Health Unit reports privacy breach involving client emails

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July 23, 2021

Immediate Steps Being Taken To Address Situation

The local Health Unit is working to immediately address a privacy breach involving a mass email sent to approximately 500 clients in its region.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit says the breach involves an email sent to local residents relating to COVID-19 vaccine appointments. The email was sent to email addresses people had provided when booking initial COVID vaccine appointments. However, people receiving the emails were able to see the email addresses of all other recipients.

The Health Unit is immediately following up with people affected by the email. The incident has also been reported to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

“We take this issue very seriously and sincerely apologize for this incident,” says Dr. Natalie Bocking, Medical Officer of Health for the HKPR District Health Unit. “We are reaching out to affected individuals and also working internally to ensure there is no repeat of this situation.”

The Health Unit asks anyone who received these emails to delete them immediately. The Health Unit also strongly urges recipients of the email not to forward the email to any other person or party, so the breach is not compounded.

If anyone needs to contact the Health Unit, they can do so by emailing info@hkpr.on.ca or calling 1-866-888-4577, ext. 5020.

Behind the scenes with Haliburton’s vaccine volunteers

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Lisa Gervais

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July 22, 2021

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If you’ve been vaccinated in Minden or Haliburton, there’s a good chance you were greeted at the door by a volunteer.

The Rotary clubs of Minden and Haliburton were responsible for coordinating hundreds of volunteers who’ve been instrumental in assisting County residents get the jab.

“We wanted to set up a process where we could keep up with what the health unit was asking us to do, and any changes that would be necessary,” said Sally Moore, who co-chaired the Rotary Club of Minden’s volunteer crew with Pat Bradley.

From around the County, 230 people have signed up to welcome patients, recording information and timing recovery periods at Minden’s S.G. Nesbitt Memoria Arena. One hundred and twenty-five volunteers took shifts at the A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton.

“It’s an incredible army of people that have so far contributed to this effort in the Highlands,” Moore said.

With ample experience running summer camps and Sunny Rock Bed and Breakfast, organization and planning comes naturally to Moore. She developed a training method for volunteers: each day the clinic is open, Moore emails a task list to a team leader — she’s trained 14. That list is distributed to volunteers based on their skills.

“We didn’t have to train every individual, we just had to hand them a piece of paper,” Moore said.

Twenty-three Rotary members have now worked more than 10 shifts at the Minden arena, exceeding 40 hours of unpaid volunteer work. The club calls these volunteers “community heroes.”

“When I got the call to do the vaccination clinic — I knew it would be no problem at all to host that,” said Minden president Lynda Litwin.

She said Moore has done an excellent job.

“We told her we’d be there for her, help her out as much as we can and knowing full well we are in such a fantastic community of volunteerbased residents,” Litwin said. Keen volunteers at A.J LaRue arena

“The atmosphere was absolutely this place of joy,” said Ursula Devolin, describing the A.J LaRue Arena’s vaccination clinic.

Devolin orchestrated the volunteers at the Haliburton clinic until it was shut down June 12.

“We knew this wasn’t [just] up to the Rotary club,” she said, mentioning how members of the Lions Club, other community groups and other County residents volunteered.

They filled more than 300 shifts at the clinic.

“People were so keen to help,” Devolin said.

Devolin prepared an online document people could use to sign up. When she posted openings for the second vaccination clinic, it filled up within half an hour.

After the Haliburton clinic shut, many volunteers began booking shifts in Minden which is now the only mass vaccination clinic in the County.

“We’re all one County,” Devolin said. “People want to serve, and people are generous at heart.”

Dad assists Bernie in high-scoring hockey career

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Lisa Gervais

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July 22, 2021

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Bernie Nicholls said the icing on the cake of being named to the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame is being inducted alongside his father, George Nicholls, who coached the Haliburton Junior D Huskies 1970-1971 powerhouse team.

