County polls residents on wellbeing ‘gaps’

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September 3, 2021

Haliburton County is developing a Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan (CSWB) and now they want to hear from the public.

The County launched a community survey, developed by consultant StrategyCorp, on Aug. 23. The firm has been hired to help the County address Haliburton’s social challenges through collaboration between government, stakeholders and community groups.

The survey polls County residents about their perception of social issues and services. That includes housing, education, healthcare, transportation and more.

StrategyCorp has been working with the CSWB Plan Steering Committee since April 2021. At an Aug. 25 meeting, they outlined their findings so far.

They suggested three “focus areas”: issues within the County that the plan could address. Those include housing, poverty and food insecurity, and physical and mental health.

“They are the ones that are coming up over and over again as foundational problems,” said StrategyCorp manager Lauren Wyman.

Other areas Wyman suggested posed risks include: public transportation, indigenous support, mental health and substance use, elder care, service system navigation and climate change.

They detail how interconnected many of the issues Haliburton County faces. For example, the County has the second highest cost of living in Ontario after Toronto. A living wage, they estimate, is $19.47 an hour. That translates into issues of energy poverty. Sixteen per cent of homeowners in Haliburton County spend more than 15 percent of their income on energy costs, according to StrategyCorp.

The goal of the survey, steering committee talks, and upcoming public consultation in September is to pinpoint where Haliburton County’s infrastructure is failing members of the community.

“It’s about identifying the gaps between the services you have that will get you to innovative solutions,” said StrategyCorp principal John Matheson. Those solutions, suggested Matheson and his team, might aid Haliburton in decreasing issues such as crime, homelessness and poverty. Suggestions so far include streamlining access to support systems, a centralized transportation system in the County, data collection and sharing and better collaboration with community organizations.

He said the plan, when finalized, won’t necessarily mean huge spending. Instead, it will act as a guide in the ongoing process of streamlining support systems across the community. It’s also mandated by the Ontario government that all municipalities develop a CSWB plan under the 2018 Safer Ontario Act.

“As long as there are gaps in community collaboration, that’s where this can benefit,” he said.

Filling those gaps as a municipality is hard to do, remarked multiple members of council.

“It’s not an issue of political will, it’s an issue of political knowledge,” said Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt.

CAO Mike Rutter said he’s become more aware of how communication of County programs has been a barrier to people seeking help: “We’re doing things to help people, somehow the message just isn’t connecting.”

After the survey results are processed, the CSWB Plan Steering Committee will coordinate with StrategyCorp to develop a draft plan in October, finalizing the plan after that.

To access the survey, available until Sept. 17, visit haliburtoncounty.ca/en/news. There will also be paper copies available at Haliburton County Public Library locations and soon to be announced town hall meetings.

Highlands Cinemas Documentary: Profiling Kinmount’s ‘movie man’

By

Sam Gillett

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September 3, 2021

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1901027_HIGHLANDCINEMAS-458 — Photo by Scott Ramsay

Matt Finlin was 11 when he first discovered Highlands Cinemas. His family had rented a cottage and his aunt and uncle took them in for a film.

“All of a sudden we’re driving up someone’s driveway … it almost looked like someone’s house. It was like ‘oh, is this a movie theatre?’ said Finlin. “Then you walk in the doors and it’s just this magical place.”

For the past three years, Finlin has been trying to capture some of that magic, and the magician behind it, Keith Stata, in a documentary.

The Movie Man will likely be completed in 2022.

He hopes to find interested investors who could help fund post-production and help bring the passion project to life.

“This is very much a passion project. It’s something that evolved from a weekend creative outlet into something that’s become a larger feature film,” he said.

Finlin is a partner in Door Knocker Media, a Toronto-based video production company that’s produced ads for Honda and RBC, music videos for the likes of Eddie Vedder and more.

He said he approached Stata to do a small video piece on the theatre, mentioning his childhood attachment to the space.

“When I got there, I realized there was a larger story to be told,” Finlin said.

That story has taken more than three years to tell.

“The larger story is that there’s not really any place like it in the world,” he said. With ancient projectors, halls of memorabilia and 45 cats living in handmade apartment-style accommodations, it’s a one-of-a kind operation. Finlin said he was surprised by secret passageways, hidden doors and Stata’s care of his animals (including a bear which has made itself at home at the back of his property).

