What you need to know about Haliburton County reopening

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February 12, 2021

Acting medical officer of health, Dr. Ian Gemmill, is urging locals to follow health protocols. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

More local businesses and services will be able to reopen next week with COVID-19 safety measures in place, as the provincial Stay-at-Home Order comes to an end.

Effective at 12:01 am on Tuesday, Feb. 16, the provincial government will move the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU) region into the Orange COVID-19 colour category.

Before the lockdown, it had been in the Yellow level.

HKPRDHU’s Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ian Gemmill, strongly urged caution in a Feb. 12 news release.

“While our legal obligation to limit travel and gatherings will end when the Stay-at-Home Order is lifted, we still have a moral obligation to continue doing all we can to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Gemmill said. “I am pleading with people not to gather with others and to continue to stay home and only go out for essential reasons.”

While COVID-19 cases may be declining, the virus is still circulating in the area, he added. New coronavirus variants that are more easily spread are also present locally, and these could also contribute to a sudden surge in COVID-19 infections, he said.

The HKPRDHU region’s move out of the provincial shutdown to the Orange COVID-19 level means:

Local restaurants/bars can reopen for in-person dining, while continuing to offer takeout, pick-up and delivery.
Worship services, weddings and funerals can resume with limitations.
Gyms and fitness clubs can again open their doors to members with limitations.
In-person shopping can resume at retail stores.
Personal care services such as barbers and hairdressers can resume with restrictions.
Movie theatres and performing arts centres can reopen for performances, with limits in place.

All businesses and services that are reopening must follow COVID-19 restrictions. These include operating with reduced hours (in some cases), limiting the number of people inside at one time, ensuring physical distancing and enhancing cleaning and disinfecting measures. Businesses must also screen customers for COVID-19, while ensuring they wear masks (unless exempt).

The move to Orange also means small social gatherings are once again allowed at private homes, backyards and parks between people from different households. Up to 10 people can gather indoors and up to 25 people outdoors. Masks must be worn, and people need to stay 2 metres apart from anyone who is outside of their household.

More information and resources on the Orange COVID-19 Category rules are available at the HKPRDHU website (hkpr.on.ca).

‘Talk with the Doc’ virtual town halls coming

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 12, 2021

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JQ-vaccine rollout — HKPR District Health Unit acting medical officer of health, Dr. Ian Gemmill

Local residents are encouraged to attend upcoming ‘Talk With The Doc” virtual town halls being presented by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU).

Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ian Gemmill, will host the sessions scheduled for:

Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 1 to 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 2, from 1 to 2 p.m.

During the online information sessions, Dr. Gemmill will provide COVID-19 updates and answer the audience’s questions. Topics will include: information on the local COVID-19 cases and transmission rates; the rollout of vaccines in Haliburton County, Northumberland County and the City of Kawartha Lakes; and HKPRDHU’s ongoing pandemic response.

“We want local residents to be fully informed about what is going on in their communities when it comes to the pandemic,” Dr. Gemmill said. “These virtual information sessions are just another way in which we can engage with our residents and be sure everyone has the information that they need to help to protect themselves and to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

To attend either “Talk with the Doc” information sessions, visit the HKPRDHU website (www.hkpr.on.ca). Participants can register for a session and submit a question for Dr. Gemmill prior to the event. Once registered, participants will receive a link to join the session on the day of the event.

Space is limited for each virtual event, and is available on a first come, first serve basis.

Drug abuse an issue for County youth

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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JQ - Youth drug use - 2 — Nurse practitioner Kelsey Young said youth cannabis use is an issue. Photo via Flickr.

Haliburtonian Abe Churko said he got a close experience with youth drug abuse locally at a friend’s birthday party.

He said everyone except him took a bit of “molly” – a slang term for a type of ecstasy. Although he went to sleep at 2 a.m., he awoke four hours later to discover his friends still dancing. The party had not stopped.

“At the time, I found it pretty funny,” Churko said. “But you look back, definitely not healthy for you. The thing is, even with hard drugs, if you do them sometimes (occasionally), it can be sustainable. Some people, they try for a few times and they’re gone off the deep end.”

Across Canada, illicit drug use is more prevalent among youth. The 2017 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey found a higher proportion of youth reported experiencing harm due to their illicit drug use – five per cent of youth aged 15-19 and 10 per cent of young adults aged 20 to 24 – than their counterparts 25 and older (three per cent). The same study found cannabis use more prevalent among youth ages 15-19 (19 per cent) and 20-24 (33 per cent) than adults 25 or older.

