Five apartments proposed for downtown Minden

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March 26, 2020

The owner of the former ambulance bay property on Milne Street in Minden is proposing to build five dwelling units on the second floor.

Phong Tan’s Ocean and Echo Investments is the registered owner of the building that also borders Bobcaygeon Road.

Tan, who is also co-owner of the adjacent Minden Pharmasave, spoke to Minden Hills Council March 12.

The report before the committee of the whole meeting was for a proposed zoning bylaw amendment and an agreement to permit cash-in-lieu, instead of 10 parking stalls.

Phong told councillors “people living downtown bring life to the community.” He said it helps to produce a thriving downtown core since residents patronize stores, services and restaurants “allowing other businesses to thrive as well.”

He said winters are the hardest time for local businesses, and having downtown residential tenants will help them survive, since “locals support each other.”

He noted there was a huge housing shortage in the community and it makes it difficult to get health care professionals to remain as a result.

John Thomas, who owns Stedman’s V & S, said he wanted to ensure only the second floor was converted to living space, allowing the bottom to be open to business. He added council had to address the issue of the 10 parking spots, asking where the tenants will park. He said other businesses could lose downtown parking along Bobcaygeon Road.

Town planner Ian Clendening said his follow-up report would address parking issues, saying there was nothing to now stop tenants taking up one third of Bobcaygeon Road spaces. He said he would have to look at things such as limiting parking time and snow clearing.

“With council’s direction, we can come up with solutions to that,” Clendening said.

Coun. Pam Sayne said she loved the idea of dwelling units on the top of the building, but was concerned about existing commercial tenants being able to remain there.

Coun. Bob Carter said in some cases the existing two parking stalls per unit bylaw shouldn’t always be the case. He suggested rules around overnight parking had to be looked into as well.

The proponent is suggesting units as large as 992-square feet to as small as 592-square feet, with one and two bedrooms.

Tan said when he moved into Fenelon Falls as owner of the Pharmasave there, the downtown was suffering. He said there were empty commercial buildings and it was “painful” to see stores shut down.

Now, he said there’s been a great effort to revitalize the downtown core. He said he’d like to see a similar turnaround in Minden.

Point in Time offers coping tips for the long haul

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 26, 2020

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With the coronavirus-COVID-19 situation changing daily, and experts now saying we may have to practice social distancing and isolation for months, Point in Time in Haliburton is providing advice to families.

Executive director Marg Cox said it’s important to structure the time when you go to media for updates on the pandemic. She said people should not be scrolling through social media all day long or watching continuous television coverage.

“The more people get into it, and get focused on it, the more it ramps up that anxiety,” she said.

Instead, she suggests structuring the time when you get updates, for example, tuning in once a day to the daily press conference with the prime minister.

To further mitigate anxiety, she said it is important to reach out to people by using technology that allows face-to-face interaction.

“What we know is, if you are actually able to see their face, through Zoom, or Facetime or Skype, that really has much better calming qualities than just talking on the phone or texting or emailing,” she said.

The other challenge is parents and families are now experiencing a lack of structure in their lives, with parents not working or working from home, and children out of school. For that reason, Cox said it’s important for families to establish routines. She added it should be face-to-face, whether it’s family meal times or playing board games. She said families should discuss the day’s structure in the morning and stick to it, also incorporating outside time and physical activity. She also advises playing, or singing, uplifting music.

Cox said another thing to keep in mind, “is you can never start meditating too young.” She encourages parents to meditate as an example for their children, and to teach them how to do it themselves, even having a family meditation time.

If parents are stressed, she said children are going to pick up on that quickly, so it is important to lead by example. That includes good self-care. She said parents also need to be kind to themselves. She said it’s okay to have lowered expectations and recognize what they are accomplishing, such as good interactions with their children that day, helping them feel grounded, doing their own self-care, and exercising.

If people are having real difficulties coping, they can ring Point in Time, which is still offering services. Cox said for most people, change and unknowns are two very difficult things to deal with. Add to that mix uncertain financial situations due to coronavirus-related layoffs and waiting for government support, is a real challenge, she said.

