County councillors opt to keep pay for cancelled meetings

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September 5, 2020

County of Haliburton councillors have opted to receive pay for cancelled meetings during the pandemic due to additional workloads.

At the Aug. 26 meeting, council discussed how staff kept up their per diem payments for the monthly committee of the whole meetings during the pandemic, even though the meetings were cancelled from April to July.

CAO Mike Rutter said council directed that pay continue as normal for staff and he applied that to council as well. He said he understood even though those meetings were not happening, councillors were working.

Warden Liz Danielsen said although there have not been committee of the whole meetings, the past few months have required more work than normal.

“I’m not complaining because it’s all been good work,” she said. “An awful lot more work in the last few months than I’ve ever done before. That probably stands for all of us.”

Although Coun. Carol Moffatt said she had discomfort getting paid for a meeting she did not attend, she decided she did not feel bad about taking the $80 per meeting.

“It’s important for us to acknowledge that, put that out there in the public forum,” Moffatt said. “We’ll keep the money in our bank accounts because of the amount of work we did, but acknowledge we’re not trying to rip off the taxpayer … We worked way harder than the $80 we get for a meeting we didn’t attend.”

Moffatt said no councillor is in the job for the money and it may be worth it to change pay.

“Just because we didn’t go to a meeting doesn’t mean we weren’t working,” Moffatt said. “It’s an opportunity to once again think about how much the positions are paid because they’re pretty darn poorly paid.”

Coun. Lisa Schell said Minden Hills councillors are paid on a salaried system which she said could be worth considering.

“It’s kind of just flat across the board, with the acknowledgement the job is technically – I don’t want to say 24/7 but it pretty much is,” Schell said. “My home is my office and my house phone rings constantly.”

Danielsen said councillors could individually work with staff to return part of their paycheques if they felt uncomfortable.

Organic waste the biggest polluter: Neville

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 4, 2020

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Minden Hills Coun. Jean Neville said she wants the County’s climate change coordinator to look into the possibility of getting a biodigester.

She made the comment after County climate change coordinator Korey McKay outlined her plan for the township to reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

McKay’s report outlined a number of mitigation measures, including electric vehicles, reducing the garbage bag limit, and installing scales at the Scotch Line landfill.

She also revisited how 81 per cent of the municipality’s emissions come from landfills. She spoke of exploring the potential for food and yard waste diversion; completing a waste composition study at the landfill sites and implementing a backyard composting program.

Neville replied, “You said that you’re going to determine how much organic waste was at the landfill? You already know that 81 per cent of our emissions is coming from the landfill and so I’m thinking that is organic waste. I think that time and money and effort should be put into investigating a biodigester of some sort … even if it was County-owned or purchased, I think that would be a lot more value.”

A biodigester is like a mechanical stomach. It is fed with organic material, which is broken down by micro-organisms in an oxygen-free environment to produce a renewable energy called biogas and other material that is mainly used as fertilizer.

McKay said she had noted Neville’s suggestion for the implementation stage of the project. Coun. Pam Sayne, who is on the Minden Hills climate change committee, thanked the County for hiring McKay. She also thanked the many community volunteers who have been, and will continue to, work on the portfolio.

“We know that our targets that we need to meet are certainly not where we want them to be in this report but I think it’s open to improving,” she said. However, “I’m excited about this direction. I think there’s options to even do better. But it’s on the table and we’re moving in the right direction.”

McKay said the township’s corporate emissions come largely from its landfills (81 per cent), followed by fleet (12 per cent) and buildings (seven per cent). The GHG reduction targets are to cut corporate emissions by 20 per cent; 10 per cent for fleet and 10 per cent for waste from the 2018 baseline by 2030. Coun.

Bob Carter said he’d like to see more of a focus on diversion and public education.

“From my perspective, you’re not going to change the output without changing the input. So, reducing garbage bags to two per week is going to probably lead to more garbage on our roads and streets. Without doing something to help the public to reduce, educate them and reduce the amount of garbage, it doesn’t help just to do it at the end,” he said.

