County library CEO puts career on the shelf

By

-

May 1, 2021

JQ - Library resignation - 1 — Haliburton County Public Library CEO Bessie Sullivan is resigning and will depart from the role May 31. File photo.

The Haliburton County Public Library (HCPL) will have a new head as CEO Bessie Sullivan is resigning. The library board announced the departure April 22.

Sullivan served 12 years with HCPL, heading it while also acting as board secretary/treasurer. Sullivan said she was making the transition due to her health.

“I believe that an organization can only thrive with a leader for so long and then it is time for a change. Due to COVID-19 and some health issues, I have been prompted to make that change,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan was on long-term leave for months, with some of her duties filled by others. Acting CEO Anna Babluck said she was hired on a six-month contract to hold the position for the leave before Sullivan opted to resign.

In a press release, the board said HCPL won several awards under Sullivan’s leadership, including the Angus Mowat Award of Excellence (2012) for the Celebrity Readers Program, the Ontario Public Library Association Leadership in Adult Readers Advisory Award (2015) and the Ontario Public Library Association New Library Building Award (2016) for the Wilberforce branch.

“Bessie has transitioned Haliburton County’s library services into an enviable and well-respected system that serves many people in a range of needs and interests,” the board said. “The board and staff wish Bessie all the best in her future endeavours and thank her for her dedication and commitment to the community.”

Sullivan also led the transition to curbside service at the start of the pandemic. All HCPL branches are now operating using curbside pickup during the provincial lockdown, with none open for public entry.

Babluck said she is assuming all of Sullivan’s former duties. She said over the next six months, the board’s main goal is to refresh its strategic plan. She said she moved from northern B.C but grew up in Ontario in the Ottawa Valley and has family in Minden.

“HCPL looked like a fantastic library to work for. I know they do a lot of good work in the community and it gave me the opportunity to come back and see if moving to Ontario was the right move,” Babluck said.

Sullivan, whose last day is May 31, said it was a pleasure to work alongside the board in furthering HCPL.

“The growth of the library is a culmination of their work, an engaged staff, and an interested public,” she said. “Although I am sad to be leaving, I am looking forward to some new challenges.”

Committee debates renaming Sam Slick Park

By

Lisa Gervais

-

May 1, 2021

0

JQ - Sam slick - 2 — Dysart et al is holding committee discussions on whether to rename Sam Slick Park due to the racism associated with its namesake. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Dysart et al took steps to confront the legacy of Sam Slick Park’s namesake as the cultural resources committee debated whether to rename it.

The municipal committee discussed the controversial figure April 22, coming to no decision but opting to create a subcommittee to make recommendations. The name garnered attention last year when a Nova Scotia town removed Sam Slick iconography. That was due to the alleged racism present in the character’s book, The Clockmaker.

Thomas Chandler Haliburton, the namesake for the County and village, created the character, with Slick’s stories compiled in The Clockmaker. It originated many famous sayings but has faced modern criticism for using the N-word and questionable depictions, such as an escaped slave longing for his former servitude.

Committee member Kate Butler said there is an opportunity to educate people on the issue.

“Talk about the fact that we don’t see things in the same way anymore. We’ve learned a lot. We’ve grown a lot,” Butler said, adding the original intention of the park’s name was to harken to Thomas Chandler Haliburton and his work.

The Rotary Club of Haliburton originally created and named Sam Slick Park, situated across from Haliburton Highlands Secondary School. A plaque at the location discusses that history.

Mayor Andrea Roberts said she read halfway through The Clockmaker but was not necessarily convinced a renaming is needed.

“It’s muddy water and I personally can’t relate to it because that’s not my lived experience and I’m trying to be as open-minded as possible,” Roberts said. “What is the message we’re sending to our community right now? While I read some of it, I still have no more conclusive answer to make that decision that we should not call it Sam Slick Park anymore.”

The committee discussed adding a secondary plaque to further contextualize the name.

“We’re aware of it and we need to deal with it in some way,” committee member Jim Blake said. “We don’t need to have any complaints to be progressive and move ahead.”

Member Shelley Schell said the municipality should address the issue, but she was concerned about removing history.

“What is correct and what is culturally appropriate changes as times go by,” Schell said. “A qualifying or a disclaiming statement would address the issue and that would relay current sensitivity but not eradicate history.”

