A good week for local government

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October 31, 2019

Municipal staff and politicians must be feeling a bit of whiplash after a string of provincial government announcements in the past week or so.

No doubt they will all affect upper and lower-tier government here, although it might take some time to figure out what it all means. But local government is starting to get used to it. It’s the Ford government way.

First off, the Conservatives announced Oct. 25 that Ontario taxpayers are providing up to $143 million to municipalities to help them lower costs and improve services for local residents over the long term. According to Ontario News, money will be made available to all 444 municipalities so they can find smarter, more efficient ways to operate and focus spending on vital programs and services for Ontarians.

Wait a minute, you say. Didn’t they already do that? Well, yes, they did, back on May 21. The County of Haliburton got $725,000; Dysart et al and Minden $542,255 each; Algonquin Highlands $532,292, and Highlands East $534,469. Incidentally, little of that money has been spent to date.

The government said it will extend two application-based funding streams; one for small and rural municipalities, and one for large urban governments. So, it looks like our municipalities are going to do quite well out of this.

Another big announcement was that the province says it’s decided against pursuing a so-called ‘top-down approach’ to regional government review following a months-long probe. We’re really not talking about smallish governments like ours, though. The original, Jan. 15, 2019, announcement was referring to a review of Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District, Oxford County, and the County of Simcoe — and their lower-tier municipalities.

What we will say, however, is this – not having a top-down approach should in no way be construed as the province backing down from its intention to streamline local government. With the County of Haliburton already embarking upon a review of government services at both the upper and lower tier level, this should be an impetus to continue that work.

At the end of the day, both announcements don’t really affect the local investigation all that much – other than to give councillors and staff a little breathing room to find a made-in-Haliburton County solution – and a little bit more money.

The other announcements that didn’t get as much play in the media are of more immediate importance to local government. The Ford government announced that the 2020 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund will have the same structure as this year and provide a total of $500 million to 389 municipalities across the province. It gives treasurers some degree of certainly as they prepare draft budgets.

Even better, Ontario will launch a consultation with municipalities about whether to align the municipal and provincial fiscal year. To us, this is a no-brainer. We have seen municipalities struggle to set budgets not knowing what the province is going to chip in until the spring of each year.

Further, the province is proposing to eliminate duplication by combining the provincial and municipal voters’ lists, giving Elections Ontario the responsibility of managing the updated list and taking the burden off of municipalities.

All in all, despite the whiplash, local government should be feeling good about the past week.

Physicians warn community of cannabis risks

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Lisa Gervais

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October 31, 2019

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JQ - Cannabis talk - 1 — Pediatrician Peter Hughes speaks to an audience at the Haliburton County Youth Hub about cannabis Oct. 23. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Medical professionals cautioned Haliburton residents about the risks of cannabis consumption during a series of presentations Oct. 23.

Peterborough’s cannabis and youth clinical information team visited the Haliburton County Youth Hub to discuss cannabis and its effects. The presentation highlighted how the drug functions, its impacts and the longterm health risks for youth consumption.

Minden’s Dr. Nell Thomas organized the presentation. She said she is concerned about her patients abusing cannabis and wanted to counter some of the positive publicity the drug received after its 2018 legalization.

“We were concerned the message was only positive and marketing was overwhelming and the consumption of cannabis was being encouraged … we need to have some cautions,” Thomas said. “If the people in the medical field don’t provide words of caution, then I think we’re not doing our jobs.”

Pediatrician Dr. Peter Hughes said research on the health impacts of cannabis is limited due to its previous illegality. He described its psychoactive impacts, which can cause short-term memory loss, shorter attention span and poorer coordination. He further said although it affects the mind, people over the age of 25 are better able to recover.

“If you stop (using cannabis), you bounce right back almost right to base level,” Hughes said. “If you start doing this early in your adolescence … you are going to get lasting and permanent problems.”

Retired family physician Dr. Tom Bell talked about what drives youth to try cannabis, noting peer pressure, media influence and intense life issues as reasons. He recommended parents have open conversations with their kids about drugs and provide facts.

He added it is important to address the root issues which might drive someone to try cannabis.

“Focus is on harm reduction and sharing information,” Bell said. “Not punishing and not being critical of the child. You’re concerned, you have information that is worrisome and you’d like to see changes made.”

Youth Abe Churko attended the presentation and told the audience dialogue with family was important to keep kids from abusing the drug.

