Stewards stymied in fight against zombie plants

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October 9, 2019

JQ - Eurasian Milfoil - 2-web — Eurasian Milfoil, also known as the “zombie plant” is causing concern for the Drag and Spruce Lake Property Owners’ Association. Photos Submitted.

Drag and Spruce Lake Property Owners’ Association lake steward Bert Bicknell has spent the past four years trying to combat the spread of the infamous “zombie plant” in Drag Lake.

The association has cordoned off the patch of Eurasian Milfoil. The invasive species, which earned its nickname from multiplying even when cut, is known to reduce biodiversity, reduce oxygen levels and hinder recreational activity.

Fearing its spread, the association tried to introduce new technology – coconut fibre mats – to stomp out the milfoil this summer. But Bicknell said the group has run up against provincial regulations, costing them a season of work.

Bicknell said for lake stewards, addressing invasive species like this can be difficult – if not impossible.

“We are aware that it’s important to check for them, but there’s very few things we can do to prevent them,” Bicknell said.

Eurasian Milfoil has not yet sprung up in other Haliburton lakes but has grabbed headlines for its spread in places such as Quebec. It has also spread to several lakes in the Kawarthas, whether through boats, fishing gear or water currents.

The association has connected with Trent University professor Eric Sager, who has worked with other lake associations with the fibre mats. The mats are placed over the milfoil to prevent growth. They are also biodegradable, introducing new competition for the milfoil to deal with.

But Bicknell said it was unable to get the approvals it needed from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to install the mats, due to the association not being an incorporated entity.

“We have applied but it takes several weeks to get that,” Bicknell said. “We hope that we will get approval to do it next spring.”

Although the plant has yet to spread far, Bicknell said the association remains fearful that could happen if it is not addressed quickly enough. He added there have been reports of Milfoil parts drifting into other areas of Drag Lake.

“What we’re really worried about is the possibility it could spread substantially,” Bicknell said.

However, Sager said those fears may be exaggerated. Sager said the biggest impact of Milfoil is on human activity. He noted the milfoil can create a good habitat for fish and said news coverage has exaggerated how much harm it really does to lake health.

“People get desperate with this plant and they just want to try,” Sager said. “There’s a fear with it that it’s going to destroy their lake so they want to try and stop it. Whether that fear is a realistic fear or not, that would be up for debate.”

But despite the challenges and costs involved, Bicknell said the association is intent on addressing the zombie plant sooner rather than later.

“It could propagate significantly and cause many more problems,” Bicknell said.

Veterinarian opens new eco-friendly facility

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Lisa Gervais

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October 9, 2019

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JQ - Animal hospital - 1-web — The Minden Animal Hospital held a tree planting ceremony as part of its open house celebration Sept. 28. Left to right: Dan Allison, Warden Liz Danielsen, owner Jenn Morrow, Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Minden’s pet owners hailed the opening of a new care facility for their furry friends as the Minden Animal Hospital held a grand opening celebration Sept. 29.

The new hospital was built over the last year, with staff moving in May 27. The facility features a slew of added features and brand-new equipment.

Owner Jenn Morrow said the Minden Animal Hospital will be able to offer better treatments for its patients.

“The one philosophy we had when designing this building was about caring,” Morrow said. “We want to care for our furry friends foremost. Our clients, our environment, our staff and our community.”

More than 40 people attended the opening, with staff providing tours of the building. It boasts an array of new elements to improve patient care, from an isolation room to a separate dental suite.

“We all kind of worked together to build the best layout we possibly could,” registered veterinary technician Morgan Fisher said. “We all love the building.”

Eco-friendliness was also front of mind in the design. The structure features recycled rubber flooring, solar power generation and LED lighting. Open house attendees were also treated to a demonstration of permeable paving, the first example in Haliburton County. The paving absorbs most rainfall, preventing run-off and filtering out pollutants like phosphorous before they reach lakes.

Morrow said being environmentally conscious is important to her.

“Climate change is scary. I moved up here because I loved living in the Haliburton Highlands and all it has to offer, being close to nature,” Morrow said. “I want to do my part in reducing my footprint, and not only personally but also through the business.”

It was not a problem-free build. Morrow said it went eight per cent over budget.

“Every build has its surprises and challenges, and this was no exception,” Morrow said. “But overall, I’m very pleased with the end result and it is what we wanted.”

Steve Tripp attended the open house. He said he has two golden retrievers he takes to the Minden Animal Hospital and said the added features should mean a lot to the community.

“I just wish them the best of luck,” Tripp said. “The staff is awesome and friendly and they seem very caring.”

“I’m happy with what we have achieved,” Morrow said. “Just looking forward to providing excellent services to our clients and our patients.”