For Finlin, Stata is a character intertwined with his theatre.

“Keith is the theatre as much as the theatre is Keith,” said Finlin. “They’re like this symbiotic relationship which is really interesting. Someone who’s born and raised in a town of 200 or so and decided to stay there, to create a magical place which drives the town.”

But does it get tiring, sharing the theatre’s stories? “No,” said Stata. “It’s kind of fun sometimes.”

That’s even after more than 40 hours of showcasing his theatre to Finlin and his team.

“He practically lived here,” Stata said. “I said to him ‘you realize I’ve almost gone through three dogs since you started this’!”

Uncertain ending

Stata holds a poster for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. It’s one of more than 1000 posters in storage at the Cinema.

Stata doesn’t know how the documentary will end. After all, neither does Finlin.

That will depend on whether the theatre can open in 2022.

Stata’s magical place is currently shuttered, closed since 2019. He and his 46 cats haven’t welcomed the usual summer crowds. The future of the cinema is a bit uncertain.

He said it costs $75,000 to run each year. “In all reality we have to get back to some kind of normal,” he said. And that means both as far as COVID-19 and moviegoing habits. Stata said he’s seen other theatres in nearby regions suffer with mediocre ticket sales even since they were allowed to reopen with limited capacity.

For now, Stata’s been sorting through memorabilia, neatly organized across his property in 17 shipping containers, such as a collection of more than 1000 movie posters he’s been selling.

“It took me months to find enough time to go through this: they’re out of order, there are multiple copies,” he said, leafing through a pile of posters from the original Matrix movie, The Dark Knight; The Hulk (He recently sold a rare Revenge of the Jedi poster for $950).

Stata compares sorting through his posters to Finlin dealing with the hours of footage from the cinema.

“With that much footage he’s going to have a hell of a time editing it down,” Stata said.

Over the course of hours of interviews and stories about the theatre, Finlin said he views the cinema’s proprietor as a friend. As a documentarian, that makes producing the work a personal challenge.

“My version of the truth is becoming more awkward because I’ve gotten to know Keith very well. I have a very personal relationship with the theatre because it inspired me to make movies.”

Finlin said in the next few months he hopes to dive back into the Highland Cinema’s documentary. The goal is to have it all completed by the spring. All, that is, except the ending. That part of the script has yet to be written.

Shore report calls for flexibility

By

Sam Gillett

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September 3, 2021

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After months of consultation, firms hired to undertake a review of the County’s draft shoreline bylaw have called for more flexibility in an easier to read document.

Representatives from J.L Richards and Associates Limited (JLR) and Hutchinson Environmental Sciences Ltd. (HES) summarized 216 pages of research, feedback and early suggestions for bylaw improvement at an Aug. 25 council meeting.

Areas of the bylaw which the firms suggest could be improved include: plainer language; consistent application; flexibility depending on site conditions; consistency with local regulations; using performance-based standards to regulate site activity; streamlining application requirements and broadening the scope of lake health matters that will be referred to council; as well as an efficient transition from current to revised bylaw rules.

Many of the suggestions rely on enhanced bylaw flexibility. For instance, lakes with steep shorelines more at risk of contamination from runoff might have different regulations than lakes with flat waterfront lots. Currently, the draft bylaw is the same no matter the size, shape or orientation of a waterfront property.

“That might make things quite difficult for the people who are going to be managing this document,” said Warden Liz Danielsen, mentioning how lake-specific rules would be tricky to regulate in a County with as many waterbodies as Haliburton. “We’re all going to be very cognizant of the management of enforcement.”

That flexibility could extend to site-specific regulations. For example, currently shoreline construction work must be limited in the instance of strong winds. With performance-based rules, that would determine risk management strategies each firm could have in place.

Thinking of 30 metres

In JLR’s report of existing regulations, they reminded County council of regulations set out by the planning act: any new rules must conform to a municipality’s official plan.

That means a shoreline setback other than 30 metres would not match what’s laid out in the County’s plan. That plan directly refers to a 30 metre setback from a high water mark.

Brett Parsons, a scientist with HES, compared the County’s proposed rule with other municipalities including Gravenhurst, Lake of Bays, Huntsville and Hasting Highlands. He found setbacks between 15-30 metres are common. The province’s Lake Capacity Assessment Handbook also suggests a 30 metre setback for waterbodies on the Canadian Shield.