Nurse practitioner Kelsey Young previously worked part-time at the Haliburton County Youth Hub as a counsellor. She said it is hard to gauge the state of youth drug use in the area – there are not local hard stats for it – but it is part of the substance abuse picture. Especially for cannabis

“I would say one of the major things specifically within the community would be cannabis,” Young said. “Cannabis is known to be harmful for developing brains. So, the fact that it’s legalized isn’t necessarily a bad thing from a systemic view but it has increased our youth rate in cannabis use.”

Churko said cannabis use is prevalent locally – even before legalization came – though the drug still remains illegal for people under 18.

“A lot of kids start smoking pretty early, and lately, over the past few years, some kids are starting to do hard drugs,” Churko said. “I would say most kids have tried weed at least by the end of high school.”

Young said youth drug use is a complicated issue and there are four primary reasons they do it: to feel good, to cope, to do better at a task, or curiosity, when surrounded by other people using it.

Churko said he has seen drug use emerge in social situations like parties before the pandemic. He said ecstasy gained popularity locally after it emerged at one party, and cocaine has always been around the community.

“People start because they see older people doing it and they either want to be cool or they heard about it so much, they want to feel what it feels like,” he said, adding drugs like weed can help people cope with bad home situations.

He further said there is not much awareness of youth drug use in the community.

“I feel like it’s happening under everyone’s noses,” Churko said. “Everyone just sees doing drugs the same as drinking alcohol. It just starts so early they just see it as the same thing.”

Vaping at issue

Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit tobacco control officer, Lorne Jordan, said there is another drug that is a significant problem amongst local youth: vaping.

Jordan called it an “epidemic” in local high schools in October 2019, after he had doled out more than 40 charges with fines around the time. He said they made significant progress in education after that, but the pandemic curtailed those efforts.

“COVID just sucks all the oxygen out of the room. Made it impossible to carry that message forward,” Jordan said. “It’s not like the problem went away.”

Jordan said he has had fewer vaping complaints to address from schools since they re-opened in September. Still, he said COVID restrictions may be impacting those totals.

“I don’t think it’s indicative of the fact less students are vaping,” Jordan said. “Hopefully, people will start to come back to it and understand it’s not a consequence-free behaviour.”

Vaping has several short-term health risks and unknown long-term risks. Jordan and others in the public health sectors have called for more restrictions. The province implemented some July 2, limiting most vape products to specialty stores which are restricted to ages 19 and older.

Jordan said those rule changes are positive but do not go far enough.

“We had a very tough act that was watered down by the Ontario government when they took office,” Jordan said. “They listened a little too carefully to the vape lobby and not enough to the science.”

Addressing the problems

Young said it is important the community recognizes the risk of drug use and that places like the youth hub can go a long way to addressing the issue.

“It allows us to provide some preventative care for substance use,” Young said. “Provide information, provide counselling … Providing recreation spaces in order to allow for youth to engage in activities that don’t involve illicit substance use.”

She added for those youth coping with bad home situations, the youth hub also has resources to help address some of that instability.

Churko said better education is important, versus youth receiving charges or criminal punishments for use.

“If you charge someone like that, they’re not going to learn their lesson. They’re just going to get more mad at the system,” Churko said. “Educating parents, probably. Letting them see the warning signs. What these drugs looks like and what your kid would look like.”

Young said harm reduction is also crucial, as well as not stigmatizing users.

“Ostracizing and judging them is not the way to get them the help that they need. In fact, it can often have the opposite effect,” Young said. “Open and honest conversations with youth so that they’re involved. It’s not coming from a ‘we-know-better-than-you perspective.’”

Shoreline bylaw: what you need to know

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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JQ - Shoreline explainer - 1 — The County of Haliburton is working to change a controversial shoreline bylaw. Photo via County of Haliburton.

The County’s draft shoreline bylaw has generated concern and confusion within the community.

The bylaw was tabled by council Jan. 27, with the municipality planning to have an outside consulting firm take on the process.

The move came after public outcry against the bylaw – from builders, landscapers and property owners concerned about its scope and the impact it could have on business.

“Haliburton County needs a workable bylaw that will serve to protect water quality but at the same time does not diminish individual property rights,” Brightwood Landscaping said in a Facebook post. “If the bylaw is adopted as currently written, most projects will never occur.”

