New director to spearhead arena reopening

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November 5, 2020

Minden Hills has hired a new director of community services who’ll spearhead the reopening of the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena and Community Centre.

Mayor Brent Devolin told the Oct. 29 council meeting, and members of the public tuning in on YouTube, that Craig Belfry has joined the corporation effective Nov. 2.

Devolin, during the Mayor’s Report on CanoeFM last week, also updated progress on the $12.7 million arena and community centre project.

He said it recently passed two major thresholds, that of occupancy and substantial completion. That means builders MBC have turned the building over to township staff.

“So, now it’s the beginning of staff taking over the building and operationalizing it,” he said. The mayor said in normal times this is challenging so with COVID-19 even more so. He said hiring Belfry is now key.

“It’s been a long time, the better part of the year almost since we had a director of community services, and certainly while this facility is being built that hasn’t been a big deal.” However, with the need to make the arena and community centre operational, Devolin said it now is.

Belfry was recently manager of recreation and culture at the Corporation of the Township of Scugog. He has been hired to replace Mark Coleman who left in December 2019.

“Craig comes to us with 20 years of experience in the Brock, Springwater and Scugog municipalities, so central Ontario, somewhat similar circumstances to our own, and so it’s really good to know that somebody that comes with a full toolbox is ready to take over a newly-minted facility to begin to operationalize it as we go forward,” Devolin said.

The mayor said he knows the public wants to know how soon the facility can open.

“Obviously, that’s the first and primary task of Craig coming on board. I would expect, within a month or so of him being in his position, to roll out for the public when it will open.”

He said with COVID, it is going to be a staged approach.

“There are areas within the new complex that have different risk factors when it comes to COVID,” Devolin said. “And I’m hoping if all goes well that before the end of the year that we’ll be back doing some of the more normal things that we do in that facility that’s been offline for about a year and a half now. So, I think we’re all looking for a little joy to do some of those things that we used to do and maybe some new ones.”

Left to Tell: Part 17 – Continue to fight for freedoms won

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Lisa Gervais

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November 5, 2020

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By the silver anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Canadians saw the War Measures Act implemented by Pierre Trudeau in an attempt to capture a Quebec terrorist who had kidnapped a British diplomat and a Quebec cabinet minister.

By 1975, it was necessary to adopt wage and price controls to curb inflation.

Twenty-five years more brought many more changes. We had watched a man walk on the moon and describe its beauty. We thrilled to such movies as The Godfather and Airport in 1970. Also, that year, a strong and strange aroma was blowing into Canada from a dairy farm in New York State. It was caused by a four-day gathering of 400,000 at a rock and roll concert. As often happened, disapproval of government is expressed through song and music.

In these articles, I have tried to express the feelings of the horror of war – especially a war which killed over 50 million of the world’s people and left countless others wounded in body and mind.

Canada now faces a new and different war – a moral war of hate, greed, discrimination, exploitation and other human life issues. They are many and complex without black and white answers. Like Hitler’s philosophy, these issues breed and thrive on indifference.

As Canadian citizens, we are called upon to understand and to meet the challenge like we did when the war was started. We must make reasonable decisions on each ethical issue and then defend our chosen position.

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein.

This is the reason when I disagree with something government is doing, I sit down and demand answers. I don’t complain, and I hope you do the same. I may have to write five or six letters. Stamps are not required but eventually they send a letter, because if not, a little old lady in Minden is going to hound the hell out of them until someone is accountable. And I never let go. Complaining to friends won’t get you anywhere.

Recently, we are faced with diseases unknown in the past. Decreasing Medicare funds have to be allocated fairly. There is the ethical dilemma of caring for the elderly with the numbers in this group increasing, and the family caregivers decreasing. Abuse of the elderly happens often, and the abuser is often a family member. Further, there is the issue around medical assistance in dying and moral challenges of controlling reproduction, and the continual debate on abortion. These are only a few of the issues today.

Those who gave their lives in the Second World War provided the opportunity for all Canadians to work together for a better country.

This is the last column in this series.

