Revered 1934 Huskies a lock for new Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame

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October 28, 2021

Highlands resident Roger Dart wasn’t around to see his dad, Glen, and uncle, Don, light up the ice for the 1934 Haliburton Huskies, but he has heard several, almost fantasy-like stories recounting the exploits of that historic team.

Playing at a time when organized hockey was, for the most part, restricted to more urban areas closer to Toronto, the Huskies were one of several rural outfits that proved the exception to the rule. Rather than competing in a league, the team would travel across the southern parts of the province to play in weekend tournaments – where the winner would take home a trophy or a cup.

That team, from 1934, is still remembered to this day as one of Haliburton’s most successful hockey outfits, having collected seven championships over a short four-month window. Now, those accomplishments will endure for generations to come with the squad set to be inducted into the inaugural class of the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame.

“The 1934 Huskies really were like the rock stars of their generation … They were the team to beat in Ontario, that’s for sure,” said Dart. “We don’t know a whole lot about this hockey team, but we do know that they played during the [Great] Depression era, and that they were both prominent and successful. They gave the community something to cheer for, and something they could be proud of.”

As a 15-year-old high schooler, Glen Dart was in the early stages of his remarkable hockey career when he dressed for the Huskies in 1934. He and his brother, Don, were important members of the team, but were far from the stars, Roger said.

The leaders of the team were defensemen Ron Curry and Dick Logan. Other prominent players included Jas (Jimmy) Iles, Lyle Lucas, Harold Dean and goaltender Oswald (Ossie) Glidden. Together, that starting line-up were immortalized in the poem The Huskies, written by Burleigh Wallace.

From December 1933 to March 1934, the Huskies, under the management of George Woods and Grenville Dart, won prominent titles such as the Durant Cup, the Bert Porter Cup, the Hughes Cup, the Felt Cup, the Renfrew Trophy and the FJ Carew Challenge Cup. While one of those trophies was won on home ice in Haliburton, the vast majority were claimed while on the road, oftentimes competing against teams from much larger communities.

Lindsay, in particular, was a favourite stomping ground of the Huskies. And, whenever they did travel south, they rarely did so alone.

“Back in that era, they had things they called ‘special trains.’ These were trains that weren’t usually scheduled that would be put on for the purpose of taking hockey fans down to games,” Dart said. “There was one time, and this was quoted in The Lindsay Daily Post from March 1934, where there was a train that started in Haliburton and went all the way down to Lindsay, stopping along the way to pick up more and more people. There were more than 400 fans from Haliburton in the stands that day.

“I think that right there shows you just what that team meant to the community,” Dart added.

Study to chart future of arts centre

By

Sam Gillett

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October 28, 2021

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The Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation (HHACF) has hired a consulting firm to study how a performing arts centre could best fit into County life.

Janis A. Barlow and Associates, a Toronto-based arts consulting firm, will complete a multi-staged feasibility study determining where a performing arts centre could be located, submit design recommendations and assist in developing a business plan for long-term sustainability. Previously, the board estimated the centre would hold 350-500 people. “

I believe Janis Barlow is the most experienced consultant in theatre working in Canada today,” said HHACF board member Drew Allan at the foundation’s Oct. 21 AGM. “They have researched, built and studied theatres for the past 40 years across Canada.”

The feasibility study will cost $90,000. Chairperson Dan Manley said the group hopes a Canadian Heritage funding application will cover up to $45,000 of the final cost.

Local fundraising initiatives have garnered $9,420 in the past year, with CanoeFM signing on as the foundation’s media sponsor and donating $15,000 raised through the station’s radio bingo in July.

That’s not enough to fund the study. However, the contract with Barlow indicates a four-stage study. The first stage of work is already paid for.

“Essentially if this doesn’t work out with Canadian Heritage, part of the contract is we can freeze or pause work when funds are a bit short,” Manley said. “Once we get some more then we can move to the next phase.”

According to the board, the consultants will reach out to board-selected community stakeholders late in 2021, and then explore possible site locations, followed by conceptual architectural and design work, estimated to wrap up by 2023.

Clinic taking care of ‘freshies’

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Lisa Gervais

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October 28, 2021

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Looking for a fresh take on self-care and wellness? Consider the Fresh You Clinic, with locations in Haliburton and Bancroft.

“Fresh You centres the patient in an experience of renewal,” said Dr. Ashley White, who serves as medical director for both sites.

“We provide a space for clients to ‘feel like themselves’ or ‘feel how they want’ guilt-free … Our work helps women become informed about the options they have in the skin health, beauty and wellness space and ensures they direct their care in a gentle, progressive way that does not intimidate or exclude. Fresh offers a sense of brightness and hope, which is what we love about our work.”