Summit set to launch new tourism greenway

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Lisa Gervais

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October 7, 2019

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JQ - TAG project - 1-web — TAG co-ordinator Pamela Marsales presents to an audience about an upcoming summit for the tourism initiative. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The gateway to a massive path between Toronto and Algonquin Park is set to begin with a summit scheduled for Nov. 3-4 in Haliburton.

Toronto-Algonquin Greenway (TAG) organizers presented that vision to the public in a presentation at the Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre Sept. 17. The Haliburton Community Cooperative committee seeks to create a new tourism destination through a massive cycling route joining the two locales using existing infrastructure.

Co-ordinator Pamela Marsales told the audience of approximately 20 people that the summit, which will invite partners from along the proposed route to Sir Sam’s Ski and Ride, will culminate in a new agreement to formally create TAG.

“This will become our founding, declared principles,” Marsales said. “Forevermore, in 10, 20, 50 years, people can look back at that moment in time and say that’s when Toronto Algonquin Greenway Alliance first started. It’s going to be pretty exciting.”

The committee based the project on models done worldwide. Examples exist connecting places such as Prague and Vienna and Florida to the Canadian border. Marsales said the groundwork is in place to make the route happen.

“Every part of the Toronto Algonquin Greenway it already exists, owned, managed, stewarded. Has public programming in place, it’s open to the public. All we’re doing is sort of stringing them together.”

The proposed route begins in Toronto along the Pan-Am Path, flowing into Rouge National Park and the York Durham Region. The Trans Canada Trail takes the route to Lindsay, flowing north from the Victoria Rail Trail into the Haliburton County Rail Trail. The project proposes to attract tourism to places along the route, with promotional material for each locale.

“All we’re doing is curating. We’re not managing a route,” Marsales said.

Audience members questioned how much municipalities will be willing to get on board and make improvements along the route. Marsales replied if groups band together, they can advocate to convince municipal leaders.

“We can help the powers at be to do whatever they need to do,” she said.

Haliburton Real Easy Ryders Cycling Club president Robin Bell said he thinks it is a great initiative but there is much work to be done.

“At the moment, we can’t really ride a bike easily on our own Haliburton County Rail Trail. If that’s the way it stays in the future, I don’t think many tourist cyclists would be interested in coming to ride here,” Bell said.

Although the TAG committee has not started promoting it as a destination yet, Marsales said work will soon be underway. She added the group will encourage municipalities to hire summer students to be trail ambassadors.

“We’re going to be taking steps to make this come to life,” Marsales said. “It will be a happening thing by next summer for sure.”

Garbutt Disposal presses council

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Lisa Gervais

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October 7, 2019

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JQ - Minden Garbutt - 1-web — Garbutt Disposal owner Jim Garbutt presented to Minden Hills council Sept. 26. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Minden Hills council and a longtime waste disposal company argued over the contractor’s requests for the municipality to adjust its practices.

Garbutt Disposal owner Jim Garbutt presented at the township council meeting Sept. 26, as a follow-up to a presentation he made May 30. He said the municipality had not taken much action regarding his presentation, despite him expressing the need for a quick response.

Although the township started paying a new $100 per tonne cardboard processing fee proposed by Garbutt, he said no official word came back from council about it. He also offered a list of issues that remain unresolved, such as his idea to have the municipality take over the Lochlin facility and his need for space at the landfill should the facility close this fall.

“From May 30 to this day, I never heard one thing develop,” Garbutt said. “Got paid for $100 a tonne but nobody told me I was really getting paid. But the only reason we continued was if we stopped, the township would be a mess.”

Garbutt also expressed issues he has had with staff and “misinformation” he received. He said staff had disallowed him dumping his garbage packer on Friday afternoons when the landfill was open, which he protested.

Mayor Brent Devolin repeatedly noted Garbutt was breaking protocol, such as going over time and not providing written information about the presentation beforehand. Devolin said the township is working on landfill and waste issues, including plans to hire a new employee for them.

“What we’re not doing is taking an ad hoc approach to cardboard in isolation,” Devolin said. “There’s a grocery list of all of this and we’d like a good, comprehensive long-term plan going forward that’s best for everybody.”

“Not to be disrespectful but I listen to all that and it doesn’t make sense to the general public or to me,” Garbutt replied.

Coun. Pam Sayne said there is a communication breakdown that needs to be resolved.

“This is crazy. Why can’t we get along here?” Sayne said. “I’m getting information that’s contradictory all over the place.”

Deputy Mayor Lisa Schell offered to be a point of contact for Garbutt to bring these issues forward and continue the dialogue.

