Red Hawks fly into new year with win

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December 23, 2019

The Red Hawks boys hockey team capped off its year with a dominating 5-0 win over the Adam Scott Lions at home Dec. 19.

The Haliburton Highlands Secondary School team secured an early lead and kept the Lions scoreless, with goaltender Carson Sisson getting the shutout. The victory gives the Red Hawks a 4-2 record midway through the season.

“This is a good place to be at this point in the year,” coach Jason Morissette said. “Puts us in a good shape for playoffs.”

Isaac Little opened the scoring on an assist from Tim Turner just 2:39 into the first period, which would eventually hold up as the game-winner.

“We played pretty good,” Little said. “We played together as a team really well. It’s good development for further in the season.”

Despite pushback from Adam Scott, the Red Hawks added to their lead at the end of the first on a goal from Braeden Robinson.

The game went scoreless throughout the second until the Red Hawks struck shorthanded, with Reese Casey scoring with just over five minutes left to make it 3-0. Robinson would strike again on a feed from Lucas Haedicke to give the home team a 4-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Morissette complimented the efforts of his top line, which features Robinson, Haedicke and Paul Turner.

“They’re all seniors, they know the system,” he said. “They got the bulk of our points today because they know how to play the system.”

Haedicke finished the scoring on a solo-rush, splitting Adam Scott’s defense and getting in on goal to make it 5-0 in the third. The team held the Lions at bay the rest of the way, controlling the play and killing a 5-on-3 to preserve the shutout.

Morissette said it was important the team continued playing and not lose focus in a blowout win.

“No matter what happens when you got the lead, keep good habits,” he said. “The second half of our season is going to be a lot tougher.”

Still, he said the team with several inexperienced players is playing above his expectations going into the holiday break with a winning record.

“I see a lot of guys on this team that are really eager to learn about the game,” Morissette said. “If they’re willing to listen and willing to put in the time, willing to try it, then it goes much better.”

“I feel like we’re getting better every game,” Little said. “We’re going to be playing some tougher teams as the season gets on and I think the boys are getting ready for it.”

Roads drive early Dysart budget talks

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Lisa Gervais

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December 23, 2019

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Roads spending proved contentious at a Dysart et al budget meeting Dec. 13 with disagreement on how much should be spent on them.

Council worked through a first draft of the budget, which features an estimated municipal tax rate increase of four per cent. They considered three options for the road budget this year, focusing on a mid-range staff proposal to spend $1.134 million.

Coun. John Smith pushed for more funding, citing a Decision Optimization Technology (DoT) software report presented to the infrastructure committee.

The report found if the municipality maintained a $1.25 million road budget, the number of roads rated as “poor” in the municipality would more than double from 18.5 per cent in 2019 to 46.6 per cent in 2021.

“Completely off the charts to think nearly half our roads will be categorized as in poor condition,” Smith said, before asking for a road spending figure which would keep poor-rated roads at current levels. He also suggested borrowing money could be necessary.

The municipality invested in DoT software this year, surveying all its roads to help guide decisions.

However, staff pushed back on the DoT report and said council needed to agree on parameters to make the software more accurate. Staff also seeks to complete a new asset management plan in 2020 to decide where to target before spending more roads money.

“We need to kind of backtrack and have council decide what they want the roads to look like, establish the rules of engagement,” municipal treasurer Barbara Swannell said.

The $1.134 million proposal includes carryover from 2019 and $541,049 in resurfacing on spots like Trappers Trail Road and Park Street. It also features $255,359 to start implementation on the asset management plan in 2020.

Other staff proposals included one for $945,230 removing additional slurry seal projects in 2020 and the $255,359 allotment. The most costly plan would be $1.74 million and add over $600,000 in extra road construction, including treatment on Bitter Lake Road ($328,500), Dignan Road ($226,150) and crack sealing in downtown Haliburton.

Repaving roads pricey

Municipal staff estimated turning previously pulverized roads back into hard-surface would cost $1.26 million.

The estimate was not in the draft budget and includes 28 roads, stretching across 36.9 kilometres.

The roads were turned from hard-top to gravel by municipal staff to reduce maintenance and labour resources. Council did not make any decisions to move ahead with reverting the roads. But staff confirmed this year’s budget does not include any further roads going from hard surface to gravel.

“That’s a first step,” Smith said.

Stuck on potholes

Coun. Walt McKechnie asked about the possibilities of better solutions to fix potholes.

“We’re not the only one having this problem and to me, it’s a very big problem,” McKechnie said.

Director of public works Rob Camelon said there are no perfect patch systems and it comes down to the way roads are built.

