Building booms and ecological busts

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November 16, 2020

By Terry Moore

By all accounts, the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a feeding frenzy of recreational property sales and building permit applications across cottage country, including Haliburton County.

It appears that restrictions on foreign travel together with the lockdowns of large parts of the economy caused those with the wealth required to buy, build or renovate second homes, to look to the near-north as a means to reduce viral risk while work remotely at the same time.

Anyone doubting that we’re in the midst of one of the largest building booms in living memory need only check out the growing mountains of construction waste piling up at County landfill sites.

The virus that continues to infect growing numbers of people in Ontario’s densely-populated urban and congregate care centres has done much more than expose the fault lines in health care and public health systems suffering from years of austerity budgeting at the hands of governments of all political stripes.

It’s also exposing the inadequacy of local development and planning rules to protect the natural environment upon which everyone seems to agree all this economic growth is dependent.

Despite the clear warnings contained in the sobering results of the massive four-year-long “Love Your Lake” (LYL) shoreline health assessment project, undertaken by the Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners’ Associations (CHA) and its 50 or so lake association partners from 2014- 2018, development pressure on Haliburton County’s ever-dwindling stock of natural shoreline has escalated.

For those unfamiliar with the LYL assessment conclusions, it found that only eight of 60 Haliburton lakes examined retained sufficient natural shoreline to protect Haliburton’s famous lake water quality. It identified more than 5,000 shoreline properties in need of re-naturalization up to the 75 per cent minimum natural standard, established by healthy shoreline and water quality experts.

With the stock of undeveloped shoreline lots getting smaller and smaller, redevelopment of shoreline structures on existing footprints has increasingly become the order of the day – especially on lakes with a longer cottaging history.

While construction on undeveloped lots across Haliburton’s four townships must be set back at least 30m from the highwater mark, thereby giving ecologically essential shoreline vegetation a fighting chance of survival, such is not the case for rebuilds of shoreline structures constructed under older grand-parented official plan and zoning bylaw rules.

Throughout the past summer, lake association Facebook pages were alive with comments and controversy about the impact of new shoreline property owners’ desire to bring suburbia north along with a party culture that does violence to the getting closer to nature and listening to your brain hum preferences of their often shellshocked neighbours.

Despite the existence of the County’s complaint-based Shoreline Tree Preservation Bylaw, in place since 2012, many instances of tree cutting to the shoreline still abound across the County. Neighbours are reluctant to complain about neighbours and the County lacks any real surveillance capacity. So, the damage goes on and on.

A draft bylaw flowing out of the LYL project to extend Shoreline Tree preservation to shoreline vegetation preservation within 30m of the highwater mark met some heavy resistance from the shoreline landscaping industry just before the pandemic was declared in March and is only now beginning to find its way back into the public consultation phase for possible passage next spring.

In the meantime, there is a growing debate on Haliburton County shorelines about the tension between those holding the view that my property is my property and I have the right to do what I want on it and with it and those wanting to protect the wider community’s interest in protecting lake health from the potential negative cumulative impact of individual property owner actions.

If you believe that natural shorelines are important to defend and restore, call and write your township and county councillors to let them know. Make your voice heard in the upcoming public consultation on the draft Shoreline Preservation Bylaw (haliburtoncounty.ca/ en/living-here/shoreline-preservation.aspx).

Haliburton’s namesake comes under fire

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Lisa Gervais

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November 15, 2020

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JQ - Haliburton Name - 2 — Sam Slick Park is named after Haliburton’s character, Sam Slick. But the author has recently attracted controversy for being racist. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The Uking’s Literary Society, the oldest literary student society in North America, decided Aug. 18 it could no longer abide being named after author Thomas Chandler Haliburton.

It was previously called the Haliburton Society, founded in 1884 at the University of King’s College, Nova Scotia. Haliburton was a famed Nova Scotian politician, judge and best-selling author, the first in what is now Canada.

