Reflecting on the recent release of the third novel in her Second World War-era ‘Promise’ series, County-based author Marie Gage said her latest book is more than 20 years in the making.

The self-published A Touch of Promise was released May 26. The 331-page novel reacquaints readers with Pearl Griffith, the protagonist from Gage’s second feature, Promise of the Bluebell Woods.

“Pearl is a young British war bride who dares to leave her homeland, family, and everything familiar to start a new life in Canada, with her beloved soldier husband,” Gage said.

In the second book, released in August 2022, Pearl met Rod, a Canadian soldier posted in the UK at the height of the Second World War. The story focuses on their blossoming relationship – by its end, the conflict in Europe had been resolved and Pearl decided to accompany Rod back to his home in London, Ontario.

The third novel finds Pearl in a difficult position – 10 months into her new life, things haven’t panned out the way she thought they would.

“This story is all about the struggle of war brides when they arrived in Canada,” Gage said. “Canadian women were not very happy because they felt these women had stolen Canadian men from them. And men were in short supply following the war. There was a lot of jealously, which made settling particularly difficult.”

Pearl, now 22, must also navigate a strained, increasingly toxic relationship with her mother-in-law. Missing her family and old life back home, she searches for a reprieve, which Gage said arrives at just the right time.

She finds solace in an unlikely sisterhood – a diverse group of women who share their strength, humour, and understanding, building new bonds that deepen Pearl’s sense of purpose while connecting her with much-needed new friends.

“It’s basically a collection of war brides who feel like they have nowhere to turn, so, in the best of ways, they begin leaning on one another for support,” Gage said. The book tackles some serious subjects, including the devastating effects of posttraumatic stress disorder, then known as battle fatigue.

Through it all, despite the struggles, Pearl perseveres. “She really, really, really loves her husband,” Gage said, noting there are several recurring characters from the first two novels.

Wrapping the trilogy, the author is unsure if she’ll delve into her ‘Promise’ series again. She said it feels complete, like things have come full circle.

Her debut novel, A Ring of Promises, is loosely based on the story of Gage’s grandparents’ immigration to Canada, with the second drawing inspiration from her in-laws. Her latest continued in that vein.

“The inspiration for Pearl was my motherin-law… she did have, in real life, a difficult time with her own mother-in-law, who lived with them. But it wasn’t anywhere near the extent of what Pearl goes through in the book,” Gage said.

A launch party has been scheduled June 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. at 15 Webb Circle in the Silver Beach community outside Haliburton village. Gage will read an excerpt and be signing books. A Touch of Promise is available at Master’s Book Store and online through Amazon.

It’s been 18 months since the County of Haliburton told the public it was in talks with Haliburton Wee Care, Habitat for Humanity, and the City of Kawartha Lakes about redeveloping the childcare property on County Road 21 outside Haliburton for expanded daycare, housing, and potential other uses, such as Habitat for Humanity.

Since December 2023, the waitlist for childcare here has grown from 4.2 years to six, according to CKL manager of human services Alyson Truax.

There are only two licensed daycares in the Highlands – Wee Care in Haliburton and Compass Early Learning and Care in Minden.

Wee Care administrator Denise Wolm said the Wee Care waitlist is long; and with school ending later this month, they have been inundated with requests. While they have secured space at J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School in Haliburton for about 55 kids this summer, it is a temporary solution for JK/SK school-aged.

“Basically, when you get pregnant, you should put your child on a list, before you tell anybody. If you find out you are pregnant at four weeks, put them on the list,” Wolm said.

She added she had not heard anything about the redevelopment since the retirement of former County CAO Mike
Rutter, until very recently.

Wee Care to run summer daycare at JDH

However, current CAO Gary Dyke and director of economic development and tourism, Scott Ovell, have told
The Highlander work is ongoing.

Dyke and Ovell said the County has to have a phase two environmental study on the property and consultant Greer Galloway has been working on that this spring. They said the next stage is site development. From there, talks can resume with Habitat for Humanity, which has expressed interest in potentially building at the site.

Pressed for timelines, neither wanted to commit. When asked if it would be “years,” Ovell said once the
environmental study is complete, he expects a report to council mid-to-late summer, then talks at the county.

“In the fall, some substantive conversations about what it looks like moving forward, and what that partnership with Habitat for Humanity could look like.” He added, “at least 12-18 months before we get a shovel in the ground, but stranger things have happened.”

Dyke added they are working with CKL to try to get a delegation with the minister of education at the Association
of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in August.

“To talk about daycare and some things we think the province can do to expedite the process to allow us to get
more daycare spaces in a much more effective timeline, and efficiency for the operators. The insidiousness of a four-year waitlist on a daycare space isn’t lost on anybody,” Dyke said.

Need for housing

When it comes to housing, former County director of planning Steve Stone said Dysart et al has said the site
could accommodate 38 residential units. Habitat for Humanity put that number at 63.