“You have a poor base, you’re going to have potholes no matter what you put down,” he said.

On the trail of an 80-year-old cold case

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Lisa Gervais

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December 19, 2019

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In 1934, Harold Heaven disappeared from his cabin on Horseshoe Lake Road, never to be seen again. His body was never found. Now, 85 years later, Harold’s great-grea-tnephew Mike (Heaven) Mildon and his best friend Jackson Rowe are hoping to solve the case.

The two documentarians came to Minden Hills council Dec. 12 seeking permission to film in the town, including on township-owned property, as early as Jan. 5, 2020.

Rowe and Mildon are the hosts of ‘For Heaven’s Sake’ which will air on the CBC. They said they’ll explore family legends, campfire tales, newspaper articles about Harold’s disappearance, and look at theories in the official police reports.

“Harold’s case has been left unsolved for more than 80 years, and the Heaven family, especially Mike, want to solve the mystery,” Rowe said.

However, before they start showing up with cameras on the streets, they wanted to introduce themselves to the public and let locals know about their crew coming to town.

At the council meeting, they outlined the story of Harold’s disappearance in hopes of jogging the memories of anyone who might know something interesting. They also wanted council members to share any ideas or theories they have that might help with their investigation.

“They conducted an initial search, they dragged Horseshoe Lake. They spoke with people of interest, neighbours, acquaintances, but despite their best efforts they couldn’t do anything to move the investigation forward,” Rowe said.

They said that during filming, they expect to uncover a lot about the history of the town and its people in the 1930s, which is why they think many residents would be interested in speaking with them. In addition to members of the Heaven family, they hope to interview neighbours, historians, and other Mindenites. They said Harold Heaven’s family still has a strong presence in Minden. Several relatives have cottages, or live full-time, on Horseshoe Lake. Mildon added that Minden has been a huge part of his life. He spent years working at Foodland, Boatwerks, and many more local shops. He’s been a big part of the local kayaking community.

The crew hopes to film in the township in January and February, since it was in the winter when Harold went missing. They may also return in the spring.

“Minden is an integral part of the story, and because this is a documentary, the story will change the more people we talk to,” the two said.

They anticipate filming main street, the Gull River, Riverwalk trail, the Cultural Centre, Horseshoe Lake Road as well as surrounding lakes, and other areas as needed. With permission, they also hope to film private establishments such as the Dominion Hotel, the Legion, and other historic properties.

“We’d like to take our small film crew to places like Tuesday night bingo, the genealogy club, Open Mic Night at the Dominion Hotel, watching as the story unfolds,” they said.

They said it might seem strange to relaunch the investigation now, more than 80 years after the fact, but with “new technologies and means of communication, we think that there is more information to be had.” They added, “if you lost a family member, would you stop looking? Exhausting every last effort, leaving no stone unturned to try to find closure for this family tragedy and lifelong mystery. It’s exactly what we plan to do.”

Rowe said, “Since it’s such an old case it may seem strange to say but time is very much of the essence … we want to act now before the last remaining first-hand accounts of what happened will fade away and Harold’s truth is lost forever.”

Mildon added, “Every family has a skeleton in their closet. Mine has been there for almost 100 years. This project has been a chance to solve a mystery – the camp fire story brought to life.”

Arena project causing discomfort

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Lisa Gervais

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December 19, 2019

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I walked away from last Thursday’s Minden Hills council meeting unsure of exactly how much more money taxpayers are going to have to spend to complete the multimillion-dollar S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena and community centre project.

It was apparent to me that I wasn’t the only one confused either. Some councillors were also puzzled about what had been placed in front of them. Sure, it’s a complicated process, made more complex by the Integrated Project Delivery or IPD nature of the project – pitched as being the best thing since sliced bread, but now we’re told it didn’t deliver the savings the project’s cheerleaders had sold it on.

The idea was that builder, McDonald Brothers Construction, Parkin Architects and the township would collaborate to optimize results, including reducing waste and maximizing efficiencies through the design fabrication and construction stage. Presumably it would also save money.

We found out Dec. 12 that they’d spent the entire contingency of $220,000. They came asking for an added $250,000 contingency. There was also talk of more than $300,000 in value added items. The lenders, Infrastructure Ontario, are not covering all of the costs.

We were told there were challenges with the old part of the building. We were told they couldn’t find local workers so that bumped up costs. Then we were told about other changes to the project that some of us had never heard about before – so called upgrades according to MBC. My eyebrows went up. Why upgrade something, presumably at a greater cost, when the project is not finished? Wouldn’t one complete a project, spend the budget, then go to town with any savings?

