Haliburton’s active confirmed COVID-19 cases dropped down one in an update from the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit Aug. 14.
The health unit reported 15 total cases with only one active, down from three earlier in the week. The remaining 14 cases are listed as resolved. The number of high-risk contacts is also at two, down from 10 listed Aug. 12.
Across the district, total cases are up to 218, with 21 active in the City of Kawartha Lakes and none active in Northumberland.
The 13th annual Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation radiothon is underway to raise money for new vital signs monitors at local emergency departments.
The annual event running with 93.5 Moose FM is raising money for the foundation, asking people to call in or go online to donate. The event runs Aug. 13 and 14 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.
Foundation executive director Lisa Tompkins said the event is quite different this year, with their usual street presence scaled back due to the pandemic.
“We’re certainly trying to make sure that we are following health protocols and social distancing,” Tompkins said. “We made the decision we really need to be virtual as possible.”
The vital signs monitors will be for the emergency and acute care departments in Haliburton and Minden. They are used to access and monitor a patients’ vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and more.
Tompkins said the foundation is working towards 10 of them, with a total cost of $65,000-$70,000.
“We will be updating these to state-of-the-art,” Tompkins said, adding the devices will help reduce the workload on medical workers in a time when they are dealing with extra safety protocols. “This new equipment helps to consolidate and make it a much more efficient action for nurses and doctors.”
New for this year is an online auction, with items being featured at hhhs.ca/foundation. The auction will close Aug. 17.
Tompkins said like many organizations, the foundation has lost revenue through cancelled events, but they are thankful for how people have supported the health care sector during this time.
“This is a generous community,” she said. “We’re really grateful for their generosity and for the importance that they recognize health care has in our community.”
For more information or to donate visit the foundation website or call at 705-457-1580.
Parents are deciding whether to send their children for in-person learning this September, as Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) asked them to pick a method of education this week.
TLDSB sent out emails to its families Aug. 7, asking them to re-register their children for either in-person or remote learning by Aug. 13. The board later extended the deadline to Aug. 17. The board’s schools are set to reopen fully in September despite the pandemic, but remote learning is still an option.
Haliburton parent Dulce Acero has a daughter attending Grade 8 this year. She said she has conflicting feelings, but will send her daughter back out of concern for mental health and issues with remote learning.
“I’m obviously worried about what could possibly happen with that many kids all in one place,” Acero said. “I don’t feel good about it, but I really don’t feel like I have any other options at this point.”
The TLDSB has published information on its plans over the past week. There will be many differences at schools, such as staggered lunches and recesses, mandatory masks for Grades 4 and up, limiting school visitors and high school students taking a reduced number of credits at one time.
Remote students will get a mix of at-home live instruction and independent learning through primarily online platforms. But the board has said exact details will depend on the makeup of students who sign up. Students will also be unable to switch after making a choice until at late October.
Parent Breann Nicole said she is unsure about sending her child into school for Grade 7 and intends to choose remote learning if enough parents opt for it.
“I believe the government is trying to restart the economy on the backs of our children,” she said. “There is not enough known about COVID for this to be safe.”
Unions have criticized the provincial return to school plan, calling for smaller class sizes and significantly more funding than the $309 million the province has allotted for safety equipment and additional staffing. Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation TLDSB local president Colin Matthew said TLDSB is working hard and there are many logistical hurdles to be worked out. He added the provincial plan details are thin and there is significant latitude for local boards.
“We’re still waiting to hear what their plans look like,” he said. “What we’ve put to the board is our primary concern … is the safety of everyone involved.”
Matthew added they want public health authorities to have a huge role in the process and be listened to.
As far as remote learning, Matthew said their hope is teachers can be dedicated to it without splitting their time, but that will depend on the numbers.
“I hope they (parents) make the decision that’s best for their family so that we can accurately assess what our staffing needs are,” he said. “I really hope nothing bad happens,” Acero said. “I hope everything can go as well as it possibly can.”
Hands coated in muck, Mike Mildon kept on digging into a six-foot hole, seven hours into a search for his long-missing relative Harold Heaven.
“Just a little more,” he said as he reached in for another handful of mud.
The lead in Mildon’s search for answers on the Minden man who disappeared 86-years-ago ended in disappointment Aug. 12. He and fellow documentary filmmaker Jackson Rowe – surrounded by their crew and dozens of Heaven family members – did not uncover the body they expected to find in a spot on family property.
The duo have been working on a documentary titled “For Heaven’s Sake,” about their search for Heaven. Mildon said they used ground-penetrating radar in February on a spot long-rumoured to be Heaven’s resting place in family stories. The results found it looked similar to a cemetery site and could contain a body.
After delays due to winter and the pandemic, they went to work digging. But all they uncovered was dirt and rocks.
“We had a lot of confidence going into that. It hurts, it really sucks,” Mildon said. “The whole family was around – we wanted to give them something.”