On the other side of the debate are groups such as the Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Associations (CHA), concerned about lake health and property values, who note natural shorelines are important to protect water quality and prevent algae-blooms.

Why a 30-metre setback?

One point of pushback has come against the proposed 30-metre setback from shorelines – already present in the existing shoreline tree bylaw and County official plans.

But the setback has precedent in the municipal planning world. The province recommends a minimum 30-metre nondevelopment zone from water bodies within the Precambrian Shield, where Muskoka and Haliburton are situated, “irrespective of whether or not they are at capacity for shoreline development.”

“Cottagers and lake residents are encouraged to provide as great a setback as possible to minimize the impact of development on lakes,” the province said on its website.

The reason for the setback is to protect wildlife habitats and create a vegetative buffer to filter out and prevent potentially harmful substances from running off into water bodies, including sediment and phosphorus.

County planner, Charlsey White, said there are planning and development policies in Ontario that have included the setback since the mid-1990s.

“The 30 metres represents not only an area to provide for flood protection and nutrient management; it is the recommended living zone to ensure species life cycle health, mobility and habitat protection,” White said.

Julia Sutton is a local environmental consultant. She said protecting the ribbon of life on the water’s edge is important. She added though there are other ways to do that – such as limiting pesticides and fertilizers – having a natural buffer is key.

“If you have natural vegetation, because of the root systems, they just take up phosphorus and carbon more easily,” she said.

Those contaminants can lead to more blue green algae blooms, which the CHA has said could significantly decrease property values. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks confirmed algae blooms in six Haliburton lakes between October and November, with another two probable cases they could not personally test. None of the six confirmed showed levels of toxins above the drinking water standard.

But that provincial 30-metre recommendation is not codified. The Ontario Building Code requires a 15-metre clearance from septic systems and any water bodies to prevent pathogens from entering there. The province notes municipalities can set out greater setbacks. Other municipalities have gone in different directions.

The Lake of Bays varies between a 20-metre or 30-metre setback based on the water body. The Township of Muskoka Lakes also varies based on lake type, with four different categories.

Stephen Fahner heads Northern Vision Planning and was a long-time planner at Muskoka Lakes. He helped create bylaws for shoreline tree prevention and site alteration in 2008, which created a 15-metre “no-touch” setback and a regulated area stretching between 15 and 60 metres.

Fahner said the bylaw aimed to protect lake health and rein in development. But Fahner said Muskoka Lakes avoided much permitting and there were few requirements in the 15-60 metre zone.

“My understanding is very, very few permits issued by the municipality. Literally, I think you can count them on one hand in any particular year,” Fahner said.

He said their bylaw attracted little opposition and has become well-understood in the area.

“Twenty metres has been the standard here in Muskoka for many, many years,” Fahner said. “As I know, that’s been quite well accepted.”

What developments are allowed and disallowed?

The current draft of the bylaw forbids people to destroy or injure most natural vegetation within the 30-metre buffer, with exemptions. It also encompasses the tree bylaw already in effect which forbids destruction or injury of most trees within the same buffer. But it establishes a permitting system to allow for some development. There is also a long list of exemptions to allow a wide variety of minor development or maintenance along the shoreline. Many of the exemptions already exist in the shoreline tree bylaw.

As it stands, the bylaw is also being grandfathered in – meaning existing developments will not have to be altered or renaturalize. Existing vacant lots made using setback would be exempt from the 30-mete zone, White said. Property owners could also still mow existing shoreline lawns – though White said they would be encouraged to naturalize part of it.

The bylaw would establish a permitting process for larger developments, including fees – though they have yet to be defined and the County has indicated it would not charge them in the first year. They would also require a site alteration plan.

Another point of contention is the requirement for a “qualified person” – defined as someone qualified for specific technical work or an environmental consultant approved by the director – to certify some site alteration plan. Builders have expressed concern about the costs this could add to projects.

But White said she expects the clause would only apply to fewer than 10 per cent of shoreline developments.

“It is to ensure when building on steep slopes, areas of unstable soils or where alterations to drainage are proposed to occur, that a qualified person has designed the build to meet minimum provincial requirements,” White said.