Member Anna Babluck said she would like to rename the park but have a plaque explaining the history and former name.

“When we know better, we do better,” Babluck said. “Characters matter and what we choose to celebrate and portray, even if it’s certainly accurate, it matters. And it reflects on us and our values.”

Dysart overhauling landfill hours, upping fees

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 30, 2021

0

JQ - Haliburton landfill overhaul - 1 — Many tonnes of compostable waste end up in municipal landfills around Haliburton. File.

Dysart et al is introducing changes to its landfill hours and practices starting May 1.

The changes affect all five of Haliburton’s landfills and are being introduced with the start of summer hours. Ratepayers will be able to drop off three bags of garbage in clear bags per week at no cost, with each additional bag costing $2. Garbage in opaque bags is $2, but recycling in clear bags remains unlimited.

Staff expect the hourly changes, based on traffic counts, to save Dysart more than $17,000 annually. The new hours include keeping all landfills open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays and holiday Mondays in the summer, in a bid to allow cottagers to dispose of waste later in the day before departing after weekends.

	Haliburton	Harcourt	Kennisis Lake	West Bay	West Guilford
SUMMER HOURS (May 1 to September 30)
Mon	Closed	9 to 1	Closed	Closed	8 to 5
Tues	Closed	9 to 1	Closed	Closed	8 to 5
Wed	8 to 5	Closed	10 to 5	10 to 5	Closed
Thu	8 to 5	Closed	10 to 5	Closed	Closed
Fri	8 to 5	8 to 5	10 to 5	Closed	8 to 5
Sat	8 to 5	10 to 5	10 to 5	10 to 5	8 to 5
Sun	11 to 7	11 to 7	11 to 7	11 to 7	11 to 7
*Holiday Mon*	11 to 7	11 to 7	11 to 7	11 to 7	11 to 7
WINTER HOURS (October 1 to April 30)
Mon	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	8 to 5
Tue	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	8 to 5
Wed	8 to 5	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed
Thu	8 to 5	9 to 2	10 to 5	10 to 5	Closed
Fri	8 to 5	Closed	Closed	Closed	8 to 5
Sat	8 to 5	Closed	Closed	Closed	8 to 5
Sun	10 to 5	12 to 5	10 to 5	10 to 5	10 to 5
*Holiday Mon*	10 to 5	12 to 5	10 to 5	10 to 5	10 to 5

A chart featuring the new hours at Dysart et al’s landfills. Information via Dysart et al.

Other changes include upping fees for construction and demolition waste from $50 per cubic yard to $60. If the waste contains garbage or recycling, the cost is up from $100 per cubic yard to $120. The waste is accepted only a Haliburton, Harcourt and West Guilford landfills. The landfills will not accept asbestos, asbestos-containing materials, soil or large demolition projects.

The municipality is also adding fees to yard waste, also accepted at Haliburton, Harcourt and West Guilford landfills. Yard waste in paper bags is $2 per bag. Loose yard waste under one cubic yard is $15, while over one cubic yard will be $30. Brush remains at $50 per cubic yard. Landfills will not accept yard waste in plastic bags.

The changes were approved by Dysart et al council at its March 23 meeting.

Forest boss to head provincial organization

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 29, 2021

0

Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve managing director Malcolm Cockwell has been appointed president of Forests Ontario.

The not-for-profit organization made the announcement April 21.

The Haliburton resident is replacing outgoing president and chair, Steve Hounsell, who’ll remain on the board of directors.

Some of the issues tackled by his predecessor, and board, in a 13-year-period included a battle against climate change and biodiversity loss.

“I am very excited to be moving into this role,” Cockwell said.

“Forests Ontario performs critical work as the voice of our forests, and this work is more important now than ever before. I look forward to supporting the dedicated, talented staff at Forests Ontario over the coming years as president and chair.”

Cockwell told The Highlander he’s been involved in Forests Ontario for quite a while as a director, and he has been consistently impressed by the productivity of the CEO and his team, especially when it comes to forest restoration and forest education. He said that supporting their work in his new capacity as chair and president will be an honour.

“The forest education piece is especially important these days,” he said. “The pandemic initially pulled people inside, but now it is pushing people outside: we’re seeing more and more people exploring the natural environment in Ontario. Making sure those people have healthy forests to visit – and that they are knowledgeable about how forests are managed – is critical.”