McKay said she will support each municipality to implement the suggested actions. She said a joint municipal climate change working group should be created for county-wide collaboration and ongoing input and support for the adoption of practices and policies designed to reduce GHG emissions.

As for monitoring, she said she will complete corporate GHG inventories annually and report to councils to track progress.

“The plan is a living document that should be updated when major changes occur or at a minimum of every three years,” she said.

AH to survey public on short-term rentals

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 4, 2020

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Algonquin Highlands council agreed to go forward with a public survey process to figure out how it will address short-term rentals.

Council held a special meeting Aug. 31 to discuss options for addressing short-term rentals and the community comments received so far. They directed staff to work on a public engagement process and bring back questions that could be posed to the community about how the municipality should proceed.

“We’ve heard what the concerns are, now we need to address the concerns,” Mayor Carol Moffatt said. “I would really like to get quite a fulsome amount of feedback. We’re trying to make a decision that affects the whole community and has passionate positions on both sides.”

Greg Corbett of Bracebridge’s Planscape Inc. provided a report about options council could pursue, including status quo, addressing them in a zoning bylaw, or implementing a licencing system. The report found 216 active listings in the township, the vast majority on Airbnb.

Council also discussed the public submissions received, which they requested be sent anonymously to a specific township email address ahead of the meeting.

Councillors said there were a lot of concerns, with strong opinions for and against municipal action.

Coun. Lisa Barry said some do not want short-term rentals in the community at all, while deputy Mayor Liz Danielsen said others insist the municipality has no place addressing them – and have said so with expletives.

“There are still a certain amount of people that are probably even more adamant that ‘I bought this property and there’s no blank way that you’re going to blankity blank tell me what to do with it,’” Danielsen said.

Corbett’s report also cites the experience of the Town of Blue Mountains, as the first municipality to tackle the matter. They found a program requires significant municipal investment and staff time. Corbett said implementing a licensing system would have a substantial cost and create a minimum of two new full-time positions.

Barry said it is clear people want them to go into some kind of registration system, though Moffatt noted the tax base will have to cover that.

“There might be a whole bunch of people who don’t want to pay to govern the behaviour of others,” she said. “It’s important to hear as much from the public as we can.”

Moffatt also said there are differences between people renting to help afford a cottage they use and those who own a cottage solely to rent it out. Coun. Julia Shortreed said although there may only be around 200 rentals now, rental-only owners will rise.

“This is going to keep growing when people realize the return on their investment is really lucrative,” she said. “The commercial aspect is going to grow.”

Who’s zooming whom at council meetings

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 3, 2020

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It’s early on a Tuesday morning and the Dysart et al council chambers are unnaturally quiet for a regular meeting day.

With COVID-19, only mayor Andrea Roberts is in attendance, seated behind a conference camera and two computers. One screen is for the Zoom meeting she will chair starting at 9 a.m. The other is so she can have a copy of the agenda and its accompanying reports.

At a safe social distance are staff members Alyssa Sisson and Laurie Salvatore. Down the back of the room is IT technician Marc Jones.

While the meeting is still an hour away, it takes time to set up.

Jones is getting ready to start YouTube livestreaming. Sisson and Salvatore are ensuring councillors and staff are online and messaging delegates to make sure they are available to join the Zoom meeting for their part of the agenda.

County IT manager Mike March is lending support, telling Salvatore, “I disinfected my hands before I touched your keyboard.”

The County of Haliburton and its four lower-tier municipalities have been conducting Zoom meetings that are livestreamed to YouTube for months now because of COVID-19.

“We’ve adapted very well,” says Roberts as she removes her mask and takes a sip of coffee.

She said it had been a case of having to adapt on the fly, “or sink or swim.” And for the most part, she said it had been a success.