What’s allowed under the new bylaw
• Any work done by a municipality or government body

• Cutting trees to supply utilities, with a permit*§

• Cutting trees within five metres of a building, or three metres of a building within the setback *§

• Cutting trees and removing vegetation to create a driveway up to five-metres wide

• Cutting trees and removing vegetation to create path to the water up to five metres wide

• Cutting trees on a municipally-owned road allowance to make a path to the water

• Cutting of removed damaged and dead trees*

• Cutting or removing dangerous trees

• Pruning for tree health

• Pruning for views

• Cutting trees less than five centimetres in diameter *§

• Cutting trees by a surveyor for survey purposes

• Cutting trees to comply with, or as permitted by, a site plan

• Landscaping and gardening that does not alter the grade (slope)

• Removing up to five tonnes of vegetation for landscaping and gardening that does not alter the grade**

• Maintaining an existing landscape, beach or driveway

• Removing vegetation or trees to install a septic tank

• Removing vegetation or trees to install building foundations

• Regrading around a foundation, building or septic system for which a permit has been issued

* On steep slopes, cutting/removal is permitted, however stumps must be left in the ground.

**Alternate measurements like volume or area under consideration.

§ Not permitted adjacent to fish habitats, or on municipally owned road allowances.

How would the bylaw be enforced?

The County budgeted about $115,000 in its draft budget presented Jan. 11 for shoreline preservation and enforcement. White said a current bylaw contract will remain in effect and staff will propose two new positions, one permanent and one on contract. The Haliburton County Home Builders Association has questioned the figure and said they believe more than two staff would be needed.

“Enforcement and permit review in the first year is expected to be higher than the five-year average as a bylaw would be new and as public education is completed,” White said.

White said ticketing would only be a “last resort” and would be enforced similarly to the tree bylaw already in effect.

“The County goal is, and will continue to be, working with property owners, but also to ensure bylaw compliance and remediation if a violation has occurred,” White said.

What happens next?

County council voted Jan. 27 to prepare a request for proposals and have a consultant oversee the bylaw’s development, including a future public consultation process. The move delays the bylaw’s implementation. The consulting firm will make recommendations for council to consider. The cost for this has yet to be determined.

Council has previously indicated it does not want to do public meetings on the bylaw during the building season and wanted to implement it beforehand. With the delay, the bylaw may not come into effect this year.

Fahner said the Muskoka bylaw helped hold the line on lake health there. But he added other factors such as climate change warming lakes are an issue.

“Some people say we had an algae bloom on a lake that we never had before, or we’ve had them more frequently,” Fahner said. “Some people tend to point to development and say that’s the cause, whereas I think climate change is a big factor in that.”

Sutton said Haliburton’s bylaw does not make shoreline development impossible. She added there is an opportunity for landscapers specifically to do more species removal and renaturalization work.

The bylaw “doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your waterfront. And in terms of building and landscaping, it doesn’t mean people can’t do anything,” she said.

Chamber: reopening requires planning

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce is calling for the province to take a coordinated approach to reopening the economy.

The local chamber joined the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) Feb. 5 in asking the premier for a coordinated effort to ensure society reopens from COVID lockdown in a way that provides both individual safety and economic stability. They asked the province for a readiness plan for hard-hit sectors and regions, proper advanced notice and clear guidelines.

The province announced Feb. 8 that most of Ontario would remain under a stay-at-home order until Feb. 16, delayed from the expected Feb. 11.

Haliburton chamber executive director, Amanda Conn, said the forewarning is positive, but the government must ensure its updated opening guidelines are clear.

“No business owner out there – as much as they want to get their business open again – wants to put the community at risk,” Conn said. “They want to do it in a safe way and have the communication.”

“Knowing that it’s coming on the 16th gives companies and businesses time to properly prepare,” she added. “We all need to see the revised framework that they’re going to put out.”

Premier Doug Ford said though the top priority is public health, the government is considering the severe impact of COVID-19 on businesses.

“We have been listening to business owners, and we are strengthening and adjusting the framework to allow more businesses to safely reopen and get people back to work,” Ford said.

The chamber provided a list for the government to consider in reopening, including fulsome communication, evidence-based decision-making and more rapid COVID testing.

“Even as we continue supporting our families and community today, we must also begin considering the future to ensure businesses are prepared,” Haliburton chamber president, Andrea Strano, said.

The province has not confirmed what colour-coded restrictions Haliburton will be under Feb. 16. But district acting medical officer of health Dr. Ian Gemmill said he would assess the area as an “orange” zone under previous protocols, and businesses could review those.

Conn said businesses need ongoing support, even after they can reopen. She added connectivity remains a significant hurdle.

