Work underway to restore Moore Falls portage

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November 10, 2019

LG-portage.jpg WEB — Residents protested the ongoing closure of the portage in October 2017.

Black Lake cottager Peter Fry would love nothing more than to take his seven-year-old granddaughter to Minden by boat.

But with Parks Canada taking out the boat rollers and putting in booms for safety reasons about four years ago, Fry, other Black, Gull and Moore lakes cottagers, plus Kilco Camp kids haven’t been able to make the trip.

However, Minden by boat may soon be possible again as proponents, including Minden Hills councillor Pam Sayne, continue to talk with Parks Canada and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) about the return of a safe portage.

“Please bring them [the boat rollers] back so that current and future generations can once again go to Minden by boat,” Fry said in a written presentation Sayne made to Minden Hills council last month.

Sayne said that after a series of meetings with Parks Canada and the MTO, proponents are getting closer to again having a portage at Moore Falls.

Sayne said the most recent meeting was on Oct. 16.

“It’s not going to be as difficult as we intended because of the co-operation from the MTO and Parks Canada,” she told The Highlander.

Following an online petition and protest that saw Highway 35 at the dam blocked in 2017 so canoeists could portage across the road, Sayne said “people recognize there was a better way to work on this together. We’re doing it and we’re making progress and there will be a portage there.”

While it’s still early days and no agreements are yet in place, Sayne said Parks Canada and the MTO hired a consultant to come up with portage options and they now have a preferred option. She noted a portage would be adjacent to Lutterworth Park.

She said they would be putting a call out for someone to volunteer to design and build infrastructure to make the proposed portage more user-friendly.

She noted Parks Canada is maintaining the booms, just aligning them in a way to make it easier to portage.

A spokeswoman for Parks Canada, Valerie de Winter, said a site visit was conducted Oct. 16 by representatives from Minden Hills, the MTO and Parks Canada.

“Parks Canada continues to work with the Township of Minden Hills and the Ministry of Transportation to review and to develop a solution for the portage route,” she said.

“Given the complexities of the site, a safe portage route has to be carefully and fully analyzed prior to implementation.”

She said visitor safety was of the “utmost importance” to Parks Canada, as dams present “a real risk to visitor safety, particularly when water levels and flows are higher than normal. Safety is a shared responsibility, and all visitors (boaters and land-based) should exercise caution around and on the water and stay well clear of dams,” de Winter said.

Operation Christmas Child underway

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Lisa Gervais

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November 10, 2019

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LG-shoebox 1.jpg WEB — Preparing for Operation Christmas Child.

Wells, Jordyn, Soyer and Huxley Brown pack Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. The local campaign is now underway and running until Nov 21. Materials, including shoeboxes and pamphlets, can be found at Glecoff’s Family Store, Needful Things and many local churches. Collection week is Monday, Nov. 18 to Thursday, Nov. 21. The collection centre is Lakeside Church, 9 Park St., Haliburton, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to noon, and Thursday 1-5:30 p.m. Master’s Bookstore and Needful Things will accept shoeboxes returned outside of Lakeside’s collection hours if need be. However, the last day for drop-off is Nov. 21. Glecoff’s and Needful Things are offering discounts on items for the shoeboxes. For more information, visit samaritanspurse.ca or contact Jordyn Brown brown.jordyn@gmail.com or 705-457-0038. (Lisa Gervais)

Hydro One supervisor charged in fatality

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Lisa Gervais

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November 9, 2019

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JQ - Hydro One rates - 1-web — The Ministry of Labour has announced charges against a Hydro One supervisor after an investigation into a work fatality.

Charges have been laid against the supervisor of a Hydro One employee who died on the job in Haliburton County March 21.

The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development said it has concluded its investigation into the matter. In September, supervisor and worker was charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act with failing to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker and failing to work in a manner that did not endanger other workers.

The ministry has not announced charges against Hydro One as a company itself. With the investigation finished, Ministry spokesperson Janet Deline said “at this time, charges have been laid against the individual only.”