However, she believes County residents are resilient. “Look at the seasons that we deal with, and the level of snowfall and power outages, and geographic isolation. I know we can do it. I know it’s tough. We do need to find out ways to reach out to each other.”

She said helping others not only helps them, but ourselves. “If they can do something for somebody else. Acts of giving or kindness or reaching out. Checking on your neighbours. Those kinds of things help people in the community but also those who are doing it. And we know that feeling good helps boost immunity.”

Local government in silos

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 26, 2020

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I’m not sure if the County’s services delivery review project has been shelved by COVID-19 but after watching the County and its four lower-tier municipalities deal with the coronavirus pandemic, I really hope it is continuing and that it recommends a follow-up governance review.

While I am confident everyone’s heart is in the right place, the handling of this crisis to date magnifies why having five different government entities does not always work well in the Haliburton Highlands.

For example, different states of emergency declarations on different days and at different times. Surely, the County CAO and warden, and the four other CAOs and mayors could have had a discussion about this and declared at the same time. Not doing so simply confuses residents.

For us in the media, it meant four different press releases from four different organizations all saying essentially the same thing. [I say four because Algonquin Highlands hasn’t actually declared a state of emergency].

Minden Hills started things off on March 17, followed by the County on March 18, Highlands East on March 19 and Dysart et al on March 20. How is this efficient?

Since this crisis began to ramp up on March 12, we have had separate releases from the County, Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills. They have adopted similar – but not always the same – approaches to how things are being handled. Once again, why make this more confusing to the general public?

So, now, we have five designations of authority with separate emergency control centres, and emergency control groups, each issuing voluminous, and different, messaging.

Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin told a County Council meeting during a discussion on the coronavirus, “rather than five flavours, I would like one and have the County be the voice.” Yet, within days, he was having his people reach out to media to tell them Minden Hills was declaring a state of emergency.

So, what we are getting now is five flavours and the County is not the voice of authority. When we really need to hear one calming voice across the county, we are hearing far too many. This does not breed confidence. This does not calm nerves. This is aggravating.

The contractor who is doing the services delivery review – Toronto-based StrategyCorp. – has a fine example of how our current government system is not working.

Amidst all of this, the public sector salary disclosure list was released March 20. It is a confusing document to research, but I found 17 people in local government. There are 10 at the County, who earned a combined $1.336 million last year. The other seven, at the lower-tier townships, brought in about $930,000. That’s more than $2 million in a County that has a permanent population of about 18,000.

Yet, when it come to COVID-19, I feel hard-pressed to say that anyone has earned their money when it comes to dealing with this situation. Like I said at the beginning, everyone’s heart might be in the right place, and they’ve never dealt with a global pandemic before, but stop and think, consult with each other, and don’t fall back into decades-old habits of operating in silos.

HHHS wants you to know what to do

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 26, 2020

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If you think you have COVID-19 symptoms:

1. Complete the COVID-19 self-assessment at Ontario.ca/coronavirus

2. If indicated by the self-assessment results, contact Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000, the HKPR District Health Unit (hkpr.on.ca) at 1-866-888-4577 ext. 5020, or your primary care provider.

3. If symptoms are severe, call 911 and alert the dispatcher to your travel history and symptoms.

4. If you have symptoms, before visiting any healthcare facility, call ahead, let them know about travel history and symptoms (e.g. fever, cough, difficulty breathing) so that they can make special arrangements to see you quickly and ensure they use proper infection control measures.

In addition, Telehealth or the health unit may refer you to a local assessment centre in Lindsay and Peterborough. These assessment centres are by appointment only and require a referral from Telehealth, public health or another health care provider.

The Ross Memorial Hospital has opened a centre off-site at the Lindsay Exhibition Grounds. It can be reached at 705-328-6217 Monday-Friday 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.

The Peterborough Regional Health centre is in a dedicated area of the hospital’s Emergency Department. [Please note: the assessment centre was to be moved to a mobile unit outside of the main hospital March 23].