I’ve always had concerns with Minden’s ice palace project. I never liked that the township went it alone, and didn’t at least talk to Dysart et al, Algonquin Highlands or Highlands East about a bigger project, perhaps incorporating a swimming pool. With Dysart et al getting a recent land donation on County Road 21 between Minden and Haliburton for a future recreational centre it irks me even more since a collaboration might have delivered so much more for so many more people. I’ve never liked how the proponents of the arena have largely dismissed the concerns of detractors. I don’t like that despite monthly updates, we are learning about new features of this project every day. I don’t like the sometimes convoluted financial reporting. I certainly don’t like that the budget appears to have been blown and more money is being sought. I know, it’s a contingency, and may not have to be spent, but the way the project has gone to date, I suspect it will be.

I also didn’t like the tone that if the money wasn’t handed over by council, it might mean some promised features may have to disappear. On top of this, Director of Community Services Mark Coleman leaves the township for another job in early January and it appears the fundraising group that is hoping to raise $750,000 for the project is in disarray. Perhaps when the ribbon is cut in six months’ time, the facility will blow all of our socks off and my criticisms will be for naught. I can only hope so.

HHOA fighting for Haliburton Gold

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Lisa Gervais

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December 18, 2019

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The Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association (HHOA) is navigating how to manage its Haliburton Gold trout program with less direct government support.

The HHOA discussed the topic during its annual general meeting Dec. 8. Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) staff have previously managed egg collection for the association’s hatchery program but the practice is set to end next year.

President Eric Christensen said the change puts a lot on the generally older volunteers of the association.

“You’re asking people that on average are 65 years of age or more, to hop in a boat in the middle of the night to do that work,” Christensen said. “It’s strenuous work … You’re putting a lot of senior people at risk.”

The HHOA fish hatchery has stocked the heritage species Haliburton Gold lake trout for years with provincial support. Due to cuts, the MNRF moved to pass responsibility for collecting the eggs to the HHOA. It originally planned to do this in 2019 but pushed the move back to 2020 instead.

However, the HHOA is trying to stop that. They want local MNRF staff to continue helping, even if at the HHOA’s expense.

“We are in negotiations with the local office to work through how we can make that happen,” Christensen said.

Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Community Hatchery Program Coordinator Matt Burley spoke at the meeting. The association provides support and helps allocate grant funding on behalf of the MNRF. Christensen asked Burley about directing provincial grant dollars towards hiring MNRF staff.

Burley said contractors could be hired – which other hatcheries have done – but that would not result in any extra funding.

“We don’t give them any more money than what the formula allows for,” Burley said. “You would have to use the money you’re allocated for operational.”

But the Community Hatchery Program is offering new training materials, including video guides.

Still, Christensen said they will use the year they have to try to maintain MNRF staff support.

“It’s very important,” he said. “The technical advice and everything is very important to have.”

Student, beekeeper celebrated as enviro-heroes

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Lisa Gervais

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December 17, 2019

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The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust recognized a student protestor and a beekeeper as this year’s enviro-heroes Dec. 5.

The community celebrated high schooler Jürgen Shantz and apiarist Ron Lofthouse at the organization’s annual holiday open house.

The awards recognize people who have made a major contribution to the protection and sustainability of natural resources and the environment.

Shantz lead a strike from high school for several weeks to spur action on climate change, in the vein of famed protestor Greta Thunberg.

“It’s nice to be recognized for something you worked hard for,” Shantz said. “I felt crappy about the state the planet was in and how everyone was reacting to it.”

“We need citizens, especially young people, to participate in making this world a better place,” Mayor Andrea Roberts said in a letter about Shantz read during the ceremony. “I have no doubt that he will go on to great things in his career and personal life.”

Ron Lofthouse has kept bees for more than 50 years and promoted the practice through workshops. He said the last beekeeper on record in the County of Haliburton before he moved here 10 years ago was in 1841.

Now, approximately 50 have registered. He said with the bee population struggling, he wanted to help make whatever difference he could.

“It’s important to have more beekeepers,” Lofthouse said. “Our county requires better pollination than what it has had from wild bees and other pollinators.”

“We know the dire consequences we will face if they do not survive,” chair Mary Lou Gerstl said. “The work that Ron Lofthouse does has greatly helped at bringing attention to the wonderful and fascinating things.”

Lofthouse is still promoting beekeeping, with his next workshop planned for Feb. 29.

“We have to create more crops from more arable land to feed our planet. That requires the help of the bee,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shantz said he is taking a step back from climate change protests to focus more on his schoolwork in his graduating year. But he added he hopes to be part of the protests in the future, once he gets into university.