The fatality occurred in the County of Haliburton after an industrial accident on Coleman Lake Road. A 25-year-old Sydenham man was taken to local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, according to OPP at the time.

The Minden man is scheduled for a first appearance Nov. 28 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay. A Hydro One spokesperson said the company could not comment as the matter is before the courts.

In a March 21 Facebook post after the incident, Hydro One confirmed the Sydenham man died due to injuries on the job and it welcomed the ministry investigation.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our employee and, above all else, our thoughts and condolences are with the family, friends and colleagues,” Hydro One said. “There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our employees.”

The Highlander will provide more information as it is made available.

Senior boys volleyball falls short in five-set thriller with St.Thomas

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Lisa Gervais

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November 8, 2019

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JQ - Volleyball - 2-web — Red Hawk Brian Kim leaps up to make a block against St. Thomas Aquinas. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The Haliburton Highlands Secondary School senior boys volleyball team came up just short of advancing to regionals after a five-set loss to St. Thomas Aquinas (STA) Nov. 5.

The two teams had a back-and-forth tilt in Haliburton for the Kawartha semi-finals, with a berth to the Central Ontario Secondary Schools Athletics Association (COSSA) competition on the line.

The underdog Haliburton Red Hawks could not overcome the higher-seeded STA, losings sets one, three and five in the best-of-five match by 25-15, 26-24 and 15-9.

The Red Hawks did prevail in the second and fourth sets to force a tiebreaker, winning 25-15 and 25-21.

Coach Brett Caputo said the team exceeded expectations.

“The expectations were we would compete, but I didn’t think at this point we would give them a run for their money,” Caputo said. “Going five was great and it was exciting for them.”

It was a close contest throughout. After the teams split the first two sets, the third came close, with the teams tying at 24. STA took the set 26-24 after the Red Hawks missed a serve and then sent a shot into the ceiling.

“It was tough,” captain Jacob Dobson said. “They played well, both teams played well.”

With the season on the line, the Red Hawks did not start the fourth set well, falling behind 8-2. But they would rally back to tie it 9-9. The teams played close from there, before the Hawks finished with a 6-1 run to send the match to tiebreaker.

“We all knew that it was within reach. We just all needed to play our best and everyone did,” Dobson said about the rally. “Everyone took the energy, the excitement of making it that far and knew we had this.”

But the Hawks could not control the lead in the last set. STA went ahead 5-2 and never looked back, ending the game with a 15-9 victory.

“First time playing a five-set match,” Caputo said. “It’s a long, tiresome type of game. You have to stay mentally focused in it. Our focus, I think, was up and down through the match.”

The school’s volleyball program is in its third year, with this being the first time it has fielded a senior team. Caputo said that meant the team was a lot younger than their competition, with more Grade 11s.

“Everything after this (year) should be building towards a better program,” Caputo said. “We did well and we look forward to seeing where things go in the future.”

“We definitely played to where we hoped we’d be at the end of the season,” Dobson said. “We fought quite hard against them and put up a good fight.”

Fear not the answer to crime

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 8, 2019

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“What is the world coming to?”

Any time we cover a serious police story, at least one person will ask this question. The nature of the crime – or whether it is a crime at all – need not apply. This news gets people worried about what is happening in their communities and that is understandable.

But context is always vital. We must work to understand the context before having a knee-jerk response about the state of crime in a community. If we do not, our response may be lacking or outright incorrect.

These past two weeks, we have reported on more police news than usual. OPP arrested three people in a multijurisdictional drug ring. A body was found in a sunken truck. Some person(s) stole from the Gooderham fire hall and Parkside Laundry in Haliburton. These stories can be startling. They impact people and places we care about. They might make us afraid and leave us wanting to increase security. They could make us question our idyllic perceptions of the County of Haliburton.

In context, however, they can be less scary than they appear. The death of a person in the truck is tragic, but not criminal. A theft targeting a fire hall is terrible, but the damage was at least relatively minor and a stolen ATV was recovered. A drug-ring is concerning, but police are addressing it with some success getting stolen goods back.

