Wilberforce bridge gets $468,000 in funding

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 25, 2019

The decaying South Wilberforce Road bridge in Highlands East is getting a $468,553 funding boost from the province to help upgrade it.

The province announced July 19 it is helping to pay for the $1.4 million project to fix the bridge. The municipality wants to use the money to rebuild the bridge and expand it from one to two lanes.

The province is also nominating it for an $843,480 federal grant under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).

Minden Hills’ Sedgwick Bridge replacement project is also being nominated for ICIP funding, it was announced July 18.

“This project will help improve Sedgwick Road between Sawdust Road and Francis Road in Minden Hills,” Scott said.

Minden Hills roads superintendent Travis Wilson said, if approved, the feds would cover half the cost, the province a third and the township about 17 per cent.

So far, 144 projects have been nominated provincewide. The federal government will review the projects and make final funding decisions.

This past Friday, Highlands East Mayor Dave Burton said the South Wilberforce Road bridge project will make the area easier to traverse and improve snowplow access.

“This project means an awful lot to Highlands East,” he said. “Without the funding, it’d be almost impossible for us to do it. It’d have to be a direct impact to our ratepayers”

Chief administrative officer Shannon Hunter said an annual inspection found the bridge in poor condition and in need of replacement within one-to-five years. Highlands East council applied the project for ICIP funding April 9.

The $30 billion program features a stream dedicated for rural and northern communities, with the provincial and federal governments paying the brunt of project costs. If the bridge gets federal approval, the municipality will only contribute $93,767.

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott said there is unlikely to be any issues getting
federal approval.

“I’m very positive,” Scott said. “Usually at this point, it’s been quite vetted, pretty much everything’s been answered.”

It is the same program which the County of Haliburton applied to for the $2.2 million Hawk Lake Road bridge project in Algonquin Highlands.

The province also announced it would fund that bridge for $750,857 June 1, but the project still awaits confirmation of federal dollars.

Former Highlands East councillor Joan Barton is one of approximately 20 people who live on South Wilberforce Road. She welcomed the funding for the project.

“It enhances our road in general to be well maintained, to be a road that’s well serviced and doesn’t have a bridge that makes people nervous,” Barton said.

“We’re continuing to work with municipalities, families and businesses to make smart investments in our infrastructure and keep it reliable,” Scott said.

Seniors housing complex stuck in legal limbo

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 25, 2019

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Dysart et al and Garden Retirement Development Inc. are trying to work through legal hurdles which are stopping the 74-unit senior housing project from progressing.

The development group presented to Dysart et al council July 23 to seek building permits and end a holding provision on the property at 1 Sunnyside St. The provision is preventing rezoning of the property and there are numerous requirements the developer must fulfill to lift it.

Much of the discussion centred on requirements to submit a design for the water system and have the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks approve an environmental assessment for the system. Consultant Greg Bishop said the assessment could take over a year to complete, potentially stalling the project too long.

“What we need is a game plan going forward,” Bishop said. “Full stop, if you need that before we get a building permit, let’s go because we’re leaving … Do we actually need that design? If we do, we may be in trouble today.”

The holding provision comes from an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) ruling from a different proposal on the site made years ago.

Bishop said the provision can remain in place for now, but the developers need permits soon. He suggested a site-plan agreement and a drinking water agreement, which are also required but have not yet been completed, should be sufficient.

Municipal manager of planning Sue Harrison said it would take legal vetting to ensure permits could be issued without the complete water system design in place.

“We’re not looking to stop this development. We want this development to go forward,” Harrison said. “But we also have to document and protect the municipality’s liability.”

The two sides said they were “on the same page” about the issue and wanted to work to resolve it.

“If you need a building permit today, I’m prepared to stay until we get it done today,” Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy said.

Bishop responded the permit would only be needed once developers complete the site plan and water agreement.

However, the developers sought a resolution from council guaranteeing once those agreements are taken care of, building permits would be issued.

Former mayor Murray Fearrey, who is now a consultant for Garden Retirement Developments Inc., said the municipality should have some flexibility under the OMB.

“If we can’t get the permits today, I don’t think there’s certainty if we’re going to be able to get them,” Fearrey said. Council ultimately opted not to pass any resolutions on the discussion.