“All I’m looking for is a direction on where do we go,” Garbutt said.

Canadidate profiles – Liberal Party Judi Forbes

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Lisa Gervais

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October 7, 2019

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FEDERAL ELECTION Judi Forbes -Liberal-web — Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock Liberal candidate Judi Forbes. Photo submitted.

Knocking on doors in Cardiff and Haliburton this past weekend, Liberal candidate Judi Forbes said people were talking about the Justin Trudeau blackface scandal.

However, she said most opinions were, “we’ve all done stupid stuff in our 20s and it was 20 years ago. What’s he doing for me now? That’s really what I want to know about.”

Forbes is a former TD Bank employee, a bed and breakfast owner in Beaverton, and a former Liberal volunteer.

She told The Highlander this week that when the party came knocking, looking for a candidate for Haliburton-Kawartha LakesBrock, it was an easy “yes.”

She was recently retired from a career in financial services, with a lot to still give, including energy. The request also came at a time when she said she’d seen a lot of regressive policies in the United States and to some extent in Ontario under the Ford government. Politics of divisiveness were also getting her down.

“I just can’t complain on Facebook anymore. It was time to actually say ‘yes,’ I’m going to do something about this.” She said she could only help bring about change from inside, not outside.

She added that the Liberal party has the kind of values that align with her own.

“We pick people over money, care for those less fortunate, treat everyone with equality and respect.”

Visiting Cardiff Saturday, Forbes said some people commented they hadn’t had a candidate at their door ever. She said while she is spending a lot of time door knocking in Lindsay, she carves out a couple of days a week to visit smaller communities. “So, they know they’re being heard.”

She said some prevalent issues she is hearing in Haliburton County are around climate change and jobs to keep young county residents at home. She thinks the Liberals have a robust climate change platform and the recent Liberal commitment of $71 million to improve connectivity will help with local job creation and retention.

She said senior issues are also at the forefront. People are worried about housing and health care as they age. She said some are well off but “there are also a number of seniors in this riding who are living at the edge. And they need a little bit of lift. We’ve already lifted 60,000 seniors out of poverty.”

One of the party’s pledges is to raise old-age pensions by 10 per cent for those 75 and older. At the other end of the spectrum, they are looking to boost the Canada Child Benefit.

“The Liberal government is really just getting started with this. We’ve had four years to get our feet on the ground and start the process. You can’t do everything in week one of forming the government.”

She added while the Liberal deficit is high, the party’s ratio of debt to GDP has lowered.

“There is good debt and bad debt. Good debt goes towards investment. If you are making more on your investments than you are paying on your deft, that’s good debt to have.”

While the riding has been largely blue for years, and Incumbent Conservative Jamie Schmale is the front-runner, Forbes said, “Blue has been in for a long time. Maybe it’s time for a change. I believe Justin Trudeau and the Liberals are going to form the next government. I believe this riding deserves to have someone in the government that is running this county and if that happens, great things are going to happen for this community.”

Strike action forces school closures

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Lisa Gervais

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October 4, 2019

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Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) will shut down all of its schools Oct. 7 if the planned support staff strike goes ahead.

The board announced the measure Oct. 4, in the wake of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) declaring strike action unless a deal with the province is reached before Monday.

In a statement, the board said they considered the situation carefully.

“Trillium Lakelands District School Board has carefully assessed the potential impact on school operations and determined that student safety cannot be ensured,” the board said in a release.

The closure applies to all elementary and secondary schools, as well as adult and alternate education centres.

“We understand that this can be very frustrating for families and hope that a provincial agreement with CUPE will be reached very soon,” the board said.

Local CUPE 997 president William Campbell said his members are supportive of the strike action, which they voted overwhelmingly in favour of Sept. 7.

He said he thinks the public supports them, even in the wake of school closures.

“The public understands we’re standing up not only for our members’ working conditions, but we’re standing up for the working conditions of the students,” Campbell said. “The schools don’t have the support because there’s reduced staffing, because of layoffs and cuts. If the schools aren’t as clean because they’ve cut custodial hours, I think the students suffer as well.”

Provincial funding cuts and declining enrolment prompted TLDSB in June to lay off the full-time equivalent of 54 support staff positions, including four educational assistants in Haliburton County.

TLDSB is advising families to make alternate arrangements for their children and watch for any notifications of changes in the situation prior to Oct. 7.

The school closures also mean an end to community use permits, which the board is cancelling after Oct. 4. Daycares within TLDSB schools that “rely on CUPE staff to provide services within the contracted area” will also be closed Monday until the job action is over.

Fight for your library

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Lisa Gervais

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October 3, 2019

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Libraries are underrated as part of the bedrock of our communities.