Coun. Cec Ryall said it appeared the report stood by the initially proposed 30 metre setback: “Would a 20 metre setback compromise anything of what we’re doing?” he asked.

Parsons explained that buffers of nondevelopment of 10 metres remove 65 per cent of sediment while 30 metres is found to remove 85 per cent.

“The length of the buffer and the effectiveness of it all depends on what you deem to be effective,” Parsons told council. He also said site conditions determine how much of a setback could limit pollutants entering the water. Most municipalities researched by the consultants required that 75 per cent of a property’s shoreline must be maintained in a natural state.

However, many of the public who addressed the planners at a July 29 special meeting of council said they were concerned a 30 metre setback was overly cautious.

Stakeholders, public have their say

All those who spoke with JLR or HES consultants have remained anonymous, however Jason Ferrigan of JLR assured council they accurately presented the full spectrum of opinions. As of Aug. 25, 783 people responded to a survey on the shoreline bylaw. The report presented to council details a list of stakeholders interviewed.

“Most important is that everyone we’ve spoken to values the lakes and waterbodies in the County,” he said.

Members of council and the public said there were other public policy objectives that were more important to address than the rules surrounding shoreline development.

“The lakes are still in pretty good shape based on the reports we have,” said Coun. Walt McKechnie. He mentioned other lake issues are similarly important: “To me I’m hearing concerns like in Head Lake with (Eurasian) Watermilfoil.”

Coun. Carol Moffatt said jurisdiction of lake activities is also a challenge: “the problem is that the jurisdiction of whatever is happening out on the lakes is not ours,” she said.

Whatever bylaw eventually is passed by council will likely be far easier to read.

For the public to accurately understand whatever rules are decided on, Ferrigan suggested revising the bylaw’s wording or including a “Coles Notes” version to summarize the rules.

“Our sort of approach is to write short bylaws that are performance based and outcome focused.”

Ferrigan said the current bylaw is quite lengthy, meaning the “average citizen” might not even read the whole thing.

After presenting their findings to council, the consultants will continue working in the community to determine clear recommendations and a final draft bylaw County council will discuss.

“We provide you with the options,” Ferrigan said. “At that meeting you decide which options you want to take.”

To read the full report of work and research completed so far, visit haliburton. civicweb.net/portal/

Board balancing risk with back-to-school plan

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 3, 2021

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By Kirk Winter

Since early August, senior staff at the Trillium Lakelands District School Board have been working with principals, local health units and the provincial Ministry of Education to safely re-open schools on Sept. 7.

While parts of the plan remain fluid, Director of Education, Wes Hahn, hopes to see students return to schools with recess, music and choir, open cafeterias and libraries and a full buffet of extracurriculars being offered to enrich the lives of students.

“There has been a lot happening this summer,” Hahn told trustees at their Aug. 24 regular board meeting. “Area COVID cases remain low and they are not rising like they were in the spring. As of today, there are seven confirmed cases in Muskoka, one in Haliburton and 20 in Kawartha Lakes. Those numbers are hopeful, but we will still be continuing with many of the protocols that we have already been doing like deep cleaning high touch surfaces and improving air quality with the installation of HEPA filtration systems in area schools.”

Hahn said masks will be required on board supplied buses, and for kindergarten to Grade 12 students while in class.

Cohorting will continue for elementary students while they are inside the building, but students will be allowed to mix freely on the playground and share balls and equipment during recess without masks.

“Clubs and teams are back on,” Hahn said. “Many parents want these back and we believe that the opportunities for peers to make connections will be important for students at all grades.”

Secondary schools will be following the quadmester model with one subject in the morning and one subject in the afternoon for approximately 40 days until the end of semester one. Hahn is hoping that all secondary schools will be able to move back to full semesters as quickly as possible.

“Libraries and cafeterias will be open at secondary schools.” Hahn said. “It is important that we re-open these spaces and the month of September will be a learning curve as we try to do this safely for all. We are still in negotiation with companies like Aramark who provide our cafeteria services and we are hoping they will be open when school returns.”

School sports will be encouraged

Hahn also said that OFSSA, the umbrella organization for secondary school sports, is up and running, and locally “sports are going to be encouraged.”