Mayor Andrea Roberts said no councillor is going on vacation and they could call a special meeting within 48-hours to get the project moving once the agreements are sorted with staff.

“This is extremely important to get this right,” Roberts said.

Triples tennis tournament serves up fun

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 24, 2019

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Haliburtonians and snowbirds from across the province joined together to serve, compete and reunite at the fourth annual Maple Leaf/Haliburton Triples Tennis Tournament July 16.

The tournament featured 16 teams and 48 players, made up of members from the Maple Leaf Golf and Country Club in Florida and the local Haliburton tennis group. The teams are sorted to mix skill levels with Haliburton native Jeff Cattell’s team emerging victorious after a three-game sweep in the best-of-five finals.

Cattell said his team meshed well together. He added the victory was sweet but the tournament was about something more than that.

“It’s all for fun and camaraderie,” Cattell said. “Winning’s a little bit of icing on the cake. It’s just a terrific group. There’s so much friendship that’s spread around far and wide.”

Snowbirds came to visit Haliburton for the tournament from as far as Quebec and Michigan, staying with billet families amidst the festivities.

Irene Stich came from London, Ontario after connecting with organizers in Florida. “It’s a nice setting here,” Stich said. “It’s beautiful and the people are so hospitable.”

The 16 teams played in a round-robin format, before a final match between the top team in each pool. But although there was a trophy to play for, the atmosphere remained friendly.

“Playing here, we’re all saying ‘nice shot,’ to the opponent and enjoying ourselves,” Stich said.

Organizers Greg Freeman and Jeff Papiez said they were happy with how the day went.

“They’re wonderful people. It’s a friendly competition, it’s a means of being able to remain active in a fun way, but still in a competitive way,’ Freeman said. “This year, we’ve likely got 12-15 new players as well which is terrific.”

Freeman said he would like to see the tournament continue, but noted things could change.

“We’d love to be able to say we’re going to host it every year. That may be the immediate plan, but who knows? That’s 12 months from now,” he said.

Cattell said the tournament acts as a nice reunion for the snowbirds.

“Seeing people you haven’t seen for six months. A lot of people orient themselves down south to Florida and the other half orient themselves to Haliburton,” Cattell said. “It’s a nice way to blend both communities together.”

More families will be able to get midwives

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 19, 2019

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Haliburton and Bancroft midwives are welcoming an additional $35,000 toward their services but indicated frontline workers need more support.

The province announced July 8 it would invest an additional $28 million across Ontario to expand midwifery services. The province also said it is working to expand the scope of practice for midwives to allow them to prescribe more medications to clients.

Midwives expected the funding, as they negotiated it as part of a multi-year contract with the previous Liberal government. But Midwifery Services of Haliburton-Bancroft practice partner Rebecca Weeks said it is still welcome news.

“We are very pleased that the Ontario government continues to support midwifery,” Weeks said. “Midwifery is in high demand. Many women are turned away and we currently have some waiting lists.”

“This additional funding will mean more expecting families across Ontario will be able to access quality care from a midwife,” Minister of Health Christine Elliott said in a press release.

However, other funding conflicts in midwifery remain.

The province axed operational funding to the College of Midwives Ontario last November, which had been going for more than 25 years. The college regulates midwives in the province, but was the only medical college which was receiving provincial funding.

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario also found last September midwives were underpaid due to gender discrimination. The province is appealing the ruling. More is expected to come from the tribunal in the fall, according to an Association of Ontario Midwives press release.

“We cannot value midwifery care and undervalue the midwife who provides that care. The two are inextricably linked,” association president Elizabeth Brandeis said.

Weeks said that pay discrepancy can potentially cause challenges attracting people to the field. She added demand for the services remains high in the region, with their caseload increasing by approximately 30 per cent each year.

But the province’s announcement for midwifery support could bode well, Weeks said.

“We’re about to begin negotiations with the new provincial government,” Weeks said. “We’re hopeful they’re going to support our practice, increasing funding to our practice, so we’ll be able to meet the caseload demand.”

The province’s overhaul to the health care system could also lead to opportunity, Weeks said. Haliburton-Bancroft is the only midwifery service with a catchment area lacking a delivery hospital. Deliveries instead occur in Peterborough. That was a decision of the Central East Local Health Integration Network in 2009, Weeks said. But with those networks dissolving under the province’s health care reforms, she said perhaps there could be change.

