TORC races roaring back to Head Lake waters

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August 15, 2019

MS - BIG BOOK CLUB — Photo by Meagan Secord

Susanna Kearsley, author of the novel Bellewether, said it’s important to bring authors to small communities and encourage young writers.

“When I was young, I always wanted to write. Living in a small community, we never had writers do book talks or come to our schools,” she said. “I think it’s really important for, especially school aged children, to see that writers don’t just live in the city, but they’re normal people doing a normal profession.”

Kearsley is the writer in residence chosen by the Haliburton Highlands Literary Arts Roundtable for this year. The program brings a Canadian writer to Haliburton for a week to help them focus on their writing.

In exchange for the time to write in the Highlands, the author is asked to speak to the community about the profession and their own work.

“This gives an opportunity for people to start to see the Haliburton Highlands as a community of the arts with respect to writers as well as visual and performing arts,” said Marie Gage, a member of the Haliburton Reads and Writes Committee. “It brings people into the community for a writerly or readerly event.”

The Haliburton Reads and Writes Big Book Club will be on Sept. 15 and give people the chance to speak with Kearsley about her novel Bellewether, directly.

Kearsley applied to the program and was selected for her work in the historical fiction genre.

“I write dual time stories that generally involve modern characters dealing with mysteries of the past,” she said.

Most of her novels are two stories, one past, one present, in one. According to Kearsley, the inspiration for the novel came from her own families’ history with war. She had a lot of questions and decided to write a book about what it might have been like for not only them, but the people they were fighting as well.

She said being a curator for Scugog Shores Museum also helps spark inspiration for her stories. Reading historic letters and journals gives her ideas for characters and plot lines that are based on real events.

Gage said the residency encourages authors to work on their writing surrounded by nature and Kearsley plans on doing just that with her newest novel called The Vanished Days, a prequel to The Winter Sea.

The Big Book Club is being held at the Haliburton Legion from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is admission by donation. People interested in attending don’t have to read the novel but can buy it at 20 per cent off at Master’s Book Store if interested.

There will be light refreshments, a book signing and a silent auction taking place throughout the evening.

Riding the rails down to the waterfront

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August 13, 2019

Cottage inclinator — Inclined Elevation president John Weinstein stands in front of an elevator he built at a cottage on Blueberry Line on July 11. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Nestled at a cottage on top of a steep hill lays a mass of metal fashioned into a track plunging towards a lake.

Peering down from atop a lift makes it resemble a rollercoaster. But riding down to the waterfront at Drag Lake is slow, steady and minimizes the sense of a plunge. The 346-foot structure is Dysart et al’s first built by Inclined Elevation, which gives hillside cottages a way to directly access the water. The $200,000 device was completed last month at 2016 Blueberry Line, which is for sale and had an open house July 10-11.

Inclined Elevation president Dr.John Weinstein said his work building the elevators makes a major difference.

“These people had to go load a fourwheel-drive vehicle, drive out and down this really dangerous road to get to the water,” Weinstein said. “Now, it’s a fourminute ride and it’s totally safe.”

Weinstein has built more than 80 lifts since 2003, scattered across cottage country including Muskoka, Kawartha Lakes, Huntsville and Quebec. The theoretical particle physicist said there are difficulties to overcome when designing a lift such as this.

“How do you pick this route? How do you find where to go?” Weinstein said. “There’s lots and lots of challenges.”

But the man said he relishes that.

“It’s so much fun. I have to think. I have to solve problems. Not the kind of problems I did as a physicist, but similar.”

The lift is a value-added proposition for the property, listed at $3,999,000. Realtor Chilla Riddle said the elevator is a fun ride.

“It’s nice and smooth and you see everything. It complements the surroundings.”

The lift required a variance from Dysart et al to build. Weinstein said the structures are largely unregulated, but designed and engineered with safety in mind.

“We’re only unregulated if we don’t have an accident,” Weinstein said. “We check every nook and cranny … because we love being unregulated. We don’t have to follow rules that other people, bureaucrats have set out.”

To date, no accidents involving the lifts have occurred, he added.

Although it is a first for Dysart, this is not the first in Haliburton County. Jim Carnegie had one built at his cottage in Minden in 2010. Carnegie said his wife has a disability. He added the lift has allowed them to go from two or three waterfront trips per year to more than 20.

