

Mike Baker

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September 23, 2021

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By Mike Baker

Monday was a bit of a disaster for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada.

Five weeks after dissolving parliament and launching a 44th federal election, under the guise of offering the public the chance to choose whom it wants at the helm to help lead the country’s recovery post COVID19, and Trudeau is facing up to the reality that he will form yet another minority government.

Make no mistake about it though, this is not a win for the Liberals. The power play failed. When our prime minister made the decision to enter into an untimely early election, he did so with one thought in mind – to come away with a majority.

The end result?

Three additional seats. A grand total of $610 million spent to acquire three extra members of parliament. I have no doubts that Trudeau was confident of getting what he wanted, even as late as a few weeks ago. He and his advisors clearly felt the Liberals had garnered enough good will for the way it responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, where they supported millions of Canadians through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and other likeminded programs.

According to the Government of Canada website, as of Oct. 4, 2020 – the date that CERB benefits ended – a total of 8.9 million people had applied for funding through the initiative. Once all was said and done, the feds had doled out $74.08 billion in CERB payments.

One oversight, perhaps, was that a significant chunk of those who received benefits throughout the pandemic, around 42 per cent, were under the age of 35. In other words, not the demographic that typically makes sure to vote on election day.

It was intriguing when speaking with Jamie Schmale, who was re-elected for a third term as MP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock on Monday. He was, unsurprisingly, hyper critical of Trudeau’s decision to call an early election, saying it was unnecessary given he had the support of the house, with the Bloc and NDPs largely behind him.

Schmale intimated it was a power grab, and that he was pleased it had failed. It’s only fair to point out though, that Trudeau isn’t the first to attempt this sort of thing, and he certainly won’t be the last. The Conservatives have been just as culpable in the past – in fact, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper twice called early elections in attempts to secure majority governments, first in 2008 and again in 2011.

I think the difference is that we needed Trudeau to be better. We needed him to be more responsible. During this desperate time of need, as the country continues to suffer from the effects of a global pandemic, the last thing we needed, the last thing we wanted was an election. I can think of a myriad of ways that $610 million could have been better spent.

Thinking selfishly here in Haliburton County, how about affordable housing? Improved high-speed internet? Transit services?

Heck, I’d even have preferred to see that money go towards our national credit card bill, which, for the record, at present count is now in excess of $1 trillion. Instead, we’re left to reflect on an election that accomplished very little and, in the grand scheme of things, changed absolutely nothing.

Cadidates reflect on election results

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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(Look for coverage of local PC and Liberal campaigns in our recent news section)

Jamie Schmale’s third victory at the polls wasn’t a surprise for most Haliburton residents. Neither was Judi Forbes’ position as runner-up for the second election in a row.

However, all four other candidates who jockeyed for votes in the HaliburtonKawartha Lakes-Brock riding viewed their performance differently.

Zac Miller, who recently announced he is putting his political career on hold to
pursue a masters degree in information, said “it seems like we just wasted $600 million
dollars for a parliament that looks the exact same.” However he viewed the campaign as a success, despite predicting who would be heading back to Ottawa this fall. “On a local level, I’m not surprised but I’m quite
happy we were able to hold our numbers from 2019,” Miller said, who garnered 14.4
per cent of the vote.

Allison Davidson’s PPC Party nearly quadrupled its vote count, capturing
over seven per cent of the vote. “It’s encouraging: I mean it’s a little frustrating overall, with the across Canada results and we’re still in the same boat we were before,” she said. The PPC party did not
win any seats in Parliament this election.
“But, the thing about our riding is it’s about getting the word out. There’s still lots of
people who haven’t even heard about the PPC,” she said.

For Angel Godsoe of the Green Party, the election came while the local Party association was being reconfigured. “We had some great plans for publicity, we had great plans for outreach events [but] then we were thrown into the election…there wasn’t time,” she said. “But I feel we could
have done a lot better if we had time to mobilize.”

Gene Balfour, a Libertarian candidate who supported Jamie Schmale’s campaign,
said he was pleased with the results despite getting only 444 votes. “My goal was never
to get votes. I was trying to promote the ‘less government agenda,’ which feeds into the PPC which also feeds into the Conservative Party. Jamie is a like-spirited guy to me. A more responsible government
is what he’d like to see,” he said.