It is important for the public to know that not everyone will be tested. Local health service partners continue to build testing capacity locally and will provide more information as soon as it becomes available. (Lisa Gervais)

County enters critical coronavirus phase

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 26, 2020

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By Lisa Gervais

Haliburton County is entering a critical stage in the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Norm Bottum of the Haliburton Highlands Family Health Team said.

To date, there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Haliburton County. However, there have been cases in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Muskoka, “and we should all assume there are cases in Haliburton that have not been picked up yet,” he said.

He added that people have been returning from March break trips, and from wintering in Florida, and the community has to continue to be vigilant.

“Now is a very important time to limit any spread of the virus in our region. The next two weeks are extremely important if we are going to limit the impact of this disease,” he said.

Dr. Bottum added that, “most unwell patients will not have COVID-19. We know that from swab results so far. We also know that most of those with COVID-19 will have mild to moderate symptoms and will not need to come to hospital.

“Our resources may be stretched both in supplies and personnel and if we observe guidelines, we hope to be able to respond to everyone’s needs during this crisis safely over the next few months.”

Guidelines, including for cottagers, snowbirds

County Warden Liz Danielsen has said people must follow guidelines for the safety of County residents.

“It has come to our attention that unfortunately, there have been some violations of best practices around self-isolation throughout our community,” Danielsen said. “The only chance we have at this time in keeping COVID-19 outside of our County, and helping to combat the spread in Ontario and beyond, is for residents and visitors to practice social distancing to the greatest extent possible, and when required, self isolate. The longer these directives are ignored, the longer we will be dealing with the consequences.”

She also addressed the issues of seasonal residents descending on the community to self-isolate. She said the County’s Emergency Control Group had discussed the issue at some length, “recognizing that service delivery during normal times can be a challenge at the peak of the summer season in Haliburton, but during an emergency situation, particularly one that none of us have experienced before, service delivery becomes even more difficult.”

Danielsen added that, “while we want to welcome our seasonal residents, our health facilities are taxed to serve the folks that are here now, that are afraid they have been hit with the virus. We are extremely reluctant to tell people who pay taxes and own homes here that they can’t self isolate in those homes where they may feel safer than they would in the city.

“They simply need to understand that they may be putting themselves at risk by coming, and then needing health care that is beyond our capability to deliver,” she said.

HHHS looking for help

Meanwhile, HHHS put out an appeal for health care workers March 24 to help with the local COVID-19 response.

“Nurses are in high demand at this time, as is anyone who has a background in personal care from a variety of settings including: home support workers/personal care attendants, dental hygienists, etc.,” a release said.

HHHS said it would support the training and orientation for the skills required to support patients and residents.

President and CEO Carolyn Plummer said, “while we are currently able to meet the staffing needs with our existing complement of health care workers, we have been learning from the experience of other jurisdictions locally and internationally, and recognize the need to be proactive in ensuring we have staffing resources for the anticipated increase in need as this situation progresses.”

If you’re interested, contact: Carl Carr, human resources manager, HHHS hr@hhhs.ca Phone: 705-457- 1392, extension 2254.

Call for Minden to change dog and kennel rules

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 25, 2020

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The neighbour of a Minden property, where 14 hunting dogs were removed earlier this winter, made a plea to Minden Hills council March 12 to amend its dogs and kennels, and zoning, bylaws.

Shanna Dryburgh said she didn’t want to go into details of what she witnessed on the property, but she did say it was “excruciating” waiting three weeks for the dogs to be removed, following an animal welfare investigation that garnered nationwide attention.

“I couldn’t help but feel that the absence of specific bylaws contributed to prolonged distress for the dogs,” she said.

As she continues to educate herself about animal welfare at the provincial and municipal levels, she said she was shocked to learn there were no laws about storing a dog on vacant land and said, “there was no dwelling, no hydro, no water source, no humans. How could this be? There is no justification for leaving a dog chained up, alone outdoors; vulnerable and at risk … not for a lifetime in favourable weather not for an hour in the freezing cold … period.”

She asked council to add ‘warehousing of tethered dogs on vacant land’ as a prohibited use in all zones. She said had this been in place, the bylaw officer and animal welfare inspector would have had a straightforward and enforceable way to protect the dogs.