“Some people don’t always completely qualify for as much as they really need,” she said. “Not everyone is going to get their business up and running because the government said, ‘okay, you can open your doors now’.”

The OCC released its Ontario Economic Report Jan. 28, highlighting the pandemic’s impact over the past year. Forty-eight per cent cent of survey respondents in the MuskokaKawarthas region said they had let go staff. Half of respondents in the area said there was enough economic activity for them to thrive, while 37 per cent said they could not thrive. Only 20 per cent of small business respondents across Ontario expressed confidence in the economic outlook.

“Our small business members are the least confident in the province’s economy, as they continue to face unprecedented liquidity constraints, increased costs, and reduced revenues,” Strano said.

“We want to make sure that we’re reopening in a safe manner,” Conn said. “So, we don’t have to keep experiencing these lockdowns.”

Sir Sam’s looks forward to ski hill reopening

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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LG-Sir Sam's — Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride has been making snow at the Eagle Lake ski hill.

Chris Bishop has worked just about every winter weekend for the past 42 years.

However, the owner of Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride has had 17 weekends off during COVID lockdowns.

That’s about to end with the Haliburton County ski hill poised to reopen Feb. 17.

“Very strange,” Bishop said of the year that’s been, adding he’s excited about the reopening but also very conscious about what is going on in the world with the pandemic.

He said they’ve done everything asked of them in terms of public health and safety protocols and now it’s up to customers to respect the rules to keep everyone safe and healthy to have an enjoyable skiing or snowboarding experience for the remainder of the winter.

The Eagle Lake ski hill has been making snow, on top of Mother Nature’s base, to extend the season well into April and recoup a bit of the financial losses that began in March 2020. As it stands now, their usual 80-day season has likely been slashed in half. On Dec. 26, 2020, they had to lay off 90 staff.

Bishop said some of the federal relief efforts, such as wage subsidies and business loans, have helped but “financially, it’s terrible,” not just for Sir Sam’s but all Ontario ski resorts.

Since finding out the resort is reopening, Bishop said they’d had a lot of calls but the recording pretty much tells people everything they need to know. He said the public is anxious to get back on the slopes.

“For some people it’s a real passion, whether curling, snowmobiling, crosscountry skiing. It’s a passion. If you can’t do it, you have pent up frustration.”

Due to protocols, they will be limiting the number of people on site; people have to wear face coverings when in public spaces, such as in lift lines, on the lift, and in the chalet. There is one designated door to access the restrooms and numbers are monitored. There is limited capacity in the upstairs of the chalet for food and drinks just like at any restaurant, with six feet distancing and the wearing of masks when moving around. There are sanitation stations at every door. Staff are wearing PPE.

Bishop said, “We’re doing everything we can. We ask people to respect the rules and follow them.”

See sirsams.com for more.

Residents pass declaration to fix long-term care

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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LG-long-term care — More than 50 local residents from across Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes came together online Jan. 29 and unanimously passed a declaration detailing changes to fix long-term care in Ontario

A Jan. 29 Zoom town hall meeting brought Haliburton County and City of Kawartha Lakes residents together to share stories and ideas on how to fix long-term care.

“We have known there have been problems with the long-term care system for years,” said Bonnie Roe of Haliburton, co-chair of the new Haliburton-CKL Long Term-Care Coalition.

She added, “COVID-19 has really shed a tragic light on the crisis, the issues across our communities and across our province and throughout Canada,”

At the meeting, participants unanimously supported a list of measures they feel are needed to fix long-term care in Ontario, including:

• Putting long-term care under the Canada Health Act to ensure public funding and applying national standards;

• Increasing staffing to ensure at least four hours per day of direct care per resident immediately, not in 2024; raising wages of front-line workers; improving workloads, working conditions, and conditions for care; increasing infection prevention and control and nurse practitioner expertise in care; and enhancing specialized expertise in LTC leadership;

• Reinstating thorough annual Resident Quality Inspections of all Long-Term Care homes, with consistency in enforcement when inspections yield rule violations, including unannounced inspections;

• Changing the culture of long-term care to being more attentive to the value of elders, and increasingly resident and rights-based, including ensuring consistent implementation and safe expansion of the government of Ontario’s long-term care essential caregiver (visitor) guidelines;

• Exploring new models of care including from other countries that will make LongTerm Care feel more like home such as the Butterfly Model of Care and other income-inclusive models; and

• Ending using private sector, for-profit companies for new nursing homes in Ontario.