“This time around he got 53 per cent, Allison [Davidson] got 7 per cent, I got 1 per cent if you tally that up you end up with 61 percent in total as opposed to 51 per cent two years ago. As far as I’m concerned
that’s an indication there’s a lot of people in this riding that are very sympathetic to the ideas of conservatism in general,” Balfour added.

Turning cans and bottles into community food

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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ole Dobson and his mother Carolyn might have been the Beer Store’s most regular customers this summer, but they weren’t shopping for drinks.

The teen has spent the summer collecting more than 10,000 cans and 3,500 bottles from Koshlong Lake cottages, donating all $1,650 in proceeds to the Haliburton 4C’s food bank.

“It’s important to give back to the community,” said Carolyn, whose family lives in Stouffville. “The community is there for us, provides a wonderful environment to come enjoy with our family and friends and especially in COVID when people have lost jobs.”

Carolyn said she encouraged Cole to take up the project as a way to interact with the community and practice social skills. The teen is part of the ABLE Network, a program that helps people with intellectual disabilities develop job skills in placements and around their communities. Cole had been working at a bottle shop in his hometown, Carolyn said, prompting them to pick up a similar project at their summer community.

Cole said helping people is very important to him, and the project meant a lot of hard work. He and Carolyn spent about four or five hours a week collecting the empties from five drop-off bins around Koshlong Lake.

“And they have been full, very, very full!” said Carolyn, mentioning how the cottagers on the lake were supportive of the project.

The Koshlong Lake Association said in an email that “all those that participated on Koshlong are all very proud of what Cole and Carolyn Dobson have achieved and happy to have helped the Haliburton community.”

Judy MacDuff, of the Haliburton 4Cs food bank, said she was surprised when Carolyn and Cole approached her about the summer long bottle drive.

“It was wonderful!”

MacDuff said the donation will fund the program’s food boxes for an entire month.

“That’s what keeps us going,” she said.

Carolyn said she wanted to thank the staff of the Beer Store in Haliburton, who she said were accommodating of her and Cole’s large weekly returns.

Sketching the Highlands’ scenic views

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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In the ‘40s, celebrated painter and sketcher André Lapine wandered Minden’s backroads, forests and lakeside trails for days; rarely without paper, a pencil or a portable paint kit close at hand.

Many of his sketches of Haliburton County now hang in Minden Hills’ Agnes Jamieson Gallery.

“He always sketched. That was fundamental to whatever art he would produce,” said curator Laurie Carmount.

The gallery launched Sketch Out this year, a series of three outdoor art-making sessions where professional painters guide people through crafting art “en plein air” around the County. Gary Blundell met up with eager sketchers and painters at the Irondale Church, Sept. 18, to practice depicting the building in all its splendour. Carnarvon-based artist Harvey Walker will be hosting a session on Sept. 25 at the Gull River, where he invites any level of artist to join him as he paints the rushing rapids.

“You feel the emotion, you hear the noise,” Walker said.

For Walker, whose work has been exhibited in multiple group and solo shows, crafting art outside is fundamental to his practice. He paints spring blooms and flowers, sunny days at the beach midsummer, or beside frozen ice fishing huts during the deep freeze of winter.

“When you’re painting on location, you’re more connected to what you’re looking at,” Walker said.

He likens it to reading a police report of a situation, as opposed to hearing from an eye witness. If you just paint or draw from a picture, you miss some of the nuance, emotion and scale of the scene you’re creating.

But it can be hard to do, Walker adds. You don’t have the comfort of a living room chair or art studio. However, it’s a challenge artists of all levels have risen to for centuries.

“It’s a major step,” Walker said of creating outdoor art, “but it’s a lot of fun.” It’s also a way to appreciate the wonder of Haliburton County, he said.

Both Carmount and Walker said the program is tailor-made for both experienced artists and newcomers to art.

“You can just go out and do your thing. It’s really a sense of getting what nature has to offer at the time,” said Carmount. Those without equipment such as paints or pencils can buy a $20 drawing kit to bring along, and seasoned plein air artists are invited to bring their own supplies.