She also requested an amendment to have the maximum number of dogs in a rural zone be lowered from nine to four. She said it’s the number neighbouring municipalities allow. She said anything over four should require a kennel licence and meet all kennel daycare requirements.

She also said Minden needs to keep in step with other rural municipalities and put restrictions on tethering. And she’d like to see more specific criteria for adequate dog shelters.

“I think most people accept that some dogs live outside and certain dogs, when given the choice, actually prefer it. The problems arise when dogs are tethered 24/7, 365 days a year. They have no choice. In fact, there is no free will or self regulating. And then what are they? They are property, not sentient beings like science and research has years ago proven that they are.”

She noted the township’s dogs and kennels bylaw had not been amended since 2009, and its prohibited use in the zoning bylaw since 2013 – yet community standards had changed.

“We all know that some dogs around here have ‘survived’ for years, living on chains for all but two weeks a year, eating raw meat scraps, drinking snow and sleeping on the ground all winter. All with little to no human contact. But I believe this community has much, much higher standards than merely survival. A thorough review and amendment of our dogs and kennels bylaw and enforcement system by design, will reflect those evolving societal standards and values.”

Mayor Brent Devolin said a staff report would come back to council. He said he was keen to hear about the best practices of neighbouring jurisdictions as well as about enforceability.

Coun. Pam Sayne said she’d received calls since the story is in the media, and there appears to be a loophole that needs closing. She felt it had to be a team approach though, including working with the province.

The case came in a time of transition for animal welfare in Ontario. The Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act came into effect Jan. 1, putting enforcement in the hands of the province instead of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA).

Travel agency bringing them home

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 25, 2020

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Linda Coneybeare’s first job of the day March 17 was to try to get a stranded cruise ship traveller back from Perth, Australia.

The Transat Travel agent has seen it all; 9/11, SARS, but says the current coronavirus-COVID-19 is the worst she has ever seen from a travel agent perspective.

“’Til two weeks ago, it was just a little blip. We were still booking south and Europe, although not Asia. Then, it just started to quietly get bigger and bigger. All of a sudden, really on Thursday, when U.S. President Donald Trump made his announcement, it just unravelled,” Coneybeare told The Highlander.

She was out of the office March 13 but said colleague Linda Goodick started to take care of her and Coneybeare’s clients needing to fly home early. She said on March 16, she worked until 10:30 p.m. and then went home exhausted.

“When you have a local travel agent, you can reach them, no seven hours wait on the phone, no dropped calls,” she said.

She said Transat Travel had clients “literally all over the world.” She said they were helping to get some of them home. Others had self-isolated in safe locations.

In the case of the client now in Perth, they were on an around-theworld cruise that is not going any further than the Western Australia port. Coneybeare was trying to get her home as quickly as possible.

Despite the scrambling, she said people who book trips with them have security, since they all have good policies in effect. Bookings are being held as future credit for travel before the end of 2020. Others with certain types of extended insurance are getting 75-80 per cent of their money back.

She said some emergency flights back are proving expensive, since airlines are compensating for flying unfilled aircraft.

While the majority of their work these days is getting people home, or dealing with cancelled trips, Coneybeare said some people have booked future trips.

“People are looking forward to the future knowing this will pass,” she said.

She wouldn’t recommend travel right now, however, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is advising people abroad to come home. She added while some destinations might seem safe, such as the Caribbean, people still have to go through at-risk airports.

She’s been in the business 40 years and says, “this is the biggest. After 9/11, all flights were grounded but within two months, I was rebooking, things moved on. The difference right now is getting people home and sorting out their bookings.”

She said for the most part, the public understands that tour operators simply can’t give them back their money. However, she said Transat Travel keeps it in trust for future travel. She said it’s the difference when booking with a reputable company such as hers, that also has bricks and mortar on Haliburton’s main street.

Once the immediate crisis passes, she said they’ll start doing their in-house accounting. “Our jobs are safe. And we will wait this out. It will pass.”