“It’s just something you can’t ignore,” Shantz said. “You have to acknowledge it and do something about it.”

Highlands East raises landfill fees

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Lisa Gervais

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December 16, 2019

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Highlands East council narrowly approved an increase to landfill tipping fees by a 3-2 vote Dec. 10.

They approved the hikes as part of a new fee bylaw. The increases include bulk garbage going from $20 to $25 per cubic yard (yd3), sorted construction materials going from $30 to $40/yd3 and unsorted construction materials going from $50 to $80/yd3. Fees were also added for brush at $20/ yd3 and $10 per bundled shrink wrap.

Mayor Dave Burton, Coun. Suzanne Partridge and Coun. Cam McKenzie voted in favour while Deputy Mayor Cec Ryall and Coun. Ruth Strong opposed it.

“Current landfill tipping fees have been in place for several years,” environmental supervisor Stewart Hurd said in a report. “Due for review and possible increases in order to promote better sorting of waste material and minimize contamination and extend the life expectancy of our landfills.”

Other fee adjustments include an added $5 for mattress and box springs, from $10 to $15. A $10 fee per unit on non-CFC appliances has also been waived and they are now accepted free of charge. Household garbage, scrap metal, recycled material and tires are also still free.

Ryall said he understood contamination is an issue but he expressed concern people would bypass landfills and dump elsewhere if fees increased.

“The cost of getting this out of the ditches is not good, considering most of the time it’s on municipal property,” Ryall said, later adding the people he represents do not support higher fees.

Strong agreed.

“On side roads, I have seen that,” she said.

Hurd reported that Highlands East tipping fees are lower than its neighbours. For example, Dysart et al charge $25/yd3 for bulk waste in packer trucks, $50/yd3 for brush, $50/ yd3 for sorted construction material and $100/yd3 for unsorted.

The new fees bylaw also adds a $1,350 deposit fee for the purchase of a shore road allowance.

Firefighters push back on state of fire halls

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Lisa Gervais

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December 13, 2019

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Highlands East firefighters are pushing back against reports their halls are in poor condition.

The Highland Grove fire department held a community meeting Dec. 7. More than 20 people attended to discuss recent consultant reports, including an organizational review that recommended closing fire halls and facility conditions assessments on the halls.
Highland Grove fire captain Tom Burroughs said he would not deny repairs are needed at his station. But he added a facility assessment – which suggests there are $567,500 in repairs in 2019/20 – is exaggerated.

“Their numbers are way, way too high,” Burroughs said. “It’s functional, it’s servicing the community. As life safety goes, that’s what’s mainly important to us.”

The facility assessments from consultant WalterFedy examined all municipal buildings. They highlighted Highland Grove as one of the poorest condition buildings in the municipality and recommended consideration to decommission it.

“It is clear that the building is no longer able to meet its intended function, and that a larger space is needed,” WalterFedy said in a summary report.

Recommended repairs included replacing doors, windows and roofing. It also said the hall is too small, with two bay doors for three vehicles.

The report also said the station has no floor drain and recommended $50,000 to install one. But Burroughs stated there is a floor drain there.

“It cost this township to have someone tell us this drain doesn’t exist,” captain Gary Burroughs said. “If we end up losing a fire hall because of all the talk about this, that’s what our concern is.”

The recommended costs included in the reports, and their dates for replacement, are based on typical life-cycles.

Highlands East chief administrative officer Shannon Hunter said on behalf of WalterFedy that it is possible the drain was under a truck and could not be seen. But she added the current drain would need an inspection for issues.

“Further review would be required to see the effectiveness of the current drain,” Hunter said.

Tom Burroughs discussed the history of Highlands East exploring fire services. The municipal fire committee is reviewing five different options, including the status quo, reducing from five halls to three, shifting equipment and building a new, central hall.

Highland Grove firefighters were not the only ones to take issue with the report. WalterFedy assessed the Highway 28 fire station is in bad shape and needs $150,720 in repairs. But the recommendations drew criticism, such as $12,000 for kitchen refurbishment.

“The numbers that are posted are to replace things that are wanted. The things that are needed are very minor,” station captain Adam Szelei said. “It’s a fraction of what they’re asking.”

Firefighters also critiqued the maintenance the municipality has done at the halls over the years.

“Building’s don’t go bad overnight,” Burroughs said. “They haven’t been doing their job up till now.”

Chief administrative officer Shannon Hunter said for recent maintenance at Highland Grove’s hall, the municipality spent $18,080 for thermal wall barriers in 2018 and $3,107 for lights in 2019.

Burroughs asked the community to act as a watchdog going forward.