Even the two reported homicides this past summer, though frightening, may not be indicative of a larger trend.

Crime is no stranger to Haliburton, which is not good, but also means it is not as unusual at it can seem. Police departments are not necessarily consistent in what information they release to the public, particularly if they lack staffing. There is plenty of crime that the public is not made aware of, which is worrisome, but may also make a week like this less alarming. We also tend not to hear about when cases get solved, which could bring some relief.

It is our job to provide that greater context and it is something we will work to do.
It is worth noting though crime rates have increased over the past four years nationally, Canada’s crime severity index was still 15 per cent lower in 2018 than it was a decade ago.

None of this is to say we should not heed reports of crime in the community. Victims should be helped. We should also look for ways to address thefts and drug crime, whether that be through law enforcement, security or government initiatives. We must also always strive to tackle the roots of crime, such as poverty.

But think critically and avoid being consumed by dour news. Be mindful of what you do not know before leaping to conclusions. It is all too easy to be fearful when this information reaches our ears, but reports of crime do not mean Haliburton has lost its way. They do not mean you are unsafe.

Thieves take ATV and candy from fire hall

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Lisa Gervais

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November 7, 2019

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JQ - Fire hall theft - 1 - web — District 3 fire chief Brian Horner stands next to a rescue ATV in the Gooderham fire hall. The ATV was stolen but later recovered by firefighters. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Thieves stole a rescue ATV, Halloween candy, fundraiser meat and inflicted damage at the Gooderham Fire Station around Oct. 27.

Highlands East acting fire chief Chris Baughman confirmed someone entered the station Oct. 27 or early the next morning. They took several items, including a 2004 Arctic Cat ATV, $110 in Halloween candy and $200 worth of meat for fundraising barbecues. There were also minor scratches to a trailer, snowmobile and pumper.

Firefighters located and recovered the stolen ATV Nov. 3. But district fire chief Brian Horner said he questions why someone would target the hall.

“I understand people steal stuff, but a fire hall? That serves your community, that probably serves you?” Horner said. “It’s the community’s four-wheeler for helping them. I just don’t understand why they would take something like that from a fire hall.”

Horner said the ATV gets used to reach people in need out in the brush. He added firefighters got a tip about its location and contacted OPP before recovering it without altercation.

“Nice that we got it back and hopefully we can serve the community better,” Horner said.

Firefighter Michael Purdon said he was the first person into the hall after the theft.

“It’s pretty sad when you think, we use this equipment if somebody’s got a life-threatening (situation), or are out in the middle of nowhere, and we need to get to them,” Purdon said, adding the conversation about it was heated among firefighters. “The guys were pretty steamed about it.”

The perpetrators also broke the hall’s pop machine, rummaged through Horner’s office and damaged its door.

“Nobody likes to be broken into,” Horner said.

Firefighters hand out the Halloween candy to kids out of their trucks in the centre of Gooderham. The candy was replaced in time for the event.

“I sort of was more mad the Halloween candy for the kids was stolen, than the four-wheeler (ATV) because of insurance and everything,” Horner said.

Haliburton Highlands OPP is investigating the incident.

Elementary teachers support strike threat

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Lisa Gervais

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November 5, 2019

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Members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) have given their central bargaining team a strike mandate, with 98 per cent voting in favour.

The ETFO announced the results Nov. 1, encompassing 83,000 members including teachers, occasional teachers and designated early childhood educators. In separate votes, teachers plus occupational teachers and education workers each gave 98 per cent support. The votes occurred in boards across the province in September and October, including for Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) in Lindsay Oct. 16.

ETFO TLDSB local teacher representative Karen Bratina said she is pleased by the results.

“A 98 per cent strike mandate should make this government stand up and listen,” Bratina said. “This mandate demonstrates solidarity among teachers across this province and proves that Ontario teachers are solidly behind ETFO.”

