The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) said on April 14 it will not proceed with the establishment of a new conservation reserve in Haliburton County’s Milburn Kendrick area.

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust had expressed interest in creating an 8,500-hectare reserve in part of the area in its Highlands Corridor.

However, this past Monday, the ministry informed interested parties “the Crown lands included in this proposal will continue to be managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).”

They added information about current uses for the area can be found on the Crown Land Use Policy Atlas.

“Stakeholder input is important to us, and we are committed to engaging with affected communities to ensure all voices are heard in conservation discussions. And future proposals for new protected areas under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act 2006 will include public and indigenous consultation on the proposed boundaries, land uses and permissible activities,” Kirsten Service of the MECP said.

John Davidson, of Wilberforce, helped create the Citizens for Crown Land Protection (CCLP) group. It quickly formed after hearing about the Land Trust proposal and held a packed open house at the Haliburton Legion March 23.

Davidson said on April 16, “I think they (the ministry) listened to the input from the public and made the right decision.”

County meeting not needed

He said he was proud of residents “who were so willing to take part and learn about it and take the action needed.”

Davidson attributed a quick decision to their efforts, saying they had been in contact with the MECP and various organizations “from the minute we started.”

The group has maintained management of public lands must remain vested in provincial and local governments, “and not be directed by any special interest group.” They opposed redesignating huge blocks of public land from general use Crown land to conservation reserve. They added the area is significant due to good stewardship by MNRF, MECP and municipalities. They felt a conservation reservation manager would have extraordinary powers under the Ontario Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, “not in the public interests of the population, the economy, and general public.”

Land Trust board chair, Todd Hall, said on April 16, “the provincial decision not to proceed with the conservation reserve designation is regrettable. In such an ecologically-sensitive area, this level of protection makes a big difference. We were not alone in a wish to ensure that generations to come could enjoy recreation in this special place. We thank the Bancroft Minden Forest Company, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, and the many citizens who enthusiastically supported HHLT’s conservation efforts.”

The County of Haliburton said Monday that as a result of the decision, a rescheduled public meeting by the County regarding the reserve has been cancelled.

On March 26, the County organized a public meeting to provide an opportunity for the public to present comments to County council regarding the proposal, which would then be summarized and forwarded to the MECP as feedback.

That meeting was postponed that morning due to a medical emergency, with a plan to reschedule. On April 14, the County said the meeting is no longer required.

Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter said downtown Minden is not out of the woods yet when it comes to the potential for flooding.

“We’re going to be on flood watch right through to next weekend. It’s not over at that point, but that’s our critical time,” he said April 14.

He said while warming temperatures are maximizing snow melt in the County, “north of here, we still have significant snowpack. Even if it isn’t a lot of snow, it’s very dense. It’s got a lot of water in it.”

He said Parks Canada is shifting water through the system.

Carter said, “we thought it was going to be this past Monday and Tuesday’s (April 14-15) weather event. It’s actually going to be the weather at the end of this week.” Environment Canada is calling for rain April 18 and 19.

That said, the mayor added if the weather forecast holds true with minimal precipitation, “we’ll be able to get through this.”

He said the key thing is the amount of precipitation and where it falls.

“If it happens in Minden and Gull Lake, we’ve got no problems. If it happens on Kennisis, then we’ve got problems.”

He added the Burnt River is in decent shape, with water levels going down, and low precipitation numbers.

“It’s the Gull River, so it’s downtown Minden, unfortunately.”

Ice storm update

Carter said in the aftermath of the ice storm, there is “virtually full restoration of power” except for people who have cottages on islands. With the ice, he said Hydro One can’t get to those properties. “There are a lot of places where poles are still down that they can’t access even with their equipment.”

He added the township did wellness checks last week, “but almost in all cases they are cottages or people who have left.” For example, he encountered an older woman who told him she had temporarily left her house and moved in with her daughter.

On April 14, the township essentially wound up its warming centre, but were still offering people showers if needed.

They have been offering free brush dumping at Scotch Line landfill, and Chelsea Cosh, manager of waste facilities said they have had 1,590 cubic yards of brush come since April 1.

Carter added the township and County of Haliburton are still doing road cleanup.

“You can see the shoulders are still blocked, and then we have to figure out how and what we’re going to be able to do to help people with this brush and that’s going to take a lot of planning because you need equipment and manpower and chippers are dangerous, so it’s not like anybody can be doing this and that’s going to be the big next stage.”

Highlands East prefers “the carrot to the stick” when it comes to its shor=tterm rental bylaw, but junior planner Kim Roberts put operators on notice at a meeting April 8 that they will crack down on people who operate without licences.

She told council they had received 41 applications as of their meeting date last Tuesday. Some 22 have been approved, 10 rejected, and nine are pending. Roberts said the knock backs are due to either insufficient septic capacity, or building code infractions that are being followed up with by their building department.