The WalterFedy report suggests a new hall at Highland Grove would cost between $1 and $1.3 million. Hunter said that price is based on the size of the existing structure, approximately 3,800 square feet, with 20 per cent additional capacity and on $200-$250 per square foot price for construction costs. She added the price could be less if something smaller was built.

Firefighter Stephane Stern told the meeting spending that much is not necessary.

“None of us care if we’re in a tin shed,” Stern said. “As long as we put the key in the ignition and it rolls out and we can get to you in a hurry, that’s all we care about.”

The Breakfast Club comes to Haliburton

By

Lisa Gervais

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December 13, 2019

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The cast of Haliburton Highlands Secondary School’s drama class production of The Breakfast Club sees their school reflected in the teenage dramedy.

Students will perform a school-made stage adaption of the famed 1985 film Dec. 15-17. The cast spoke to how the narrative’s story about troubled youth in different cliques coming together during one Saturday detention remains relevant.

“It was extremely similar to the way our school functions,” Abigail Kauffeldt, who will be playing a gender-swapped version of the geek Brian Johnson, said. “(Haliburton) seems like this average high school, but there’s so much more than what the public might see.”

Kauffeldt describes a stressful preparation as the class is also readying for another production in January. They will perform The Rocky Horror Picture Show Jan. 12-14.

“It’s been sort of a challenge to struggle between who gets on stage each day,” Dakota Sawyer, who is performing as teenage rebel John Bender, said. But the students said they relish in being part of the dramatic arts.

“You end up connecting with the people,” Trista Greer, playing the popular girl Claire Standish, said. “You can be yourself and it’s a relaxed environment.”

“It’s a lot different than say, Math or English. You just sit there and just stare and
be this person you’re not,” Sawyer said. “In drama, you can be yourself and everyone knows it’s just you. There’s no judgement.”

The show is rated M and will contain some coarse language. It is not recommended for children.

The Breakfast Club will play at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion at 7 p.m. Dec. 15-17, with an extra 2 p.m. matinée Dec. 15. The Rocky Horror Picture Show will run at the same time Jan. 12-14, with a Jan. 12 matinée. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or the school’s main office.

“Come and support the youth who enjoy the arts, because it’s what this community is about,” Greer said.

Not time for lower-tier to talk governance

By

Lisa Gervais

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December 13, 2019

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I find it odd that Highlands East recently debated the composition of its council. As reported in last week’s Highlander, council discussed whether to upend its ward system to make the deputy mayor an elected position. While the intent is good – after all, the public would get its say versus a political appointment – there are problems. As pointed out by CAO Shannon Hunter, it would result in a six-person council because of the current ward structure. That can be problematic when it comes to tie votes. Some suggestions included: electing all councillors at-large and realigning boundaries. This prompted at least one councillor to say he’s worried his ward would be scrapped altogether.

In Algonquin Highlands Monday, during a projects and priorities meeting, Deputy Mayor Liz Danielsen – who doubles as warden of Haliburton County – raised the issue of electing the deputy-mayor at-large there. Only Highlands East and Algonquin Highlands appoint their deputy mayors. In Dysart et al and Minden Hills, they are elected. Again, there was talk about how it would affect wards, since there are two councillors in ward two in AH. Would they, too, have to go to a larger council? Again, I tend to agree with Danielsen that electing, as opposed to appointing, the town’s deputy mayor is the right thing to do.

The problem I am having is with timing. Why now?

The County of Haliburton is about to put out a request for proposals for a contractor to do a services delivery review. It’s hoped that RFP will be filled by mid-January with a report due by June of 2020. The County ethos is that they need to figure out who will deliver services first before moving onto a governance review. CAO Mike Rutter and Danielsen have made the rounds of lower-tier municipalities to update them on the process. Rutter has told all four that Michael Fenn, who recently led the regional reviews for the province and has a distinguished career as a civil servant and consultant, is lending them a hand.

Rutter said Fenn, who’s also a Dysart et al property owner, was the one who observed that best practice in good governance is summarized as ‘form follows function.’ That means once decisions are made about the best way to organize and deliver individual services, or to make policy in specific areas, then it will be clearer who should be responsible and how they should go about managing, governing and financing them.

Once the service delivery review is complete, County Council will be in a much better position to decide on an appropriate governance model, Rutter has said all along. So, why in the world would Highlands East or Algonquin Highlands council be discussing internal organization reviews? Following the release of the services delivery review report next summer, County Council will have to decide if they will do their own organizational review in-house, or tender for a governance review. We would hope they would select an outsider. In the meantime, there is no point in Highlands East, Algonquin Highlands, or any other local council discussing governance.