Cockwell added that alongside every other forest manager or forest user in Ontario, Haliburton Forest benefits from the work that Forests Ontario does to advance forest restoration, public forestry education, treeplanting logistics, and more.

“I would go as far as saying that anybody that appreciates the health of Ontario’s forests probably also appreciates the work of Forests Ontario – and my colleagues and I at Haliburton Forest are in that club,” he said.

Cockwell is well known in the Highlands for managing the multi-use private land stewardship company responsible for more than 100,000 acres in central Ontario.

He oversees the integrated forest products division, and the tourism and recreation division. He is also a registered professional forester and is the Forest’s representative at the Ontario Forest Industries Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Toronto, and is a PhD candidate at the same institution’s Faculty of Forestry. Cockwell also serves as the chairman of Acadian Timber Corp.

Forests Ontario is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to re-greening the province through the support of tree planting, forest restoration, stewardship, education and awareness.

Through Forest Recovery Canada, they say they “promote Canada’s greatest natural resource – our forests – because healthy forests sustain healthy communities and healthy economies. Forests Ontario is the voice of our forests.”

Jeepers, new owners at Ray’s

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 29, 2021

0

It may be called Ray’s Place, but Ray has left the building and new owners Scott and Kate Boesveld are looking forward to their first summer season at the popular jeep and ATV playground.

The Boesvelds took ownership on Oct. 29, 2020.

Kate Boesveld said former owner Ray Gervais decided to sell and move on, buying a home in Haliburton and working at a local grocery store.

She said she and Scott always talked about owning a campground. They bought a Jeep about six years ago and camped and off-roaded with friends, and eventually with kids, each year at different locations.

They decided to rent the Ray’s Place bunkies in May 2019 with their friends and kids and “joked about owning the place when we heard it was for sale.”

Then, COVID hit.

At the time, Scott was an industrial electrician and project manager and Kate a fitness instructor and personal trainer who also worked for her parents.

She said she and Scott talked about how much they wanted to work together.

“Both of us come from hard working family businesses, his mom and dad owned a boarding kennel and my parents own greenhouses and sell custom potted flowers for wholesale clients.

“We both prayed and had many people praying for us on our next steps to buying Ray’s place. We had to apply for loans, sell our rental house and home in Cambridge, and make the hard decision to move away from our family and friends.

“We felt God leading us here and encouraging us towards this new adventure and to bless others with our gifts and passion of Jeeping, ATVing and our enjoyment of the great outdoors.”

Kate said they have plans for the place just south of Minden but it all depends on finances during the prolonged pandemic. They are also new parents to a second child, who arrived in January 2021.

That said, Kate added, “We would like to expand our seasonal sites, update rooms and the public washroom, create a full-time kitchen for room service amenities, add more trees to the property, get the pool going, and add walking trails.

“Because we are family-owned, we would love to bring families here and provide the surrounding cities somewhere to get away and have some fun.”

For now, they’re concentrating on cleaning up the property.

“COVID has been a blessing in some sense as we were able to take on several renters for the winter to help us pay the bills and we have had some more time to, again, clean up, organize and prepare the place for this year. We have also been fortunate to be able to spend some time as a family as we know the summer months are going to be absolutely nuts.”

The family is from southwestern Ontario, with two children, Taylr and Hunter, and two border collies.

“We honestly wouldn’t have been able to do what we’ve done here without the love and support of our family, friends and off-road community. We are so thankful to be here and love the feel of being up north, life is just different here. The location is so beautiful and we fell in love with it all. We own 131 acres now which is unbelievable and we look forward to exploring every inch of it when we have the time and energy.”

Val’s Soul Food

The mother and daughter team of Val Braithwaite and Layla Johnson are bringing soul food to Ray’s Place.

The family goes back several generations in Canada and are descendants of slaves who came up through the Underground Railroad and settled near London.

They specialize in Southern, Caribbean, and Canadian dishes.

Braithwaite has been cooking soul food for more than 30 years and has run previous restaurants in the Kawartha Lakes area.

It’s been quite a journey for the two of them. In 2016, just a few months after Layla was severely injured in a car accident, the family lost Layla’s dad and Val’s husband to cancer. Then, Val suffered a stroke in 2019. She was in intensive care for several weeks and in the hospital for several months. However, she recovered and moved in with Layla.