Visitors to schools must be vaccinated if they are going to be interacting with people inside the building, Hahn added.

Trustee John Byrne wanted to know the vaccination status for school bus drivers and was told that drivers should be vaccinated.

Trustee Gary Brohman asked for more clarification about elementary school recesses, wanting to know how much freedom the kids will have on the playground. He was assured students will be able to mix and share sports equipment.

Vice-chair David Morrison was excited about the return of music but wondered how safety could be ensured in music rooms where singing and instrument playing are occurring.

Hahn told Morrison that, particularly in some elementary schools, the space currently being used for the delivery of the music program is too small to allow social distancing. Principals in those schools have been asked to find larger spaces to host music classes.

Student trustee Alexia Evan-Turnbull wanted to know if secondary students would gain access to lockers again. Hahn said that at this point lockers encourage gathering and become additional high touch surfaces that need to be cleaned. Hahn said students made do without them last year, and will again this school year.

Student trustee Ryder Lytle asked when students will receive their timetables and was told sometime during the week of Aug. 30.

Craig Horsley, President of OSSTF District 15, said, “I think our members’ comfort levels with the current COVID restrictions are similar to that of the general public and it covers quite a large spectrum. We have members very concerned about personal safety with the unknown of the Delta variant, the effectiveness of ventilation and lack of cohorting while at the same time other members are quite open about being double vaccinated with a willingness to follow health unit guidelines to get things like extracurriculars up and going. We firmly believe that extracurriculars are voluntary and the criteria for them to run should be based on the comfort level and willingness of a teacher to facilitate them.”

NDP and Greens enter election fray

By

Sam Gillett

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August 27, 2021

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Zac Miller will represent the NDP in the upcoming federal election.

The university student stood for the party in the 2018 provincial election won by sitting Member of Provincial Parliament, Laurie Scott.

Along with the Green party’s Angel Godsoe, the electorate has four candidates to date.

Miller and Godsoe join incumbent Conservative MP Jamie Schmale and Liberal candidate Judi Forbes.

Miller is completing his Masters of Information after already completing a Bachelor or Arts degree in Political Science. He lives in the City of Kawartha Lakes. He has served with the Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition and is vice president of the museum in Lindsay.

Godsoe grew up in the east end of Toronto and served as a legislative page at Queens Park. She now lives on a farm north of Lindsay and is a mother of nine children. She identifies as a parent, farmer and small businessperson. She has never been a political candidate but worked for the Greens’ Elizabeth Fraser during the last federal election.

She further describes herself as a Biblical scholar and believer.

Miller said some of the key local issues for him include: rising debt due to stagnant wages, a need for improved health and long-term care, jobs, housing and recreational activities.

He said young people need free post-secondary tuition and all student debt cancelled.

“No longer do we have a generation that sees themselves doing better than their parents but we now have hard-working Canadians looking at the realities of never affording their own homes, buried under massive student debts, and stagnant or shrinking wages with little or no health care or pension benefits,” he said.

He said families want youth to stay close to home but to do that there must be more opportunities for jobs, housing and recreational activities.

“The area was once booming with industry, providing great jobs and resources in the local communities and it could be again with improved infrastructure and a determination to attract new businesses in green technology fields to the area,” he said.

Miller said businesses assess entire communities with a high focus on housing, health care and recreational amenities when looking to locate their new or expanded facilities and he wants to work with local municipalities to address those needs.

Godsoe said working for the Greens in 2019 was “an invigorating learning experience.”

“Our Green presence and platform was well received, thanks to Elizabeth’s exceptional poise and debating skills. When I witnessed the positive feedback from the public and even the camaraderie of the other candidates, I felt the Green’s time to have a strong presence in this County has come.”

She said some of her key beliefs include a need for electoral reform and being better stewards of the planet. She said she’s also interested in international affairs, human rights and immigration.

“I am concerned about equal representation. I believe our government would be much improved and the confidence of the people regained by electoral reform. We’ve got to put First Past the Post in the past.”

“And, the Green Party is the party that will best ensure our future as a species on this planet and facilitate the responsible use of our natural resources.”