Jones said there have been the occasional technical problems. For example, the Aug. 27 Minden Hills meeting had to be rescheduled to Aug. 31. During an Algonquin Highlands meeting Aug. 24, Zoom was out for awhile. Jones had to find a “back door” to get in.

He said when the signal looks “wonky” to those watching, it’s usually on the Zoom end of things, not County internet. However, Roberts said some councillors have better internet than others.

As if on cue, Coun. Walt McKechnie enters the building to use a vacant meeting room since his home internet isn’t always reliable.

As for bloopers, Jones and March said there haven’t been many other than the odd dog barking or children running around in the background. Often councillors have to be reminded to unmute their microphones.

Roberts said the County gave councillors some tips, including that lighting and camera angles are important. Backgrounds matter. They were also advised to look professional, treating it as any other meeting.

March said running a Zoom meeting is a partnership between IT staff and the municipal clerk’s department. He said the clerk’s department will typically set up the Zoom meeting, ensure invitations are sent out to the appropriate parties, and will control the Zoom meeting once it begins.

The IT staff person is in charge of the camera equipment setup, ensuring the livestream is functioning properly for people at home, and providing general troubleshooting and technical support to council and staff.

In terms of equipment, March said very little is required. IT staff will usually bring a conference camera as well as their laptop for support, and municipal staff will use a computer that IT has set up for hosting Zoom meetings.

“Behind the scenes, before each meeting, IT will work with council and staff to ensure everyone’s video and audio are working optimally, and that the livestream is functioning properly,” he said. “After assisting with 25-30 virtual meetings, the process runs smoothly now. However, we still have the occasional lastminute scramble. Two minutes before going live seems to be when cameras want to stop working, or computer issues will disconnect council and staff,” he added.

The IT costs to run the meetings have been minimal, the County’s IT director said. The only new hardware that has been purchased were two conference cameras that, along with a third they had in stock already, they circulate among the County and four municipalities. The cost for those two cameras was about $900. Subscription costs for a primary and secondary host to run a Zoom webinar is about $140 per month.

“The municipalities have been wonderful to work with through this process,” March said. “Before the pandemic, very few in the clerk’s department had used a teleconferencing platform such as Zoom. Now those same staff are setting up public meetings, configuring YouTube livestreams, and working with IT to ensure the meetings run smoothly.

“If live-streaming becomes a permanent fixture then it’s likely IT and the clerk’s department will continue to work together to deliver virtual council meetings to the public.”

Harp in the Dark – ch. 6 Prejudice

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 3, 2020

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By Hope Thompson

After their interview with 90-year-old Stan Barley, the former caretaker of Pines End, Detective Harry Harp and Constable Terry Becker stopped in at the local café. The two men sat huddled in a corner booth staring down mugs of coffee.

Becker peeled the wrapping off a muffin and took a bite.

“What do you make of Stan Barley?” Harp said.

“He’s grumpy.” Becker pulled a serviette from the dispenser on the table and wiped his fingers. “But that could just be old age talking.”

“Or guilt.” Harp took a sip of coffee. “I’m pretty sure he knows more than he’s saying.” The detective wrapped his fingers around his coffee mug. “Remember what Crystal Corrigan said about antiques?”

Becker nodded. “Sure. They were all over Pines End—even in the kitchen. Muir was so stingy, stuff wasn’t updated and a lot of the antiques were still in use, like the old fridges. So?”

Harp raised a finger. “Crystal didn’t remember the ice pick but it could have been part of the antiques lying around. Look—let’s say it was. Then Stan had the means. And very likely the opportunity.”

Becker nodded. “But what about motive?”

Ten minutes later, the two men were back at their office in the Spruce County Police Department. On a white board, Becker had written the names of all guests and staff and next to each name was a note. “Deceased” was written beside most names.

Fingers clattering over his keyboard, Becker leaned back grinning.

“Thank god for online obituaries!” The constable said.

Harp’s desk was covered in the scrawled pages of his ongoing numerology project. He looked up, blinking.