“If it wasn’t for that, we probably wouldn’t have a cottage,” Carnegie said. “Had zero problems with it and it was exactly what he promised it would be.”

“It transforms people’s lives,” Weinstein said. “It’s a really neat thing to be able to do.”

Highlands East cracking down on messy properties

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August 13, 2019

Highlands East council narrowly passed a new clean and clear bylaw July 23 which aims to help address messy properties and clarify waste standards.

The new bylaw is an update to one from 2004. It changes the definitions of what refuse is disallowed on yards. The municipality can also now dish out penalties without going through the court systems by using notices.

In a May staff report, bylaw enforcement officer Wayne Galloway said the bylaw has been worked on since September 2018 due to issues enforcing the old one.

“After several attempts to work within the confines of the bylaw, it was decided that it would be better to draft an entirely new bylaw,” Galloway said. “There have been several complaints in regards to various properties within the municipality not conforming to the Clean and Clear bylaw.”

The new bylaw allows the municipality to clean up a property itself, should a notice not be adhered to. In that case, any costs associated can be added to tax rolls, Galloway said. The new bylaw also narrows the definitions of waste disallowed on property. Galloway said the 2004 bylaw’s definitions were so broad, that every property could be found in violation.

But the bylaw did not pass cleanly. In a recorded vote, Deputy mayor Cec Ryall and Coun. Cam McKenzie voted against it, while Mayor Dave Burton, Coun. Ruth Strong and Coun. Suzanne Partridge voted in favour.

The bylaw forbids the presence of any refuse in any yards, which includes garbage, construction materials, appliances, furniture, derelict vehicles and discarded boats. Weeds and grass are also to be limited to 20 cm and under, but exceptions are made for naturalized areas like shorelines and agricultural.

McKenzie said he voted against due to a clause on road allowances. The bylaw makes an exception for road allowances, meaning grass on them can be longer than 20 cm.

McKenzie referred to Cardiff and Bicroft Heights. He said road allowances there have been maintained by residents for more than 50 years and it’s become “next to impossible to tell where the road allowance ends and the actual privately-owned lawn begins.

“This new bylaw states that these road allowances will no longer need to be maintained by anyone,” McKenzie said in a prepared statement at council. “The impact on our small community could change its appearance greatly. The front half of the properties could be allowed to turn into hay fields and weed patches.”

Violators of the bylaw also face potential fines up to $5,000, which remains unchanged from the 2004 version.

The full text of the new bylaw is available through the July 23 council agenda at haliburton.civicweb.net.

Former arts college getting demolished

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August 13, 2019

Old College Teardown — Workers begin demolition at the old arts college building at 1 Sunnyside Street. Submitted photo.

Carole Finn said it does not bother her seeing the demolition of the former home to the art college she helped found.

Workers have begun tearing down the building at 1 Sunnyside St., which once housed what is today known as Haliburton School of Arts and Design. Garden Retirement Developments Inc. plans to build a new 74-unit seniors residence on the property.

The building housed the college for many of its formative years, between the 1970s and 90s. But it has sat unused since the school moved to its current location at College Drive in 2004. Finn said she has fond memories of the old building but is fine with what is happening.

“The village has to move on,” Finn said. “The village is growing and certainly, the school grew with the village. It changed, the property changed and now it’s got another use.”

The college did not start out in that structure, known as the Lakeview Centre. The school began around 1967, with a group of people teaching classes out of cottages and other assorted buildings.

The Lakeview Centre previously housed the township elementary school. But when the school board bought a property and moved that elsewhere in 1972, the centre was open for the college to move in.

“We had no home,” Finn said.

The arts college moved into the front part of the Lakeview Centre. There it grew, attracting hundreds of students. Arts groups would use the structure for the winter months, while the college would operate more classes in the summer. There was a lot of camaraderie amongst artists at the time, Finn said.

“The college was really the conduit for all the local artists to grow. That was where they met,” Finn said. “It was just a real family of people.”

But the Lakeview Centre was an ageing building and was hard to maintain, Finn said. She served on the college’s board of governors from 1982-1989 and said she fought to get investment in the building.

“Keeping up an old building was a huge expense for the college,” she said. “There wasn’t the political will to keep arts funded.”

But the school was helped when community came together to build the current new campus, Finn said. Now, the Sunnyside Street property is ready for a new purpose.