A local breakdown of central strike voting was not made available.

ETFO president Sam Hammond said at a Nov. 1 press conference members have concerns going unaddressed by the province in negotiations, including a lack of frontline supports for special needs students, class sizes, violence in elementary schools and possible program cuts.

“All we have received are evasive non-answers, so we’ve moved forward with the legal avenues,” Hammond said. “Our members are overwhelmingly behind their central bargaining team and expect, absolutely expect, the government to get serious at the bargaining table.”

The organization is not yet taking job action and Hammond did not provide any timelines for when such an action might occur. But the vote enables ETFO to possibly proceed with central strike action at a later date.

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said in a Nov. 1 statement the government has been a “reasonable and constructive force at the bargaining table.”

“ETFO has taken another escalating step towards a strike which will disproportionately hurt our kids,” Lecce said. “I support a deal, not a strike. Our team remains unequivocal in our determination to land a deal with our labour partners as soon as possible to keep kids in our classroom.”

ETFO has asked for a “no board” report from the Minister of Labour after a conciliation meeting Nov. 4. The report is another step toward a strike, with the union able to enter one on the 17^th day after the report is released.

“It became apparent that the government and school board agencies were not interested in arriving at a fair settlement,” ETFO said in a press release.

Hammond has said the province asked ETFO to find $150 million in cuts in concessions in their collective agreement.

“ETFO will not consider funding cuts for elementary programs in the system,” Hammond said. “Funding to elementary classrooms and schools, elementary programs, needs to be and must be enhanced.”

Haliburton legion recognizes Netherlands liberation with tulips

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Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2019

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JQ - Remembrance Day tulips - 2-web — Left to right: Carolyn Langdon, Lynn Pitman and Winnie Kasepchuk plant a new tulip garden at the cenotaph Oct. 23.

The efforts of Canadians to liberate the Nazi-occupied Netherlands 75 years ago will be recognized with the blossoming of tulips in Haliburton next year.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 129 Haliburton is taking part in the Liberation75 celebration and planted a new tulip garden at the Haliburton cenotaph Oct. 23. The initiative from the National Capital Commission, the Canadian Tulip Festival and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands aims to have 1.1 million Liberation75 tulips blossom across Canada this spring, one for every Canadian who served during the Second World War.

Public relations officer Linda Heeps said it is good for a small community such as Haliburton to be recognized as part of a larger national effort.

“So, when they say where the bulb is planted, Haliburton is on that map,” Heeps said. “I just think it’s nice Haliburton does their part to respect what happened in the past and we’re part of the bigger picture.”

The tulip tradition began at the end of the Second World War after Canadian forces fought to liberate the Netherlands between 1944 and 1945. Princess Julianna gifted 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canadians for their role. The country has gifted Canada 20,000 tulips every year since then.

Dysart et al permitted the legion to plant a garden at the cenotaph, which features 75 tulip and 40 purple Grape Hyacinth bulbs. Heeps said she originally wanted to have the garden outside the legion, but there were fears they would be ruined by deer which frequent the area.

To prevent that by the cenotaph, Heeps said the garden will have repellent regularly applied.

“Hopefully, the deer will be kind enough to leave them alone,” she said.

A white stone was placed in front of the garden, with a ceremony planned for the spring when the flowers blossom.

But the tulips will grow beyond the legion’s garden project. The Liberation75 initiative is offering bulbs for purchase by private citizens as well.

Local Jim Frost has ordered the tulips to add to his own garden. He said it was good for any Canadian citizen to take advantage of.

“This was a wonderful thing,” Frost said. “The relationship between Canada and Holland is wonderful and I just think we should be involved in helping celebrate.”

Tulips are still available for sale at liberation75.ca at 15 bulbs for $15, which come directly from Holland. For every bag sold, $1 will go to the Royal Canadian Legion while the remainder will support the Canadian Tulip Festival.

Heeps said she plans for the new tulip garden to become a permanent fixture.