In updating council on the bylaw, the junior planner said applications, and inquiries, have continued throughout February and March, and staff are working on finalizing the conditions of approval with a number of earlier applicants. She said the short-term rental licensing clerk has been providing outreach through social media and mass e-mail.

They have also noticed an increase in shoreline purchase applications, while encroachment agreements had also been flowing into the planning department as a result of the new bylaw.

Roberts noted first warning letters will be issued in two batches to property owners identified as being short-term rental operators, but who have not yet applied for licences; the first in the second week of April and the second in the first week of May. Actual enforcement of the new bylaw will begin June 1.

Coun. Angela Lewis asked what the township would say to short-term rental owners operating without a licence.

“We’re really encouraging folks to get their applications in,” Roberts said. “We are starting to more vigorously review where we’re seeing listings (and) revenue coming into short-term rentals. And the host compliance program actually scrapes a lot websites to post some of that information for us.

“So, we’re starting to see where folks are still actively renting, and we haven’t received something from them. Those folks are going to be the first ones to receive their warning letters. It’s always better to voluntarily comply and get your stuff in.”

Roberts added if anyone had concerns, they should contact planning staff. She said they’re trying to take an educational approach, “however, when June 1 comes along, unfortunately, if we have folks who are persistently not getting the information in to us, we will be having to issue orders and those orders may, and probably will, have administrative penalties attached to those.”

For example, she said every time someone is caught renting out without a licence, they can incur a $250 fine. She said the licence is $500 “so it’s much more affordable to start working through the process with us now.

“We’re doing our best to help people sort out situations where maybe they have concerns about shore road allowances or septic or things like that …it’s better to get started now versus us having to potentially shut you down which we’d really rather not do. We’d rather work with the public and operators. We’d rather use the carrot than the stick at this point so we really encourage folks to contact us if they have questions or concerns.”

The planner that the legal challenge to Tiny Township’s short-term rental licencing bylaw was heard in Superior Court and a decision was issued on March 24, upholding the legality of the bylaw in its totality.

Silver Beach resident Rick Perkins said he was jumping for joy when demolition of the neighbouring Wigamog Inn property began in April 2023. Now, with work at the site paused for the past two years, he notes many residents of the mostly-retired community have had enough.

The property, owned by Aurora Group, has been slated for demolition since mid-2022, with workers tearing down about a dozen of the property’s 36 accessory buildings between April and June of 2023.

The project has been on pause since then, with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) following up on reports of at-risk species being found at the site. Last year, the ministry confirmed the presence of endangered bats and the eastern hog-nosed snake, notifying Aurora Group of the need for further environmental studies before work can proceed.

Perkins said the Silver Beach board has been following the story closely, hoping for a resolution. With little recent movement, he said their patience is wearing thin.

“The number one responsibility this board has is the financial viability, safety and wellbeing of this community. This issue with the Wigamog is starting to impact those things,” Perkins told The Highlander.

Silver Beach has 59 properties, most of them occupied by seniors. Perkins said some who had planned to stay for a short time before moving into long-term care, or elsewhere, are now running into trouble when trying to sell.

He said prices are down about 10 per cent compared to the market, with many wouldbe buyers concerned about the state of the Wig.

“It’s a mess and everyone can see it. There’s no escaping it – many owners, the first thing they see when walking out their front door, is a big pile of debris from buildings that were torn down and left to rot,” Perkins, who lives close to the property line along William James Court, said.

Jimmy Roberts, who resides in a townhouse on Webb Circle, said he’s worried about the possible contaminants he and other residents may have been exposed to.

The roof of the one lodge completely caved in [over winter]. What sort of stuff has that thrown into the air? There has to have been asbestos in there given the age of the building… the paint is lead-based, what’s that doing? We’re worried it could be leaching into the ground, our water supply, even the lake,” Roberts said.

Perkins noted the community is on a well system that goes through a water treatment facility before entering people’s homes.

With the pause attributed to the possible presence of at-risk bats and snakes, Perkins said some residents are starting to feel like second-class citizens.

“We feel we’ve been relegated to the lesser issue, below some at-risk species… to say the crumbling buildings can’t be touched because they might be – not are, might be – home to bats and a snake that’s very populous in the U.S., it’s a bitter pill for us to swallow.”

Taking action

The Silver Beach group recently sent letters to Dysart et al council and MPP Laurie Scott calling for either party to step in and speed-up demolition.

Dysart mayor Murray Fearrey said the township has been trying to get the property cleaned up. Prior to Aurora Group starting demolition in 2023, council advised staff to put out a tender of its own having been embroiled in years-long debate over the property’s condition. Last fall, council again tried to take over tear down efforts, directing staff to apply for special approval with MECP.

Bylaw officer Hailey Cole told The Highlander April 15 an application was not submitted, despite the paper reporting in its March 13 edition, following a report from Cole to council, that one had been denied.