For the purposes of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the names of those who died from Haliburton County are listed below: Jack Anderson, Lyle Boice, Leslie Burk, Arthur Carhochan, Elmer Covert, Vern Cowan, Ross Davidson, Richard Dawson, Burt Fielding, Jordan Gainer, Mervin Harrison, Lyle Horsley, Elgie Henderson, Irwin Hout, Russel LaRue, Max McCracken, James Nicholls, Donald Pasquino, James Redner, George Swanton, Walter Winn, James Wright.

Opportunity knocks as Frost Centre on market

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Lisa Gervais

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November 5, 2020

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News the Frost Centre is again up for sale didn’t come as a surprise to a former employee or the mayor of the township in which it resides.

However, both Barrie Martin and Carol Moffatt have a keen interest in what might eventually happen at the former Leslie M. Frost Natural Resource Centre in Dorset.

Martin worked there for 24 years and Moffatt, before she became mayor, fought hard to keep the centre open. Since then, as mayor of Algonquin Highlands, she’s watched the Frost Centre story unfold.

A ‘for sale’ sign went up Oct. 29. Infrastructure Ontario, the Crown agency that manages provincially-owned infrastructure and real estate, has enlisted CBRE Limited Real Estate Brokerage, which is offering the 40.63 acres of waterfront land, with 21 buildings, full kitchen, dining hall and recreation centre, for $1.1 million.

Martin told The Highlander the centre’s closing in 2004 was a tragedy and “hopefully it’ll be acquired to serve the broader good, but who knowns who’ll buy it and when they’ll buy it.”

Since the listing went up last week, Martin said it’s created a social media buzz. He said he’s even been approached by a couple of people about taking a leadership role in purchasing and developing the property but he is not interested at this point. However, he said he was happy to lend support.

Martin was on the Friends of the Frost Centre that had some ambitious plans, such as a leadership camp. He added that with the trails, some heritage designations and easements, he hopes whoever buys it sees that as an opportunity rather than a limiting factor.

Asked about his vision for the property in 2020, Martin said it would involve a lot of partners coming together, both local and other.

“And they would build a facility that would serve to educate people about natural resources and ecology and climate change – all of those things we’re all worried about.”

He added, “really people coming together in this current climate and dreaming and thinking about what could be and then making it happen with some good leadership and investment.”

Moffatt said for her it’s about honouring the history.

“We need to preserve this piece of our local story. It’s my hope that the heritage of the Frost Centre and its importance in the community is woven into whatever becomes of the property,” she told The Highlander.

She said the township wasn’t surprised by the sale, but it “ushers in the final blow to what Leslie M. Frost himself said about the new school in 1944, ‘this school may well be the forerunner of other such establishments in Ontario’.”

Moffatt said the township toured the facility in August 2013 when the province was making it surplus. She said there had always been hopes about Algonquin Highlands centralizing the Stanhope and Dorset operations into one place and perhaps developing an accommodation-based recreational program to go with the trails system. “There were lots of ideas.”

However, she said the condition of the facility was “disheartening.” The township realized the size of the property and the amount of work needed made it too expensive. However, they secured their trails system and had the area where the trails office is severed with a long-term lease.

Moffatt said the Frost Centre was a fixture of the community and an incredible link to community, education and natural resources.

“Its history is deeply entrenched in our local heritage,” she said, adding, “a lot of amazing people worked there and a lot of amazing work was done there. Many who worked there still have very strong feelings about their time there and how the closure was handled.”

Moffatt said she’s been in the centre since it closed and, “each time we wandered the barren halls and stood in the empty classrooms, there was a tangible sadness; you could feel the memories.”

Minister of Infrastructure and local MPP Laurie Scott said, “its time has come.” She added she is optimistic that there is now an opportunity for the centre to be something different while respecting its heritage. “There’s lots of good news that could come from it. Let’s get moving forward with an opportunity for economic development.

Board members pan Dysart for plan to charge rent for assessment centre location

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Lisa Gervais

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November 3, 2020

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LG-assessment centre 1_Easy-Resize.com — Staff in the County's new COVID-19 assessment centre.