“It’s good that it’s still there to be used for the needs of the community. At the time it was a school, it did a tremendous thing for the growth of the community,” Finn said. “Same thing now. We need places for seniors to go.”

Project stuck in limbo

The property still remains in legal limbo due to a holding provision, stemming from an Ontario Municipal Board ruling.

Although the developer has a demolition and site-servicing permit, they cannot build there yet. Garden Retirement Developments Inc. approached Dysart et al council July 23 to address the situation. The municipality can lift the holding provision, but only when certain planning requirements are met.

Although no resolution was found at the time, staff and councillors expressed a desire to keep working to ensure the project proceeds.

Municipal manager of planning Sue Harrison said that work continues.

“Staff are working diligently with the developer to keep the project moving forward in a timely manner,” Harrison said.

Dysart’s playgrounds put smiles on families’ faces

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August 12, 2019

JQ - Dysart et al new playground - 1-web — Dysart et al staff, councillors and Eagle Lake residents celebrate a new playground at Eagle Lake Beach. Left to right: Coun. John Smith, Andrew Wilbee, Ryan Akey, Andrea Mueller, Peter McLuskey, Allan Bagg, Ellenor Bagg, Shane Thompson, Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy. Coun. Walt McKechnie. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Children at Eagle Lake Beach and West Guilford have new playgrounds to explore thanks to Dysart et al and the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).

The municipality celebrated the completed installation of the new playground equipment Aug. 1. Eagle Lake Beach playground was almost entirely redone with new equipment, while the West Guilford Community Centre got a new disc swing and tetra climber. The OTF largely funded the installations through an $86,500 grant.

Recreation program co-ordinator Andrea Mueller said the playgrounds needed the items, especially at Eagle Lake Beach.

“Pretty much everything needed to be replaced. It was old, it was falling apart, it wasn’t safe,” Mueller said. “We needed to put in a few items here to bring it up to standards.”

Eagle Lake Beach also got new washrooms, including an accessible one. At West Guilford, Mueller said the aim was to make the playground better for all ages.

“It was adding in those extra elements to make it attractive,” Mueller said. “They say 5-12 years old but a 12-year-old doesn’t really want to go down a tiny little slide.”

The municipality finished he Eagle Lake Beach playground at the end of May, while the new West Guilford equipment was completed July 30.

The funding was originally confirmed in early 2018. Mueller said there were delays such as weather and a fire at the factory which produced the equipment.

“We had hoped to have it finished sooner,” she said. “But the parks staff have worked extremely hard and put in a lot of hours, a lot of sweat equity, especially for the last few weeks.”

Eagle Lake resident Allan Bagg helped develop the beach. He attended the opening and complimented the municipality on the work.

“It’s come a long way,” Bagg said. “I have to commend the municipality for this, it’s fantastic.”

Dysart et al parks and recreation worker Ryan Akey said children have already enjoyed the new ways to play at the beach.

“We finished it and came outside and were all just packing up, ready to drive away and the camp kids came outside,” Akey said. “They were all over it instantly.”

Mueller said the municipality wants to continue to improve its playgrounds.

“It’s just trying to make sure we stay up to date and current,” she said.

Community rallies for burnt out neighbours

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August 12, 2019

Minden House Fire — Haliburton firefighter Ryan Akey rotates out of hotspot management at the scene of a house fire in Minden Hills Aug. 5. The home was completely destroyed. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Friends are rallying to support a Minden family whose home was destroyed in a fire Aug. 5.

Minden and Dysart firefighters responded to the home of Sharon and Rob Luke at Tilley Trail. They were unable to save the home, which was fully engulfed in the fire.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Family friend Jesse Lynn West has started a GoFundMe to help the family. Minden Home Hardware, where Rob Luke works, is also collecting donations for the family, West said.

“They both strive for the community and constantly volunteer where they can,” West said. “They just do so much for anyone in need. It’s our turn to help them.”

Minden Hills fire chief Mike Bekking said the homeowner was on the property at the time. He said paramedics took one person to hospital due to minor smoke inhalation More than 20 firefighters responded to the call, which began around 3:30 p.m.

“The structure was fully involved,” Bekking said. “The guys isolated the fire, contained it to the structure and we stopped it from spreading to a grass fire or a forest fire.”