“Potentially there could be an appetite to bring birth back to the community, which would be fantastic for families here,” Weeks said. “Especially families marginalized by economics and having a hard time travelling outside the community to access care.”

Brazen daytime theft in Highlands East

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 19, 2019

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Highland Grove resident Cheryl Ellis got an unpleasant surprise when she returned home from vacation; thieves had broken into her home.

The perpetrators stole tools, batteries, jewelry, $4,700 in cash and a side-by-side July 9. Ellis estimated it was worth more than $30,000. They also ripped out and took the security system which may have spotted them. “

I’m really upset that this is happening in our area,” Ellis said. “I’ve lived here all my life and now I have to start locking everything up and buying security systems. I think it’s absolutely terrible. It’s actually scary too, they came into the home in the middle of the day.”

Bancroft OPP Const. Philippe Regamey confirmed the incident. He said forensic identification services attended the scene, and the investigation is ongoing.

Ellis put out a call on Facebook July 9 asking if anyone had information. Her post was shared 214 times as of July 15. Dozens of people commented on the post and lamented what happened.

“This is awful,” Candy Donaldson said. “So sorry to hear this. Hopefully, they will be caught.”

“Break and enters are on the rise,” Ida Dewey Schultz said. “Two murders in our county in the last month. When will it change? How do we get our community back?”

It is not the only place in the area to fall victim to a robbery. The Harcourt Timber Mart was also stolen from recently. Operations manager Bruce Smith confirmed the theft but declined to comment further.

Ellis said she was glad that people responded.

“Everybody’s really great and I think the community’s pulling together trying to keep an eye out for my stuff,” she said. “I think the community’s concerned too.”

The former mayoral candidate won $1 million in Lotto 649 in May 2018. Ellis said she suspects that may have been why her new home was targeted.

“They probably realized brand new house so we had new stuff,” Ellis said. “For people who don’t want to work, they might look and think yeah, it’s a good place to target. It’s nice to win money but it also kind of makes you a bit of a target.”

Ellis said she remains hopeful her family’s belongings will be recovered. As for what she would say to the perpetrators?

Haliburton pet store running out of nine lives

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 18, 2019

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For 24 years, Great Haliburton Feed Co. owner Maureen Adams has helped thousands of animals find homes.

The pet store has operated since 1995. It has weathered a tumultuous few years, with a fire destroying its facility in 2014, a near-closure in January 2018 and the passing of Adams’s husband and store co-owner Charles McAleaney on January 8, 2019.

But after all those years in business, the 60-year-old Adams is ready to call it quits. The store is now up for sale.

“It’s time,” she said. “It’s heavy work and I’m worn out.”

Adams said good customers and animals in need have kept her going in the business for so long. But she added things have been rough since the fire burned down their facility in 2014, causing an estimated $400,000 in damages. The business restarted but nearly closed permanently in 2018 over issues finding a new facility, before it found a home on Mallard Road.

The place has helped many kinds of animals find homes over the years, including cats, donkeys, rats and chickens.

It has helped people too, Adams said, who have helped the business in return.

“Because of my work with the animals, I attract people who have the same feelings and those are good people,” Adams said. “It’s been a great experience.”

Adams said it is important to have businesses like hers around.

“A community who looks after their animals and their children is a place you want to raise your family.”

The Great Haliburton Feed Co. is for sale for $34,900 plus HST. If no buyer is found, Adams said she plans to close the business sometime in the fall.

Don Kerr of Minden Cat Angels said such a closure would leave a big gap for stray cats in the area. Although Kerr and Paulmac’s Pets are helping strays around Minden, he said they are not in a position to take over Haliburton.
“We’re just not big enough,” Kerr said. “It’s going to become a major problem if Maureen shuts down out there because if the cats are not brought in, they could multiply.”

Adams said she is uncertain about whether she will be able to find a buyer.

“It’s tough these days for younger people. They have different interests, in technology. This is kind of old school.”

She added she is greatly appreciative of all the people who have helped the Great Haliburton Feed Co. over the years.

“Words can’t say enough to thank or express how I feel about the people who have helped me all along the way.”

Anyone interested in purchasing the business or one of the remaining stock of pets can contact Adams at 705-457-9775.