“Open dialogue with parents is super important,” Churko said. “I notice kids who were doing a lot definitely had bad home lives.”

The event attracted an audience of fewer than 20 people.

“I’m a little disappointed the teachers didn’t show up,” Thomas said. “Other than that, I think it was a good opportunity for people to talk.

“There’s so much money to be made,” she added. “We have vulnerable people, that many of them will get in trouble.”

Body found in sunken truck

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Lisa Gervais

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October 30, 2019

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OPP-web — Haliburton Highlands OPP is investigating after finding a deceased person in a submerged truck Oct. 30. File photo.

Haliburton Highlands OPP is investigating after locating a deceased person inside a pickup truck submerged in Kushog Lake.

In a press release, the detachment said police were called to investigate a missing person in Algonquin Highlands Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. Police patrolled Highway 35 and the surrounding area to search for the person.

The missing person’s truck was found submerged in the lake the next morning around Ox Narrows by a family member, at approximately 8:30 a.m.

“OPP members from the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (USRU) attended and confirmed the deceased person inside the vehicle and assisted with the removal,” the release said.

The investigation is ongoing. The section of Highway 35 around the scene was closed as of Oct. 30 at 3:30 p.m. while OPP members trained in collision reconstruction were on scene. The scene was cleared and the highway open again by approximately 5:30 p.m.

The deceased was transported to the Ontario Forensic Pathology Unit in Toronto, pending a post-mortem examination, the press release said.

The deceased person’s name is withheld pending notification of next of kin.

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

Parkside Laundry robbed, $15K in damages

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Lisa Gervais

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October 29, 2019

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JQ - OPP briefs - 2-web — Parkside Laundry owner Craig Gordon said he is disappointed after his establishment was robbed Oct. 22. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

Haliburton Highlands OPP is investigating after a break-and-enter at the Parkside Laundry in Dysart et al, which caused approximately $15,000 in damages.

In a press release, OPP said the suspect(s) entered the business Oct. 22 by prying open a side door. Once inside, the thieves stole an amount of cash from a bill changer.

Owner Craig Gordon said he is disappointed.

“We go out of our way to make sure there are conveniences for people to have at the laundromat,” Gordon said. “When there’s vandalism like that, it’s hard.”

Gordon said the damage amount racked up from fixing doors and replacing the bill changer. Although insurance will cover part of the cost, they are still out “quite a bit of money,” as well as time. They also plan to upgrade the security system.

Customers will also have to go without the bill changer for three weeks until a new one can be delivered.

“We did have to think long and hard about whether we even wanted to put a bill changer back in there,” Gordon said. “We don’t think it’s fair that the community or patrons that use the laundromat get penalized because one idiot decided to rob us.”

“It really kind of feels like a punch in the stomach when this happens,” Gordon said. “We live in a small town that we think we can be immune from a lot of the big city crime. When this happens, it’s a little disheartening.”

OPP said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact Haliburton Highlands OPP at 705-286-1431, the provincial communication centre at 888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers at ontariocrimestoppers.ca or 800-222-8477.

Man charged with impaired driving

Peterborough County OPP arrested and charged an Algonquin Highlands man with operating a vehicle while impaired.

In a press release, OPP said the detachment stopped a vehicle at a RIDE (reduce impaired driving everywhere) program check Oct. 26 at approximately 7 p.m. OPP said they found the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

The 46-year-old Jose Ramos of Algonquin Highlands is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on the charge Nov. 28.

(OPP news compiled by Joseph Quigley)

Community imagines future of Head Lake Park

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Lisa Gervais

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October 29, 2019

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JQ - Park consultation - 1-web — Landscape architect Brian Basterfield speaks to an invited audience during a consultation for a Head Lake Park master plan Oct. 23.. Photos by Joseph Quigley.

Community members suggested everything from splash pads to improved drainage as things that should be part of the future vision of Head Lake Park.

Dysart et al hosted a consultation session Oct. 23 to gather feedback for a Head Lake Park master plan. Council members, municipal staff and community members gathered to talk about the park, what they value in it and how the public space could be improved.

Mayor Andrea Roberts said it is a plan that needs community involvement.

“We can’t do this alone. We can’t do this by councillors,” Roberts said. “I love the conversation because it was a friendly conversation. It was done with respect because we are passionate about the park. It’s our public place … the anchor of the Village of Haliburton.”