“Just found Trudy Carlyle’s obituary. She died four years ago. Predeceased by her husband and daughters, Emily and Lily.” Becker jumped up and added the information beside their names.

“Everyone who was an adult at the time of the murder is deceased—except for Stan.” Becker sat down and started typing again. “And I’ve tracked down the teenage guests—just waiting on the Moort twins and Adam Barley to get back….”

Harp squinted at the white board, not listening.

“Is—something the matter?” Becker said.

Trance like, the detective picked up a marker and drew lines between names. Becker grimaced as Harp destroyed his neat list.

“I get it,” Harp said. “I get the numbers thing!” He frantically drew lines between Mr. and Mrs. Muir, the lodge owners, between the Carlyle’s, between Cat Wilson and Brett Penzler. The detective spun around.

“Matchmaking!”

“Huh?” Becker said, walking over.

“If we eliminate the Wilson baby, there are 12 males and 10 females. With the most obvious pairings, the Penzler and Moort dads are left out.”

“Left out of what?” Becker scratched his head.

“Of romance! Remember what Brigitte said? People go on vacation for a lot of reasons and romance is one of them.”

Becker’s eyes narrowed. “You think it was a crime of passion?”

“What if Stan’s wife, Irene, was having an affair with Rand Carlyle? And Stan found out….” Harp gestured a plunging motion. “And killed Rand.”

“Solid motive,” Becker said.

Harp flipped through the original case papers. “Says here, Maclem found empty booze bottles on the lawn. It was concluded that Rand was drunk, stumbled into the water and drowned. But I don’t think Maclem believed that.”

Becker nodded. “Doesn’t the file say Rand was keyed up? Excited? The man was looking for love. Maybe he walked into the woods to find Irene Barley.”

Becker put his fingers together like the preacher in ‘Night Of The Hunter.’ “But instead, he found hate. I mean, in the form of death.”

Harp’s eyes flashed. “Stan could easily have spied on the party at the fire pit and when he saw Rand leave, all he had to do was follow him. And Rand was stabbed in the back.” The detective sat down. “This wasn’t a confrontation. This was the swift elimination of a problem.”

Just then Harp’s phone buzzed and he answered it. The detective looked momentarily confused then thanked the caller and hung up.

He shrugged. “Cat Wilson’s back.”

“And the cat came back….” Becker said, grinning.

A couple of minutes later, the two men sat down across from the tanned retiree. Harp smiled. “What can we do for you today, Ms. Wilson?”

“Call me Cat,” she said brusquely. “Now I want to add to my earlier statement thingy. Just to be completely honest.” She shifted in her chair. “There was a kid called ‘dogsbody’. I don’t know his name, anyway, my sister and I were, well, rather cruel to him.” She threw her head back. “Nothing criminal. Just mean. As kids can be.”

Harp’s forehead creased. “Why?”

Cat was silent. “He was a local kid and we were from the city and we just, well, we felt superior.” She smiled widely. “Of course, I’ve changed, I mean, I live here. I love Spruce County!”

Becker’s eyes narrowed. “His name is Albert Barley.”

“Oh,” Cat said quietly. “Oh, of course! His mother and father worked there.”

Harp leaned forward. “Do you remember seeing Rand Carlyle with either of them?”

Cat shook her head. “I just remember the father—a big man. Gruff.” She shivered.

A few minutes later, the interview ended and the two men sat alone in the meeting room.

“Interesting,” Harp said.

“Prejudice is interesting?” Becker pointed at the door Cat Wilson had just exited through.

Harp said, “No. But think of Stan. He discovers Rand Carlyle with his wife. And Rand is from the city! Rand could have had that same superior attitude.”

Becker looked out the window. “Stan would have hated him even more.”

“Let’s talk to him.” Harp stood up. “And this time, let’s get the truth.”

August 1, 1970 – 10:00 PM

As the fire died down, people drifted into the lodge. Before Rand Carlyle joined the flow, he cast a look over his shoulder at his wife, Trudy. She was deep in conversation with Mrs. Wilson, the flames casting an orange glow over both women’s faces.

