High housing costs and a limited supply of rental units are proving a double whammy in ensuring County residents have access to a stable, secure place to call home, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit said in advance of National Housing Day today.

The health unit is urging action about the lack of safe and affordable housing in the area, especially given its link to public health.

“Local residents are being asked to lobby all levels of government to build more affordable housing units. People are also encouraged to be open and welcoming to affordable housing developments and rental units being renovated or built in their neighbourhoods,” the health unit said in a Nov. 19 press release.

In addition to National Housing Day, the call comes in the wake of statistics released by the health until Tuesday.

They said the average local house cost is approximately $247,950 for a non-waterfront property, according to local realtors. They say this puts home ownership out of reach for many people.

Rent for a three-bedroom apartment is around $1,450 per month in Haliburton County – if you can find it. With a very low vacancy rate, there are not enough rental units to meet local demand (Source: 2019 Housing and Homelessness Assessment Report for Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County).

“Stable housing plays a key role in a person’s health, according to the Ontario Medical Association. A safe, secure place to live can help people gain employment, enjoy food security, and access social services and health care. Stable housing can also help people who are recovering from mental illness and addiction,” the health unit said.

It added, “These findings are worrisome because they highlight the lack of affordable housing in Haliburton County – both to buy and rent – and the toll it can take on people’s health,” says Mary Lou Mills, a public health nurse.

She said older adults are at higher risk of living in poor quality housing, as they are often on fixed incomes and have complex health needs.

“A stable living environment is so important for our health, because without it, we fall into a vicious cycle of problems,” Mills said. “If people do not have adequate housing, they are less likely to be able to find work and earn money. Without enough income, people cannot afford food and other necessities of life which are essential for personal wellbeing.”

The health unit estimates 17.2 per cent of County residents live in poverty (the poverty rate for children 17 years of age and younger is higher at 22.9 per cent). Often, social assistance, disability program, seniors’ fixed pensions, and low-paying jobs do not provide enough to meet the basic needs of housing and food, Mills said.

She said that to meet the basic needs for a family of two adults and two children, both parents must work full time and make a living wage of at least $19.42 per hour in the County. This living wage rate is based on calculations made by the health unit in 2018.

The staff-heavy Community Centre Fundraising Working Group drew the wrath of councillors at the Minden Hills committee-of-the-whole meeting Nov. 14.

Coun. Bob Carter raised the issue when the minutes of that working group were tabled. Carter wanted clarification as to who is actually on the committee.

CAO Lorrie Blanchard said that initially it was just her and director of community services, Mark Coleman. She said they were focused on preparing for the Nov. 26 open house at the arena construction site. She added they then brought on two additional senior staff.

Carter said he understood having senior staff involved with the arena project itself, but not what was supposed to be a community-led fundraising working group. He said he envisioned something such as the cultural centre foundation or the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation.

He said other committees of council usually only have one staff member. “I don’t understand why we have four on this.”

By contrast, he said he sits on the housing task force and they only meet once a month with one designated staff person. “And now this takes precedence over housing … I don’t think we should have four staff involved in this group,” Carter said.

He added the township is already short of staff, causing committee delays, but “all of sudden, this comes along and you’re hauling staff into it.”

Coun. Jean Neville said she was concerned that a working group of four staff could influence the only three members of the general public, who should be making decisions on behalf of the community.

Deputy-mayor Lisa Schell agreed, saying “I want this fundraising working group to feel they’re doing something for the community.” She added more community input means more ideas for the $750,000 fundraising goal. She said she’d like a complete, stand-alone committee of community members. “I think council needs to step away from this.”

Blanchard said she didn’t disagree, but at the outset there was some difficulty getting community members together to meet and the Nov. 26 sneak-peek of the project was looming. She noted there had also been two resignations from the working group with the potential for a third.

This prompted Neville to ask, “Are we losing committee members because we look too top heavy here? We have to put out a call for new members. Decisions have to be made by the community.”

Coun. Jennifer Hughey agreed they should recruit more community members to make the initiative as it was first presented to council.

Carter brought it back to underlying financials. “If we’re using staff on this, it is part of the hidden costs [of the arena project]. This is real money. I know your decisions are affecting the housing task force and others. I strongly object. We’re using a valuable resource for some fundraising.

Coun. Pam Sayne said her climate change action committee is also chasing staff for support. She said the arena project “is sucking the rest of the life out of the community.”

Blanchard reiterated “there were no takers” in the community when they started planning next Tuesday’s sneak peek. She added there will be at least one more meeting involving staff and the actual event itself. “I’m open for any direction you have to give me now,” she said.

Councillors indicated the event should go ahead but be scaled back to ease the burden on staff time. They also said it would be a good opportunity to get the word out that more community members are needed.

An announcement by Hydro One – that it’s cutting power to thousands of County residents for eight hours this Sunday (Nov. 24) – has drawn mixed reviews across the Highlands.

Some are appreciative the company is making improvements. Others are upset the cut is coming on a winter’s day and forced the cancellation of some events. Still others are offering a sanctuary for people to go to if they are affected by the outage.

Hydro One said Nov. 15 that more than 10,000 residential and seasonal customers – including people from Monmouth, Glamorgan, Dudley, Dysart et al, Snowdon, Stanhope, Minden, West Guilford, Harburn and Havelock – are expected to be impacted by the all-day planned power outage.

Hydro One said the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. cut is so that crews can safely complete muchneeded upgrades to modernize the grid and replace aging infrastructure.

They said approximately 5,815 residential and 5,509 seasonal customers would be affected.

“Approximately 104 highly-skilled Hydro One power line workers will install four smart-switches and replace 24 end-of-life wood poles throughout the County of Haliburton,” Hydro One said in a media release.

“Smart-switches help to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages, while limiting the amount of customers impacted. Crews will also complete maintenance work at multiple distribution stations in the area,” the release went on to say.

They added that crews will use both on-road and specialized off-road equipment to conduct the upgrades, which includes a helicopter.

It’s all part of the $33-milliion investment announced at the Minden Transformer Station last July – and follows from the July 26, 2018 fire at that station.

A Hydro One spokesperson told The Highlander, “these devices enable remote monitoring of the system to determine when and where outages have happened and remotely take action to restore power from the Ontario Grid Control Center, Hydro One’s central hub that oversees daily operations.”

Told the paper had received a lot of questions about the timing of the outage – with wintry weather firmly entrenched across the County, the spokeswoman said, “We know that any outage causes a disruption for our customers, particularly outages of this length. Hydro One works to reduce the impact on customers by bundling required work, so multiple outages are not required, while using all available crews. We appreciate everyone’s patience as our crews work as safely and as quickly to complete this important work.”

Letter writer Cheryl Cohoon penned her objections to The Highlander, Dysart et al council and Hydro One. She said she got an automated call on Nov. 6 advising her of the outage.

She said she appreciates the service she receives from Hydro One, especially the workers who come out during emergencies and bad weather. However, she said she doesn’t like the timing, especially for seniors.

She’s also worried about pipes freezing and bursting; food spoiling in refrigerators and freezers; cancelled events; and water also being cut.

“Why was a Sunday chosen in the throes of winter?” she asked.

But Michael Adamson wrote on our Facebook page that, “The company will cut down on the number of power outages that happen in the area every year with new technology and forestry practices.”

Others, who will have power, or be using generators, are offering to open their doors. The Wilberforce legion is having a breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon.

Hydro One customers requiring additional information can call 1-888-664-9376.

See The Highlander’s Facebook page for a map of the affected area.