She said she also shares the social values of the party: a guaranteed livable income, housing, all aspects of health care, clean water and nutritious, accessible, locally-produced food

Minden Pride’s ‘come a long way, baby’

By

Lisa Gervais

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August 27, 2021

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He may not have been there in person, but the spirit of Minden Pride co-founder, Sinclair Russell, has been felt during the first four days of Pride Week in Haliburton County.

During a flag-raising event at the Minden Hills township office Aug. 23, mayor Brent Devolin borrowed the expression ‘you’ve come a long way, baby.’

He said passing by the rainbow bench overlooking the Gull River, that was placed in honour of the late Russell, he remembers “an imperfect person like the rest of us” who had a dream.

Growing up gay in Minden Hills at a time when the community was not as inclusive as it is today, Russell helped co-found the event six years ago.

Devolin said Russell knew there was a long way to go and was proud of the acceptance that continues to grow.

“Certainly, as I look at the bench across the water I will continue to be reminded of Sinclair and the journey he began. We’ve come a long way, baby.”

The Pride committee will officially dedicate Russell’s bench Aug. 27 at noon. There will also be a video tribute on mindenpride.ca

Pride chair Allan Guinan said this year’s theme is proud and hopeful.

“For the pride committee, it represented many ideas. We are very proud of all we have accomplished over the past six years, building Minden Pride into one of the largest events in the County.”

“The community support we have gained, the business partnerships we have established and the extent of our reach around the County is nothing short of incredible.”

He said they were also proud of their work advocating for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community. This past year, they petitioned the federal government on Bill C-6 an act to amend the criminal code which would have made conversion therapy illegal.

Pride committee member Bob Fisher, along with the committee, is hoping to raise $10,000 to help a refugee from Afghanistan or another county where their life is being threatened due to their sexuality.

The remainder of the week’s activities include a trivia night at the Dominion Boat House Aug. 26 from 7-9:30 p.m.; a parade your Pride colours float down the Gull Aug. 28 from 1-3 p.m.; and a multi-faith service Aug. 29 at 1 p.m. online.

Huskies to round out roster after camp

By

Lisa Gervais

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August 27, 2021

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MILTON, ON - SEPTEMBER 13: Whitby Fury Head Coach Ryan Ramsay talks to his players in the first period, Whitby Fury vs Milton Menace on September 13, 2019 at Milton Memorial Arena in Milton, Ontario, Canada. (Shawn Muir / OJHL Images)

The Haliburton County Huskies will hold their inaugural tryout hockey camp at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena this coming Aug. 27-29.

The ice is in and team head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay said the squad is looking to sign four players from the weekend camp.

There will be goalie evaluations Aug. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. and the forwards and defence will have an opportunity to show if they belong in the Ontario Junior Hockey League on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29.

Ramsay said he is looking to find one defenceman and three forwards.

“The OJHL is a fast league so they have to be able to skate,” he said of prospects, adding he is looking for a compete level and some urgency in the players’ games. He said top prospects tend to stick out at camp.

The Huskies got to evaluate their current roster during a tournament in Toronto the Aug. 20-22 weekend.

Ramsay said they played in seven shortened games, losing in the final, with “a lot of good positives we took out of the weekend.” He said part of the reason they went was to get their game timing after a COVID-impacted couple of seasons.

“It takes some time to get your timing back so that’s why we put a team in the tourney.”

The team will soon begin a month-long training camp. Players are to report to their billet families Sept. 5. Ramsay said they have about a 50 per cent player turnover from the Whitby Fury team that has now moved to Minden.

The squad also picked up goalie Nicolas Heinzle in a trade. Ramsay said the 19-yearold played last weekend for the first time in a Huskies jersey and “looked really good.”

The team has also gotten some of its players back that were loaned to other teams when the OHJL was shut down due to the pandemic.

“They’re back. Two defencemen and a forward. We’re happy. We’re excited to see their progress and how far they’ve come,” the coach and GM said. They will also be looking to some affiliate players to round out the roster.

Ramsay said renovations of the former Scout Hall at the arena to give the team its own dressing room, lounge, training rooms, officers and showers are underway.

“They are coming along nicely. We got really lucky with a local contractor, Tom Neville, who has really helped us out. Time is of the essence with players coming next week and he says he will have it done by next week.”