Fresh You provides medical aesthetic and beauty services such as injections, laser treatments, hair removal, medical facials and nail care, as well as a wellness program called Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies, created for people with obesity. The clinic shop features numerous products by brands such as Vivier and Zo. Bookings and product purchases can be made traditionally or online through the Fresh You website.

Clients are known as Freshies, defined as people who want to be taken care of properly and to “feel refreshed in a modern, up-to-date, light, comfortable and fun atmosphere.” Services are available individually and in group events organized by Gillian Taylor, clinic coordinator and events lead.

“People love our events,” said White. “Gillian has such a great eye. We just hosted a bachelorette and the bride was so pleased. We had so much fun putting it together, and we hope to do many more.”

A family practice and emergency room physician, White opened Fresh You at the Bancroft site in 2017 and the Haliburton site in 2020. The two locations are staffed collaboratively by Taylor, four nurses, four estheticians, a lead for the Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies program and a COO. In addition, White runs her own sessions for injections and skin consults at both locations.

According to White, the Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies program differs from many wellness offerings in that it “considers that obesity is a real disease, genetically rooted and mostly brain-centred.” The program offers evidence-based care combined with supportive wellness coaching, pharmacotherapy and group support (healthymindshealthybodies.ca).

“We want to help people with obesity own the space they’re in, and self-advocate, and feel entitled to good care, in beauty and in medicine,” said White.

As with similar services, Fresh You was shut down under pandemic regulations seven months out of 18. White said the team used that time to plan and clarify the clinic’s focus and “trained like crazy.”

“We are serious about skin health, and we are going to make a name for ourselves in the industry by ensuring that our patients know that they are in charge, and we can equip them with the information they require to make empowered decisions about health and beauty.”

The Fresh You Clinic sites are 17 York River Dr., Bancroft and 187 Highland St., Suite 5 (lower mall level), Haliburton. Call or text 705-417-2084, email info@ freshyouclinic.com or visit freshyouclinic. com.

Library services remain on hold in AH

By

Sam Gillett

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October 28, 2021

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New library CEO Chris Stephenson said he’s examining all options to bring interim library access to Algonquin Highlands residents “before winter.”

A mold problem in Dorset and ongoing accessibility upgrades at Stanhope library have cut Algonquin Highlands residents off from easy access to Haliburton County Public Library (HCPL) services.

It’s estimated work at Stanhope will be completed before 2022, however supply chain issues have slowed construction to date.

“It’s unfortunate that we have these two branches in one municipality that are both closed,” Stephenson said.

While HCPL cardholders can access Lake of Bays libraries for free, Stephenson said “restoring library service is one of my important acts since I got here,”

In a September library board meeting, member Curry Humphreys said directing library cardholders to neighbouring municipalities is not an acceptable solution.

“The citizens of this municipality pay taxes to Haliburton, and we should find solutions for them,” she said.

Stephenson’s investigating a number of ideas including a drop-off and pick-up location, perhaps a locker with access keys.

“I’ve also been asked to explore a private-sector arrangement,” Stephenson added.

“I’m not sure what that looks like yet but I need to spend some time asking questions about who might be a good partner.”

“Really, we need a space where people can meet someone or retrieve books or resources,” he said.

Mold at the Dorset rec centre, initially discovered in March, has forced the closure of the building since the end of May. Possible fixes being discussed at AH council range from exterior waterproofing to demolishing and reconstructing the building at a cost of $4-5 million.

Stephenson, who just stepped into his role at the end of September, said he hopes to do a branch tour on Nov. 3, in order to “have a visual on what the community looks like.”

Programs’ end could lead to more jobs

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Submitted

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October 28, 2021

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After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week that the federal government would not be extending the Canada Recovery Benefit, HaliburtonKawartha Lakes-Brock MP Jamie Schmale said this could encourage more people to return to the local workforce.

CRB benefits ended Oct. 23. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said as of Oct. 10, the program had paid out $27 billion to more than two million applicants. The program was launched in September 2020 to replace the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)

The Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy also ended Oct. 23.

“We really think that the CERB and the recovery benefits did what they were supposed to do,” Freeland said. “We think now that the public health and economic circumstances of today are quite different, and so we think it is an appropriate time to transition away from these broader measures to more targeted support and to more … regional lockdown support for businesses and workers.”

She announced $7.4 billion had been set aside to support a slew of new programs, including the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit, which will assist those whose work is directly impacted by governmentimposed lockdowns. That program will run until May 7, 2022 and will provide $300 per week to eligible workers.

