Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Jamie Schmale is holding his fourth constituency referendum, this time to decide his vote on criminalizing conversion therapy.

Schmale has sent out a mailer asking constituents to weigh in on Bill C-6, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Conversion Therapy). The bill seeks to criminalize the practice of conversion therapy – forced counselling to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. It passed second reading last fall, with Schmale voting in favour. A third and final reading is to come.

Schmale said he morally opposes the practice. But he said he is fulfilling a 2015 pledge to hold referendums, when time allows, whenever his Conservative party allows a free vote.

“We do need to deal with conversion therapy. It should have been done many, many years ago,” Schmale said. He added the original draft had issues that could have impacted free speech. “I haven’t met one person who has told me they agree with it. The question was, ‘are you okay with me voting in favour of criminalizing conversation therapy, at the same time, we’re also limiting the ability of free speech’?”

Schmale’s mailer included a caveat, where he would oppose Bill C-6 regardless of the referendum if it was not amended. Schmale said he was concerned about the bill potentially criminalizing voluntary, good-faith conversations on gender and sexual identity between individuals and teachers, counsellors, faith leaders, medical professionals, family and beyond. Schmale said the bill has since been updated to address that concern and the bill’s text is fine now.

But the referendum has garnered some controversy. Minden Pride has asked people to participate. Chair Allan Guinan said the organization had a positive meeting with Schmale for more clarity, but they questioned the need for a public vote.

“He should be voting in favour of the bill regardless of the outcome,” Guinan said. “From our perspective, more harm is done if the bill is not passed.

“We all feel this is really, ultimately a human rights issue and we know this has been a traumatizing concept to our community,” Guinan later added. “The suggestion LGBTQ+ people need to be changed is quite frankly insulting.”

“These are very difficult conversations. In no way did I mean to damage or retraumatize or hurt people within the community,” Schmale said. “But I also needed to live up to my promise.”

Schmale said he has done that with every free vote so far, except for a bill to amend the national anthem in 2018, which he said moved too quickly for a public vote. His most recent referendum was on Bill C-7, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Medical Assistance in Dying). He announced Dec. 10 that 65 per cent of respondents voted in favour.

“People do want to have a say,” Schmale said. “Any legislator – regardless of the level – should be doing their job, which is consulting their constituents.”

“We recognize we live in a diverse community, so there are going to be people who have opinions on both sides of the argument,” Guinan said. “We’re hopeful people see this as a good decision to be made relative to the human rights of everyone in Canada.”

Instructions on voting in the referendum are available at jamieschmale.ca/billc-6.

Haliburton County’s campaign to provide online connectivity to youth in need says the effort is still necessary even with students returning to school this week.

Point in Time launched its “Are You In?” campaign Jan. 16, intent on providing connectivity to 150 youth in the community who lack it. It has already raised more than $85,399, including a $25,000 County contribution Jan. 27, toward a $180,000 fundraising goal.

That target is based on a calculation to provide internet time for 150 families for one year. The campaign was inspired by students struggling to learn in the pandemic because of poor internet connections. Point in Time executive director, Marg Cox, said even with students returning to in-person lessons Jan. 25, there is still a need to help them.

“The lockdown is still in place. So, in order for youth to be able to access services, connect with their friends, be able to access mental health support, primary care information – in order for people to stay physically distanced, the connectivity really plays a role,” Cox said.

The charity seeks to address the urgent need in the short-term. To do that, it is using funds raised to provide phones with data plans to students, though Cox said they are exploring alternatives for areas where that may not work.

The effort has reached out for both community and municipal support. Cox said she is hopeful they can get close to their goal with help from both sources.

“You don’t ask, you don’t know, and what we do know is that youth in Haliburton County deserve a level playing field,” Cox said. “Internet plays a huge role in people being able to do research, submit their assignments, whether they’re doing in-class learning or online learning.”

Organizations have begun donating, with local lake associations donating $3,000 and the Haliburton and District Lions Club $1,000. Cox said even with vaccinations on the horizon, both the pandemic and the need for improved connectivity will linger.

“There is a real need for youth and others in our County to have access,” she said.

To donate, visit pointintime.ca.

Dysart et al council debated how to best fulfill its plans to convert some gravel roads to hard-top and which ones should take priority.

Council discussed the matter Jan. 26 and deferred any decisions until a Feb. 8 budget meeting. It also approved a list of capital road resurfacing projects for the next two years, which include 30.49 kilometres for approximately $1.5 million.