Walker said he encourages everyone to recognize art can be a “viable, life-changing hobby.” Sketching outdoors, he said “is the extreme sport version of painting.” He invites everyone to give it a try.

To register for Walker’s workshop, email gallery@mindenhills.ca or call 705-286- 3763.

Minden Monarchs ruled the rink in the 1950s

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 23, 2021

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The Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame Committee said the Minden Monarchs were the dominant men’s hockey team in Haliburton County in the 1950s.

They won the Central Ontario Intermediate “C” League Championship three years in a row, in 1956, 1957, and 1958.

The same seasons, they were Eastern Ontario Champions and Ontario Intermediate “C” Finalists.

“The village of Minden supported the Monarchs with unrivalled enthusiasm, and the Minden Community Centre was jammed with fans every Saturday night to cheer for their local heroes,” the committee said.

Leading the team to consecutive championships were: Doug Powell (playing coach), Mark Vasey and Garnet Lytle (managers), Bernie Trepanier (secretarytreasurer) and Willis Walker (trainer).

On Feb. 24, 1955, The Haliburton Echo reported that the Monarchs trounced the Lakeshore Saints, 13-2.

“A crowd of over 375 hockey fans paid their way into the arena to see Minden overwhelm the Toronto team,” the report said.

Goal scorers were: Gary, Glen and Hugh Vasey, Richardson, Farrell, Wheeler, Rogers, and Lougheed. Other players credited with the win were Watt and Struthers.

“A powerhouse of a team offensively and defensively,” the committee said.

“The Monarchs ruled the rink and teams from Cannington, Little Britain, Bobcaygeon, Coboconk, Haliburton and other Central Ontario hockey clubs knew they were the team to beat.”

Huskies cruise to pair of exhibition wins

By

Mike Baker

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September 23, 2021

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The Haliburton County Huskies kicked off their pre-season in style this past weekend with a pair of impressive victories over the Aurora Tigers.

In what was a special night Friday for the hometown team, competing in its first ever game, albeit an exhibition, the Huskies roared out of the gates on the road in Aurora, displaying great offensive panache en route to a 6-3 victory over the Tigers.

The very next night, in what was the organization’s home debut at SG Nesbitt Memorial Arena in Minden, the Huskies once again put the Tigers to the sword, coming away with a 7-4 win. A crowd of 195 people were in attendance at the game, generating an incredible atmosphere that the Huskies players responded to right from the first drop of the puck.

Ryan Ramsay, Huskies head coach and general manager, was pleased to pick up a pair of wins as the team prepares for its inaugural OJHL season.

“I thought we played pretty well. We’ve been working really hard over the past two weeks on our systems and getting everyone on the same page, so to see things fall into place and pick up a couple wins was nice,” Ramsay said. “There’s a lot for us to break down now – there’s still work to do, and we’ll keep pumping the systems on the ice in practice as we get ready for the season.”

The Huskies were particularly impressive when they had the puck against the Tigers on home ice on Saturday, creating a steady flow of chances that kept the away side on the back foot for the opening two periods. By the end of the second buzzer, the Huskies had racked up six goals and conceded just one.

The team’s top forward line in particular really stood out over this first exhibition weekend, with star forwards Bryce Richardson and Oliver Tarr showing what they can do when given time and space in the offensive zone. Richardson put up a hat-trick and an assit in Saturday’s game in front of the hometown crowd, with a further two goals on the road the night before in Aurora. Tarr had 10 points across the two contests.

“That line played really, really well. They really put a marker down,” Ramsay down. “We know what we have in those guys, and they have some really great chemistry, so we’re excited about that.”

Ramsay did say that his team would need some secondary scoring once the season gets underway, and that he was looking for some of his other forwards to step up and play a pivotal role once the season gets underway.

“Once we get into the season, everyone can see a stat sheet, so teams are going to put a big focus on our top line and our top players. That will create opportunities for some of our other players, so secondary scoring will be a big thing for us,” Ramsay said. “We have some guys that I think can step up, but we’re also still looking to acquire one or two forwards that can help us out.”

As the team prepares for another home and home exhibition series this weekend, this time against the Collingwood Blues, Ramsay says he’s looking forward to facing off against one of the stronger teams in the OJHL.