By Lisa Gervais

A Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) board member said it is “absolutely ridiculous” Dysart et al is asking for rent for the parking lot where the COVID-19 assessment centre trailer is stationed.

However, Mayor Andrea Roberts said the municipality is simply trying to have a formal agreement in place and to recover costs during the pandemic.

The issue was raised at the Oct. 29 HHHS board meeting, where they discussed the trailer located outside the family medical centre in Haliburton.

CAO Carolyn Plummer said one of the upcoming expenses is rent and Hydro to the township.

“That’s going to be adding to our ongoing operating costs at a time when we’re really not even certain whether we’re going to be able to get sufficient funding from the province to cover those (costs)…” Plummer said.

Board member Irene Odell said it was disappointing.

“I’m kind of surprised because this is a service to our community,” she said.

Board member David O’Brien agreed. He said he could understand paying Hydro costs, but not rent.

“We are fighting COVID as a community and we’re doing it as a whole community and we’re doing it together as a community and, really, to think you should have to charge us to do this service for our community, absolutely ridiculous in my mind,” he said.

Odell asked where people would have to go if HHHS had to close the assessment centre if it became unaffordable in Haliburton. Plummer said Lindsay, Peterborough, Bracebridge or Bancroft.

“It’s quite a travel for folks, especially coming into the winter months,” she said.

She added they had also previously discussed a possible relocation but preferred the current site since it is so close to the Haliburton Hospital and the medical centre.

Plummer said they had been in talks with Roberts and, “she’s certainly aware of the circumstances we’re facing right now.”

Some board members said they did not think the parking lot was very full during COVID due to virtual appointments and did not think Dysart was losing revenue.

Roberts told The Highlander Oct. 30 that she did not attend the HHHS board meeting so she’s not sure what was discussed.

However, “I can say we are working with them and the other groups involved with the assessment centre to have a lease agreement, and are hoping to have it finalized soon. To date it has been in the parking lot with no agreement. We need to have things clear and fair for Dysart. It has always been our intention to be a good partner as we are all trying to deal with Covid-19.”

Police arrest Minden man suspected in taser-armed robberies

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Lisa Gervais

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November 2, 2020

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JQOppbriefsweb.jpg.e4021104 — File photo.

Orillia OPP has charged a 46-year-old Minden man after a series of armed robberies involving a taser.

In a press release, OPP said a suspect approached a person using an ATM inside a Coboconk bank Oct. 25, brandishing a taser and demanding cash. The victim surrendered $300 and the suspect fled on foot. Nobody was injured.

In a similar incident, Oct. 26 at a drive-thru ATM in Orillia, an unknown suspect brandished a taser and demanded cash. The victim drove away, leaving their card in the ATM, but the suspect was unable to withdraw cash. Police attended and attempted a search but were unable to find a suspect at the time.

Police also believe the suspect was also responsible for two attempted armed robberies at convenience stores in Gravenhurst Oct. 26. In both cases, a suspected entered a convenience store with what appeared to be a firearm and demanded cash, but was unable to obtain any.

On Oct. 30, OPP arrested a suspect in the Township of Ramara.

Police charged the suspect from Minden with robbery with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and unauthorized possession of a weapon.

The accused is scheduled to appear Dec. 1 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Orillia.

OPP said the investigation is ongoing and more information will be released when it is available.

“The OPP would like to thank the concerned members of the public that assisted in the identification of the suspect which led to his arrest,” police said in a press release.

SIRCH opening bistro and marketplace

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Lisa Gervais

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November 2, 2020

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JQ - SIRCH Bistro - 1-web — SIRCH Community services helps equip employees with soft skills, via training sessions, and also helps workers gain culinary experience in their open-to-the-public bistro. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

SIRCH Community Services is creating a new bistro and marketplace with the help of a three-year, approximately $800,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The organization is shifting its main office to a new building at 49 Maple Ave., with the bistro portion soft-launching Nov. 4. At more than 3,900 square feet, it is more than twice the space of its previous building. The organization plans to use the building as a training centre with a commercial kitchen, that will allow it to expand its programming.