Deputy mayor Patrick Kennedy said despite council’s intent in 2018 to address hard-top roads the municipality previously pulverized to gravel, it has yet to make any progress halfway through the term. Staff did not include those projects in the approved resurfacing list for 2021 and 2022.

“We’ve made the commitment, but I think we’re going to have to step up. We’re going to end up having to borrow,” Kennedy said.

At a previous budget meeting, director of public works, Rob Camelon, said it is difficult for booked-up staff to do the ditching preparation work needed. Council is considering additional money in the budget to contract that work out. Kennedy suggested ditching should happen in 2021 to prepare gravel-to-hard-top projects in 2022.

Coun. John Smith said it should be cost-effective to push up these projects, considering the money saved on maintenance, dust control and gravel. He added it should be possible without impacting the levy through reserves and federal gas tax funding.

“It’s a simple question of business economics,” Smith said. He pushed for a Redkenn Road conversion to be added on the capital list given its traffic and relatively short 1.4-kilometre distance.

Coun. Walt McKechnie pushed for Dunn Road and Klondike Road to get converted to hard-top. He said residents there have waited for a long time for it.

“The people have been waiting on Dunn and Klondike twice as long as people on Redkenn,” McKechnie said. “It’s a joke now whenever I talk to people. ‘Oh yeah, Walt. You’ll get it done, you’ll get it done.’”

Coun. Larry Clarke expressed concern over individual roads getting favoured. He said the municipality invested in software to determine what roads are addressed, based on factors such as traffic count.

“If we start identifying one road because we’re getting a bunch of letters from one part of the constituency, we’re going to get no end of squeaky wheels,” Clarke said. “If we want to start arm-wrestling on this stuff, I can make things ugly. Let’s work with a set process on how we’re establishing what the priorities are for roads being done.”

Mayor Andrea Roberts said it would make sense to wade further into the discussion on a dedicated budget day.

“We can’t just throw out roads indiscriminately,” Roberts said. “We need to give these people an answer, and the answer may not be what they want to hear.”

Council directed staff to review what resurfacing projects could be done and bring back a report Feb. 8.

Living near a snowmobile trail, Linda Middleton has concerns about the traffic she sees at the gas station across from her.

The Harcourt resident said she frequently sees snowmobilers “shoulder to shoulder,” gathering in a way that appears to flout public health protocols. Based on the exit traffic she sees on Sunday, she believes some of them are coming from out of the area – a definite protocol violation.

“It’s pretty scary,” she said. “It would be extremely scary for our people who work in stores and restaurants. Anything that’s open at all. Having to be extremely careful. Too many people that are coming and going out of red zones.”

Haliburton is filled with snowmobiling traffic at this time of year, raising concerns about the usually tourism-driving recreation. The province is permitting the activity under its stay-at-home order. But snowmobilers are not supposed to travel outside their district, according to health units and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC).

That rule has not been enough in some areas. The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit shut down its trails to everyone Jan. 21 due to complaints about people travelling from elsewhere to use them.

Haliburton County Snowmobile Association (HCSA) vice-president John Enright said the club is busy working on trails. He added snowmobiling is a good way to recreate and though rest stop gatherings can be concerning, restaurants and other amenities being closed should limit them.

“I don’t think there’s a better recreation that offers social distancing than snowmobiling. Everyone is apart,” Enright said.

He said some could be travelling to Haliburton from larger centres within the district, which is allowed. Beyond that, it is hard to tell.

“Out-of-town traffic is unknown,” Enright said. “It’s a very, very hard thing to measure.”

Still, Enright said individual clubs and the OFSC are urging snowmobilers to follow the rules.

“All we can do is ask. We can’t order people to do that. We hope they are,” he said. “I believe everyone, or most, are doing the right thing. But it only takes one. And you know, we’re in such uncharted waters.”

HKPR medical officer of health, Dr. Ian Gemmill, said Jan. 20 he does not intend to close local trails but rules should be obeyed.

“I would ask people to follow the spirit of the stay-at-home orders,” Gemmill said.

Enright said the club will respect the decisions of public health experts. But he added people need to be able to get outside.

“We’re in an area with not a lot of cases. People can’t be cooped up indoors all winter. They get cabin fever,” he said.

Middleton said she has no issue with locals snowmobiling – just those travelling from out of the area to do so in Haliburton. She added there should be another way to address it than closing trails.

“I don’t know what the answer is. I think that people just need to follow the rules.”