Minden Transmission Station getting powered up

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 18, 2019

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From the ashes of a destructive fire at the Minden Transmission Station, Hydro One began a massive rebuild July 17 with a $33 million investment to modernize the facility.

Hydro One is installing two new transformers to improve the station’s capacity and reliability. The upgrade was delayed after a storm-caused fire July 26, 2018, which dealt significant damage to a transformer. The fire resulted in an hours-long power outage to approximately 20,000 homes.

Dignitaries were on hand to break ground on the expansion. Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin reflected on the station fire and initial fears of a longer-term outage.

“Electricity and the power of Ontario is one of those things we take for granted,” Devolin said. “It’s wonderful to be here today to see a re-investment in the assets to provide energy for all of us in this part of Ontario.”

Devolin complimented Hydro One for the trust and co-operation between it and first responders in handling the fire nearly one year ago.

The development also include new grid modernization equipment, which is expected to reduce outage durations and decrease the number of customers impacted during an outage. New devices are also being added to enable more remote control and monitoring at the facility.

Project manager Josh Brown said the new transformers are a big upgrade on the older ones in Minden, built in the 1950s.

“They have a much higher capacity, more safety features in place than this one,” Brown said.

Acting chief operating officer Darlene Bradley said the station’s capacity will be significantly larger and be able to handle the area’s growth for the foreseeable future.

“Hydro One will be able to make the permanent upgrades the community is counting on to replace aging infrastructure and build a safe and reliable power supply for years to come,” she said.

“It’s a huge investment to our whole community,” Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott said. “I want to thank Hydro One immensely for the investment, for the dedication of all your workers and your team to our whole area.”

Hydro One expects to complete the project by March 2021, with elements coming online throughout the process.

Smoke on the water

By

Joseph Quigley, Local Journalism Initiative Repoter

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July 18, 2019

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The Dysart et al fire department successfully put out a boat fire on Head Lake July 14.

Firefighters responded to the call using a fire department boat, chief Mike Iles said. They extinguished the blaze using fire extinguishers and a portable water pump. Firefighters then pulled the burnt boat to shore before it could sink.

Iles said the department had to adapt on the fly, but the call was handled very well overall.

“It was a unique call we don’t see,” Iles said. “We had to improvise and the fire department worked extremely well to implement a safe attack.”

Iles said it was not a situation firefighters had specifically trained for. He added he had only seen one or two boat fires in 25 years of service, but those were on docks.

“We’ve never had one where we’ve had to physically access and extinguish on open water.” There were no injuries in the incident. People were rescued from the boat, but the cause of the fire is unknown. “

Gentleman had been out boating for a while, but no idea what caused the fire,” Iles said. The situation required the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to be notified, he said. The ministry in turn notified the coast guard. OPP also responded to the scene.

“All the necessary ministries have been involved and approved of our approach,” Iles said. Floating booms were used to contain any oil and gas spill from the incident, he added.

The boat fire caused Dysart et al to close Rotary Beach at Head Lake Park. The municipal recreation department made the announcement in a July 15 Facebook post.

“Spill kits have been put in place to absorb any oil or gas that may have entered the water,” the department said.

Township re-opened the beach July 18.

Looking for a few good volunteers

By

Lisa Gervais

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July 18, 2019

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I was saddened to hear about the cancellation of this weekend’s Minden Hills Bluegrass Festival.

I was equally disappointed to learn last week that the Festival of the August Moon would have to take a one-year hiatus.

In chatting with Dennis Casey from bluegrass, and Heather Ross and Jeanne Anthon of August Moon, there is an obvious worrying trend unfolding here.

In the case of bluegrass, Casey said the average age of attendees is 60 and they are starting to wait before booking campgrounds, making organizers fearful about having the attendance to support the event. Why do they wait? Well, being older, they’re concerned about health issues popping up in the interim between booking and attending.

In the case of August Moon, it was not a financial concern that led to cancellation of the mid-August event. Rather, it was a case of the organizing committee running out of steam when faced with a few prickly issues. A reflective Ross said they don’t have problems getting volunteers on the day. It’s getting them out to planning meetings that is the challenge. They’ve also lost committee volunteers to health issues and the rest are strapped for time. It’s committee member succession that is their nemesis, she said.

