JDH students prove inspirational at variety show

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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November 4, 2019

JQ - Variety show - 5-web — Annabelle Borgdorff sings “Umbrella” by Rihanna. Photo by Joseph Quigley

J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School students put on a friendly display of talent at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion with a 16-act variety show Oct. 24.

Dozens of students took the stage to sing, dance, act and even balance brooms in front of their families and other community members. The show was themed around friendship.

French immersion teacher Elizabeth Gordon said the school wanted to do another performance for the community after the success of its Honk Jr. musical in June.

“We wanted to give them another chance to shine on the stage and keep the high energy in the community,” Gordon said.

The acts came quickly throughout the hour-long show, featuring a range of both solo and group performances. Student Annabelle Borgdorff performed “Umbrella,” by Rihanna, complete with rain boots and an umbrella. She said she was nervous preparing but that changed once she got on stage.

“I am less nervous on stage in front of a whole bunch of people. So, I love performing, it just makes me really happy,” she said. “I love having people see what I can do.”

Freyja Neimann Rowe performed a dance routine alongside Ella Gervais and said it was a fun show to be part of.

“I like performing with my friends and being in front of a bunch of people,” Rowe said. The show finished with all of the acts taking to the stage for a big group dance.

Gordon said the students were eager to put on the show, displaying talents they practice outside of a school setting. That made the event easier to put on compared to a rehearsed musical.

“It just creates an excitement,” Gordon said. “I think doing some things through their schools helps them shine.

“We had an amazing audience turnout and the kids were high energy the whole time and performed the best I’ve ever seen them,” she added.

A declaration by any other name

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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November 4, 2019

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Is an emergency declaration by another name as impactful?

The answer appears to be “not quite,” based on some of the comments after county council opted not to declare a climate change emergency. Councillors said the timing was too soon, given their climate change plan is a way from completion. But the resolution they did pass fully recognizes climate change and its harms, as well as committing to address the issue.

Proving their ignorance, some deniers felt vindicated by the headline, not reading beyond it. Despite that, the resolution amounts to the same ongoing actions an emergency declaration would instigate. That’s fine as long as it’s not a sign of future hesitancy.

As a reporter, I do believe words matter and the county’s fearfulness here counts for something. It matters to both the deniers and the environmentalists. But the formality of a declaration now is not a big deal, considering the county already fully recognizes the issue and is working to address it. They will probably make the declaration
when they have a plan ready.

Declaring a climate change emergency would make no difference to what they are doing. Though the message would have been stronger, the declaration is unlikely to sway deniers. It amounts to little more than preaching to most of us who are already in the choir.

But what is cause for concern is the prevailing attitude of our leaders to take small steps, when the time for giant leaps is upon us.

There was no good reason not to declare an emergency. Climate change is undeniable and it’s a declaration hundreds of jurisdictions have already made. It would not have necessarily bound the municipality to any actions beyond what they are already doing. These declarations are important symbolic gestures but are not burdensome to places already committed to fighting climate change such as Haliburton.

Despite that, county council did a lot of hand-wringing about it. It is not unlike when Dysart et al council decided to delay banning Hydro One from using the toxic chemical Garlon for more than a year to give the company time to find alternatives.

But the municipality was well within its authority to implement the ban quickly and Hydro One is big enough to deal with that. The delay was unnecessary, as shown by how quickly Dysart council reinstated the ban, caving to pressure by cottagers.

Governments tend to change slowly. In most cases, it makes some sense. Checks and balances are important. The public should have the opportunity to give feedback, especially on big decisions.

But those important mechanisms are part of why governments have struggled so much with climate change. They were slow to fully recognize it, slow to start addressing it and are now slow in bringing in the radical changes needed. These changes and plans should have begun decades ago.

Major transformation takes time. But where climate change is concerned, we do not have much more time to give.

When it really counts, I hope our leaders are more willing to take bold stances in future.

Police charge three in drug ring investigation

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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November 1, 2019

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OPP-web — Police have arrested three people in connection with an ongoing investigation into a theft and drug ring. File photo.

Haliburton Highlands OPP has laid a total of 21 charges against three people as part of an ongoing investigation into a theft and drug ring.