There will be a blue versus white game Sept. 11; a preseason clash with the Aurora Tigers Aug. 18 and a game against Collingwood Sept. 25.

The OJHL has also released the regular season schedule for the 2021-22 season. It will see the Huskies play 27 home games and 27 on the road. The season opener is Oct. 1 on the road in Lindsay. The squad will debut in Minden Oct. 2 against the Muskies. The season finale is slated for March 5 at home versus Trenton.

Ramsay said he is pleased with the schedule, which includes an early New Year’s Eve game and a Family Day clash.

He said season ticket sales are going well and added they will be working with the HKPR district health unit on capacity for the arena during COVID as well as vaccine requirements for entry.

He also plugged for area families looking to billet a player. He said they still need three homes for players that are coming soon. Billet families receive financial compensations, do not have to supply transportation and are given regular season and playoff tickets.

For more on the Huskies go to: huskieshockey.ca.

All-day biking challenge returns to Haliburton Forest

By

Sam Gillett

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August 27, 2021

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An eight-hour cycling race will test riders’ grit and endurance as they pedal through the Haliburton Forest Sept. 18.

The 8 Hours of Hurtin in Haliburton’ race began in 2019 and has attracted more and more riders each year who test their limits on the 27 kilometre gravel course. The idea is simple: complete as many laps of the scenic forest route as you can in eight hours.

“It’s just something unique compared to other places in Ontario,” said event organizer Marc Sinclair. “It’s fast and slow, it’s got beautiful vistas, lakes: tons of climbing to keep your legs hurting!”

It’s open to riders of all skill levels: some just want to compete a lap or two while others ride the whole eight hours.

Last year, one competitor completed eight laps or 216 kilometres.

“It’s a huge feat. But that’s part of the challenge: people really want to push themselves,” Sinclair said. “It’s super flexible and you’re not committed to a point-to-point race where you have to get rescued if you’re unable to make it to the finish line.”

Cyclists can also compete in a relay system, each taking turns speeding through the gravel roads lap after lap.

After completing the marathon, camping options are available with food vendors being announced in the coming weeks.

Sinclair said gravel cycling has become very popular with all types of cycling popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Registration has been very strong,” Sinclair said. “It’s hard to tell if that’s a boom in cycling or if that’s just interest in the race.”

Since the event is outside, COVID-19 guidelines will be easy to accommodate and Sinclair doesn’t expect issues with attendance limits.

This year, they’re starting an electronic timing system to account for the increase in participants.

It’s a gruelling challenge, but as the event website states, no more so than an eighthour work shift: “it’s easier than a day in the office.”

Registration closes on Sept. 4. For more information or to register visit valleyworks.ca.

Williams trusted his talent

By

Sam Gillett

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August 27, 2021

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“You have to know where you want to go. Otherwise, you’ll waste a lot of time,” said Taly Williams.

Williams hasn’t wasted much time. Originally from Haliburton, he’s a co-founder and managing partner of a water management firm in Los Angeles and an inventor with multiple patents for sports technology that’s used by top athletes. That’s not to mention his professional football career.

Now he has one more accomplishment to add to the list: a spot in the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame.

“What’s interesting for me is I’ve never been one to chase awards,” Williams said, adding he greatly admires the work the hall of fame committee has done.

He, along with his sister, Lesley Tashlin, have been a big focus of the Haliburton County sporting community this year, with local students winning the push to have their murals installed on the side of the A.J LaRue arena. For Williams, the hall of fame and mural conversations have renewed his connection to the community he grew up in.

“To actually have this award and this mural, it really does provide a new level of connection,” he said.

Williams studied engineering at Waterloo. After that, he spent a stint playing football professionally for the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger Cats from 1994-96.

However, while playing, he was also working in engineering. He said he feels fortunate to have had the choice to switch into engineering full time after his playing career.

“Professional sports are very cutthroat. You, at the end of the day, are just a number to them, they’ll cut you in a second,” he said. The lessons he learned on the field spurred him on.

“To be a professional athlete and to ‘make it’ gives you a higher level of confidence in anything you do,” he said.

That confidence and desire to combine academics and sports led him to develop the Talynt Point system for golfers, a device which attaches to your arm to guide your swing.

“It’s actually about trust, talent, still executing something,” he said. The device was the result of hundreds of hours of practice,

“They always say ‘fail faster.’ They’re right. We played almost every day,” explains Williams.