Anthon agreed that finding a younger demographic of volunteers is starting to become a challenge for not just Festival Moon but other Haliburton County events. Ross talks about the garlic festival. Now that it has successfully partnered with Abbey Gardens, with access to staff, it seems to be doing very well.

For many other festivals, they still rely on activist committees, replacing staff with volunteers. But Ross is starting to wonder if this model has run its course. She ponders, too, if board-run clubs are having similar problems with recruitment. From what we are hearing, yes, many clubs and organizations are struggling to find people to step up as volunteers in varying capacities.

It’s hardly surprising when you consider 2016 Census figures for the county. We have an average age in the 50s and more than a third of us are 65-year-old plus. Many of these people form the volunteer base of Haliburton County but health issues are creeping in and they’re getting tired.

So, why is it so hard to find younger volunteers? For some, work is an impediment. For others, it’s family commitments. For some, it’s both. However, some of our clubs and organizations also need to consider how volunteer-friendly they are. For example, when they gather during daytime hours for meetings, it precludes working people from attending. And as Ross stated, many of our clubs and organizations – while they do a great job – are not attracting millennials because that age bracket isn’t interested in attending lengthy planning meetings.

One option might be remote meetings employing technology. In today’s age, there’s no reason that organizers cannot get together in the evenings over Facebook messenger, WhatsApp or other forms of videoconferencing. Ross’ approach is refreshing. She says they’ve done a poor job of succession planning. And she is considering what might be the best way forward for August Moon. We think all of our local clubs and organizations need to do the same exercise or it won’t be just bluegrass and August Moon cancelled in future.

The Outsider: Dumb and #dumber

By

Will Jones

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July 18, 2019

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I was having trouble thinking about what I should whinge, sorry, write about, this week and so I opened my Facebook account (yes, I am that old and boring), hoping it would give me inspiration. And you know what? It did.

In among the swathes of tedious posts from desperate folks trying to justify their pitiful lives by collecting likes, there were two that caught my eye for very contrasting but ultimately similar reasons. The first, from Moe, said: “#you #don’t #need #a #hashtag #for #every #word #you #post. #Settle #down.”

I chuckled, and, unusually for me, hit ‘like’. I don’t often express my emotions via the utterly lazy single click but for this damning digital diatribe I thought it particularly apt, only bettered I guess by commenting #righton.

For the avid hash taggers out there, clicking on #righton is a waste of time, believe me. I did it in the name of research. Twitter #righton is filled with random semiliterate posts by pointless losers saying nothing about anything, all completely unconnected with each other, other than they are obviously not ‘right on’.

You might already have guessed that I hate hashtags, or rather their improper use. Yes, go ahead young folks (and some older ones too) and hashtag My Haliburton Highlands, if you are in the business of promoting the area as a tourist destination, but #daddyatthebeach #wickednewmanicure #baconsandwich … Nooo! I won’t click on your link and neither will anyone else. They’ll simply stop reading your post as soon as you #start #adding #that #little #symbol #because #it’s #@#$%&ing #annoying.

Or, if they are older and wiser, they’ll wonder why you’re using the number or pound sign randomly throughout your post and correctly assume that you’re an idiot, and then unfriend you.

Our insistence on adding hashtags to otherwise perfectly interesting little posts is crippling the English language and dumbing down our lives to the point of click and ‘hope I’m cool like the other kids.’

That brings me on to the other Facebook post that caught my eye. An advert from the Royal Canadian Mint, no less. The royally-appointed authority that makes our money, has seen fit to, as it says on the ad, ‘capture Canadian pride on a coin.’ A glow in the dark coin. My son had a Batman glow in the dark T-shirt once. He also used to think glow sticks were cool. Note the words ‘used to’ in that last sentence. And the luminous Storm Trooper that his grandma bought him a couple of years ago? It sits on a shelf, unused. You see, he’s 10 now and he’s lost interest in ‘glow-in-the-dark.’

Has society regressed to the mental capacity of four-year-old children; to the point at which we are mesmerized by luminous trinkets? Is the minting of a new silver coin symbolizing Canadian pride not good enough, not collectible enough? Please people, let’s focus on the important issues of our days because there are many, large and small. Let’s not get caught up in any manufactured excitement surrounding a luminous-painted commemorative coin. Are you with me? #Canadianmintsucks #hashtagsaredumb #bringbackthepoundsign.