In a Nov. 1 press release, Haliburton Highlands OPP said detectives with its community street crime unit are investigating suspects in a multi-jurisdictional theft and drug operation.

Police arrested and charged three locals in connection with the investigation so far.

“Since September 2019, police have been piecing together information regarding thefts and drugs connecting Haliburton County, Muskoka and Bancroft areas,” the press release said.

Police have also recovered items as part of the investigation, including skid steers, trailers, boats and snowmobiles.

The press release said the 38-year-old Sean Peter Martin of Minden Hills has been charged with two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and three counts of possessing a controlled substance – two for codeine, one for cocaine.

The 42-year-old David Jonathan Mongrain of Dysart et al is charged with two counts of theft under $5,000, four counts of theft over $5,000, possessing property obtained by crime under $5,000, possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000 and possessing a controlled substance (cocaine).

The 28-year-old Shelby Lorraine Montgomery of Minden Hills was charged with two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, possessing property obtained by crime over $5,000 and three counts of possessing a controlled substance – two for codeine, one for cocaine.

Police said the accused are scheduled to make separate first appearances at the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay.

Anyone with information about the thefts or suspects involved with the ring is asked to contact the Haliburton Highlands OPP detachment at (705)286-1431 or the provincial communication centre at (888)-310-1222. You can also contact Crime Stoppers at (800)-222-8477 or www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

Gooderham residents uncle survived tragedy

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 31, 2019

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LG-JIFF follow up .jpg WEB — Brendan Fletcher, left, plays Arthur Lambden in the film.

Gooderham’s Marilyn Rowe plans to be front and centre during Sunday’s screening of Haliburton International Film Festival’s Brotherhood. Her uncle, Arthur H. Lambden, was one of only four survivors of the 1926 canoe tragedy on Balsam Lake that claimed the lives of 11.

Lambden was one of the camp directors who set out with the boys from the Brotherhood of St. Andrew’s in Toronto in a war canoe destined for Coboconk. However, a freak storm came up and capsized the boat.

Rowe said Lambden, who passed away in 1989 at the age of 92, “hated to talk about” the events of that harrowing day and night but did, and “it was a family conversation all the time, we always reflect on this.”

The Highlands East resident said she did her own research at Trinity College in Galt, Ontario and attended an 80th anniversary commemorative mass in Kirkfield in 2006. She also has her uncle’s memoirs, which detail the event, including them all hanging on to the gunwales.

“He told me he went under [the water] three times. The third time he saw St. Peter at the gate. He said, ‘I told him I did not want to enter’.” Rowe said Lambden struggled to find the courage to fight and survived.

According to a story in the Toronto Star at the time, Lambden is quoted as saying, “The boys dropped off one by one as their strength failed them. They went to their death without a whimper and to the last unselfishly trying to help the other fellow.”

Rowe said her uncle’s faith got him through the ordeal and his faith helped him in the aftermath of the tragedy for the rest of his life.

Rowe described her uncle as a “phenomenal person … he was a marvelous person all through his life.” She added “he was very athletic, and a brilliant person, who had been invited to go to Cambridge.”

She said she wants to see the film as, “I am interested to see how people who were not involved in it have taken on that story.”

In addition to Brotherhood – which is also being shown Saturday with director Richard Bell in attendance as well as some cast members – the lineup has another seven films over the Nov. 1-3 weekend.

Celebrating community

HIFF spokeswoman Tammy Rea said, “Sometimes we don’t know what the theme of HIFF is until we are half-way through, but this year it was quite clear. Through these seven films we are celebrating community – our community – our connection to each other, whether we are family, neighbours, or sharing a lake. Here, we are a community where a firefighter, EMS paramedic, or police officer has a good chance of knowing the person they are helping.”

Rea said they love hosting HIFF because it is an intimate journey through seven films with 220 of their closest friends.

“This year, as our patrons will see, Canadian films have come of age and we are excited to be showing four. The first is a comedy for the whole family and the last is a drama about recluses who enjoy living in nature. Antigone is Canada’s entry to the Oscars for best foreign language film, and Saturday night is a powerful drama about a canoe accident on Balsam Lake in 1926 that a lot are really looking forward to.”