“What I’m most proud of is my dad is going in too. There is nothing that I have ever done in my life that he was not a part of,” Nicholls told The Highlander.

He credits his dad with his start in hockey since the old man built an outdoor rink in West Guilford for Bernie and the other kids to play on.

Nicholls said his dad had an ability to put people into positions to succeed, in hockey and baseball.

“I don’t know anybody around here that did it any better … I am more excited about that and thrilled to death he is going in as well.”

Asked why he thought he had not been selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame – despite being one of the most prolific scorers in Los Angeles with Wayne Gretzky – he attributed it to playing on the west coast.

He said playing with Gretzky was like Christmas day, every day. He said it was fun and exciting and players wanted to play for him and not let him down.

He scored 70 goals and 80 assists in one season with The Great One. Nicholls played for the Kings, Rangers, Oilers., Devils, Black Hawks and Sharks, retiring in 1999, after 1,127 games, 475 goals and 734 assists.

He believes he was born with a gift for scoring goals thanks to an ability to read the ice and know what’s coming before it happens. “You can’t teach that. It is a gift I got and have had forever.”

He brought the Stanley Cup home to West Guildford after coaching with the Kings during their 2012 triumph. He treated that cup to all things Haliburton: going up a hunting tree stand, and cruising on the lake.

He said the coolest thing in sports is getting to have the Stanley Cup for the day.

Nicholls moved back to the County full time in September. The West Guilford Citizen of the Year in 2019, the hall committee said he is a credit to his family, his community and the game he loves.

As for the Hall itself and what it is doing, Nicholls in turn said it was “amazing.”

He’s come full circle from a four-year-old boy who began to skate on an outdoor rink behind the school in West G.

“It was cold. I remember skating there ‘til night time. My dad would have to come and get me to take me home. My feet would be frozen. We played with a pink rubber ball so we could find it when it went over the boards into the snow. Even when we were at school, at lunch time, we’d be going back and skating at the ice rink there,” Nicholls recalled.

Cardiff and Wilberforce elementary school principal retires: lauds local ‘funraising’ group

By

Lisa Gervais

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July 22, 2021

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by Kirk Winter

Retiring Cardiff and Wilberforce elementary school principal, Elaine Fournier, has many fond memories of 17 years working with students in Haliburton County.

As she contemplates spending more time with her nine grandchildren, Fournier highlighted the community support staff and students have received from the families the schools service. She highlighted the work of the Wilberforce Funraising Group led by Kathy Rogers and Joan Burton.

The group’s mission statement says members “are dedicated to the betterment of our Wilberforce community.” As part of that commitment, for a second consecutive year, the group will be offering a $500 bursary to a local high school student pursuing postsecondary education and requiring financial assistance. This includes university, college or apprenticeship programs.

“There’s just a few of us diligent volunteers that enjoy volunteering and want to see our community do better … and support initiatives in town to keep people active and keep people involved in the community,” Rogers said.

When asked where the idea for the student bursary originated, Rogers said, “(We) copied the Gooderham Action Committee. They have one similar. (We) collaborated with that group to develop one for Wilberforce. We received a generous anonymous donation of $500 (in the first year). We wanted to put that donation towards something that we thought was important.”

The scholarship fund will be supplemented for 2021 with $700 that was raised and donated in honour of Fournier’s retirement.

Rogers was thrilled by the donation made in Fournier’s name and said, “She knows a lot of the students who are graduating. She has been great … she works to make sure all the kids are (treated) fair. She wants all kids to succeed, and wants them all to do well. She goes out of her way to make sure all students get educated.”

Rogers was asked what kind of student they are looking for when they make their bursary decision. She said it had to be someone looking to further their education in any way.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of education. We think they are all important.” Rogers said, “Whether an apprenticeship, university, college or hairdressing school. All of those things we think are great. We just want to see kids in our community go on and accomplish their dreams and goals.”

Rogers added they are also hoping to recognize a deserving student who is community-minded and looking to get ahead and do well.