The equitable access to knowledge through books, technology and programming is vitally important to our society, especially for disadvantaged people. Libraries are also important social gathering spaces for both work and play. It can be easy to overlook libraries in an age when the world’s information is at your fingertips, but they are still well used and necessary.

Which is why it is disappointing that the county is eyeing cutting branches. It is why we have to carry a message to all levels of government.

The County’s library board floated the idea at its latest budget meeting. Highlands East is an anomaly in the county with four library branches and with increased cost pressures, it is not an unreasonable consideration.

We have covered some of the cost pressures in recent months. The province cut and then brought back the interlibrary loan service, but left libraries paying much more to keep them. ebooks are very high in demand but are cost-prohibitive on library systems, leading to our municipal leaders to lobby for provincial and federal counterparts to implement rule changes.

Year-over-year wage increases and inflation are also a factor. With how few hours some Highlands East branches run, and how many of them there are, it is easy to see why the library board would consider a cut. The Dorset library branch was also cut and turned into a library depot, a model that could get applied in Highlands East.

But ideally, that would not be necessary.

We’re in the midst of a federal election campaign and through all of billions worth of promises, I have yet to hear “libraries” listed amongst them. I cannot recall the last time I have heard any election campaign talk about them.

Although you can find books about anything, I suppose libraries are not exactly sexy.

Perhaps that is why the Ford government thought it could suddenly cut library services. The backlash was significant and although they relented, they did not exactly fix it. As board vice-chair Reuben Maughan aptly put it, the province just passed on more responsibility to the municipalities. Municipalities that ultimately draw upon the same taxpayers.

If you love your library, send a message.

That message should go out to municipal officials. People should not be too kneejerk about the Highlands East branch discussion; it was very preliminary, and the board was cognizant of what kind of impact such a cut would have. The public should engage in this discussion but should do so in good faith. More than any other level, municipal leaders probably have the best understanding of the value of libraries.

But the message needs to be sent to higher levels of government too. We should be calling on provincial and federal governments to stick up for libraries. Federal candidates should get their ear bent about eBooks, which should be a no-brainer issue to address.

Libraries can be simple to overlook. They are a long-lasting institution that has survived through so much change and continually adapted to technological advances. If you judge them by their cover, they might appear unshakeable.

But we cannot take our libraries for granted. Fight for them.

CUPE support staff threaten strike

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Lisa Gervais

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October 3, 2019

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Schools are bracing for possible closures and cancelling community permits as support staff across the province threaten a strike which could begin Oct. 7.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced a strike would begin if no deal was reached with the province by then. This has prompted Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) to cancel all permits for community use of its schools after Oct. 4.

Local CUPE 997 president William Campbell said his members are fully supportive of the action. They voted overwhelmingly to support the strike mandate Sept. 7, with 98.8 per cent of custodial maintenance and 97.4 per cent clerical, technical and educational assistants (EAs) in favour.

“With the concessions that the Ford government is proposing, and the school boards are supporting, our members can’t continue under those,” Campbell said. “The Ford government cuts are going to make it very difficult to attract good quality people to those positions going forward.”

He further said EAs are subject to a lot of physical attacks from children and are not compensated well enough.

Provincial funding cuts and declining enrolment prompted TLDSB in June to lay off the full-time equivalent of 54 support staff positions, including four EA’s in Haliburton County.

TLDSB said in a release Oct. 3 it is assessing the potential impact of a strike on school operations. The board indicated closures are a possibility and urged families to prepare.

The health and safety of our students is our priority. We want our school communities to be aware that this strike action by CUPE may result in school closures,” the release said. “Families are strongly encouraged to begin making alternate childcare arrangements prior to this potential strike beginning on Monday, October 7.”

In a press conference Oct. 2, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said the province is open and available to work towards a deal.

“Historically, a lot of these circumstances have pled out to create that pressured environment and I understand that,” Lecce said. “I don’t think we have, we collectively, have done all our due diligence to get a deal through that table.”

The strike notice escalates CUPE’s current work-to-rule, which began Sept. 30. That limited what duties could be carried out by support staff, such as custodians not cleaning hallways and offices.

Campbell said CUPE is willing to continue negotiations and he hopes the strike action brings both sides back to the table.

“Nobody wants to go on strike,” Campbell said. “I think this is the time to do it because I don’t think we have a choice.

“We’re all hoping for a fair collective agreement and if we get that, I think this whole situation can be avoided.”

Library board mulls axing Highlands East branch

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 3, 2019

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JQ - Library Board - 1-web — County Coun. Cec Ryall speaks at a Haliburton County Library board meeting Sept. 25. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The Haliburton County Library Board plans to discuss closing a Highlands East branch as it navigates increased budget pressures and saving interlibrary loans.