She said the community theme will be obvious on screen and also in their lobby with the Lions Club providing snacks for the event.

“Stories move us with their intimacies and vulnerabilities. They help us empathize. HIFF has been a wonderful weekend full of a wide array of emotions and this just may be why people line up and want to be part of it,” Rea said.

For more on this weekend’s HIFF, see Haliburton-movies.com

Walking the line between beauty and destruction

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 31, 2019

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LG-agnes jamieson artist 1.jpg WEB — Artist Julie Sperling stands with her Pangea artwork at the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden.

A mosaic artist, who “moonlights” as a public servant with Environment and Climate Change Canada, has brought the latest exhibition to the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden.

Julie Sperling’s “By Our Own Hands” is a commentary on the Anthropocene era, “where humans are the driving force now shaping the planet … not in a good way,” she said during an artist’s talk last Friday night.

Mosaic artists traditionally use stone, glass and ceramics in their work, but Sperling said she likes to forage for contemporary materials. They tie in well with her climate change-themed work.

“Anything is fair game for me … it could be my recycling bin, it could be the side of the street, it could be the lakeshore. That I find much more inspiring than going to the store and buying a tile or going to the store and buying a marble,” she said.

She incorporates her finds into her mosaics along with traditional materials. For example, one work features an upside-down whale skeleton made completely of plastic and a bit of a can of spam.

Her main piece, which looks like Pangea (pictured above) is made of pieces contributed from people around the world. She said the intent was to get people to share things of significance to them because she wanted to “talk about those relationships and social bonds to help us weather what’s coming for us.”

Because of the detail in each work, Sperling said people like to spend time with her mosaics. She said her superpower is that, “I can make you slow down and interact with it. I get to create things for you to explore on so many different levels.”

She added that because she knows people spend time with her work and that it covers important subjects, “I try to walk this line between beauty and destruction. And I try not to be to be too aggressive in my work. I don’t want to turn you off, I want to draw you into this calm looking piece until you really interact with it and you realize something is a little amiss, a little bit kind of unsettling. That’s the tension I try to create and where we can have some interesting conversations.”

Gallery curator Laurie Carmount said, “There’s just so much more going on with them … and I think people are really taken by them.”

More time to share the warmth as campaign extended

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 31, 2019

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LG-share the warmth 1 - horizontal.jpg WEB — Margee Shelly stands amidst winter clothing and apparel at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Minden.

Margee Shelly stands in St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Minden, surrounded by winter clothing. There are coats, boots, toques and mitts. There are also lined pants, snow pants and warm wooly sweaters.

She’d just as soon see the room empty, though.

The SIRCH program co-ordinator is in the middle of not just clothes, but the annual Share the Warmth campaign. An initiative of SIRCH Community Services, it helps families and seniors stay warm all winter by distributing free coats and winter outerwear.

Organizers announced last week that the collection period has been extended to Nov. 11. They’ve already had two giveaway days, last Thursday in Minden and this past Saturday in Haliburton.

“It’s been on and off,” Shelly told The Highlander on Oct. 24. “Quite a bit is going out the door, actually. There’s families picking up things for other families, for friends, or sisters or other kids so this is fabulous.”

She said that up to now, they haven’t received as many children’s coats and accessories as they’d like, but she’s also aware that local families often swap clothing.

However, she is putting out a call for more donated children’s clothing and boots. She added they’ll take anything, always looking for various sizes. They also want snow pants. But, “We will take anything that’s meant for winter.”

A woman strolls up with a bag full of items.“I’ve got two coats, nine socks and two mitts,” the woman says. “Thank you.” As Shelly writes the items in a ledger, she tells the woman to “take a coffee or hot chocolate if you want.”

Shelly says the reaction to the giveaway has been very positive.

She said two couples showed up at 9 a.m. with big families with children and grandchildren.

“The one particular couple, the gentleman who came in, he was over the moon, ‘oh my goodness, thank you so much’.”

Another woman strolls up and says, “I think a lot of people have a hard time coming,” due to stigma. She knew of a family in need so came to shop for them.