Fournier praised the volunteers, “These are schools with big hearts. Many long-time residents are involved with this initiative. Their actions put supports in place for students of all backgrounds regardless of their career paths.”

Applications for the bursary will be accepted until Aug. 15, 2021. All applicants will be reviewed by the WFG with one recipient being selected. Information and application form available at Facebook page – Wilberforce Funraising Group

U-Links collecting tiny clues to Haliburton Highlands lake health

By

Sam Gillett

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July 22, 2021

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If you know how to find them, the creatures that live in a lake’s shallow water — leeches, mayfly nymphs, stonefly larvae and more — are valuable clues to a lake’s health.

U-Link’s first free public training program on monitoring benthic macroinvertebrates – creatures with no backbone that you can see without a microscope – wrapped up on July 18.

“We look at those species, and we look at the types of habitats they typically live in,” explained Brendan Martin, U-Link’s Environmental Program Coordinator.

“They’re an integral part of the aquatic ecosystem.”

The program was made possible through the Great Lakes Local Action Fund, a provincial grant. Martin said they hope to reapply for funding to train more citizen scientists how to sample and monitor these tiny creatures.

By monitoring the amount of macroinvertebrates they find in the shallow waters around the County’s lakes, U-Links gains insight into the area’s recent history. They also test for the electrical conductivity of the water, and the oxygen levels to get a sense of the health of the lake.

“It’s not a substitute [for water testing] — but it works very well with that data,” he explained.

U-Links returns to each spot they sample multiple times. Through comparing data, they can chart a lake’s history.

“These [species] are constantly in contact with the water, and if there’s, say, an algae bloom immediately after the ice goes out, that could impact the population of dragonflies,” Martin said.

Many of these creatures are staples in the diet of turtles and fish: if macroinvertebrates are under threat, that could impact fishing and recreation activities.

“Keeping tabs on how their populations are changing over time are very important for these industries,” Martin said.

At the in-person demonstration at Halls Lake, Martin showed attendees how to operate the specialized D-net, disturbing sand and pebbles to scoop up samples of the lake’s benthic population.

The group later sifted through the samples, collected in containers on the shore.

The training program also focused on how to report which creatures are found, marking the type of ecosystem and location of each sample.

Around the world, benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring has been used as a marker of lake health since the 1980s. In Ontario, it’s been common practice since the early 2000s.

Now climate change presents an everincreasing threat to the health of lakes, and the benthic macroinvertebrates U-links tests for.

“As temperatures rise, you lose the dissolved oxygen,” said Martin. “That decreases the ability for these organisms to function on a day-to-day basis.”

For more information on upcoming workshops and opportunities to get involved, visit ulinks.ca

Art coming to the docks of Lake Kash

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Lisa Gervais

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July 22, 2021

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Inspired by the Art on the Dock event on Kennisis Lake, a group of Kashagawigamog cottagers has come together to organize a similar event — dubbed Kash Art on the Water — for Aug. 7.

Spokesperson Danielle Martin said she, Kirsten Sixt, Lesley Sahakian and Allison Barrow have collaborated on the venture.

Martin said they wanted to showcase artists on and around their lake in their own way. They had their first meeting in April, and started planning the logistics of hosting an art event.

They promoted the event with a call to artists through the Lake Kashagawigamog Organization (LKO) Facebook page, eblasts, the LKO Love You Lake seminar series, Kash Art Instagram, arts council eblasts and word of mouth.

A resident and artist herself, Martin said there are 17 artisans registered for the event “and counting.”

She added there is a variety of artists who practice a wide range of art forms, including pottery, jewellery, woodworking, painting, clothing and apparel, and digital arts.

“Exhibitors participating have properties on Kashagawigamog Lake, some exhibitors have been invited and are being hosted by lake cottagers or residents and local businesses on the lake,” she said.