There was no saving the home, Bekking said, but firefighters were successful in containment. The Algonquin Highlands fire department also helped by covering another call at the time.

“The teamwork between the different fire departments was outstanding as usual,” Bekking said. “Our guys did as much as they could.”

Firefighters were on scene for several hours to manage hotspots and investigate. Before the probe, Bekking said the fire seems to have started from the garage. He further said it is unlikely the cause will be found.

“Just because of the total loss,” Bekking said. “This is the hardest part of the fire.”

Anyone who would like to donate to the family GoFundMe can do so at gofundme. com/f/robandsharonluke.

“They have done so much for their community and friends,” West said. “It’s time for us to give back and help them rebuild what they lost.”

Time to rock the Land Trust’s world

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August 8, 2019

Chair of the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust board Marie-Lou Gerstl said the fundraising dance started as a way to attract younger generations to the organization.

“We went from a sit-down dinner buffet, no live entertainment, enviro-hero awards night to a more lively, fun evening which would attract some of the younger generation,” she said. “After all, it is the younger generation who are going to have to ‘pick up the torch’ for the Land Trust in the future.”

The Rock our World fundraising dance was started last year as a replacement for the gala that had been held for 10 years.

The evening’s goal was to bring in more money for the organization’s stewardship fund.

“It’s used to help finance our day-today operations as well as provide the funds necessary to maintain trails, mow grasslands, pay insurance expenses, taxes on the lands and acquisition costs pertaining to new land donations,” said Gerstl.

The Land Trust currently owns five properties in Haliburton County: Dahl Forest, Barnum Creek Nature Reserve, Norah’s Island, Smith Forest and The Fred and Pearl Barry Wetland Reserve.

Last year’s dance sold 110 tickets and raised $10,200 and gained three new members. This year, the Land Trust is hoping to sell 130 tickets, gain five members and raise $12,000.

Gerstl said the community supports the Land Trust because they understand the importance of donated properties and the endangered species they house.

“The properties that were donated were donated to our community, for their enjoyment and for future generations to enjoy,” said Gerstl. “They understand that the people who donated the properties were and are long-time residents and early settlers of the area who nurtured and loved the land enough to want it conserved.”

The dance will feature a silent and live auction, 50/50 draw, door prizes, food and live music from Jamie Williams.

“This year, we have Raptors tickets, Toronto Maple Leaf tickets (both sets coming with a hotel stay in Toronto), jewelry, a fabulous hand-made basket that incorporates deer antlers, and a funky hall table made from an ‘old forest’ tree,” she said.

The dance will be held Aug. 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Haliburton Legion.

Tickets can be bought online at haliburtonlandtrust.ca and are $30 before the date and $35 the day of.

Playing Kawartha Dairy ice cream on the cake

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August 8, 2019

MS - Kawartha Dairy Music — Photo Submitted

Kristy Hagerman, a 23-year-old singer/ songwriter based out of Toronto, is excited to play at Kawartha Dairy because she loves the small venue scene.

“I got really used to playing in smaller-sized venues,” she said. “For me to build up a fan base in Toronto … It was a lot easier to look for venues where people were already there as opposed to fighting my way into the bar scene.”

Hagerman will be coming to Minden’s Kawartha Dairy August 11 as part of her first cross-Ontario music tour.

She will be performing hits from her new album Right Now, which is a collection of iconic covers of 80’s songs such as Girls Just Wanna Have Fun as well as some newer covers and originals.

Hagerman is excited about the tour because it is another step forward in her music career.

She has been playing music for as long as she can remember and graduated from The Harris Institute with a diploma in audio engineering.

She said music is her full-time profession and although she has big dreams for it, her main goal is to always feel like herself and not lose sight of what’s important, connecting with people.

“Music has this ability to go right past someone’s mind and thoughts and preconceived ideas and just get them right in the heart,” said Hagerman. “I love music because it allows you to connect with people in a very genuine way, that’s why I am touring across Ontario and finding alternative venues because I really just want to connect with people.”

Her concert at Kawartha Dairy will feature not only her live music but a chance to buy a $20 package that includes a T-shirt, CD of her Right Now 80’s album and a pre-order of her 10-song album coming out later this year, called Right.

The performance in Minden will start at 2 p.m. More information on the cross-Ontario tour can be found on her website kristyhagerman.com.

Going to dark places spurs poet’s creativity

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August 8, 2019