Freeland also announced a new Tourism and Hospitality Recovery (THR) program, and Hardest-Hit Business Recovery (HHBR) program, which will both be available until May 7. THR applies to operations such as hotels, restaurants, bars, festivals and travel agencies that recorded average monthly revenue losses of at least 40 per cent for the first 13 months of the old Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program. HHBR applies to businesses that don’t fit under the tourism and hospitality umbrella, but are still facing financial hardships relating to the pandemic. To be eligible, businesses would have to show an average monthly revenue loss of at least 50 per cent over the first 13 months of CEWS.

While Schmale was pleased to hear that CRB would not be extended, he criticized Trudeau for implementing further relief programs without input from the other parties.

“This should have been done in Parliament, not at a podium during a media conference,” Schmale said.

Federal politicians are still, essentially, on a break until Nov. 22, when they will return to Ottawa for the first time since last month’s election.

Schmale acknowledged CRB was an important program when it was introduced last year, supporting Canadians who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Now that it’s over, he expects the local workforce to receive a much-needed jolt over the coming weeks.

“I think this will get some people back into the workforce. Recent unemployment rates shows that levels are coming down quite dramatically, so people are getting back in. But we all know how bad the labour shortage is in many parts of the country, including Haliburton County,” Schmale said. “Long-term, we need to be addressing this, looking at what does it mean and how we go about getting those who aren’t in the workforce back in safely, and responsibly.

“But I do believe, with CRB gone, our businesses may start to see more people coming through their door [looking for work],” Schmale added

Restaurants relieved as doors fully open

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Mike Baker

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October 28, 2021

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Capacity limits and distancing requirements at Haliburton’s restaurants and gyms were officially lifted Oct. 25 as Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled the final steps of the province’s reopening plan.

The move comes just two weeks after similar restrictions were lifted at athletic venues, cinemas and theatres across the province.

Terri Matthews-Carl, owner of Rhubarb Restaurant in Carnarvon, said she was “thrilled” to be allowed to open back up at full capacity.

“We’ve already put our tables back in, which gives us an additional 50 per cent capacity compared to what we’ve been able to have inside over the past year. For us, this makes a huge difference,” MatthewsCarl said. “It’s definitely long overdue, but we’re just thrilled that the decision has been made.” With no capacity limits in place, MatthewsCarl estimates she’ll be able to have up to 25 additional customers inside the restaurant. That’s particularly important, she said, given the changing of the seasons. “During the summer, the capacity limits weren’t such a big deal, because we were able to use our patio. We were able to add a lot of extra seating that way. But now that patio season is over, it really is going to be much more helpful to have the additional seating inside,” she said.

While many restauranteurs were beside themselves early in October, after Ford said capacity limits would remain in place at provincial eateries even after lifting them at sporting arenas, Matthews-Carl said she appreciated the delay as it gave her and her staff time to adjust to the new vaccination requirements without having a full house.

“We really weren’t that angry. Throughout all of this, we’ve just wanted to make sure everybody was safe. And, honestly, with having to do the vaccination checks – opening up at full capacity and doing everything at the same time would have been a lot to handle. This way, everybody’s gotten used to checking for vaccines, and now we’re ready to go and be back operating at full capacity,” she said.

The best feeling, Matthews-Carl said, is knowing that she won’t be forced to disappoint people moving forward.

“We’ve been turning away people every night, basically since the end of summer and we closed our patio,” she said. “Now we won’t have to do that anymore.”

Venues such as barbershops and salons, museums, galleries and indoor areas of amusement parks have also had capacity limits lifted, providing they opt-in to the province’s proof of vaccination requirements.

During the announcement, health minister Christine Elliott informed the public that the province is currently planning for all remaining COVID-19-related public health and workplace safety measures to be lifted by March 2022.

Elliott said the province plans to begin a gradual lifting of vaccine certification requirements, chief medical officer of health directives and capacity limits in settings where proof of vaccination is not required. Other measures, like masking, will remain in place until March 28.

“We know this is encouraging news for Ontarians who have sacrificed so much over the last 20 months,” Elliott said. “Today is a milestone in our fight against COVID-19. We have a plan to safely manage this virus in the long-term and protect the health and well-being of Ontarians, while ensuring Ontario remains open and recovering.”

Minden continues with costly planning consultant

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 28, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HKPR thinking ‘outside the box’ on drugs

By

Mike Baker

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October 28, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The HKPR board unanimously endorsed MacDonald’s recommendation.

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

A night of fright at Abbey Gardens

By

Mike Baker

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October 28, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shoreline bylaw a start

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 28, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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