Much like Art on the Dock, guests are encouraged to tour the lake by boat, or by environmentally-sound watercraft or by car to view, purchase and admire items displayed by artists.

Martin noted that they have also teamed up with local businesses on the lake, including The Bonnie View Inn and Kate’s Burgers.

Martin said they are set to go 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the day, with a rain date of Sunday, Aug. 8.

Stay up to date by following Kash Art on Instagram @kashartonthewater and following their Facebook page, Lake Kashagawigamog Organization.

Haliburton’s Tour de Forest back for 15th year with 23 artists

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Sam Gillett

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July 22, 2021

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An annual summer studio show is set to bring cottagers, tourists and locals into the galleries of creatives across Haliburton County.

The Tour de Forest Summer Studio Tour, in its 15th year, features 23 potters, painters, sculptors and jewellers.

It will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 31 to August 1. An online map displays the locations of all 12 studios which are involved, stretching from Tory Hill to Minden to West Guilford.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing people and welcoming them to the event,” said organizer Charlene McConnell. McConnell creates glazed pottery decorations and serving ware out of Purple Door Pottery Studio on Eagle Lake Road.

“I enjoy meeting the artists face to face — having conversations about the process,” McConnell said.

After an isolating year, she said she’s excited that people will be able to experience art in person throughout the tour.

From the vibrant painted landscapes of James Goodliff to intricate carved to molded creations by Renée Woltz, the tour is a celebration of the Highland’s artistic diversity and skill.

In a written statement, acclaimed painter Jane Selbie wrote that supporting artists through tours like this is important to the health of the community.

“The history of Haliburton County is built on family operations, often extending from one generation to the next. It’s what gives small communities their particular character,” Selbie wrote.

“The artist sector is alive in Haliburton County … each artist [is] a small business operator.”

Boundless continues to gain altitude: Haliburton Director scoops up awards

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Lisa Gervais

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July 22, 2021

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Haliburton movie directed by Hannah Sadlier

Haliburton native Kate Campbell’s short film, Boundless, made its Canadian debut at the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto in March and continues to screen across the globe – scooping up 11 awards at 15 festivals

Campbell told The Highlander she and her team wish they could have attended some of the festivals in person, but have been unable to due to COVID 19 which was made most of them virtual.

“But we are very grateful for the opportunity in the middle of this pandemic. Also, very grateful for all of the hometown support,” she said July 16.

The Haliburton Legion Branch 129 sponsored high school students and young adults from the community to help out the film set and the Haliburton County Development Corporation provided financial support.

It’s been quite a year so far for the filmmaker and her cast and crew.

The 10-minute short about Second World War female pilots had its international premiere in India in late 2020.

Campbell said, “I’m definitely enjoying the film festival tour so far. Very proud of our team. And it’s great to have such interest in the project from different corners of the world.”

Shopping the film to festivals was the first step in a much larger project to eventually produce a miniseries, Campbell told The Highlander in the fall. It’s been more than a decade of interviewing, travelling, writing and researching to get to this stage, she added.

Being from Haliburton, it was important for her to include the County in the production. Tammy Rea is one of the producers and Anabelle Craig, Joey Varga and Hannah Sadlier helped on set. The Haliburton County Folk Society and Nick Russell assisted with the soundtrack.

Campbell said she’s very excited to share the film and everyone’s hard work with the world, and ready for the next Boundless adventure.

The project was inspired by her grandmother, Betty Greply (nee Ward), who became a pilot to conquer her fear of heights in the 1950s at Buttonville Airport, flying with her husband. She was a member of the Ninety-Nines Flying Organization, which began in 1929, and for which Amelia Earhart was a president.

Dini Petty plays the older version of the lead character, Betty. The Canadian broadcast icon was the first woman in the world to pilot a helicopter while broadcasting over the radio at the age of 23.

“My grandmother and Dini flew out of Buttonville at the same time in the late 60s and early 70s,” Campbell, who is a student pilot and member of the Ninety-Nines, added.