Society president and history student Lucy Boyd said the group’s members today did not have much knowledge of Haliburton’s history before last year. After committing to researching him in Spring 2019, Boyd said they found his work rife with racism and sexism, which they detailed in a paper. After consulting with students and alumni and receiving overwhelming support, they changed their name.

“We are not turning our backs on our history, but instead opening a new chapter where the values of our society and the King’s community may be more accurately reflected,” the society wrote. “We encourage other groups affiliated with Haliburton’s name to join us in considering his impact, and to rethink the spaces named in his honour.”

Haliburton Village and County share the society’s former namesake. Although Thomas C. Haliburton never lived in the area, he was the first chair of the Canadian Land and Emigration Company, which brought many settlers to the area, according to Haliburton Highlands Museum director Kate Butler. That is why the community bears his name.

There has not yet been any local push to examine Haliburton’s name, but communities elsewhere have reckoned with it. Windsor, Nova Scotia once celebrated the figure and used his famed character, Sam Slick, as the namesake to a long-running festival. But in 2009, an illustration stemming from Haliburton’s Sam Slick writings, depicting a black character, was used in the festival and pointed out as racist, according to a Sept. 22 council agenda. The town subsequently renamed the festival. The West Hans Regional Municipality also passed a resolution Sept. 22 to remove the remaining Sam Slick iconography in the area and write an apology.

Dysart et al Mayor Andrea Roberts said renaming is not something that has come before council and no citizens have yet expressed any concern over Sam Slick Park or Haliburton’s name.

“You have to be really careful of making these judgements based on limited evidence,” Roberts said. “It’s a very fine line because you do not want to erase your history.”

Butler said Haliburtonians do not know much about their namesake. She said the author was renowned and his Sam Slick character became a famed piece of satire. The writings, compiled in The Clockmaker, spread to Britain and the United States. Besides commentating on aspects of American and British culture, the work would popularize several common sayings, including “it’s raining cats and dogs” and “the early bird gets the worm.”

Sam Slick Park was named in the 1960s as a further nod to Haliburton, Butler said. She further said conversations around renaming places tied to racist historical figures are worth having. She added people should consider figures in their historical context, as well as the lens of today.

“We need to have those conversations about what they mean today. In order to tell stories more fully and provide more context today, to give people a better understanding,” Butler said. “That’s really what leads to fulsome discussions about where we move in the future.”

In their paper, the UKing’s Literary Society said racism permeates Haliburton’s work. In The Clockmaker, there are many references to the n-word and an escaped slave longing for his former servitude. The society also described the work as sexist, describing women unfavourably with animals and justifying domestic violence.

Boyd said some of these viewpoints may have been common in the day, but added Haliburton was conservative even by his time’s standards. She said Haliburton is an important author whose work should be taught, but naming is different.

“We feel having a group named after him is sort of a position where we place him on a pedestal,” Boyd said. “Having this group named after someone who, frankly, advocated for slavery and domestic violence, isn’t necessarily the way to make sure this is an inviting space.”

Roberts said it is not a closed subject, but council has a full plate and without public outcry, exploring the issue would not be a priority. She further said it is more important to ensure the community is inclusive overall.

“The most important thing is not to dwell too much in the semantics of history unless it’s glaringly horrific. But to focus on today and make sure that today we are a tolerant community.”

Boyd said it is important to work to get a better understanding of history. She added the goal was not to tear down Haliburton.

“The goal of our project was to develop a better understanding of who we are and what we came from,” she said. “That means looking at all aspects of our history, things that are great and things that are less great.”

HE proceeds on over-budget Cardiff pool repair

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Lisa Gervais

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November 13, 2020

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JQ-Cardiff pool — Highlands East council voted to go ahead with repairs at the Cardiff pool, despite the project going over budget. File photo.

Highlands East council is forging ahead with repairs to the Cardiff pool despite costs ballooning by $177,000 over budget.

CAO Shannon Hunter reported to council Nov. 10 that there was a lack of bids for the project, which includes repairs in the pool and mechanical room, as well as a replacement for the changeroom.