“I remember the Sunday my mom started to cook again,” Layla said. “I’d come home to a huge plate of food. She was so used to cooking large portions for the restaurant, there was way too much food for just the two of us. I decided to get some food containers and drop it off to some family close by.”

That became a weekly thing, that expanded to the local community.

“After a few months of delivering free Sunday soul food dinners, we were gifted a great opportunity to run a food truck for the summer and fall season,” Layla said. “We’re now at Ray’s Place in Minden. We’re enjoying our time here, meeting new friends and catching up with old ones. Minden is a wonderful town.” They are planning to be open Tuesday-Sunday 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Seevalssoulfood.com for more.

Ontario’s vaccine strategy revisited

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 29, 2021

0

by Dr. Nell Thomas

For the past few weeks, approximately 500 people have been vaccinated daily in each of Minden and Haliburton arenas.

These are primarily people older than 60 years, receiving Pfizer and Moderna.

Pharmacies are immunizing eligible people 40 years and up with AstraZeneca, as is the Haliburton Family Medical Clinic. The EMS paramedics are now providing Moderna for housebound individuals. Pregnant women are now able to receive Moderna vaccines as of this week, giving a powerful shot of antibodies to their infants in the process. Patients with kidney failure are receiving vaccines through their dialysis specialists. Cancer patients are getting vaccinated and are encouraged to book their second shots sooner.

As the Ontario three phase vaccine rollout picks up steam, adding more eligible categories almost daily, our heads are swirling with all the different groups, locations and booking instructions.

And, as of April 13, the strategy has taken another turn. In direct response to high infection rates, scientific analysis has dictated that vaccines be moved to Ontario’s hotspots and to essential workers (bank tellers, food service, police, education, transportation, shipping, trades, sales and services, utilities, construction …).

These are people whose jobs are critical to society’s functioning. These are people who cannot work from home. It turns out that COVID is being spread most by these essential workers.

Until April 8, vaccine eligibility in Ontario was based on age, health conditions, high risk congregate living (LTC homes), and status as a health care worker. Analysis of this approach has revealed that communities and neighbourhoods with high numbers of essential workers have been least likely to receive vaccines using this method. It is now believed that by more rapidly vaccinating people in hotspots, and targeting essential workers, it will prevent considerably more SARS-CoV-2 infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths, as compared to Ontario’s initial mass vaccination strategy.

Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table is a group of scientific experts and health system leaders who evaluate and report on new evidence relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic and then guide the best response. They provide weekly summaries of evidence, integrating scientific sources and determining the best overall approach. They have shown that the hotspot-accelerated strategy would decrease COVID hospitalizations between April 9 and June 7 by 14 per cent more than the current vaccination approach (6,272 vs 8,003). It would decrease COVID-19 ICU admissions by 14 per cent more (933 vs 1,191), and deaths by 11 per cent more (2,228 vs 2,745) in people 16 years and older, compared to the existing strategy.

As of April 28, 2021, 30.8 per cent of Ontarians had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Evidence is showing that vaccinated people are not only protected directly from getting sick with COVID-19 but are also protected against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, and against spreading it to others. Therefore, there is an indirect benefit to people who are not yet vaccinated, as they are protected by those who are. Considering that essential workers are, out of necessity, traveling on public transit, sharing public places, work environments, and taking their community and work exposures home to their families, it is not surprising that the benefit of vaccinating this group is considered to be very high.

In Toronto, neighbourhoods with the highest proportion of essential workers have a threefold higher incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to neighbourhoods with fewer essential workers. Accelerating the vaccination of essential workers, their families, and other residents living in COVID-19 hotspots is projected to prevent considerably more infections in those aged 16 to 59 years.

They say vaccination of Ontario’s 74 hotspots would be completed within 25 days, assuming vaccine coverage of 80 per cent in those 60 years and above, and 70 per cent in those 16 to 59 years. The remaining vaccines would be distributed equally.

Papers serve community well

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 29, 2021

0

With a combined 21 awards at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association gala April 23 – safe to say that readers and advertisers in the Haliburton Highlands are well served by local print media.