Peterborough-based architectural firm Basterfield and Associates is overseeing the plan’s creation and consultation. Landscape architect Brian Basterfield said the goal of the plan is to provide both recommendations for the new washroom and visitor centre proposed by the Rotary Club of Haliburton, as well as long-term recommendations for other changes to the park.

“This is a chance to do some visioning for the park,” he said. “That park plan has to work for the community.”

Community members brought up many ideas, including creating a splash pad, adding more shaded areas or picnic shelters, improving washrooms and better signage.

But the most common issue brought up was the park’s drainage issues, creating problems like wet pathways. Basterfield said there are materials that could be used to help control settlement and address the park’s drainage issues, despite the sawdust embedded in its ground. Although that cannot necessarily be a feature of the plan, he said drainage issues could be noted.

“Although it seems like a massive effort to maybe change the way the park grades, it might be one of those things that has to get looked at with some capital funding,” Basterfield said. “Everything gets better if the drainage is better.”

Basterfield said the firm would gather the feedback and consider it as part of a preliminary plan which would be shared with the municipality. The product will then be refined into a master plan.

He added not everything suggested could be added given funding considerations. But the plan should help with funding applications, he said.

Roberts said it will take time to implement the plan but it is something the municipality will strive for.

“Without a plan, you’re just putting out those little fires or fixing this little thing over here, and not looking at the big picture,” she said.

Cottagers push to protect portage right-of-way

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Lisa Gervais

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October 28, 2019

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JQ - Right of way - 1-web — Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners Association’s Gino Ariano and Jim Prince present to Dysart et al council Oct. 22. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners Association (KLCOA) is pressing Dysart et al to aid in maintaining the right-of-way for portage routes in the watershed.

KLCOA presented to Dysart et al council Oct. 22 about its efforts to research the history of the routes used by canoeists. The push is to ensure the public can continue to use these routes, even where they cross private property.

“We’re committed to maintaining these routes,” KLCOA vice-president Jim Prince said. “It’s not just for property owners at Kennisis Lake, it’s for the people in the county and it’s also for visitors.”

To that end, the association has “drilled down” into the legality and history of multiple routes, including articles dating back to 1909. Routes examined include Lipsy Lake to Soap Pond and the Cat Lake to Cay Bay, where they found the private deeds included express rights for portage.

Prince said people in Lipsy Lake want to close the route out of concern for invasive species getting brought in.

“Fact of the matter is, they can’t close it. It’s legal,” Prince said.

KLCOA plans to have an outreach program to ensure all interested parties know their rights and responsibilities with portage routes, including signage. It also plans to research the Indigenous history of the routes and consider pushing for new municipal bylaws to protect them.

KLCOA asked Dysart council to recognize traditional rights of way, endorse its work, and consider collaboration with Algonquin Highlands to create a larger network.

Coun. Larry Clarke said consideration needs to be given to smaller lakes on portage routes to ensure boats travelling through are not carrying unwanted contaminants or invasive species.

“There’s got to be some best practices, some training or something so people know how to clean your boats,” Clarke said.

The KLCOA presentation did include a mock-up of a sign for portage routes, advising users to be responsible, respect rights of landowners and make sure vessels do not carry invasive species.

Coun. John Smith agreed with Clarke. He complimented the KLCOA on its research and its efforts to be mindful of smaller lakes.

“They want to protect a pristine lake and we commend you for the warning, the signage and so forth to alert people,” Smith said. Council voted to receive the presentation as information.

“Thank you for the presentation and your dedication to your lake and this project,” Mayor Andrea Roberts said.

Museum calls in paranormal investigators

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 28, 2019

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When there was something strange in her neighbourhood, Kate Butler knew who to call: the Wellington County Paranormal Investigators (WCPI).

The Haliburton Highlands Museum director told an audience at the museum Oct. 27 that people have reported spirits of children in the Reid House. She and others have also experienced unexplainable phenomena in the museum. Hannah Sadlier heard chairs moving upstairs when she was alone. Amy Brohm had someone whisper in her ear when no one else was around and Butler heard voices on three separate occasions when she was working on her own.

On Sept. 21 this year, WCPI came to the grounds at Butler’s invitation to find out what was going on.

They brought their findings – and information about their work – to a special paranormal presentation and book signing Sunday night.

WCPI founder Joe Cairney said “we caught two types of evidence … so we did catch some good stuff.”