Originally budgeted at $200,000 this year, the only bids received were $130,788 + HST for the changeroom and $246,739 + HST for pool and mechanical room repairs.

Coun. Cam McKenzie read a prepared statement and said the municipality should go ahead with the repairs despite the costs, citing the important social aspect of the facility.

“It is difficult to put a value on a facility that’s taught hundreds of kids to swim over the past 50 years,” McKenzie said. “What is the value of getting our youth out of your home, away from computer screens, video games to enjoy sunshine, fresh air, and exercise?

“We are presented with a choice to continue with these opportunities for another 50 years. Let’s make it happen.”

McKenzie suggested the value looks better than what consultant WalterFedy put forward in a facility review December 2019. It recommended a replaced changeroom and mechanical room structure at a cost of $600,000. The consultant said ideally the pool would get replaced for $2.5 million but recognized that as a steep cost. McKenzie also noted a commercial-grade pool liner is included in the bid, something not considered in WalterFedy’s report.

Deputy Mayor Cec Ryall said he agreed with repairing the pool but questioned if the costs could be broken down.

“We should have a pool there. That’s not the issue here. Is there a way to separate some of the stuff, like the changeroom?” Ryall said. “Or are we faced with an all or none situation?”

Hunter said all three parts are needed – the mechanical room as a safety concern and the changeroom as an accessibility issue.

McKenzie suggested delaying the changeroom for another year. Ryall said it is worth considering if it could save $10,000-$15,000, given inflated material costs this year.

Coun. Suzanne Partridge said the project should move forward and disagreed with delaying.

“I’m not in favour of waiting and going out for tender again. It would be a gamble,” she said. “We have firm figures in front of us right now. If we’re going to do it, I think we really need to do it all next spring.”

Hunter reported contractors were advised the work must be completed by May 21, 2021. To pay for the added cost, council voted to budget the extra $177,527 plus HST in 2021.

Learning to continue on snow days

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Lisa Gervais

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November 13, 2020

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JQ - High school - web — Trillium Lakelands District School Board is no longer allowing extra-curricular activities during the school day in the wake of ongoing teacher job action.

By Kirk Winter

When there are snow days this year, the Trillium Lakelands District School Board has decided it will close schools and students taught online.

In the past, when the bus was cancelled due to bad weather, parents had the option of driving their children to school for in-class learning. That won’t happen this year, the board determined at its Nov. 10 meeting.

Director of Education, Wes Hahn, outlined the new protocols.

Prior to this year, schools remained open on snow days. Every school had some students still come who would be combined together into makeshift classrooms so that some learning could occur. However, the health unit has told the board that the mixing of cohorts on snow days is not allowed.

Now, if buses don’t run, all schools will be closed to students. Custodians and staff that can safely make it to school will be present in the building.

Staff, whether stranded at home or at school, will be expected to deliver online learning from their location.

“Learning will be occurring on snow days and this may be a permanent change moving forward,” Hahn said.

Hahn cited the limited number of instructional days available, particularly in a secondary school octoblock, and said that even a couple of non-instructional days lost to inclement weather could have significant educational impact on student learning. Octoblocks are when students study one subject at a time.

Board discusses graduation pictures

Bobcaygeon area trustee John Byrne said parent councils have expressed concern about students not getting their graduation pictures taken.

Outside individuals, such as photographers, have been restricted from school property to help contain the COVID-19 virus.

“Families want these pictures and I wonder if they can be taken virtually,” Byrne asked.

“I understand that families want to have them because they are part of their memories,” Hahn said.

“Public health is working on a provincial protocol for photographers in schools and if one can’t be safely worked out, the board locally will try to figure something out regarding graduation pictures,” Hahn said.

Provincial money welcome

The province of Ontario has promised $700 million in school infrastructure funding that must be spent in 2021.

“I see our share of this money being spent on small projects that can get done easily this year,” Hahn said.

“I can see projects like HVAC improvements and water stations being the kind of project we would spend our money on,” he added.

