Haliburton County’s affordable housing advocacy group, Places for People (P4P), last week announced it has received a huge financial windfall after accepting a $400,000 donation from local entrepreneur Paul Wilson.

The money was part of a commitment Wilson made to P4P in 2023 to bolster the community’s housing inventory for lowincome residents. Initially, Wilson agreed to donate one of four lots he planned to develop on Peninsula Road, overlooking Grass Lake, to P4P. However, in 2024, he agreed to a $1.2 million deal with Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region for the lot, with that group planning a 35-unit build at the site.

As part of the deal, Wilson made a commitment to gift up to $500,000 to P4P in lieu of the land donation. P4P founder Fay Martin and president Susan Tromanhauser said P4P remains a key player in the project. The local non-profit intends to purchase 15 of the 35 units from Habitat, once built, and offer them to people on their waitlist.

“The money allows us to continue providing much-needed housing for the people who live and work in Haliburton County,” Tromanhauser said.

Earlier this summer, at Habitat’s request, the County of Haliburton applied for a $12.5 million loan through Infrastructure Ontario to help pay for the Peninsula Road build. Susan Zambonin, the local Habitat’s president and CEO, said it will be a threestory construction.

Pre-consultation meetings with County and Dysart et al staff have already taken place, with Zambonin hoping to finalize building permits this fall. The project is expected to break ground in 2027.

While he initially sought to develop the Grass Lake properties himself, with a 2021 proposal for 88 units across four buildings at the site, Wilson said he was pleased to see the area would be used for housing.

“Affordable housing is a critical piece of the puzzle for the future economic success of Haliburton County,” Wilson said. “My hope is this [donation] will inspire others to come to the table.”

Local horticulturalist Paul Christie said a soon-to-be completed memorial garden in Norland will shed light on the early settling of the Highlands area and include important information about ‘The Land Between’ bioregion.

It’s been six years since Christie conceptualized plans for the garden, which will be installed at Ward Memorial Park in October. With a 40-foot diameter, the space will feature eight walkways and gardens blossoming with native perennials.

The idea, Christie said, is to educate people about the rare natural phenomenon he learned about from a neighbour shortly after moving to the Highlands more than decade ago.

“The Land Between remains a true natural wonder of the world, one that I feel is totally unpromoted and underappreciated,” Christie told The Highlander.

Measuring more than 240-kilometres, the name refers to the granite barrens that separate the Canadian Shield and limestone reserves that skirt large swathes of southern Ontario. It spans from Parry Sound in the west to the Ottawa Valley in the east, with Haliburton County nestled within.

Initially, Christie and his co-lead on the project, Miriam Newton, wanted to incorporate a water fixture into the design – a fountain fitted between large granite and limestone rocks – but that has been scrapped due to high costs. Originally, Christie anticipated the entire project could be done for $180,000, but learned this year the underground work for the fountain would cost $120,000 – around double what was first projected.

“So, we pivoted pretty quickly and worked hard to change everything around. We liked the idea of a fountain, but we also knew we had to get moving with this,” Christie said.

Big granite and limestone blocks, donated by Wessell Ingram & Sons Gravel Pit and the Coboconk quarry, will be fitted in the middle of the garden. Also included are five storyboards, each with a different tale to tell.

The first one will recount the history of the Indigenous people in the area, dating back 13,000 years. Christie said the Curve Lake Cultural Centre is partnering with the group, helping to verify information for the boards.

Other content will focus on the flora, fauna and wildlife that calls the area home; how the first settlers arrived in the 1800s and developed Norland as we know it today; exploring places of interest key to The Land Between’s make up; and a commemoration for those who have contributed to and supported the project.

Ross Fogwell, a retired church pastor, will head up writing and researching for the storyboards, Christie said.

The group has raised $27,688, requiring another $8,000 before the garden is fully funded. Christie said he expects to collect that at a fourth-annual golf fundraiser at The Links of Monck’s Landing in Norland Sept. 19. There are still spots available – anyone interested in playing ($65 per person or $260 for a team of four) can contact Christie at tlbgarden@gmail.com or 905-391-5803.

A grand opening will be held next year, while a second phase of the project is also in the pipeline.

“We want to have memorial benches, eight of them. This will give people the chance to sit down, meditate and really appreciate the space,” Christie said, noting the benches are $2,000 each. “We’re looking for contributions to help pay for those. We’ll then put plaques on honouring whoever the donor wants to honour.”

By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

When Those Other Movies (TOM) first started in Haliburton 20 years ago, organizers announced a 10-film season despite only having locked in a single flick. But that didn’t matter because County film lovers bought up all 250 available passes before knowing what else was going to be screened.

“I think there was a big appetite for movies because this is a really engaging, interesting, and smart community,” TOM co-founder Tammy Rea said. “And very art-based. There was an appetite for movies here that we didn’t appreciate because we didn’t have a movie theatre, just Highlands Cinema in the summer.”

This month, the volunteer-run organization is kicking off its 20th anniversary season, continuing to bring independent Canadian and international cinema to Haliburton County. TOM partnered with the Toronto International Film Festival’s Film Circuit, a national network encompassing over 170 locations, to gain access to titles that would otherwise skip small town movie screens.