“This weekend is going to be a lot stiffer competition. That’s taking nothing away from Aurora, but Collingwood usually has a very good team. They have a great system there. So this will be a really good test for us moving forward to see where we match up with some other teams,” Ramsay said.

The teams will play in Collingwood on Friday, before a home tilt in Minden on Saturday. Puck drop at SG Nesbitt Memorial Arena is slated for 4:30 p.m

Pride group seeks to rescue LGBTQI refugee

By

Mike Baker

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September 23, 2021

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Minden Pride is aiming to raise $10,000 to help bring an LGBTQ refugee into Canada, giving them an opportunity to start a new life.

The local group is partnering with Rainbow Railroad, a global non-profit that helps individuals facing persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics escape dangerous, sometimes even fatal, situations.

“It’s hard to believe there’s [almost] 70 countries in the world where just being who you are is considered illegal,” Allan Guinan, chair of Minden Pride, informed The Highlander. “Being gay is not OK in a lot of countries still in the world. Afghanistan is just one example. You can be tortured, you can be murdered in Afghanistan for being gay.”

Guinan and a collection of volunteers have banded together in recent weeks in an attempt to raise enough money to sponsor an individual through Rainbow Railroad. As of press time, they have raised approximately $7,797 of their $10,000 goal – the costs associated, Guinan says, with helping one person escape state sponsored violence.

Since being founded in 2006, Rainbow Railroad has helped over 1,600 LGBTQ individuals find safety through emergency relocation and other forms of assistance.

Due to political instability in some parts of the world, most notably in Africa and the Middle East, there has been a huge surge in demand for support and assistance in recent months. Since Jan. 1 of this year, there has been 2,987 individual requests for help received by Rainbow Railroad.

Kimahli Powell, Rainbow Railroad executive director, recently told CBC that his organization has fielded hundreds of requests for assistance from LGBTQ individuals in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in the war-torn country in mid-August.

“Conditions for LGBTQ folks was precarious even before Taliban rule … Our fear with the Taliban is that members of the community will be targets. We’re already seeing disturbing reports from people who reached out to us that the Taliban is seeking out members of the LGBTQ community, and there have been reports of someone allegedly being killed,” Powell said. “We’re really concerned, and the people who have reached out to us are extremely concerned, which is why we have to do everything we can to help people who are at imminent risk escape.”

Guinan echoed those sentiments, saying the current situation in Afghanistan is really driving home the point to members of Minden Pride how fortunate they are.

“The luxuries that we have in Canada, and here in Minden as a community are not necessarily the same for everyone else around the world,” Guinan said. “We’re seeing some truly horrific things happen right now – not only in Afghanistan, but in other places too … Our goal with this is to get somebody out of an area where homosexuality is illegal, or they’ve faced, or are facing some sort of persecution.”

For more information on Rainbow Railroad, visit www.rainbowrailroad.org. To donate to the local fundraising effort, visit www.mindenpride.ca.

Outdoors Association washes for walleye

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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The Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association (HHOA) brought hip waders and fire hoses into the Drag River Sept. 14 in an attempt to boost the waterway’s Walleye population.

Volunteers washed away sediment from between the rocks under the Highway 118 bridge, a busy spawning site for the fish.

HHOA Director Tim Bahr explained how Walleye eggs won’t stick to rocks when sand and silt get in the way. That could be a reason why Bahr and so many other local anglers have noticed a decline in the tasty fish which is popular for sport fishing.

“Ten years ago, walleye were plentiful and now they’re nearly nonexistent,” Bahr said.

The HHOA will clean the spawning ground yearly, power washing sediment downstream until it’s caught in a filtration net just before the river flows into Head Lake. Dysart’s fire Chief Mike Iles volunteered his time to help, bringing along two fire hoses and pumps.

“It’s one thing that people like us can do to help the fishing,” Bahr said.

The HHOA also polled anglers along the Kashagawigamog chain of lakes and rivers about the health of the area’s fisheries. So far, 138 people who live on the lakes and rivers along the chain or have fished it responded.

Eighty-two per cent said they’ve noticed a Walleye decline throughout the years, and 33 per cent report poor fishing conditions.