How to stay grounded amid the COVID-19 chaos

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 25, 2020

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Retired social worker Norris Turner remembers the peak of the polio epidemic in 1950s Canada.

Although very young, he recalls parents putting restrictions on their children, including no swimming, when a case was reported. He also recalls a collective sigh of relief when a vaccine was found.

Turner, who worked at Point in Time, and had a small private practice, has lived in the County for 20 years.

Asked what people can do to cope with fear, anxiety and panic, he said, “I’d validate their concerns. Part of what’s so scary is we don’t really know [all of the answers], although experts are doing their best day-by-day to advise us.”

In a time of uncertainly, he said mindfulness goes a long way.

“Encourage people to stay with the present. ‘How are you right now?’ Do what you can to ground yourself. Take a deep breath, look around the room. At this moment, you’re safe if you are not symptomatic.”

Turner acknowledged, it’s easy for our fears “to get galloping about what if’s, which drives panic buying.”

He added that often we look to be safe in community, which is restricted right now, but there are still “wonderful ways we have to be in touch, such as the phone and skype.”

“Hold your loved ones close emotionally even though you can’t necessarily do it physically.”

Turner said maintaining routine also helps, including eating and sleeping well. He further advised people prone to anxiety to be selective about their news sources, following reputable sites such as John Hopkins or the CBC.

As for parents grappling with what to tell their children, Turner says, “I think kids are more immediate and their questions will be very practical. Answer their questions. Tell them, ‘to be honest, there’s things we don’t know, but here’s what we do know’.”

He said a final thing to keep in mind is that residents of Haliburton County are resilient.

“We probably know about how to self-isolate. We’re generally comfortable in our skins. We like privacy. We know how to do practical things. We are hunters and gatherers.

“And, we have a strong sense of community. If you have to be somewhere, this is a good place to be.”

Algonquin Highlands Mayor and County Coun. Carol Moffatt had a similar sentiment at the end of a County council committee meeting.

“We can use isolation as a banner for preventing the spread. But isolation is also detrimental to a lot of people, including our most vulnerable seniors. Be a good neighbour, pick up the phone. Make sure the person next door has what they need … It’s up to us as a community. We’ve always done it before.”

Tips for staying connected

Meditation and yoga therapist Miriam Patterson says the necessary social distancing we are practicing now can feel isolating as well as stressful. Here are some suggestions for staying connected:

Ask groups that you are normally part of to hold virtual gatherings.
Have video chats with friends, rather than simply scrolling through social media.
Try to find replacements for what you normally do. If you normally go to a yoga class, how can you find a yoga class that you can do from home?
Set boundaries for your tech and social media activity. Try not to overwhelm your time with news stories.
Feed your body with healthy, fun foods. Be selective about what you stock up on.
If you feel disconnected from yourself, your community or your purpose, try some simple breathing, meditation, writing, art, or visualization exercises.
If you’re in good health, keep moving your body. Take a free online-guided class, or if you’re surrounded by nature, get out into the woods for a walk. Your favourite in-person exercise teacher is probably trying to find ways to reach you, so reach out to them.
Create a group chat that includes your immediate neighbours. Check in on each other regularly via this chat.

Keep calm and carry on

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 22, 2020

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I’m just past the second week of my annual spring cold.

Blessed with bronchitis since a young age, the aforementioned spring cold comes with a telltale cough: it starts with a deep, dry bark before evolving into a phlegmy rattle. It’s almost gone now, but you can imagine the looks I got last week when the cough escaped my attempts to keep it at bay – with Benylin, Halls and water.

At a Minden Hills council meeting, for example, I got ‘looks’ and at least one staffer pulled out the hand sanitizer. Despite my repeated assurances, it was just a cold, many a Haliburtonian moonwalked away from me.

As I write this, from my kitchen table at home, I realize I just don’t want to be out there and be seen as a coronavirus-carrier or someone with full-blown COVID-19. I’ve been doing most of my work from home since that council meeting.

I guess I’m lucky since I have the sort of profession where I have the luxury of doing that. I can conduct interviews via email or phone. Now that just about everything is cancelled, I don’t really have to go out and cover anything, anyway.