Lead investigator Jon Griffin said they captured a whispered word “nothing” on their highly sensitive audio recording equipment. Their high-tech cameras also caught images, including in the vicinity of the front porch and in the upstairs bedrooms of the Reid House.

In the museum itself, they found evidence of the paranormal above the pump organ and on the staircase.

Cairney said they planned to come back to try to find out more about what, or who, they had found.

He emphasized they are not ghost hunters, like some television shows purport to be. When invited, they go to investigate, ruling out the normal first. “If you rule out the normal, what’s left? The paranormal,” he said. “It’s absolutely not like the TV. It’s not all TV cameras and signing autographs.”

For more, see wcpi.ca

The museum is continuing to host events as part of its HaliHalloween festivities. Coming up:

Oct. 28 – Halloween trivia night at McKecks, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $20 (includes pizza and snacks and a prize pot).

Oct. 29 – Halloween around the world, 7-8:30 p.m. at the museum (66 Museum Rd.)

Oct. 30 – Haliburton Village ghost walk, 7-9 p.m. Rails End Gallery.

Nov. 2 – Day of the Dead celebration, 7-9 p.m. at the museum.

See Haliburtonhighlandsmuseum.com for more.

Put first-past-the-post out to pasture

By

Lisa Gervais

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October 28, 2019

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So, now that this federal election is over, it’s time to revisit the first-past-the-post system.

Put very simply, the system allows voters to select a party representative in each riding. The individual with the highest number of votes wins a seat in the legislature, even if they do not receive the majority of votes. Once all the winners are tallied, the party that receives the most seats gets to hold power in government. Naturally then, one of the biggest complaints about the system is that a candidate doesn’t need more than 50 per cent approval to win a riding.

What did that mean on Monday night? According to Fairvote.ca, it means the Liberals have 34 more seats than the Conservatives, despite the Conservatives getting 1.5 per cent more votes than the Liberals.

Under proportional representation, the results would have been about 116 Liberals, 117 Conservatives, 57 NDP, 22 Greens and 26 Bloc, rather than 156, 122, 24, 3 and 32 respectively.

It can be argued the winners are the major parties, the Liberals and Conservatives. The losers are the NDP, casting 16 per cent of the vote but only getting seven per cent of MPs. Even worse for the Greens, casting six per cent of the vote, but only having three MPs. Regions also suffer, particularly out west but also the Atlantic provinces.

It’s past time for first-past-the-post to be put out to pasture.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau made electoral reform one of his election issues in 2015. However, he abandoned it. In 2018, he told CBC news he’d look into it again if other federal party leaders agreed to an alternative.

Under preferential voting, or the ranked ballot system, options on the ballot are ranked and they must have more than 50 per cent of the vote to win. First preference votes are counted and if no option has exceeded 50 per cent, the last place option’s votes are redistributed based on their second choice. The process is repeated until one option has more than 50 per cent of the votes.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has said he likes a mixed-member proportional representation system. A bit more complex, it allows voters to select a party they support and a second vote for a candidate in their riding. With this system, there is usually a threshold of support that has to be achieved in order to get a seat.

According to Fairvote.ca, the country voted 34.4 per cent Conservative and got 36 per cent seat of the seats. Not bad. The Bloc got 7.7 per cent of the vote and nine per cent representation. Also, not bad. The nation voted 33 per cent Liberal but got 46 per cent of the seats. Suspect. It voted 15.9 per cent NDP to only get seven per cent of representation in the House. Not good. The Greens got 6.5 per cent of voter support and one per cent House representation. Scandalous.

Now that we have a Liberal minority government, it’s expected that the parties have to play in the sandpit much better than they did over the past four years. This would be a perfect time to strike an allparty, non partisan, committee to look into electoral reform in the county. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the fair thing to do. And it should be done in time for the next election.

Drug strategy coming to end

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Lisa Gervais

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October 27, 2019

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JQ -Drug Strategy - 2 — Cathy MacDonald and Megan Deman spoke about the approaching end of the Haliburton Kawartha Lakes Northumberland Drug Strategy Oct. 23. Photo by Joseph Quigley.

The County of Haliburton is pushing the province to fund a tri-county drug strategy that is about to reach the end of its funding, as opioid issues persist.

Council voted Oct. 23 to send a letter to the minister of health to encourage funding to support the coordination of service providers to address drugs.