Perfect, thought Rand with a sly smile.

As other guests crossed the terrace and entered the lodge, Rand stepped to the left and disappeared into the darkness. The route through the woods to the little meadow was familiar, even in the dark. He’d made the same trip once already that day and many times during the week, ever since the first meeting, the first moments of connection. Yes, it was dangerous but the danger just made the whole enterprise more exciting. He turned at the little building and stepped into the forest as a woodland chorus played around him—a croak and a buzz here, a rustle there. Then another sound: quick footsteps. Rand smiled and started to turn—when sharp metal sunk into his back and searing pain made him freeze. He stumbled forward grabbing at the air, then collapsed on the forest floor. Filling with blood, his throat constricted and he gasped, breathing in the damp scent of moss and pine bark and his mind began to close and as it did, he held on to one image—the face of love—until that, too, was gone.

Diving into services delivery

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 2, 2020

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A consultant’s final report on a services delivery review for Haliburton County and its four lowertier municipalities is expected this fall – and could eventually lead to a governance review.

County of Haliburton CAO Mike Rutter said StrategyCorp is continuing to work on the evaluation of best practices going forward for the region.

He said the consultant is meeting with CAOs with regards to scheduling interviews with municipal staff, councillors and targeted interest groups.

He said the first step was to gather data, via interviews and looking at financial data and budgets.

“We’re paying almost a quarter of a million dollars for this work and we hired StrategyCorp for its expertise and it is very much them doing the work guided by background information and interviews with people who know the landscape,” Rutter said.

County Warden Liz Danielsen emphasized when it comes to the process, “we haven’t been driving it in any way, shape or form.”

While the initial report deadline was June 12, COVID has forced delay, Danielsen said.

She added, “It’s a big subject. It is service delivery by the County and all four municipalities, and how we can streamline, work better, and offer a better service to everybody. It is so complex that there is still quite a bit of work to do.”

Rutter said ratepayers may not know the volume of work going on behind-the-scenes.

“It’s really about them trying to find out how we do things now, and how much we are spending in all of those areas,” Rutter said. “Then comparing to benchmarks of comparator municipalities. They took all of that and are asking ‘where do we think there is opportunity?’ They have done deeper dives based on their experience. They have an incredible depth of people who understand how services are delivered in other jurisdictions across the province, sort of the best practices.”

Rutter said he expected the final report in October or November. He said they are now working on how that report will be presented. He said it would have been “wonderful” to have a public meeting but that is likely not possible with COVID-19. He said it may have to be done via Zoom.

With the review, Rutter said they had targeted interest groups for input, versus opening up the floor to all ratepayers.

For example, he said when it comes to economic development, Strategy Corp. had talked to the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the Algonquin Gateway Business Association and the Haliburton Business Improvement Association. With planning and development, they spoke to the Haliburton County Home Builders Association and key developers. He said they chose that route as, “it’s important to understand what it’s like to be a customer in Haliburton County.”

However, Rutter said that did not mean the public would not have input.

“Decisions won’t be made in one day. If a service is going to change in any significant way, there would need to be decisions at the local council, County level, and multi-levels of approval to do that. Decisions won’t be made in a back room with a bunch of people smoking cigars. They will be made in council meetings in a transparent way,” he said.

Danielsen said that process won’t be easy.

“We need to reach concurrence among the four municipalities in the County. We need to set our egos aside. We all think that we do very well in certain areas but it may very well be that the services delivery review will determine (otherwise).”

Governance

Rutter emphasized the current project does not talk about governance.

“This is a services delivery review, which is to inform a discussion the elected officials will have about governance once this report is finalized,” he said.

Speaking hypothetically, he said there is time for a governance discussion prior to the October 2022 municipal election.