If you would like to contribute, bring clean, gently used coats and outerwear to Haliburton Foodland, Todd’s Independent, Algonquin Outfitters, or SIRCH (49 Maple Ave., second floor).

You can also drop off your items in Minden at Dollo’s Foodland, Easton’s ValuMart and St. Paul’s Anglican Church.

Items are being accepted until Nov. 11.

In addition, two more giveaway days will take place in November (dates and locations to be announced). For more information call SIRCH at 705-457-1742.

A good week for local government

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 31, 2019

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Municipal staff and politicians must be feeling a bit of whiplash after a string of provincial government announcements in the past week or so.

No doubt they will all affect upper and lower-tier government here, although it might take some time to figure out what it all means. But local government is starting to get used to it. It’s the Ford government way.

First off, the Conservatives announced Oct. 25 that Ontario taxpayers are providing up to $143 million to municipalities to help them lower costs and improve services for local residents over the long term. According to Ontario News, money will be made available to all 444 municipalities so they can find smarter, more efficient ways to operate and focus spending on vital programs and services for Ontarians.

Wait a minute, you say. Didn’t they already do that? Well, yes, they did, back on May 21. The County of Haliburton got $725,000; Dysart et al and Minden $542,255 each; Algonquin Highlands $532,292, and Highlands East $534,469. Incidentally, little of that money has been spent to date.

The government said it will extend two application-based funding streams; one for small and rural municipalities, and one for large urban governments. So, it looks like our municipalities are going to do quite well out of this.

Another big announcement was that the province says it’s decided against pursuing a so-called ‘top-down approach’ to regional government review following a months-long probe. We’re really not talking about smallish governments like ours, though. The original, Jan. 15, 2019, announcement was referring to a review of Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District, Oxford County, and the County of Simcoe — and their lower-tier municipalities.

What we will say, however, is this – not having a top-down approach should in no way be construed as the province backing down from its intention to streamline local government. With the County of Haliburton already embarking upon a review of government services at both the upper and lower tier level, this should be an impetus to continue that work.

At the end of the day, both announcements don’t really affect the local investigation all that much – other than to give councillors and staff a little breathing room to find a made-in-Haliburton County solution – and a little bit more money.

The other announcements that didn’t get as much play in the media are of more immediate importance to local government. The Ford government announced that the 2020 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund will have the same structure as this year and provide a total of $500 million to 389 municipalities across the province. It gives treasurers some degree of certainly as they prepare draft budgets.

Even better, Ontario will launch a consultation with municipalities about whether to align the municipal and provincial fiscal year. To us, this is a no-brainer. We have seen municipalities struggle to set budgets not knowing what the province is going to chip in until the spring of each year.

Further, the province is proposing to eliminate duplication by combining the provincial and municipal voters’ lists, giving Elections Ontario the responsibility of managing the updated list and taking the burden off of municipalities.

All in all, despite the whiplash, local government should be feeling good about the past week.

Physicians warn community of cannabis risks

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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October 31, 2019

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JQ - Cannabis talk - 1 — Pediatrician Peter Hughes speaks to an audience at the Haliburton County Youth Hub about cannabis Oct. 23. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Medical professionals cautioned Haliburton residents about the risks of cannabis consumption during a series of presentations Oct. 23.

Peterborough’s cannabis and youth clinical information team visited the Haliburton County Youth Hub to discuss cannabis and its effects. The presentation highlighted how the drug functions, its impacts and the longterm health risks for youth consumption.

Minden’s Dr. Nell Thomas organized the presentation. She said she is concerned about her patients abusing cannabis and wanted to counter some of the positive publicity the drug received after its 2018 legalization.

“We were concerned the message was only positive and marketing was overwhelming and the consumption of cannabis was being encouraged … we need to have some cautions,” Thomas said. “If the people in the medical field don’t provide words of caution, then I think we’re not doing our jobs.”

Pediatrician Dr. Peter Hughes said research on the health impacts of cannabis is limited due to its previous illegality. He described its psychoactive impacts, which can cause short-term memory loss, shorter attention span and poorer coordination. He further said although it affects the mind, people over the age of 25 are better able to recover.