The announcement of funding for broadband Ontario-wide was also greeted very positively by the board as a whole.

“We are thrilled,” Hahn said.

“There is a rumour that there is more money coming for technology,” Hahn shared, “and we are hopeful because we have spent every penny that we have up to this point.”

The board hopes spending like this will help improve equity and access to technology.

County welcomes year of staycation funding

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Lisa Gervais

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November 12, 2020

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JQ-county provincial budget — Participants in a past tourism summit. File photo.

Warden Liz Danielsen said she welcomes a provincial tax credit for tourists aimed at making 2021 the “year of the staycation.”

The provincial government announced the credit in its budget Nov. 5. Although details have yet to be released, it will provide Ontarians with up to 20 per cent of eligible tourism expenses within the province. Ontario also announced a $100 million community building fund to support tourism, culture and sports organizations facing significant pressures in the pandemic.

Danielsen said the support is a positive development given the County’s dependence on tourism.

“The province’s commitment to invest in tourism, culture and sport is extremely welcome,” she said. “While we still await funding promised by the province for (Ontario Highlands Tourism Organization) to assist tourism operators with the losses they have seen this year, further investment will be welcomed and is needed to assist them through this ongoing crisis.”

OHTO expected the province to make a funding announcement for the region in July, but that was suddenly postponed and has yet to be announced.

The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) welcomed the provincial budget, noting the tax credit was a key pillar in its budget consultation process recommendations.

“This will (help) businesses stay competitive in the most dynamic industry in the world and safeguard the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Ontarians. This is an important first step to ensuring tourism is an integral part of our province’s economic recovery,” TIAO president and CEO Beth Potter said.

The provincial budget is also allotting business support.

Municipalities will now be allowed to cut property tax for small businesses, with the province to consider matching those reductions. But Danielsen said that is a “double-edged sword.”

“Allowing a property tax reduction to support small business during these difficult times sounds wonderful,” she said. “But the rest of the tax base (being all ratepayers) would have the burden of covering the shortfall.” She also offered praise for education tax rate reductions.

The province has committed to reducing business education tax rates for 94 per cent of all business properties in Ontario, to a rate of 0.88 per cent.

“We have been fortunate that the percentages for our education tax rates have remained stable over the last few years, but a reduction will definitely help municipalities and our ratepayers,” she said.

Danielsen said budgeting is challenging at all levels of government this year, but many aspects of the provincial budget work in the municipality’s favour.

“I am pleased to see so much emphasis placed on municipalities to help meet the challenges coming from the pandemic and assist in our collective recovery.”

YWCA receives $50K donation

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Lisa Gervais

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November 12, 2020

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Peterborough-based philanthropists, David and Patricia Morton of the Morton Foundation, have made a $50,000 donation to the YWCA Haliburton County.

The YWCA made the announcement Nov. 5.

In a press release, Patricia Morton said, “we are inspired by the courage of isolated and vulnerable women who are struggling to survive and escape from abuse and violence, and to build a better life for themselves and their children.”

She added, “we greatly hope that our donation will encourage others to help to support them and the dedicated and great work of the Peterborough Haliburton YWCA.”

The YWCA’s Ria Nicholson said the support comes at a critical time and they are “incredibly” thankful. She said the need for safety and specialized supports that address violence against women has increased steadily since the initial lockdown this past spring, particularly in rural areas.

“YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s clinical therapist and transition support workers, who continue to work remotely by phone, text and email, are seeing between five and 10 new women per week reaching out for support,” Nicholson said.

YWCA executive director, Kim Dolan, added “recent trends in the County, with more cottagers opting to stay in the area, have resulted in an increase in calls to our Haliburton County services for information, support, and safety planning. We expect this to continue as the reports of abuse are more serious and complex given the heightened stressors brought on by the pandemic.”

YWCA outreach programming in Haliburton County offers clinical therapy and counselling, risk assessment and safety planning, systems navigation and referral, emergency client transportation, court accompaniment, and more.