“Apologies for the misunderstanding… I had indicated the steps needed to complete the application could not be accomplished within the timeframe we had to work with,” Cole said.

It was estimated clean-up could cost the municipality around $800,000.

MECP spokesperson Lindsay Davidson indicated the ball remains in Aurora Group’s court.

“In accordance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act and prior to demolition activities, the property owner is required to determine whether any species at-risk or their habitat exist at or near the proposed activity, and whether the proposed activity is likely to contravene the act.

“In addition, a waste audit and reduction work plan, and a source separation program, which identifies the various on-site waste streams and recycling, reuse, and/or disposal options are required under Ontario regulations and Environmental Protection Act,” Davidson said.

Scott said MECP staff visite the site in September 2024 “to assess conditions and identify no significant environmental concerns on or off-site.”

She noted the ministry has confirmed the township, via it’s property standards bylaw can remove standing debris from already torn down buildings.

Fearrey said council is considering next steps, with a recent development requiring legal input. He said he could not elaborate by press time. Efforts to reach Aurora Group for comment were unsuccessful.

It’s a sunny spring afternoon as Wayne Krangle feeds firewood into his maple syrup evaporator at his property on Binscarth Road in Haliburton County.

Dressed in a camo cap, green shirt, khaki pants, with white suspenders, he walks around his production factory in boots with cleats as it’s still slippery with ice.

Three feeder lines carry sap from the many collection barrels on his property, coming from some 250 maple tree taps.

In a trailer by the evaporator, one can see a stereo, toaster oven and microwave because when the sap’s running, Krangle isn’t.

It’s the 16th tap for Krangle. It’s hard to know how much time and money he has put into it. But the profit is zero, since every botte of maple syrup he produces under Syrop for Soldiers goes to charity: Wounded Warriors Canada. He’ll likely top the $100,000 mark this year in sales on behalf of the registered Canadian charity that supports and assists wounded Canadian soldiers, and, in more recent years, police, fire and EMS personnel.

Krangle was recently awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal for his work.

“I didn’t do this for a medal,” he says, standing up after loading the wood-fired evaporator.

His son, Chuck Krangle, did a tour in Afghanistan, and went on to become a police officer. However, Krangle isn’t just doing this for his son.

A couple of years after Chuck came home from Afghanistan, he recommended his dad read Christie Blatchford’s book, Fifteen Days. In the book, Blatchford describes 15 battles she witnessed from the the inside of a Canadian tank.

“She talked about some of the carnage that our fellow country people have suffered because of being in battle; people with legs blown off, eyes out, half a brain. I’m a grown man and I never cry, but by the time I finished reading that book, I had tears in my eyes,” Krangle shares while seated in the trailer next to the evaporator.

He retired in 2009 to a property full of maples. He pondered making maple syrup. “I thought it would be very cool that if you poked a hole in a maple tree, and sap came out, and you got to make maple syrup, how special would that be?”

‘It’s magical’

He took a one-day course in Dorset in February 2010 offered by the Ministry of Natural Resources. At the end, he and a buddy concluded, “you have to be crazy to make maple syrup. There’s no money in this.” So, he put the idea on the backburner. But a couple of days later, at 2 a.m., he awoke to the thought of what if it wasn’t about making money, but for a purpose. Two days later, and another 2 a.m. thought of doing it for people that have been in the military and suffered; the very people Blatchford wrote about.

He asked Chuck for ideas, and his son suggested Wounded Warriors Canada.

The first year, Wayne tapped 40 trees, running around on a snowmobile with a generator, long extension cord, and an electric drill. “I was so excited the next morning to go and see my buckets.” He evaporated sap on a pan on a fire on a cement block in front of his house. But the wind kept putting the fire out. That Canada Day, he sold his first batch at a neighbourhood party.

y. The next year, he got bigger and better, buying an evaporator to service 250 taps. He began seasoning firewood. It’s grown from there.

He’s proud of the medal, but says he’s not about to march down Highland Street wearing it on his chest.

“I’ve always felt that Canada is the best country on the planet, and I’ve always felt that it’s been really good to me and my family, and I’ve always wanted to give back, and this is my way,” he says.

There’s something very peaceful, sitting here in the sun amid the trees, the sweet smell of sap being turned into liquid amber.

“It’s magical … a day like today, this is as good as it gets.” Krangle says. “I’ve been here in sleet, snow, fighting to keep the sap flowing through the tube. There is something really special about taking nature’s gift and making such a delicious product.”

ronically, Krangle did not know maple syrup prior to this; growing up in a house that had Bee Hive corn syrup. And, now, he’s made $100,000 worth of the stuff for Wounded Warriors Canada.

“That’s pretty cool and everybody loves maple syrup.”

Find out more at SyrupForSoldiers.com