He’s patented the TALY MIND set system with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

“Instead of focusing on the movement that you are attempting to execute, I give you a new point of focus that results in the action occurring correctly,” he explained in an email. It’s about knowing what to focus on and trusting the process along the way.

Trusting your talent (or Talynt, as the brand’s slogan reads) is a central part of Williams’ worldview.

“We all have a talent. In my opinion we are all the best in the world at something.”

His inventions have roots in the Highlands: “As with most things in my life it starts in Haliburton,” he said. That’s where he started playing golf and football.

Growing up in Haliburton

Williams circles back to the students at J. Douglas Hodgson elementary school who rallied for his recognition on the wall of Haliburton’s arena. All five athletes currently depicted are white.

“Diversity and inclusion in Haliburton is important. That wasn’t there when I was there.”

Being Black in a community almost exclusively made up of white people meant he had to tread carefully sometimes.

“I know that I had to be careful when I was up there,” he said. “Sure, Haliburton’s a fun cottage-loving town, but not everyone’s accepting of minorities up there.”

He said both the hall of fame and mural could be a chance to motivate change.

“I’m hoping that this opens up the conversation and starts allowing others who feel left out and not a part of Haliburton to start connecting to it.”

He attributes much of his early success to teammates and coaches at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School where he set multiple track and field records and starred as quarterback for the football team.

Through his life, Williams has seen how keeping an eye on the goal pays off. And that’s what he wants to share with the youth of Haliburton as a new inductee into the hall of fame.

“I would like kids to believe anything is possible, understand that they have a talent. Always differentiate themselves. Go the other direction and explore.”

Banquet postponed

The Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame has postponed its Oct. 23 inaugural induction ceremony. Chairman Scott LaRue said, “The board felt that it would be best to postpone the event due to the ongoing uncertainty around COVID. Naturally we are very disappointed but we look forward to the time when it will be safe to bring everyone together for a wonderful celebration of the inductees’ many contributions and accomplishments. We will be watching the situation closely and plan to reschedule when it looks appropriate to do so.”

The Turtle Guardians: saving turtles, a Tupperware at a time

By

Sam Gillett

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August 27, 2021

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By the reedy shores of Head Lake, Leora Berman gently scoops a baby snapping turtle from a Tupperware container and places it on a semi-submerged tree branch.

With a “plop” the turtle’s shiny green shell disappears underwater as it begins life in the big wide world of Haliburton.

Its chance of surviving just increased tenfold because of the care of a dedicated crew of Turtle Guardians.

That turtle is just one of thousands which Berman and her colleagues at The Land Between nurture at their hatchery.

The creatures are scooped as eggs from their nests around the County to keep them safe from predators including humans.

“Little ones don’t know where water is instinctively. They would scatter and they would get run over easily,” said Berman beside Head Lake.

She explains how nests around the County are monitored. Once a mother lays her eggs in the late spring, the group comes in and brings the turtles to the hatchery on Gelert Road, where they’re stored in cool, humid conditions until they hatch.

Then Berman and her volunteers spend much of August transferring turtles to their new homes or making sure the miniature guests are happy and healthy at the hatchery.

But how can you tell if a turtle is ready for the adventure?

“See this little belly button?” Berman points to a little bump on the turtle’s soft underbelly.

“As soon as it’s flush then they’re ready to go. Then they’re good swimmers.”

She explains how since turtles have great memories, it’s important to release them where they were born in case they’re drawn back to the area.

“Instantly they start memorizing these pathways that they walk,” she said.

And turtles are in trouble. Eggs make a tasty treat for many animals and despite awareness campaigns and monitoring by groups such as Berman’s, hundreds of turtles are hit by cars each year. Adults also need longer to reach reproduction age than most animals.

“Since it takes so long to replace themselves, the populations are really dumping,” she said.

In order to help the turtle population, it’s important for her and The Land Between to know the genetic makeup of locations around the County too. That’s why each Tupperware travels back to where the eggs were found.

“We can’t just put them anywhere.”

With each Tupperware, Berman and her team release a new generation of turtles into the Highlands’ vast ecosystem of wetlands, rivers, ponds and lakes; spreading hope for a species at risk along the way.