“If County Council members received the final report in October or November and it said 80 per cent of services could be delivered collaboratively, some might say ‘it really just makes logical sense to go the next step. In late 2020 or early 2021, we could hire someone to look at what that governance model could look like. Lots of things could happen if that was the will of council. It’s not necessarily true we’re running out of runway.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing told The Highlander, any restructuring for the 2022 municipal election would have to be in place by January 2, 2022. He said any restructuring taking place after Nov. 30, 2022 may be applicable for the 2026 election.

He clarified it could not be a referendum issue on a ballot either.

“Only the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing may place a municipal restructuring question on an election ballot. A municipality may request the minister to propose such a question on the ballot. The results of such a vote are not binding,” the spokesperson said.

Danielsen said it might be a bit premature for such a discussion anyway.

She said step one is the services delivery review and, “we hope to see cost savings. That is what the public is looking for. And, we don’t know. It might cost us more if we deliver a better service.”

She said there is no guarantee the current review will form the foundation for a discussion on governance.

“We need to see the results of this study before we go any further. There would have to be a discussion, and another consultant brought in to look specifically at governance. It is not just a matter of us saying ‘let’s go for it’.”

She said the province isn’t necessarily looking for amalgamation, but delivering services in a better, more streamlined way.

“There are many unknowns but we all tried to go into this with our eyes wide open and with no preconceived decision being made. I do know some members of the public have decided what’s best for us to do, with absolutely no notion whatsoever of what’s involved. We’re taking a really deep dive and we hope to come up with the best outcome. Where we’ll land with governance and how that will look, I don’t know.”

Business owner staying sunny in cancer battle

By

Lisa Gervais

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September 1, 2020

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Sunny Rock Bed and Breakfast owner Sally Moore said being secretive about her Her2+ Invasive Breast Cancer diagnosis played against her psyche.

Faced with chemotherapy, Moore said rumours and misinformation spread about her condition. So, she decided to be open, sending a mass email about her condition and the “humorous, cutting-edge, spirit-lifting extravaganza” fundraiser she wanted to host Sept. 3 to support the Minden Rotary Club.

“I’m enjoying having my fingers into the throws of a fundraiser and I think it should be a really fun event,” Moore said. “I decided I needed to turn this around. I figured just be upfront with the community, let the community know, become a voice maybe for people with breast cancer.”

Moore is planning a positivity-focused event to accomplish that. She is asking people to wear funny hats to give her inspiration for what to wear as she loses her hair. She has also developed a social-distancing friendly hug, encouraging people to instead cut a lock of their hair and let it blow away.

Moore said she has spent four decades as a community fundraiser, including organizing a Loonie Extravaganza at her business for the past 25 years, towards a variety of charities.

“It’s the fun of it. There really is an energy that comes from within for me towards the preparation of a fundraiser,” Moore said. “I want people to just be able to say hi and know I’m good.”

She said she will also match any donations. A Rotarian, she said she is a big believer in what Minden Rotary does and wanted to help them given the difficulties of fundraising in a pandemic.

“We want to do the best we possibly can for the community, and we can’t do it unless we have some resources to do with it,” Moore said.

Minden Rotary president Dave Bonham said the club is supportive of the event.

“We applaud her for both her initiative and her creativity in the planning for a truly unique undertaking,” Bonham said.

Before running her bed and breakfast, Moore worked as a camp director, a job she said has helped her with her fundraising.

“Instead of playing with children, young adults, I’m playing with adults,” Moore said. “I like having people around, the energy of it all.”

Moore said she survived breast cancer seven years ago, but this time the treatment will not be as easy. But she wants people to come away feeling positively after her fundraiser.

“We can beat this,” Moore said. “I want to create an environment that’s open and people can ask how things are going and to give the positive stuff. I’m just silly, I’m a silly Sally and I think people know to expect that from me.”

The event takes place at Sunny Rock at 1144 Scotts Dam Rd, Minden Sept. 3 from 1 – 5 p.m., with donations accepted after that up until noon Sept. 7.