SIRCH executive director Gena Robertson said the move is a way to boost its Ready for Retail and Cook It Up programs, which train people for retail and kitchen jobs.

“Be able to support graduates better after they left us and got employed,” Robertson said. “Having this space provides so many opportunities.”

The new location, which also has a separate office space on the upper floor, will serve breakfast and lunch five days a week. SIRCH also plans to develop a marketplace featuring local artists and entrepreneurs. It will also be the new home for its free-meal production, which SIRCH increased to 500-per-week at the start of the pandemic but scaled back due to affordability.

Robertson said they hope to help fund those free meals through their annual Gifts from the Heart fundraising campaign, which runs from Oct. 13 to Dec. 31.

“We know the need is there for prepared meals,” Robertson said. “Sometimes if people are depressed or ill or frail or homeless, they need prepared meals. And we want to be able to do that for the County.”

Robertson added it is not their intention to compete with local eateries.

Marketplace co-ordinator Wendy Ladurantaye said SIRCH will strictly follow health protocols to ensure safety at the new facility. She said they are still developing the marketplace but hope to give local artists and craftspeople space to rent. It will also act as a training opportunity for its Ready for Retail students.

“Our Ready for Retail people will be able to help with merchandising, to learn about displays and the customer service end of things,” Ladurantaye said.

Food Initiatives Coordinator Jay McIvor said the larger space will make a significant difference for the organization.

“It’s certainly going to increase exponentially everything we do,” McIvor said.

The three-year Grow Grant requires SIRCH to successfully get people employed, Robertson said. SIRCH made the application in October 2019, with the sudden pandemic presenting an unexpected layer of challenge.

“We have to do the best we can with the circumstances we’re dealt,” Robertson said. “There’s lots of opportunities. I hope that other things will spin out of this as well, that will contribute to the community health.”

More need to Share the Warmth this winter

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Lisa Gervais

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November 1, 2020

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JQ - Share the Warmth - 1-web — SIRCH increasing connectivity co-ordinator Rebecca Anderson holds some of the early donations for the Share the Warmth campaign, starting Nov. 1. Photo by Joseph Quilgley.

Winter is coming and SIRCH Community Services is readying itself to meet greater demand for its Share the Warmth campaign to provide warm clothing for families in need.

The fifth annual campaign provides winter clothing, including coats, hats, gloves, boots, socks and more for free to residents. The donation drive runs Nov. 1 to Nov. 12, with pick-up day Nov. 14. SIRCH increasing connectivity co-ordinator Rebecca Anderson said the campaign remains extremely important.

They handed out 337 coats last year and with the pandemic, Anderson said they expect that demand to increase.

“It’s important because winter outerwear is extremely expensive and it’s also a basic need with rural living,” Anderson said. “COVID not only exacerbates the existing vulnerabilities that were in our community last year, but it also creates new vulnerabilities.”

In a press release, SIRCH asked that donations be clean with no rips, tears, stains or smells. Due to COVID-19 protocols, all donations must be cleaned by the donor beforehand. Drop off locations include Haliburton Foodland, Todd’s Independent, Algonquin Outfitters, Dollo’s Foodland, Easton’s Valu-Mart and St. Paul’s Anglican Church. In previous years, Anderson said they have been able to give everything they received away. But she added she is not worried about getting enough donations to meet the growing demand.

“We have a generous community,” Anderson said. “I’m always awestruck with how generous our community members are. Getting enough is definitely on our mind, but it’s not a concern.”

Pick-up days are Nov. 14, at St. Paul’s Anglican Church from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and at the SIRCH main office in Haliburton from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Anderson said people cannot try on clothing due to COVID. SIRCH will require masks and maintaining social distancing.

For more information contact SIRCH at 705-457-1742 or email Rebecca_ anderson@sirch.on.ca.

“Thank you to every single community member who donates,” Anderson said. “Thank you for helping our neighbours stay warm this winter.”