Meanwhile, my partner just came back from the grocery store in Minden. There was no toilet paper at either Foodland or Valu-Mart. It appears there’s also been a run on frozen vegetables and potatoes. A lot of shelves were empty with limits of two per customer. The rabid stocking up continues.

I guess I can’t completely fault people. They’re scared and panicky. As a member of the fifth estate, I have to take some responsibility, although I believe the Haliburton news media has tried to keep its stories factual, informational and non-sensationalized.

Safe to say, the world has gone a little crazy since last Thursday.

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is affecting all of us. School children will see their March break extended into April. Parents are scrambling to provide care for them. Some of us are working from home. Some of us are not so fortunate. College students are wondering how they can do hands-on learning via distance education. Businesses are very concerned about empty establishments and equally empty bank accounts. Municipal government has ground to a standstill. Live entertainment has been shelved. The Highlander can barely keep up with the cancellations and postponements filling our inbox.

So, it’s pretty easy to add anxiety to that already mentioned fear and panic as we seem to have slipped into some dystopian novel.

But, as a community, we don’t have to be fearful, panicked or anxious.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit says there’s no need to panic.

They said declaring COVID-19 a pandemic has to do with how quickly it spreads, not its severity.

The majority of people who test positive for COVID-19 are experiencing mild symptoms and are recovering fully, the health unit said.

People in the county have been sensible in cancelling and postponing events to try to slow down the spread of the virus. Further, if people take the precautions health partners across the region are advising, this can be a manageable situation.

Stay home if you can. Enjoy some quality family time. Tackle some of those home-based jobs you’ve been putting off. Catch up on books, podcasts, radio and television. Leave some toilet paper and groceries for your neighbours.

In other words, keep calm and carry on

Landscapers push for change to shoreline bylaw

By

Lisa Gervais

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March 21, 2020

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Haliburton’s landscaping industry has formed a new group to raise its concerns about the impact of the County of Haliburton’s draft shoreline preservation bylaw.

The group of six landscape businesses presented at the committee of the whole meeting March 11. The contractors banded together specifically to raise their concerns with the bylaw, which would restrict development and activities within 30-metres of shorelines.

Michele Bromley of Boshkung Lake Tree Service said though the group is not opposed to the idea of the bylaw, it finds the draft lacking.

“The draft bylaw, as presented … in some areas is reaching beyond its original intent, and in other areas missing key factors that have significant impacts on the water quality of our lakes,” Bromley said, reading from a joint letter.

The group argued the 30-metre buffer is far too expansive and there also needs to be more action on the existing properties with damaged shorelines.

It also argued the permitting requirements will be too strict and there needs to be more leeway for smaller projects.

“Although appropriate for some major landscaping/site alteration projects, applying the same rigorous processes to any and all projects will literally assure the landscaping industry in Haliburton County and the economic benefit it provides for its many employees and other businesses will disappear in short order,” the group wrote.

The group also said the bylaw should be more comprehensive and the County should address things such as fertilizers, pesticides and road salt. Council members expressed appreciation for the input.

“This is clearly the type of input that we want. Written, clear, concise, the challenges that it appears to pose for you,” Coun. Brent Devolin said.

In a statement to The Highlander, the group said the broad scope of the bylaw made it sensible for similar stakeholders to work together and address parts of it pertaining to them.

“Many of the restrictions within the draft have direct impact on the landscaping industry and we felt it would be beneficial to assemble a group of likeminded individuals,” the group said. “We continue to work collaboratively with other groups and individuals to achieve the goal of fashioning a comprehensive and workable document for all.”

Bylaw review on hold

But those eager to see the County progress on its review of the bylaw will have to wait. The County put the review on hold indefinitely due to the coronavirus.

The municipality opted to change the agenda for its March 17 special meeting originally dedicated to the shoreline bylaw to instead address response to the pandemic.

“We understand there is a significant community interest about the draft by-law, with a large number of people planning to attend, and want to provide assurances that there will be extensive notice provided when we are once again able to conduct businesses as usual,” the County said in a press release.