Part 7: History for some, vivid reality for others

By

Lisa Gervais

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August 31, 2020

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By Mabel Brannigan

Along with the military, the RCAF grew at a phenomenal rate until 249,662 men and women were in RCAF uniform. This was due to the famous Commonwealth-led training plan in Canada which prompted President Roosevelt to say “Canada is the aerodrome of democracy.”

Canada graduated 3,000 air crew each month from Commonwealth countries around the world which sprang up across Canadian stations. The prairies were ideal. By the end of the war, Canada had trained 50,000 Commonwealth pilots.

I spent time on the Yorkton, Saskatchewan pilot training base. At RCAF station Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canso aircraft were used for training pilots. Other Commonwealth bases trained 18,500 wireless operators and gunners and 15,900 air navigators. Canadian airmen served as convey escorts and were credited with 90 Nazi kills in the Battle of Britain as well as bombing raids in Europe. Five Spitfires were the first planes from RCAF 40 Squadron to destroy an enemy jet fighter. Also, Squadron 417, an RCAF dog fight squadron, flew with the famous Desert Air Force over Egypt and northern Italy while others served in virtually every theatre of the Second World War.

The RCN and Merchant Seamen have an equally distinguished record and participated in many important sea battles. Canadian destroyers assisted in the evacuation of Dunkirk as well as sinking of the Bismarck in May, 1941. They ferried British, American, and Canadian troops ashore in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy invasions.

But Canada’s Navy and Merchant Marine earned their greatest reputation in the Atlantic where dreaded Nazi submarines waited to strike with torpedos and where 1,190 Canadian sailors were sent to their watery graves in the Battle of the Atlantic. The RCN and the RCAF are credited with sinking 47 Nazi subs during the Second World War.

Although 1941 was a year of savage fighting with many losses, at home in Haliburton, the feeling of hopelessness and despair seemed to have lessened what 1940 brought. In Haliburton County, most young people were either in the service, or in war-related factories. The Lindsay Arsenal announced they would be taking eight girls into their man-run arsenal, and you can bet I was at the head of the line. I worked three shift work until I was old enough for military service. The men in the foundry would gape through the door in disbelief to see eight girls wearing coveralls and a bandana-covered head. It was a sight to behold. But the girls had money.

In the homes in Haliburton, families were close-knit and lived simply. After such a long Depression, it was good to bring some money in, even if the men got considerably more for doing the same job. Rationing of gas, tea, coffee, sugar, meat, butter, booze, etc. did not impose a great hardship in Haliburton. Margarine was not invented yet.

People complained about the songs we sang. Some of the titles were ‘We Heil, Heil, Heil Right in Der Fueher’s Face’ ‘Three Little Fishies’ ‘Mairzy Doats and Dozy Doats. Also, people complained that young people didn’t obey their parents and we didn’t. When non-essential goods were cut off to Canada, Canadian cartoonists soon fixed the comic book industry with Johnny Canuck and Spy Smasher.

The word celebration is using sparingly. It is hard to celebrate valour and victory and simultaneously mourn the sacrifice of those of our comrades who have died. We rejoice, but we grieve. That’s what we will do on the 75th anniversary.

For some, the world war years of 1939- 1945 are simply a piece of history, for others, the memories that those years bring are all too vivid.

Libraries reopen next month

By

Lisa Gervais

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August 31, 2020

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The Haliburton County Public Library is preparing to reopen in Haliburton, Minden and Wilberforce next month with social distancing measures in place.

The County library board discussed the reopening plan at a special meeting Aug. 19. The libraries have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but staff are working to allow people to return to browse materials and use computers. However, staff are planning to tentatively limit visits to 20 minutes.

Librarian Erin Kernohan-Berning said they will adjust the plan as they go, including extending visits if it proves safe.

“The plan as it stands is going to be in constant evaluation once we start,” she said. “We need to sort of test-drive it.”

The library has offered curbside pickup in recent months, starting June 25 in Dysart. That service will continue by request, though people will now also be able to enter the library to pick up holds. Service hours are limited to 25 hours per week in Dysart and Minden and 15 in Wilberforce.