Tekrider: government forgets ‘little guys’

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Lisa Gervais

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October 31, 2020

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JQ - TekRider Contract - 1-web — David Brown works machinery at the Tekrider facility in Minden Oct. 19. The business says the end of a government order could force layoffs. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Tekrider TekVest owner Steve Brand answered the call to a province needing medical gear at the start of the pandemic, transitioning from high-end recreational clothing to personal protective equipment (PPE).

The move was costly during a pandemic – Brand said he took out a second mortgage on his home and business in addition to a $40,000 small business loan from the federal government. But with advocacy from the County and the province expediting the licencing process, he was successfully able to start producing equipment, including medical gowns and non-medical masks, in early April. A recent one-time order for 12,000 reusable medical gowns from the provincial government helped further sustain the business and allowed it to buy more equipment. As orders came in, Tekrider expanded from nine to 26 employees, with the possibility of hiring more.

“We did it on our own,” Brand said. “It was the right thing to do.”

But all of that is up-in-the-air with the end of the order, with Tekrider’s last shipment going Sept. 18. Brand said they hoped for an extended contract, but it never happened. With thin margins, he said there is a good chance he will have to cut a lot of the staff he hired to produce more PPE.

“We’re collectively disappointed at the lack of leadership on the part of the government,” Brand said. “Doug Ford says he stands up for the little guy, well clearly that’s not the case.”

Ministry of Government and Consumer Services spokesperson Barbara Hanson said the contract was a one-time purchase order.

“Our efforts, and those of local companies, were a great success with Ontario holding sufficient stock of reusable gowns,” Hanson said.

The province has invested millions in recent months to improve PPE manufacturing supply, such as $23.3 for the 3M plant in Brockville for N95 respirators and $1.8 million at Southmedic in Barrie for oxygen masks and face shields.

TekRider director of community outreach Lisa Schmidt said it is not about growing the company, but helping more people get by.

“It’s to keep a community going,” Schmidt said. “This is not one of the economically most advantageous parts of the province… It’s not like we’re looking for a handout. It would be great to have the orders continue knowing COVID isn’t going away.”

“I could have had an immediate increase of 10 (employees),” Brand said. “But now I may have to reduce in the opposite direction.”

Schmidt said although the government’s move may be cost-saving, keeping local businesses going helps keep people employed and off government assistance.

“There are many parts of the province that are really working hard to build up their local communities. Steve is an example of what that looks like,” she said. “They’re not making a profit on any of these gowns – basically the whole point was to keep people employed.”

With a long history in the military and peacekeeping, including a tour in Afghanistan, Brand said he used to governments acting slowly. In contrast, he said he was appreciative of just how quickly governments moved in April to ensure he and other businesses could pivot to making PPE.

“The government did move very quickly,” Brand said. “Things have changed. I give the government – both levels – high marks in the initial three-to-four months, but failing grades now. Because they’re focused on bigger issues, bigger people etcetera, etcetera, and they’ve forgotten the little guys.”

Watch for witches – at a distance – at Abbey Gardens this Halloween

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 30, 2020

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JQ - Abbey Gardens Halloween - 2-web — A picture from a poster for a special Halloween show at Abbey Gardens. Photo via Bass Witch Coven.

Abbey Gardens will play host to a night of fear, fire and magic as ‘The Witches’ descend upon the outdoor area for a socially-distanced show on Halloween.

Entertainment companies NorthFIRE Circus and the Bass Witch Coven are collaborating on a new performance. In socially distanced bubbles with limited numbers, the performers will invite guests on hourly tours through the forest for a storytelling experience, capped off with a fiery display.

“Typically, we always do really big fire shows,” NorthFIRE Circus owner Isabelle Hoops said. “There definitely is a theatrical sense to this one and much more of a story. Walk through the backwoods of Abbey Gardens, might stumble across some witches. There will definitely be some theatrical acting moments. Some scary things can happen.”

The show will feature COVID19 protocols, with staggered entry, mandatory masks and social distancing enforced. The one-hour experience will also invite people to enjoy food, music and drinks at Haliburton Highlands Brewing afterwards. All four performances of the show, running from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., have already sold out.