The Highlander, Haliburton County Echo, and Minden Times were selected first, second or third more than any other papers in the province.

Not bad.

The Highlands is an interesting pocket when it comes to local news, and print in particular. While larger centres, such as Lindsay to the south, bid farewell to its voice of record, The Lindsay Post, in 2013, and other larger cities such as Guelph saw the venerable Mercury close its doors in 2016, four newspapers continue to provide excellent, award-winning journalism and design in the County. The other is County Life.

How is this possible?

First of all, local businesses support small-town newspapers here. They tell us advertising works. That’s because people show an interest in local news and take the time to read the printed and online editions.

It allows The Highlander to circulate nearly 9,000 papers.

It means that local journalists can cover the pandemic with a County-centric eye. Readers know exactly what the local number of cases are, how many close contacts there have been, and how many cases have been resolved. They know immediately when there is a declared outbreak. They also know exactly what they need to know to get a vaccination here. Businesses are informed instantaneously about the latest restrictions.

With Zoom and the public broadcast of many meetings, such as councils, residents have better access than ever. But we know that not many are going to watch. We do. All of them. And you only have to pick up the three papers to know exactly what you missed. We’ve done the job of separating the wheat from the chaff so you know what is important.

More importantly, council staff and politicians are aware that we are watching. We are there to ensure they are transparent and accountable to you, the taxpayer.

We also bring you stories from the education sector, updating you on what is happening in our schools. And, we share the good news, the happy stuff, the light stuff because we know sometimes readers need a break from the heavy, particularly now.

Our columns are all local, offering a breadth of opinion for you to agree with, or disagree with.

All of the papers are a mirror to our community. The Highlander in particular is not afraid to go to the difficult spots, shedding light on problems that we as a community need to address. Other times we champion our towns and residents.

We implore our advertisers and readers to continue to support us. Never take us for granted. It is when that happens that we have seen numerous small-town papers close. Sadly, many communities have lost their voice.

So, allow us all to brag a bit, like we did this past Friday, with online news of our wins.

It’s not so much that we want pats on the back. We just want you to realize that we do good and are worthy of your continued support.

Places for People gets $50K to ‘foster belonging’

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 29, 2021

0

Places for People (P4P), in conjunction with Staanworth and KLH Housing Corp., the other community housing providers in Minden, has received a grant of almost $50,000 from the Community Housing Transformation Centre to help their tenants get together to figure out how to make their communities a place where everybody has the feeling of belonging.

P4P spokesperson, Fay Martin, said tenant-landlord relationship are complex, “but landlords and tenants alike are generally left on their own to figure out how to get it right.”

Yet, with “run-away” real estate prices, she said it is likely that a growing portion of the population will be tenants, “so ensuring they feel like first-class citizens will protect the health and well-being of the community as a whole.”

Martin added the community housing tenant-landlord relationship has added complexities.

She said the three community housing groups operating in Minden have come together to take advantage of the grant to help them do their work better.

The project is a nine-month tenant-centric participative research project that will focus on making their communities a good place to live.

Tenant representatives from each of the seven community housing buildings in the village, along with representatives from each of the housing providers, will give leadership to the project.

Martin said research staff who have lived experience as community housing tenants will facilitate several cycles of information gathering and sharing about life in each of the communities and of being a tenant generally, and a community housing tenant in particular.

“Participative research addresses an issue in the process of studying it; it looks not only at what the problem under investigation is, but also what the solution to that problem might be and how it might be achieved,” Martin said.

“The intent of this project is to develop and test-drive an on-going mechanism for identifying and resolving issues among tenants, housing providers, service providers and the larger community, as well as building on the strengths in their communities.”

Dysart residents to use phone and internet voting in 2022

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 29, 2021

0

Dysart et al is changing the way people can vote in the 2022 municipal election.

At its April 27 meeting, council opted for internet and telephone voting.

That is a change from the 2018 election, when the township went with vote-by-mail.

Clerk Mallory Bishop said in talks with clerks of the other townships, they are striving for a consistent voting method across the board.

“Should all four municipalities select the same voting method for the 2022 municipal election, there is a chance to work collaboratively to deliver a consistent election (training, education, advertisement, processes and procedures) for all residents of Haliburton County,” she said in a written report.

She added it made sense for collaborative procurement purposes as outlined in the service delivery review.