Heaven went missing in 1934, his case going unsolved by police, though their reports indicated they suspected suicide. Mildon and Rowe have said they think there is more to it, including the possibility of manslaughter, and they are not discounting any theory.
“There’s always rumours people talk about,” Rowe said. “It’s just difficult for us to sift through and take them all seriously as we’d like to. We’re going to regroup.”
But the Heaven family who came remained in high spirits even after the disappointing end as they cheered the documentarians on.
“Now, we can tell our kids and grandkids the story,” family member Emma Cornfield said. “Of how we dug the holes. We now have new campfire stories.”
“My whole goal was to give them an answer today,” Mildon said. “It sucks on that front, but there was so much love and support around, that I think everyone saw it. Very thankful.”
Rowe said Minden has been an excellent community to work with throughout their months-long search.
“Almost everyone we came into contact with was supportive and was happy to talk,” Rowe said. “Really paints Minden in a lovely light.”
The filmmakers said they did not have any specific strong leads after this, but they’ll keep going.
“It’s not done yet,” Mildon said. “We learned about perseverance and what it takes to solve something like this. It’s not as easy as some people make it seem.”
Rotarians and government officials held a ground-breaking ceremony on a new welcome centre being constructed outside Head Lake Park in Haliburton Aug. 5.
The facility was initially proposed by the Rotary Club of Haliburton in May 2019 as its 75th-anniversary project. The club is donating $75,000, but the project received a huge jumpstart with a $375,000 federal grant.
“It’s exciting. It’s happening sooner than we kind of dreamed that it could happen,” Rotary president Ted Brandon said. “It will just be a great addition to the park.”
The centre will offer washrooms accessible from the outside and tourism information. Some work has already started on a sewer hookup.
Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy, who headed the committee overseeing the project, said it is a milestone for the community that has been talked about for a long time.
“It’s critical for our tourism,” Kennedy said. “This new welcome centre is going to be opened yearround, rather than just seasonally. It’s going to attract more people to the area.”
Kennedy said COVID-19 delayed construction, but they hope to have it complete by the end of December. If not, it should be finished early next year.
Haliburton County’s five municipal governments are getting just over $2.87 million combined to help them ensure the delivery of critical public services during COVID-10.
The province made the announcement Aug. 12.
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Laurie Scott was joined by County CAO Mike Rutter, County Warden Liz Danielsen, Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin and Dysart et al Mayor Andrea Roberts for a photo op to go with the announcement at 3 p.m. today.
The County will get $1,435,300. Algonquin Highlands $275,900; Dysart $475,400; Highlands East $281,700 and Minden Hills $402,200.
See next Thursday’s Highlander for more on the funding announcement.
The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) is proposing a new $1.6 billion project to deliver faster internet across eastern Ontario, including Haliburton County.
The organization under the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) announced Aug. 11 it would seek a public-private partnership to bring one gigabit-per-second internet speeds throughout its 13 municipalities.
“This would be a game-changer for eastern Ontario to attract and retain businesses and residents, and to compete globally over the long term,” EOWC chair Andy Letham, who is the mayor of the City of Kawartha Lakes, said.
EORN said it would seek to fund the project with help from upper levels of government, the private sector and loans from the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin, who is on the EORN board, said the pandemic has highlighted the need for better connectivity. He added the crisis has sped up timelines for new projects by years and there is high public demand for improvements.
“This is now more important than ever,” Devolin said. “It’s a lot of money, but in COVID times, we’re throwing a lot of money around for a lot of things and I think the likelihood for success is relatively high.”
The Canada Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has declared 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload internet speeds as a minimum basic service level, setting a goal of 90 per cent of Canadians having that by December 2021.
EORN estimates delivering that minimum in the region would cost between $500 million and $700 million. But it is proposing to go for speeds 20 times that to anticipate future needs.
“Demand for broadband is growing exponentially. Half-measures and baby steps won’t get us there. We need a long-term solution,” EORN chair J. Murray Jones said. “The EORN Gig Project is a lasting investment in our prosperity.”
EORN is also working on a project to improve mobile broadband coverage in the region, a $213 million public-private partnership that is funded and has a request for proposals process underway.
Meanwhile, the County of Haliburton is also looking for opportunities for better connectivity. County council voted July 22 to do a solo application for a provincial grant to build new broadband infrastructure. CAO Mike Rutter reported there are already private telecommunications providers interested in partnering for that, though exact specifications for a proposal are to be determined.
Devolin said how the County’s project might fit into the bigger picture under EORN will depend on those specifications.
“There’s multiple packets and streams of funding and grants as we go forward,” Devolin said. “I’m a selfish kind of guy; I’d like them all.”
Devolin said there will be some battles ahead to advance this forward, but he is optimistic connectivity can take a big step in the next few years.