“We are so grateful to the community,” Bass Witch Coven owner Jessica Clayton said. “We feel very supported.”

Based in Toronto, Clayton said she loves Haliburton. The show came about when she and Hoops approached Abbey Gardens about a performance. The local organization was receptive.

“That’s what we’ve been doing during COVID. Every performance we’ve been able to do this entire time is because we’ve asked,” Clayton said. “Normally, during the summer, we don’t have time to catch our breath. This summer was obviously quite quiet for us.”

The two entertainment companies also described themselves as having feminist undertones, which reflects in their work.

“It’s been a really strong thing for us as women working together,” Hoops said. “When I started fire spinning, there wasn’t a lot of women, it was mostly men … When I first started my own company and bringing other people in, I just kept on veering toward more and more women and we both just kept pulling more women into the circle.”

Although their Halloween show is full, the performers said they expect to return to Haliburton in the future.

“We look forward to doing more things like that in the area,” Clayton said. “Filled with more artistic people who really understand what we’re doing. This won’t be the last time.”

Left to Tell: Part 16 – After 75 years

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 29, 2020

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By Mabel Brannigan

In the 75 years since the war, Canada, and in particular Haliburton County, have seen many changes – changes made possible by the Allies’ victory and the sacrifices of the men and women who joined the cause.

Even without a war, 1939 was an eventful year. Two-thirds of Canada’s population lived below the poverty line. Yet, many people from Haliburton got to Toronto to see the award-winning movie Gone with the Wind. That year we travelled ‘Over the Rainbow’ with Judy Garland. Great movies helped take our thoughts away from the Great Depression. We danced to such songs as ‘Deep Purple’, ‘San Antonio Rose’ and Gene Autry’s ‘South of the Border’. Kate Smith, America’s sweetheart, bellowed ‘God Bless America’ to the whole world.

At the end of the Second World War, Canada was transformed from a struggling colony into an independent nation, no longer to be ignored. Men and women exchanged uniforms for a very changed Canada, and for a changed Haliburton that would change just as much the next decade.

Although Canada was built on the principle of immigration, the arrival of 48,000 war brides and 22,000 children was a strange sight indeed. While Canada was building faster than Britain or the US, there was a serious housing shortage.

Thousands of new married couples, including myself, got down to the business of starting the baby boom. It was 75 years ago and we hadn’t heard of credit cards, instant coffee, ballpoint pens, pantyhose, fast food and countless foods and goodies considered normal today.

Seventy-five years have gone quickly so it is possible only to reflect on a few highlights.

Queen Julianna and her three girls went home to lead The Netherlands through post-war problems. The Netherlands is forever grateful to Canada for liberation and keeping their queen safe.

The United Nations and Human Rights legislation emerged after the Second World War.

To safeguard medical atrocities, as those performed in the war, the Nuremberg Code was adopted in 1946.

Also in this decade, King George VI died and the present Queen Elizabeth became Queen of the Commonwealth.

Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949.

Summing up his platform in Unity in Equality, Louis St. Laurent became Canada’s new post-war prime minister in 1948. A new vision of world affairs inspired him to be among the architects of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO).

Another young man in Ottawa, who had distinguished himself as a debater and orator in the House of Commons, John Diefenbaker, attended the United Organization meeting in San Francisco, in 1945. He took office as prime minister on June 21, 1957 and on his re-election in 1958 he received the largest majority ever recorded to a federal party. He is best remembered for the Canadian Bill of Rights, emphasizing individual freedoms as well as the Northern Vision.

Also on the scene at the time was another brilliant politician, Lester B. Pearson. He handled negotiations which led to the formation of NATO in 1949. In recognition of his achievements of peace, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.

Internationally, Canada’s reputation was known as a peaceful nation. They had the know-how to build the atom bomb, but chose to dedicate nuclear knowledge to peaceful purposes. Mr. Pearson became Canada’s prime minister on April 22, 1963. Canada’s first flag-raising was celebrated in 1965.