“We have heard from many anglers that the Walleye fishing in the Kash Chain has declined significantly,” said Dan Smith, HHOA President, in a press release. “We plan to work with the MNRF to do all we can to improve the fishery.”

Fifty-one per cent of people who responded to the survey said they fish for sport, only keeping the odd fish. Respondent’s concerns included big boat traffic, shoreline development and inadequate fishing regulations that might be causing a decline in fishing conditions. Besides a survey polling those with the bait and reels, the HHOA is also keeping an eye on the fish themselves.

They restarted their Walleye Watch Program this spring to monitor the Drag River spawning site. Retired Fleming College Fisheries and Limnology Professor Denis McGee helped 14 HHOA members stake out the site for 25 nights, measuring the quantities of Walleye eggs in the spawn site. They counted 1,334 Walleye.

The fish were first introduced to the Kashagawigamog chain in the 1950s. It is now one of the most popular fish to catch in Ontario, however shortages have been reported on multiple lakes and water systems. If populations continue to decline, Bahr predicts the sport fishing industry could suffer, or other species could be overfished.

Health Unit plans post-COVID recovery

By

Sam Gillett

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September 23, 2021

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COVID-19 caused seismic shifts in day to day operations for the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit. Whether implementing protective measures, coordinating online meeting schedules, or determining which programs could safely be run, the unit was forced to pivot in nearly all departments. Now, they’re charting a path back to normalizing service delivery.

At a virtual Board of Health meeting Sept. 16, chief medical of health Dr. Natalie Bocking said while COVID-19 protective measures aren’t going away, now is the time to determine how they can restart services halted during the pandemic and reorient current programs to suit postpandemic health needs.

She said the path forward for the region’s health services means “learning to live with COVID-19” after the fourth wave. Core programs, such as health inspections, immunizations and work with vulnerable communities, have been running throughout the pandemic. Other programs are restarting this fall, like dental and sexual health clinics.

Some services remain offline or are running at reduced levels. These include school immunizations, in-person food handler training, oral and vision screening, as well as a broad suite of awareness campaigns around sexual health, climate change and health promotion.“These programs can’t remain offline indefinitely,” Bocking said.

The health unit’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan Framework is a master plan outlining how the health unit will recover from the pandemic. It’s guided by a board of multiple members of the district’s health services team, who have been meeting regularly since June.

The plan seeks to “identify the lessons learned, and incorporate them into [the health unit’s] normal going forward,” explained Lorna McCleary, a health promotion manager and co-chair of the recovery planning team. That includes changing how health unit programs are planned and implemented in light of COVID-19 concerns.

Much of what the plan will look like, and when it will be implemented, is still unknown, pending guidance on COVID-19 concerns. There’s still uncertainty regarding COVID-19 immunization plans for 1-5 year-olds, booster shots, new variants and the extent of the predicted fourth wave.

“All of this is going to impact our capacity to move forward,” McCleary said.

Requests five per cent municipal funding bump

The board voted in favour of a 2022 budget totalling $22,005,474, partially funded by a $15,554,500 allotment from the Ministry of Health for the upcoming fiscal year. The HKPR’s budget factors in a reduction in personnel costs, which will be covered through reserve funds. It’s $281,082 less than the health unit’s 2021 budget, largely due to a projected decrease in COVID-19 costs.

The pandemic cost the HKPR health unit $1,941,187 between April and June, 2020. That includes staffing costs, equipment and PPE purchases and more. $920,910 was spent on COVID-19 vaccination efforts alone.

Ontario’s Ministry of Health has granted the health unit $1,618,300 in one-time funding for the 2021-22 fiscal year, and up to $264,000 in one-time funding for 2022-23. Those funds will help make up the deficit caused by COVID-19 costs, said Angela Vickery, HKPR’s manager of corporate services. With vaccination rates up, the health unit is planning for fewer COVID-19 related costs in 2022, even though Ontario currently faces a fourth wave.

“We will not require the same amount of resources in 2022 as we did in 2021,” Vickery said. The board also voted for a five per cent increase in municipal funding from the County of Northumberland, Haliburton County, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. The County of Haliburton contributed $463,508 in 2020.