The YWCA Women’s Centre of Haliburton County provides a home base for three part-time transition support workers, one full-time clinical therapist, an office coordinator, and an independent family law lawyer.

Members of the community who wish to donate, or find ways of supporting YWCA crisis and support services, are encouraged to contact Nicholson directly at 705-743-3526 x113 or rnicholson@ ywcapeterborough.org.

If you, or someone you know, needs support, contact the 24-hour support and crisis line: toll free 1-800-461-7656; phone 705-286-6442 or text 705-991-0110. YWCA receives $50K donation YWCA is Haliburton County’s only shelter for women and children.

Cottagers with ties to County relieved at election result

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 12, 2020

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Two Haliburton County cottagers, who live in the United States, say they’re relieved Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20 next year.

Like many Americans with ties to Haliburton County, Scott Shriver and Christine Jurusik were stressed and waiting anxiously as the Nov. 3 vote results stretched until Nov. 7 before a winner was declared.

“I had been scared to death of the possibility of four more years like the last four,” Shriver said. “Even one year of continuing to do nothing to contain COVID-19 was frightening to contemplate.”

US president Donald Trump has been criticized for not doing enough to fight the pandemic while President-elect Biden’s transition team has already announced a COVID-19 task force.

Jurusik said, “the democratic process took its time providing us with a new president as it was a very close race in many states.” She added she was impressed with the high voter turnout.

Shriver said while Biden wasn’t his first Democratic choice, he supported him over Trump. Jurusik is a Biden supporter but knows many people who supported Trump and said she can understand their position.

“I think his intentions were good at first and he initially wanted to do, what he thought, was best for the country. Many people believed that he did a good job,” she said.

However, as a U.S. immigration lawyer and an immigrant to the U.S., she has a different opinion since she sees first hand how some of Trump’s policies and executive orders “destroyed the lives and opportunities of good people. Hopefully, we will see a reversal of those policies before long.”

Shriver said he’s saddened the outcome “was not more of a total repudiation of the current presidency.”

The Associated Press said Trump has garnered 47.5 per cent of the vote as of press time.

Both Shriver and Jurusik said the sad legacy is a country divided.

“Trying to discuss issues such as racism, anti-feminism, anti-science, the value of truth, etc. is almost impossible when many people don’t think those kinds of issues matter,” Shriver said.

Even more disturbing is “we’ve lost our ability to solve problems through open debate and compromise. The debate is shut down in the halls of Congress before it begins and compromise is seen as weakness,” Shriver added.

Jurusik conceded, “the divisions are there, just like they are in Canada. The Liberal-Conservative dichotomy is not just a U.S. construct. We should not kid ourselves that we as Canadians are immune. “I see many of my Canadian friends and family criticizing the U.S. for how divided we are and yet these are some of the same people that hold strong political opinions either for or against the current Canadian leaders and express them frequently on social media.”

Ultimately, Jurusik thinks Biden will be more invested in improving the relationship between Canada and the U.S. than the Trump administration was. “That is a good thing. My sense is that he is a much more diplomatic leader who will be interested in uniting people and not dividing them.”

Library services return to smaller branches

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 9, 2020

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JQ - HE curbside - 1-web — The Haliburton County Public Library is bringing curbside pickup to Cardiff, Highland Grove and Gooderham. File photo.

The Haliburton County Public Library (HCPL) is bringing curbside pickup to its smaller branches in Highlands East.

HCPL announced Nov. 2 it would begin bringing books to patrons in Cardiff, Highland Grove and Gooderham for the first time since the pandemic began. People can place a hold on books for a once-per-week pickup day. The pickups will begin next week.

Branch services librarian Erin Kernohan-Berning said the small size of those branches makes opening them difficult due to the enclosed spaces, but they worked out a plan to at least provide curbside.

“Opening those branches wasn’t really an option,” Kernohan-Berning said. “Curbside, because it was successful in our larger branches, could be an option.”