“If you stop (using cannabis), you bounce right back almost right to base level,” Hughes said. “If you start doing this early in your adolescence … you are going to get lasting and permanent problems.”

Retired family physician Dr. Tom Bell talked about what drives youth to try cannabis, noting peer pressure, media influence and intense life issues as reasons. He recommended parents have open conversations with their kids about drugs and provide facts.

He added it is important to address the root issues which might drive someone to try cannabis.

“Focus is on harm reduction and sharing information,” Bell said. “Not punishing and not being critical of the child. You’re concerned, you have information that is worrisome and you’d like to see changes made.”

Youth Abe Churko attended the presentation and told the audience dialogue with family was important to keep kids from abusing the drug.

“Open dialogue with parents is super important,” Churko said. “I notice kids who were doing a lot definitely had bad home lives.”

The event attracted an audience of fewer than 20 people.

“I’m a little disappointed the teachers didn’t show up,” Thomas said. “Other than that, I think it was a good opportunity for people to talk.

“There’s so much money to be made,” she added. “We have vulnerable people, that many of them will get in trouble.”

Body found in sunken truck

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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October 30, 2019

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Haliburton Highlands OPP is investigating after locating a deceased person inside a pickup truck submerged in Kushog Lake.

In a press release, the detachment said police were called to investigate a missing person in Algonquin Highlands Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. Police patrolled Highway 35 and the surrounding area to search for the person.

The missing person’s truck was found submerged in the lake the next morning around Ox Narrows by a family member, at approximately 8:30 a.m.

“OPP members from the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (USRU) attended and confirmed the deceased person inside the vehicle and assisted with the removal,” the release said.

The investigation is ongoing. The section of Highway 35 around the scene was closed as of Oct. 30 at 3:30 p.m. while OPP members trained in collision reconstruction were on scene. The scene was cleared and the highway open again by approximately 5:30 p.m.

The deceased was transported to the Ontario Forensic Pathology Unit in Toronto, pending a post-mortem examination, the press release said.

The deceased person’s name is withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The Highlander will provide more information as it is made available.

Parkside Laundry robbed, $15K in damages

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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October 29, 2019

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JQ - OPP briefs - 2-web — Parkside Laundry owner Craig Gordon said he is disappointed after his establishment was robbed Oct. 22. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Haliburton Highlands OPP is investigating after a break-and-enter at the Parkside Laundry in Dysart et al, which caused approximately $15,000 in damages.

In a press release, OPP said the suspect(s) entered the business Oct. 22 by prying open a side door. Once inside, the thieves stole an amount of cash from a bill changer.

Owner Craig Gordon said he is disappointed.

“We go out of our way to make sure there are conveniences for people to have at the laundromat,” Gordon said. “When there’s vandalism like that, it’s hard.”

Gordon said the damage amount racked up from fixing doors and replacing the bill changer. Although insurance will cover part of the cost, they are still out “quite a bit of money,” as well as time. They also plan to upgrade the security system.

Customers will also have to go without the bill changer for three weeks until a new one can be delivered.

“We did have to think long and hard about whether we even wanted to put a bill changer back in there,” Gordon said. “We don’t think it’s fair that the community or patrons that use the laundromat get penalized because one idiot decided to rob us.”

“It really kind of feels like a punch in the stomach when this happens,” Gordon said. “We live in a small town that we think we can be immune from a lot of the big city crime. When this happens, it’s a little disheartening.”

OPP said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact Haliburton Highlands OPP at 705-286-1431, the provincial communication centre at 888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers at ontariocrimestoppers.ca or 800-222-8477.

Man charged with impaired driving

Peterborough County OPP arrested and charged an Algonquin Highlands man with operating a vehicle while impaired.

In a press release, OPP said the detachment stopped a vehicle at a RIDE (reduce impaired driving everywhere) program check Oct. 26 at approximately 7 p.m. OPP said they found the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

The 46-year-old Jose Ramos of Algonquin Highlands is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on the charge Nov. 28.

(OPP news compiled by Joseph Quigley)