“I plan for that garden to be there forever,” Heeps said. “Once the bulbs are established, they’ll just keep growing.”

JDH students prove inspirational at variety show

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Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2019

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JQ - Variety show - 5-web — Annabelle Borgdorff sings “Umbrella” by Rihanna. Photo by Joseph Quigley

J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School students put on a friendly display of talent at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion with a 16-act variety show Oct. 24.

Dozens of students took the stage to sing, dance, act and even balance brooms in front of their families and other community members. The show was themed around friendship.

French immersion teacher Elizabeth Gordon said the school wanted to do another performance for the community after the success of its Honk Jr. musical in June.

“We wanted to give them another chance to shine on the stage and keep the high energy in the community,” Gordon said.

The acts came quickly throughout the hour-long show, featuring a range of both solo and group performances. Student Annabelle Borgdorff performed “Umbrella,” by Rihanna, complete with rain boots and an umbrella. She said she was nervous preparing but that changed once she got on stage.

“I am less nervous on stage in front of a whole bunch of people. So, I love performing, it just makes me really happy,” she said. “I love having people see what I can do.”

Freyja Neimann Rowe performed a dance routine alongside Ella Gervais and said it was a fun show to be part of.

“I like performing with my friends and being in front of a bunch of people,” Rowe said. The show finished with all of the acts taking to the stage for a big group dance.

Gordon said the students were eager to put on the show, displaying talents they practice outside of a school setting. That made the event easier to put on compared to a rehearsed musical.

“It just creates an excitement,” Gordon said. “I think doing some things through their schools helps them shine.

“We had an amazing audience turnout and the kids were high energy the whole time and performed the best I’ve ever seen them,” she added.

A declaration by any other name

By

Lisa Gervais

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November 4, 2019

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Is an emergency declaration by another name as impactful?

The answer appears to be “not quite,” based on some of the comments after county council opted not to declare a climate change emergency. Councillors said the timing was too soon, given their climate change plan is a way from completion. But the resolution they did pass fully recognizes climate change and its harms, as well as committing to address the issue.

Proving their ignorance, some deniers felt vindicated by the headline, not reading beyond it. Despite that, the resolution amounts to the same ongoing actions an emergency declaration would instigate. That’s fine as long as it’s not a sign of future hesitancy.

As a reporter, I do believe words matter and the county’s fearfulness here counts for something. It matters to both the deniers and the environmentalists. But the formality of a declaration now is not a big deal, considering the county already fully recognizes the issue and is working to address it. They will probably make the declaration
when they have a plan ready.

Declaring a climate change emergency would make no difference to what they are doing. Though the message would have been stronger, the declaration is unlikely to sway deniers. It amounts to little more than preaching to most of us who are already in the choir.

But what is cause for concern is the prevailing attitude of our leaders to take small steps, when the time for giant leaps is upon us.

There was no good reason not to declare an emergency. Climate change is undeniable and it’s a declaration hundreds of jurisdictions have already made. It would not have necessarily bound the municipality to any actions beyond what they are already doing. These declarations are important symbolic gestures but are not burdensome to places already committed to fighting climate change such as Haliburton.

Despite that, county council did a lot of hand-wringing about it. It is not unlike when Dysart et al council decided to delay banning Hydro One from using the toxic chemical Garlon for more than a year to give the company time to find alternatives.

But the municipality was well within its authority to implement the ban quickly and Hydro One is big enough to deal with that. The delay was unnecessary, as shown by how quickly Dysart council reinstated the ban, caving to pressure by cottagers.

Governments tend to change slowly. In most cases, it makes some sense. Checks and balances are important. The public should have the opportunity to give feedback, especially on big decisions.

But those important mechanisms are part of why governments have struggled so much with climate change. They were slow to fully recognize it, slow to start addressing it and are now slow in bringing in the radical changes needed. These changes and plans should have begun decades ago.

Major transformation takes time. But where climate change is concerned, we do not have much more time to give.

When it really counts, I hope our leaders are more willing to take bold stances in future.