HCPL has run pickup at its larger branches since June 25, including Dysart, Minden and Wilberforce. The three branches have also been open with limited hours since Sept. 8.

Kernohan-Berning said while navigating running libraries in a pandemic, staff have tried to be careful not to add too much at once. Getting service to smaller branches waited while HCPL worked through reopening larger ones. But with that going well, she said the time was right to expand services again.

“Needed to be able to find our feet each time we did something new,” she said. “I can definitely understand and definitely feel the frustration with some of the patrons in Cardiff and Highland Grove and Gooderham. They haven’t had library service in their community since March and that’s tough.”

Holds at the three branches can now be made through haliburtonlibrary.ca, or by contacting info@haliburtonlibrary.ca or your local library branch.

Kernohan-Berning said she expects a fair amount of demand for the three locations. She added although the library has a substantive online collection, people still want physical books.

“The library is more than just books, but this is definitely a reminder books are certainly an important part of the service,” she said.

Man drowns in Lake Kash

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 9, 2020

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A 23-year-old Mississauga man drowned Nov. 7 in Haliburton County.

OPP say that on Saturday, at approximately 4:55 p.m., they, along with the Minden Hills Fire Department and Haliburton County Paramedic Services responded to reports of a drowning on Kashagawigamog Lake in the Township of Minden Hills.

They said Nov. 9 that Mohamed Amar Mukthar failed to resurface from the water while swimming.

They said the deceased was located by the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. A post mortem examination is scheduled to take place at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto.

County surrenders fight for health unit funding

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 5, 2020

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JQ - Health Unit - 1-web — The Haliburton-Kawartha-Pine Ridge District board of health is joining a new push for universal basic income. File photo.

The County of Haliburton is acquiescing to the province and local health unit over demands to increase its share of funding by 10 per cent.

County council agreed to pay the full $463,508 requisition to the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR), with only Warden Liz Danielsen opposed. The amount increased by $42,371 over 2019 levels as part of a provincial push to have municipalities foot more of the bill for health unit programming.

The County and City of Kawartha Lakes initially declined to pay the increase, protesting the sudden additional cost without any input. But after months of effort, the province and health unit did not budge on the ask.

“This continues to challenge me, where we pay for things that we have no direct supervision or control over,” Coun. Brent Devolin said. “Fundamentally, systemically, I just have a challenge with these sorts of things that fall on municipal taxpayers.”

CAO Mike Rutter said staff already budgeted for the amount in anticipation the County might have to pay it. He added the levy is expected to continue to rise, by about $46,000 in 2021 and $51,000 in 2022.

In a letter to Rutter, HKPR director of corporate services, Angela Vickery, said the province is reducing money allotted to programs it previously funded at 100 or 75 per cent, reducing it down to a uniform 70 per cent. The goal is to have municipalities uniformly paying 30 per cent for all programs.

For the HKPR health unit this year, that amounted to $1.216 million less from the province, but with the Ministry of Health (MOH) expecting it to provide the same mandated programs and services. Vickery said there was $773,300 in funding from the province to mitigate the impact this year. That funding is expected again in 2021, but not in 2022.

Deputy warden Andrea Roberts, the County’s representative on the board of health, said HKPR has worked to find cost-saving efficiencies. Rutter said many of those cost-saving methods were discussed in closed session as they involved identifiable individuals.

“They have made significant changes,” Roberts said. “But these are programs that are mandated.”

The province is undergoing a modernization of health units. The County had representatives at a regional consultation session in Peterborough December 2019. MOH spokesperson David Jensen said that process is still on pause due to the pandemic.

“Once the COVID-19 pandemic is contained and risks are mitigated for the people of Ontario, we will consider how to move forward with the modernization process,” he said.

Rutter said the goal of the County in withholding the funding was to get more information and send a message to the province about downloading concerns.

“In many ways, those goals have been accomplished,” Rutter said. “I know many members of council have discussed this informally with provincial representatives as well. And I really am confident the modernization process will address some of your concerns.”