Board members pressed about increasing the amount of time someone could be in a branch, noting how some people rely on the library for internet and computer access.

“If people are going to be driving or somehow getting into town because they have to use a computer, I really have a concern 20 minutes isn’t enough,” board member Carol Moffatt said.

Kernohan-Berning said she would try to extend that but noted the length of time indoors makes a difference to the transmission of COVID-19. She said staff would rather slowly expand that time by testing the plan, rather than clawing back if longer times do not work.

“This is part of our services that unfortunately is going to be lacking,” she said. “Because we want to keep patrons and staff safe, there are some sacrifices we need to make. I’m going to be extremely happy when we can reinstate a lot of that stuff.”

The plan features additional safety precautions for the library, with regular cleaning of high-touch surfaces, available hand-sanitizer, requested mask use and spaced out furniture and computers for physical distancing. The number of people in the building at once will also be limited.

Printing and photocopying will also be by-donation instead of a usual 10-cents-perpage charge.

“Partly because we don’t want to handle money,” Kernohan-Berning said. “Also, because we’re just in the times we’re in and people need a bit of a break.”

The date for reopening is not certain, but Kernohan-Berning said they are tentatively targeting Sept. 8.

Wishing upon a Starlink

By

Lisa Gervais

-

August 30, 2020

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As Starlink launched 58 satellites into the sky Aug. 18, many watched, hoping the project could soon bring better internet service to remote communities.

Haliburtonians too are following Starlink, a project under SpaceX launching hundreds of satellites to bring high-speed internet to locations difficult to reach by conventional means. The U.S.-based company said it is targeting service in the northern U.S. and Canada by the end of this year, with public beta-testing to launch this fall.

Eagle Lake resident Ioana Zemi said local internet services cannot provide her with standard service. She said she sees Starlink as a solution for people such as her in remote residences.

“It’s really beneficial in situations like mine, where we live, where people are spaced so far apart,” Zemi said. “The infrastructure requirements are far less than if they were to put in fibre.”

Starlink is applying for a basic international telecommunications service licence with the CRTC, which is still ongoing. The application received more than 2,000 responses.

“Many of the comments noted the urgency of additional broadband options for consumers and locations that either have limited broadband choice now or no connectivity whatsoever,” wrote SpaceX satellite government affairs vice-president Patricia Cooper in a reply to the CRTC July 17. “This outpouring of support is particularly gratifying.”

The County of Haliburton and Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) are also eyeing large-scale internet improvements through public-private partnerships. The County is applying for a grant with Bell and Xplornet to deliver more broadband to areas of need, while EORN is proposing a $1.6 billion project to bring gigabyte-speed service.

But Haliburton Lake resident Joe Mukherjee said he is more optimistic about Starlink and its timeframe to be running by the end of the year. A former telecommunications worker, he said he needs internet for work and has struggled with slow internet speeds under Bell. He said that is caused by their refusal to spend the $500,000 necessary to upgrade the area pedestal congested with too many customers.

“My confidence is, shall we say shaky, that Bell is going to take this and treat it with the urgency I feel it deserves,” Mukherjee said. “Conversely, Starlink has already launched a substantial amount of satellites … I will happily move my services to them.”

Bell said it is expanding its fibre network in Haliburton but Fort Irwin is not in its immediate roll-out. They said they would work with Mukherjee on solutions in the meantime.

Starlink is not without detractors. Cooper wrote seven commentators on their application expressed concern about the impact the low-orbit satellites could have on astronomy. She said they take the problem seriously and have worked to reduce satellite visibility.

Phil Dubé said he hopes Starlink could be a better option than his slow service north of Kushog Lake. He said as a photographer, the astronomy issue is a concern, though it does not outweigh the possible benefit in his mind.

“That bothers me,” Dubé said. “But I see no opportunity for us whatsoever to have high-speed cable down County roads in Haliburton.”