The board brought up the measure during a budget-focused board meeting Sept. 25. Staff presented a 2020 draft budget with a tentative increase of $84,371 from 2019, driven largely by a $51,921 employee wages and benefits as well as rising costs for interlibrary loans.

With that, Coun. Carol Moffatt brought up the possibility of closing one of Highlands East’s four library branches as a cost-saving measure.

“This conversation has been raised over and over and over again over many years,” Moffatt said. “That has to be part of the conversation is consolidation of services into fewer locations.

“This is not the removal of services; this is about the realignment of services in a way that works for everybody.”

Highlands East has four library branches, located in Cardiff, Gooderham, Highland Grove and Wilberforce. In comparison, Dysart et al and Minden each have one, while Algonquin Highlands has a branch in Stanhope plus a library depot in Dorset.

Coun. Cec Ryall, the only Highlands East representative on the board, said the municipality would be open to conversation, but it is not something that could happen quickly. He added the municipality would have to consider the social aspect of libraries in addition to book supply.

“What does the library mean to the people we represent, and that’s the challenge that sits with us right now,” Ryall said. “How can we make sure that, at the end of the day, the service meets the demand of the people?”

Library CEO Bessie Sullivan said the employee wage and benefits budget increase, about six per cent more than last year, is estimated based on the cost of living adjustment and periodic increases negotiated by the union of county employees. Although the library workers are not unionized, those negotiations tend to drive wage increases for them.

No motion came forward regarding Highlands East branches but the board indicated it would continue discussing this idea at a later date.

Wants to preserve interlibrary loans

The board also discussed the cost pressures it faces this year. The interlibrary loan service, which allows users to borrow books from outside libraries, was a focal point of the meeting.

The province cut the service this year, removing couriers and requiring libraries to send books using Canada Post.

Librarian Bessie Sullivan said that represents an increase in shipping costs. To return to 2018 levels for the service, the library is budgeting an extra $15,000 for 2020. Depending on the county budget, the board talked about additional limits on the number of books provided through the service.

“It’s an important program I would like to see us continue,” Warden Liz Danielsen said. “We will need to gauge the overall picture. See where we’re at and we might need to make some adjustments.”

Board vice-chair Reuben Maughan said cutting services is concerning to him.

“We’re kicking the dog too. Services have been cut from the province so now there’s more responsibility for the county, now we’re talking about turning county spaces over to municipalities,” Maughan said. “I don’t want to get into that too. It would have been more efficient for interlibrary loans to continue as it was, rather than pass that cost to somebody else.”

County sets goal to build 750 rentals

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Lisa Gervais

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October 3, 2019

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JQ - County rental housing -1-web — The Kawartha Lakes-Haliburton Housing Corporation recently completed the development of 12 new affordable rental units. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The County of Haliburton is aiming to create 750 new affordable rental units within the municipality over the next 10 years.

County council formally adopted the target during its Sept. 25 meeting. The City of Kawartha Lakes housing services manager Hope Lee brought the targets forward as part of a new 10-year Housing and Homelessness Plan. Lee said demand remains high, with the city and county experiencing low vacancy rates and private developers prioritizing building homes geared for ownership.

But Lee said setting housing targets at higher levels would help.

“It will significantly increase the number of units that are being developed,” Lee said. “But it will also help us to meet the demands that are out there.” L

ee said the target would take continued support from all three levels of government, as well as from partners like the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Housing Corporation, which projects to build 150 of the new units.

Private sector partners will also need to contribute, she said.

“Sometimes, it’s not clear to some of those partners what affordable housing means.”

CAO Mike Rutter said that understanding could come with more work communication with developers.

“We need to show them we can actually make a business case (for affordable housing),” Rutter said. “Be able to make face-to-face contact.”

Within the 750-unit target, 270 would be geared to low-income renters, with a gross annual household income of $21,000 or less. About 200 units would be geared to middle-income renters, with income from $21,000-$36,600. Another 280 units would be supportive units with extra features for elderly, disabled and/or other vulnerable people.

Under the targets, the City of Kawartha Lakes would also produce 2,000 new affordable rental units within its borders. Coun. Andrea Roberts said the targets appear daunting.

“I look at those targets and I don’t know how we’re going to achieve them,” she said.

Coun. Cec Ryall said although the targets are hard to reach, the county stands to improve by pursuing them.

“If we achieve 80 per cent of any of those targets, we’re 80 per cent better than we are today,” Ryall said. “I’m not as worried about the achieving of the targets themselves as by the process we use to get there.”