Bishop said voting by internet or telephone allows an elector to vote from anywhere with a telephone or internet connection.

Voters receive a voter’s information package with a unique personal numeric passcode. When logging on to the website, they enter their PIN and answer a security question. They can then vote, review and confirm.

With telephone voting, people call a toll-free number, enter their PIN, and follow a touch-tone menu to cast their ballot.

Bishop outlined the benefits including: accessibility for persons with disabilities, seniors and seasonal residents; a lengthier voting window; better privacy; could increase voter turnout; reduces election costs including for fewer staff; less of a chance for errors or spoiled ballots; immediate results and engaging younger voters.

She added, “in light of the COVID19 pandemic or any future seasonal or public health risks, this method ensures there would be no gathering of electors to vote or staff to count ballots.” She said it would also eliminate the need to handle thousands of mail-in ballots.

Bishop further said that during the voting period, staff will arrange for equipment to be made available at an accessible location for anyone who does not have the technology or connectivity.

Mayor Andrea Roberts said she was excited as council had discussed e-voting in the past but had not chosen that method. She added she is pleased all four townships are looking at a similar method far out from the 2022 poll.

Coun. John Smith said while he thought it was a “sensible” thing to do, there is a risk of technical issues. He asked if other municipalities using e-voting had noticed improved voter turnout. He was further worried about frail elderly people using internet and telephone options.

“It does have the potential (to increase voter turnout) just because of the convenience factor,” Bishop said. She added they will be able to assist voters who request help.

Coun. Larry Clarke thought it was a “good move.” He noted some wards have large seasonal resident populations that will benefit. He added it is a modern method. “How many bills do you get in the mail?” He said it would also cut down on managing paperwork.

Noting Coun. Smith’s concerns, Clarke said there would be a transition period but “they also have a year and a half.”

Dysart puts away money every year for the next election and will have $68,000 in place for the 2022 vote. The township has until May of 2022 to pass a bylaw.

Centre Lake Crown land sale criticized

By

Lisa Gervais

-

April 29, 2021

0

JQ - Centre Lake update - 1 — A map of the Centre Lake Crown reserve under consideration for disposal, at the behest of private developments. Photo via Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Citizens came forward to express their concerns with a proposed disposition of Crown land on the shoreline of Centre Lake at a Highlands East council public meeting April 27.

More than 60 people viewed the live-streamed meeting, of which seven delegations presented. The municipality hosted the meeting to gather feedback as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) considers selling a 200- foot Crown reserve. The move comes at the request of two developers at the east and west sides of the lake. One of the planned developments is a 60-suite resort and wellness spa called Granite Shores on the east side, which also garnered attention.

Many of the delegates expressed concerns about the possible impact of large-scale projects.

“Crown land is the people’s land,” Dale Watson, who leases an island on Centre Lake, said. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Centre Lake is a beautiful, untouched lake that offers itself to the local public.”

The meeting was distinct from the MNRF’s public consultation, which it will do later regarding a Crown land use policy amendment.

Municipal planner Chris Jones noted no decisions would be made on applications to purchase Crown land until a policy amendment is completed to make it possible. He also said the area would exclude a 66-ft municipal shore road allowance.

Several organizations came forward to discuss the situation, including the Paudash Lake Conservation Association and the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust. Hiawatha First Nations representative Tom Cowie said the lake is within the territory of the Williams Treaties.

“We do have general concerns around the protection of the water, species at risk,” Cowie said. “We look forward to working with you guys in the consultation phase.”

IBI Group planner Julia Redfearn, representing Granite Shore, said they have prepared studies and assessments. She said the resort and spa could bring $450,000 annually to the municipality in property taxes alone and it is willing to work with council and the public to refine the conceptual plan. She also said it will go ahead with or without Crown land.

“The future development is feasible from an environmental, social and ecological perspective,” Redfearn said.

The decision-making on Crown land will ultimately fall to the MNRF, though the municipality can provide feedback and would have a role in subsequent planning approvals. No council members commented during the proceedings.

But Andrew Martin, who spoke against the proposal, said council’s decisions will matter.

“Centre Lake is heavily used by your community locally and it’s an asset we really love,” Martin said. “If this development goes through, I am going to consider it the decision of this council and I think this council really needs to value the assets we have.”