Between 1942 and 1944, more than 1,000 female pilots flew a collective 60 million miles in service in a specialized training program to free the male pilots for battle. The program was based out of Sweetwater, Texas and was headed by famed aviatrix Jaquiline Cochran.

Campbell said, “As the war was ending, the women were abruptly disbanded, denied military status, shamed for taking the jobs of men returning from war, and were forced to pay their own way home.

“It’s a really important untold story that was not in our history books, so being able to share this education is significant.” Boundless continues to gain altitude

So far, the film has won:

• Gold award – The Spotlight Short Film Awards in Atlanta Georgia.

• Best story, best costume design, best production design at the Women’s International Film Festival in Massachusetts.

• Best cinematography award for a war film and best cinematography award annual nomination at the Cinematography Awards – London, UK.

• Best director at the London Director Awards – London, UK.

• Remi award at Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival.

• Best super short film – International World Photography Awards – Slovakia.

• Best narrative short – Toronto Women International Film Festiva.l

• Best director – French Riviera Film Festival.

Updates can be found on the Boundless Film Facebook page and on Instagram @boundlessfilm or @ A scene from Boundless. Photo by Hannah katecampbellfilmmaker

Spotlighting the best in Haliburton Highlands business

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Lisa Gervais

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July 22, 2021

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Did an organization, business, business owner or employee exceed your expectations last year?

You can recognize and spread the word about that excellence by nominating them for a Countywide award.

Nominations are open for the Business and Community Achievement Awards presented annually by the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s important to get the word out there about the amazing organizations, businesses, and individuals that enrich our community,” said executive director Amanda Conn.

“Especially with the difficulties that so many businesses and our community as a whole have experienced [during the COVID-19 pandemic], it’s essential to recognize the work, innovation, and commitment our local businesses, organizations, and individuals have shown. We all want to hear stories of those who have thrived, innovated, and made the lives of others better.”

Award categories include Innovation & Creativity, Customer First – Employee, Customer First – Business, Skilled Trades & Industry, Tourism & Hospitality, Business Achievement, New Business of the Year, Not-For-Profit of the Year, Young Professional of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and Highlander of the Year.

This year’s awards presentation gala will be held virtually. Details will be announced when finalized.

For awards information and to submit nominations, go to haliburtonchamber.com/ nominations-now-open-for-the-businesscommunity-achievement-awards/. To arrange for offline nominations, email Conn at ed@haliburtonchamber.com or call the office at 705-457-4700.

Nominations close July 29 at 4 p.m.

Mould problems keep Dorset rec centre closed

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Lisa Gervais

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July 22, 2021

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Despite relaxed COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the Dorset Recreation Centre will remain closed until further notice following the discovery that mould and moisture issues are more extensive than originally determined.

In a report to Algonquin Highlands council at the July 15 regular council meeting, AH staff noted that testing by an environmental consultant in March found mould on some basement surfaces. A remediation company was hired to address it, but test results on May 27 showed slightly elevated mould counts.

AH staff conducted further investigations on May 28 and found additional mould in the basement washrooms and changerooms. Staff removed the affected materials and the remediation company deep-cleaned those areas. Test results received July 6 indicated mould counts were still elevated. The remediation company recommended carpet removal downstairs and upstairs and additional cleaning.

While the environmental consultant had advised that the mould issue was caused by water filtration through the foundation and a pipe leak in the ceiling, staff reported that the latest discovery indicated those were not the only sources. Frequent ice damming on the roof has caused water to enter the building in the past, so on July 7 staff cut holes in ceilings and walls in the affected locations, finding mould in several areas.

Staff reported that $19,000 has been spent on the mould issue to date, excluding any restorations, and that the full financial impact of a final resolution is unknown, but will be substantial.

Council approved the staff recommendation that professional services be procured to assess the building and provide guidance to resolve the mould and moisture issues, and that a proposed HVAC works project be put on hold until the mould issues have been addressed.