Mike Perry, whose late mother Mary was a resident of a nursing home in Lindsay, is the Kawartha Lakes co-chair of the coalition.

Perry said he was “thrilled” residents affirmed specific, concrete measures.

“This is about how we as a society value and care for our elders. We want local voices to be part of the solution provincewide and to make sure we support our frontline workers while working to fixing things. With so many people coming together and on the same page, there really is room to keep working with some hope,” Perry said.

The meeting included a presentation by Cathy Parkes of Canadians 4 National Standards.

She said the new coalition, “represents an important part of Ontario and hopefully all rural communities will follow their lead. We need to hear more from regions outside of major cities in Ontario, as long-term care affects the whole province. The awareness and dedication of this local coalition will help boost awareness for much-needed reform in long-term care,” Parkes said.

Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, was also a guest speaker. She said the percentage of LTC COVID-19 deaths in Canada is the highest in the world.

More information is available online at: ltcneedsyou.ca; email: hckllongtermcarecoalition@gmail. com; or call Bonnie in Haliburton (705- 286-2414) or Mike in CKL (705-934-2704) to get involved.

Gull Lake cottagers fear for wetlands in rezoning

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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Minden Hills Council heard concerns about a wetland in front of four properties, whose owners came before the township Jan. 28 seeking rezoning.

Planner Ian Clendening said the ask was to remove the existing hazard land zoning, implemented by the former Lutterworth Township in 1992, to shoreline residential.

He told a public meeting that the planning department had a lot of public input, including from the Gull Lake Cottager’s Association.

“The predominant concern identified in those comments is the protection of the wetland and highlights the excellent work of Paul Heaven, who has worked with the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust to do extensive mapping,” Clendening told council. He said Heaven had identified a wetland in the flooded land area of the subject property.

However, Anthony Usher, representing the landowners, said they’ve interpreted the hazard land zoning as a long-standing planning error.

Further, in their opinion, Heaven’s mapping had not been recognized by the planning system as of yet.

“My clients now have these properties on the market,” Usher said. “The township has inadvertently put a red flag on these properties and on these properties alone. That red flag will be obvious to any buyer doing due diligence and checking the zoning bylaw. The hazard zoning may not actually make any difference but like a quarantine sign, it scares people off,” he said.

He concluded that, “The existing erroneous zoning harms my clients. Fixing the error will help my clients and it will not harm Gull Lake or its wetlands in any way.”

Mike Thorne, lake steward for Gull Lake, said he and his membership opposed the rezoning for a number of reasons.

He said the water body fronting the properties had been a shallow marsh supporting birds and aquatic species for at least the last 40 years. He said it was the only water body on Gull Lake that is naturally protected from motorized boat wakes, making it idea for loon nesting. He also spoke of ducks and turtles and fish.

Thorne said in his opinion, the designation was not a mistake but to protect the wetlands. He added he believes it’s an unevaluated wetland, which is an approved methodology by the Minden office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and it is a valid designated unevaluated wetland.

Thorne said the issue was also about supporting lake health from development. He said there needed to be further studies before re-designation.

Mayor Brent Devolin said a significant report would come to a future council meeting before a decision is made. Murdoch Road access Although a staff report is pending regarding year-round signage and maintenance options, councillors voted Feb. 1 that the municipality will maintain an historic public access to Gull Lake at the end of Murdoch Road.

The site is used by people to put ice fishing huts on the lake in winter and then to remove them.

However, it had been in dispute since the location traditionally used was actually on private property.

In arguing access not be closed on township land, deputy mayor Lisa Schell said, “that access to Gull Lake has been there for decades.”

However, councillors acknowledged the need for better signage and that the township do any maintenance, not members of the public taking it upon themselves.

Diversion key to expanding life of Scotch Line

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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With an estimated lifespan of 10-12 years at the Scotch Line landfill, manager of waste facilities, Tara Stephen, told Minden Hills council Jan. 28 diversion will be the key going forward.

Council approved an updated draft design and operations report for the landfill, now submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) for approval.

The township has been working on the report to remedy the final outstanding compliance issue of leachate seeps on the south slope and redesign the transfer station layout to accommodate increased traffic and waste volumes.

In the short-term, the report calls for adjustments to operations while the new transfer station is constructed and includes: installation of solar power, construction of new access roads that will be paved or hardtopped, acceptance of textiles, application of final and interim cover where required, and allowances for new diversion programs.