Bringing films to Haliburton for 20 years was no easy feat, with technical hiccups, changing venues and a shift in media platforms. Screenings were first held at the former Molou theatre before temporary stops at the Beaver theatre in Minden and Kinmount’s Highlands Cinema for specialized projection formats. Now the films are shown at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion, where the organization has upgraded the venue’s projector, screen, and sound equipment.

Streaming services and post-pandemic habits have changed the way we consume movies but organizers said that nothing beats sharing a room with others.

“The feeling that you get from watching a movie in community is way different than watching it on your couch,” Myra Stephen, TOM committee member, said. “It’s a whole different experience to watch it in community.”

Rea said that visiting directors would often comment on the audience engagement following a screening.

“They would always say, ‘Wow, your audience asks really insightful questions,’” she said.

Behind the scenes, curating each season is a year-long process. Stephen explained that committee members would travel to area film festivals like Cinéfest in Sudbury and log reviews on a spreadsheet and debate titles to balance heavy themes with lighter material.

To help keep TOM accessible to the community, organizers run afternoon showings at the Gardens of Haliburton retirement home, host post-documentary picnic lunches, and co-ordinate with community organizations tied to specific film themes.

With support from local sponsors, ticket prices have remained at $10 per screening, with taxes being absorbed by TOM, or $70 for an eight-film season pass.

“We’re essentially operating at break-even, but we want to keep this accessible,” Rea explained. “We’d rather have a full house at $10 than fewer people paying $12.”

The season opens Sept. 10 at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion with the screening of I Swear, a BAFTA-winning feature about Tourette’s activist John Davidson. Screenings are scheduled for 4:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

The fall lineup continues on Oct. 8 with the showing of TOM’s longest movie title ever, You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community that Changed the World (in a Canadian Kind of Way), a documentary examining how a 1970s Toronto production of Godspell launched the careers of Canadian comedy icons including Martin Short and Eugene Levy.

For the full lineup, visit thoseothermovies.com.

After a late change to his nomination papers last week, Pat Casey will now contest Walt McKechnie for Dysart et al’s deputy mayor position in October’s municipal election.

Casey, the current acting deputy mayor, filed for mayor May 19. He was expected to challenge Greg Bishop and Andrew Nowell for the township’s top seat. However, last Thursday (Aug. 20), he withdrew from the mayoral race. He immediately filed to oppose McKechnie, who submitted his papers for a second term as deputy May 15.

Asked about the switch on Monday (Aug. 24), Casey said it was made with Dysart’s best interests in mind, although he didn’t get into specifics.

“I’m working towards the mayoral position, but this would give me another term to get closer to it, learn more and get up to speed. I feel like it’s kind of a graduated system,” Casey said. “There wasn’t so much a turning point, or a piece of information that made me go ‘holy jumpings, I’d better switch horses here’. I was just progressively thinking things through and thought about the team we could have.”

Casey said he had been contemplating a switch for weeks but solidified his decision Aug. 18. He said his first call was to McKechnie to give him a heads up.

While McKechnie, Dysart’s acting mayor, said he wasn’t counting his chickens over a second-straight acclamation, he admitted he was surprised and disappointed by Casey’s late switch.

McKechnie disappointed by decision

The first-term official, initially elected as Ward 1 councillor in 2022, had until Aug. 21 to make changes to his nomination.

“We spent about an hour-and-a-half together the day before and he didn’t mention anything, so I was definitely caught off-guard,” McKechnie said.

“I never assumed I had a free ride. I was in a lot of hockey games leading going into the last minute and ended up losing, so I never wanted to think I was automatically in again,” the former National Hockey League player said. “I’ve already been talking to people and am ready to hit the ground running with my campaign.”

Casey said his decision had nothing to do with Bishop and Nowell, or trying to project how the mayoral vote would land.

“I didn’t decide to do this because [I thought I was going to lose] – it would have been a good race between Greg and I. I think we’re equally capable of filling the position… but I feel, for Dysart and myself, it’s a better position for me to switch to deputy,” Casey said.

Key issues

Wrapping his fourth term, McKechnie said he’s proud of his service to the community, noting he wants one final run. If elected, the 2026-30 term will be his last.

After seeing the township make major progress with the sewage treatment plant expansion and future development of the 92-acre County Road 21 property, McKechnie wants to see those two projects through to completion.

“(They) are absolutely vital if this community is going to grow,” McKechnie said. With his council experience, McKechnie felt he would be a good support for the future mayor.

Casey wants a seat at the table next term when County council has some major decisions to make – such as the Eastern Ontario Regional Network’s affordability and governance review. It’s being recommended the County’s four lower-tiers amalgamate in some way, with a decision expected early in 2027.

Neither Casey nor McKechnie are convinced amalgamation is the answer, though. Casey said it’s too much, too fast. With such a big decision, he said they need to get it right as it cannot be reversed.

McKechnie is calling for some form of public vote or referendum before councils make a final decision. He said Haliburton County has a unique make-up and lacks industry. He thinks one-tier will lead to the loss of jobs, traditions and identity.

Advanced voting begins in Dysart Oct. 10, with voting day Oct. 26.