“It won’t be done in any one magic waving of the wand, it’s going to take a whole bunch of initiatives, all done in conjunction with each other,” Devolin said. “I’m hoping within five years or less, connectivity in this part of Ontario has moved a generational scale ahead. I think it’s possible.”
Doris Brown’s family greeted her with love and a lawn full of cards as they celebrated her 90th birthday outside her home July 31.
Five generations of the Brown family visited and honoured their matriarch, providing gifts and a large display of decorations. The family is wellintegrated in the community, with people from all the generations living within one mile of each other.
Brown said she was a little nervous seeing her family set it all up, but it was nice to have them around.
“Some days, it seems like a long time and other times, it seems like a relatively short time, this 90 years,” she said. “But it’s nice to see the little ones coming along and we know that life goes on that way.”
The family has been in Haliburton since 1957, according to Paul Brown, Doris’s son. Her late husband, Homer Brown, worked as an operator at the local railway station until it closed. The Browns raised a number of generations, with eight children, 25 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
“It’s not every day that you’re 90, so we thought we better hold a celebration,” Paul Brown said. “To us, who are a close-knit family, it’s very important that we celebrate this day.”
The family was somewhat limited to gather due to COVID. But they felt secure for a smaller outdoor event given all the members living in the lowinfection Haliburton area, Brown said. Doris Brown said she could not recall living through anything quite like this pandemic, though added polio was a serious disease that took some of her classmates in her childhood.
“No antidote for it, that’s for sure, but of course just about eradicated now which is wonderful,” she said. “As far as this (COVID) goes, they haven’t got the answers yet it seems. But they’re working on it, so they likely will.” Paul Brown said his mother is a very strong-willed person. “That likely gives her the energy to keep going. She has an unbelievable mind,” he said. “She loves a good argument.”
The elder Brown said life used to be a lot simpler and the newer generations have a lot more to deal with. But she added faith remains important.
“God’s still in control and he is always waiting for us to recognize that he is in control and he will bring us through if we look his way,” she said. “I’m thankful for family and friends and Haliburton. Haliburton’s a lovely place.”
The Gardens of Haliburton opened a business office Aug. 1 to begin filling spaces for its 70-unit retirement residence due for completion early next year.
The Highland Street office aims to provide a space for people to ask questions and figure out if the Haliburton facility will work for them, according to company partner and marketing head Phil McKenzie.
The office will only be in place until the facility opens in May 2021 but features floor plans and a display of room configurations for people to choose from.
“It’s a decision that you need to research and ask questions about,” McKenzie said. “It’s more than just a real-estate decision. You really want to have a spot where people can drop in and talk about it.
“This is not an impulse buy. This is something you typically have a few conversations before people decide this is right for them,” he added.
McKenzie said the new building seeks to fill a need for something between regular apartments and long-term care for senior living. The all-inclusive facility will include meals, housekeeping and recreation. Demand is high – McKenzie said they usually expect it to take a year-and-a-half to fill such a building, but he does not think it will take that long in Haliburton County.
“Certainly, with the response we’ve gotten, it looks like it will be significantly less time than that,” he said.
With the office opening came confirmation of the price point for rooms. They will range from $2,995-$5,000 per month, based on room size, balcony inclusion and whether it faces Head Lake. McKenzie said the prices are good value in the retirement residence world and justified by the number of services on offer. He added the prices are needed to cover the building cost and the labour, with approximately 50 employees expected.
“Everybody that’s in the health and wellness department, everybody that’s in the food and beverage, activities, maintenance,” McKenzie said, adding about 60 per cent of a person’s room cost goes toward funding labour.
The model is also open to provide more care as people’s needs may increase, allowing seniors to age in place. McKenzie said the model does not work for everyone, but they want to work with people to give them confidence about whether it will work for them.
“What we really want is for them to be able to come here and determine with some certainty whether we can be the solution,” he said.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit revised it COVID-19 stats after discovering a hospitalization reported earlier this week was wrongly classified.
The health unit removed Haliburton’s second reported COVID-19 hospitalization in an update Aug. 7, after initially listing it Aug. 5. The organization said on its website the change happened because the case was not hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment.
“The Health Unit was notified of a positive lab result for an individual in hospital in Haliburton County,” communications officer Bill Eekhof said. “However, upon further investigation and follow-up, the confirmed case no longer meets the criteria for a ‘hospitalized case of COVID-19.’”
Eekhof said the health unit could not address specific COVID-19 cases for privacy reasons. But he said that if someone goes to a hospital for a medical problem unrelated to COVID-19, but is tested and found to also have the virus, they are not counted among hospitalized cases. He added a person is counted as a hospitalized case if they go for COVID-19 symptoms.
With the reclassification, Haliburton has still only had one COVID hospitalization, which occurred in April, and no deaths. The County has had 14 cases in total, two of which are active as of Aug. 7. There are also currently seven high-risk contacts in Haliburton.