In the long-term, it outlines how the site will operate once construction of the transfer station is complete, and how landfilling will occur in new phases of the site. It further adds a leaf and yard waste composting pad to allow for on-site composting of brush and leaves and the option to distribute the processed material to the community. It also adds a second scale in the new transfer station and redesigns the transfer area.

Stephen said the township is looking at $1.59 million in capital costs over the next couple of years and an extra $100,000 in operating costs over the next few years. Money is in the proposed 2021 budget. She said if the MECP seeks changes costing $10,000 or more, the department will come back to council.

Stephen said in her report the updated plan gives the site a 10-12-year lifespan.

Coun. Bob Carter asked, “Are we actively looking at ways that we can either utilize more of the site or use some other techniques to expand this beyond that timeframe?”

Stephen said they are, although they are restricted by geography. She said it may not be possible to physically expand the site further than the current footprint.

She said the key is diversion, or limiting the amount of waste on site.

“Right now, we have an extremely low diversion rate. We’re in the 30 to 40 per cent range for waste diversion. There is a lot of opportunity there for us to improve on that and the more ways we divert from landfill using our waste diversion programs, the longer that 12 years gets,” she said.

Coun. Jean Neville said she still wants the township to look into transferring waste outside of the township.

“I’m concerned. Ten to 12 years is not very long.” She added it was a lot of money to put into 10-12 years.

However, public works director, Travis Wilson, emphasized the transfer station will extend well beyond that timeframe.

Stephen reiterated that they are creating opportunities for increased diversion in the plan.

“Once we start investing in these diversion opportunities and educating the public about them, that’s when we’re going to start to see the lifespan of our landfill increase,” she said. She added if the public improves its habits, the life could extend to 15 to 20 years.

Give credit where it’s due

By

Lisa Gervais

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February 11, 2021

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While the Haliburton County community is relieved that no residents or staff have so far tested positive for COVID-19 at Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden, some have questioned whether the health unit was overly alarming in pronouncing it an outbreak Jan. 31

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) confirmed in a media release Feb. 1 that the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit had declared the facility to be in outbreak. HHHS attributed that to two positive cases among essential caregivers – who are not staff.

Caregivers are a type of essential visitor who are designated by the resident and/ or their substitute decision-maker and is visiting to provide direct care to the resident. Examples include supporting feeding, mobility, personal hygiene, cognitive stimulation, communication, meaningful connection, relational continuity and assistance in decision-making.

If you look at Public Health Ontario websites, the health unit was technically correct in declaring it an outbreak.

However, it wasn’t really until Feb. 3 that acting medical office of health, Dr. Ian Gemmill, suggested it was more of a “situation” at Hyland Crest. He said it was distinct from larger spreads in other longterm care homes affecting staff or residents. He also elaborated that the two essential caregivers who tested positive had no symptoms and were not ill.

However, as asymptomatic people can still spread the virus, he said they couldn’t take any chances.

It was only late on Feb. 3 that the public was informed no residents had tested positive and late on Feb. 6 that it was announced no staff had tested positive – as of now.

What this meant is that residents and their families, and no doubt staff and their families, were left in a fearful state for the better part of a week. It might have been good had the initial release been done jointly by HHHS and the health unit to explain some of the fine detail, for example, that it was visitors, that they had no symptoms, and that it was considered more of a situation than an outbreak.

Of course, hindsight is 20:20 but what we have to keep in mind is that the health unit exercised extreme caution and it is hard to fault them for that. Along the same lines, we can do nothing but praise HHHS for having so far kept COVID-19 away from residents and staff at its two long-term care homes, Hyland Crest and Highland Wood.

While it seems like years ago now, it was only in the late winter and early spring of last year that Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon was in outbreak, costing 28 lives.

Here in Haliburton, we have had zero cases among residents and staff. Zero.

Looking around Ontario as of Feb. 8, 2021, 213 homes were in outbreak, compared to 413 that were not. Since April 24, 2020, there have been 21,234 cases, 14,809 residents and 6,425 staff. There have been 3,680 deaths, mostly residents but 11 staff.

While in some ways, we are lucky to live in a rural setting not a hot spot, we have to give credit where credit is due. It is because of the work of management and staff at HHHS that our long-term care homes have remained COVID-free with the exception of the two essential caregivers.

And we know from talking to family council members that this scare has only seen management and staff double down even further with COVID-19 protocols. And for that, we thank them all on behalf of our frail, elderly and vulnerable loved ones.