The resolution stemmed from a presentation by the Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland Drug Strategy. After three years of efforts to address opioids and co-ordinate services, the strategy’s funding is coming to an end at the end of the year.

Coun. Carol Moffatt expressed concern about the strategy’s work going to waste.

“You get this little bump up of money, do good work and then it just sits there and fizzles away because you can’t go to the next step,” she said. “It’s becoming increasingly frustrating that good work often gets left on the table.”

The drug strategy was initially started by a three-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The strategy has worked with more than 50 organizations across the three counties coordinating efforts to address drugs.

“We’ve really played an effective role in bringing diverse groups together,” drug strategy co-ordinator Megan Deman said.

But drugs such as opioids remain a growing problem. Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit substances and harm reduction co-ordinator Cathy MacDonald told council opioid-related medical incidents continue to rise.

In 2018, there were 145 confirmed opioid-related emergency department visits across the health unit’s area, MacDonald said. There were also 20 opioid-related deaths from January to September 2018, greater than the eight deaths in the same period in 2017.

“We’re not necessarily capturing how big the problem is,” Deman said “But not to paint a really bad picture, because we are making great strides as a community in our local response.”

Stats specific to the County of Haliburton were not available. Haliburton Highlands OPP said it had one drug overdose in its jurisdiction in 2017 and two suspected overdoses in 2018. However, overdoses are not always reported to OPP.

OPP also said in 2018, there were 124 occurrences where charged were laid for trafficking an opioid other than heroin and 188 charges laid for possession of an opioid other than heroin.

With the drug strategy nearing its end, Deman said they are working to ensure its work does not get dropped. They are also applying for other grant opportunities to continue, she added.

“Having co-ordination for a drug strategy is, I think, really important.”

Coun. Brent Devolin said the municipality is somewhat limited in what it can do as it does not have any direct links or oversight to many of the service providers involved.

“We’re a bit player that came into the game late and most of the other stakeholders either listen to us in a limited fashion or not at all,” Devolin said “As much as we like to help, it’s frustrating.”

“If you live in Haliburton County and don’t know there’s a drug problem, you got your head in the sand, Moffatt said.

The council resolution was also to support the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) opioid response document. It was released Sept. 4 and features a series of recommendations for the province to take action against opioids.

Hawks hockey falls in COSSA shootout

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Lisa Gervais

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October 26, 2019

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JQ - Girls Field Hockey - 1-web — The Red Hawks girls field hockey team celebrates after winning the Kawartha Championship Oct. 15. Photo courtesy Haliburton Highlands Secondary School.

The Haliburton Highlands Secondary School Red Hawks girls field hockey soared to the regional championships but lost in a tight-game after a shootout Oct. 22.

After a run to Central Ontario Secondary School Association (COSSA) championships, the team fell to the St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School Saints in the semi-finals 1-0.

Coach Steve Smith said the team took the game to double overtime where they managed to score, but the goal was called back. A five-player-a-side shootout followed, which did not go Haliburton’s way. “The girls carried most of the play throughout the game. Unfortunately, we couldn’t put the ball into the net,” Smith said.

The team had a successful run to make it to COSSA, winning a pair of 1-0 games to take the Kawartha Championships Oct. 15. The team had to go to two extra 7.5 minute periods versus the Crestwood Mustangs in the final. Bella Smolden scored the eventual game-winner in the first period and the team successfully held onto the lead the rest of the way.

“Nerve-wracking,” Smith said about the Kawartha championships. “If I had hair, I would have pulled it out.”

Goaltender Danaya MacDuff, who had two shutouts at Kawarthas, said her team put up a strong defence in front of her.

“They’re doing really good. They have shown so much improvement,” MacDuff said.

Emma Casey, one of two co-captains, said communication was key to the team’s success. “We did a good job with communicating with each other, which is something we’ve been working at all season,” Casey said.

The team making it back to COSSA was a return to form after they lost at Kawarthas in 2018. The last time the team won at COSSA to make it to provincials was 2016.

Smith credited the program’s success to community support.

“It has a lot to do with our community members that come and help. With former players that come and help on their reading weeks,” Smith said. “The program is strong. It will continue to be strong as long as the league continues to be a league.

“We want to compete, we want to play well and we want the girls just to represent themselves really well.”

“We’re just a very good team,” MacDuff said. “I’m proud of all of them.”