Stone, in a December 2023 report, noted the County had experienced a 300 per cent increase in the number of
households waiting for community housing in the last 10 years; rental rates had risen by 72 per cent for one-bedroom apartments, and 23 per cent for two-bedroom apartments since 2018; only 50 units of affordable housing were in development towards the target of 750. He added construction costs were making building more prohibitive.

He noted Habitat for Humanity has advantages over other developers as they are a registered charity that can receive donations. They estimate they can develop units for about two-thirds the cost of a traditional builder as they have preferential purchasing agreements with various suppliers.

Truax said, “the City of Kawartha Lakes continues to work with interested service providers to expand the childcare system, including new spaces in Haliburton County. New licensed home childcare spaces may become available over the next few months.”

She added they are open to hearing from community members interested in providing high quality, affordable
licensed childcare to residents.

With the space at JDH, Wolm is hopeful of placing 25 JK and SK students and 30 school-aged, if she can get the staff. For the regular daycare, Wolm said they are licensed for 48 pre-school and 10 toddlers. She said locals are aware of the issue, but newcomers to the County are surprised to learn about the lack of space. There are more than 40 children on the pre-school waitlist, and more than 40 on the toddler one. At $17 a day per child for pre-school and $17.48 per toddler, the spaces are in-demand.

“We have a huge property here that should be developed,” Wolm said.

Minden Hills Coun. Tammy McKelvey – at a May 29 council meeting – voiced strong opposition to The Strong
Mayors’ Act, recently extended to Minden Hills along with 168 other smaller to medium towns May 1.

McKelvey said hers was not a personal attack against mayor Bob Carter, or other designated mayors. “I feel this
is very undemocratic.”

The legislation, also known as the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022, grants mayors in Ontario increased powers, including the ability to appoint key staff, influence budget decisions, and veto certain bylaws.

McKelvey believes the act will actually slow process, and business, down. For example, she said now a mayor can bring an idea directly to council. But, under the act, some processes require written notice to the clerk. “It’s just
craziness. I’d like to tell the province we don’t want it…”

Deputy mayor Lisa Schell agreed. She noted other municipalities are voicing similar concerns.

Coun. Pam Sayne said it was “an attack on democracy and principles; when we’re dealing with things that are so
fundamental, of having a voice in government, and then say ‘except when’.”

Sayne said she “was tired of (the Ford government) taking people’s rights” in order to address things such as housing issues. She added the Ontario government is causing problems with planning departments dealing with so many changes.

Coun. Shirley Johannessen said constituents are also worried about the act and what it means.

Council voted 6-1 in favour of a resolution very similar to one passed by the Corporation of the Township of Mattawa in May. Addressed to Premier Doug Ford and minister of municipal affairs and housing Rob Flack, the town asked that Mattawa be removed from the list of municipalities granted strong mayor powers. The Mattawa council vote was unanimous.

In Minden Hills, Carter voted against the motion on the floor. He said he was still learning about the act. He said he would report back to council at the June 26 meeting “about how I plan to handle it. People don’t totally understand this legislation as of yet. I can understand some of the concerns people have about democracy …

“I’m not willing to say up front that I categorically will not use any of these powers because if they’re for the
benefit of Minden Hills, I will consider it. I think it’s very situational, depending on what the subject is. I wasn’t ready to say that I categorially reject them or accept them or anything without knowing more about it.”

Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey has also been handed Strong Mayor Powers.

What can strong mayors do:

• Can choose to appoint their municipality’s CAO and municipal division heads. Councils appoint clerks,
deputy clerks, treasurers or deputies, chief building officials and fire chiefs.

• Reorganizing the structure of the municipality requiring written notice and is subject to legal requirements, contracts, collective agreements.

• Directing staff but adhering to legislation. Assigning functions, appointing committee chairs

• Veto power and council override of certain bylaws if they interfere with provincial priorities. Council can,
however, override if two thirds of council agree.

• Bylaw power but only prescribed provincial priorities. More than one-third of council must be in favour.

• Can propose a budget each year by Feb. 1 – circulated to council and the public. If the mayor does not do it,
council does.

With the passing of Bill 5 – the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025 – Environment Haliburton! president Susan Hay says the impact could be easily felt in Haliburton County.

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott was one of the Conservatives who voted in favour.

Hay said, according to a recent Environmental Defense document, schedule 9 of the bill would enable the premier and cabinet to exempt any person or company from provincial, and municipal law, including bylaws.

“Any portion of Ontario they choose, no matter whether a city or a commercial property or a cottage lot for any purpose.”

She said The Alliance for a Liveable Ontario says the bill is a power grab that will give premier Doug Ford and his
Cabinet extraordinary powers to ignore key provincial laws they don’t like.

“Bill 5 creates special economic zones anywhere in Ontario, and that includes Haliburton County,” Hay said. “Hand-picked companies chosen by the province to do business in these zones are exempt from a whole host of existing
laws.

“This bill will supersede usual consultation on projects; consultation which protects people, other creatures, plants and clean water. Although the ‘ring of fire’ is one of Ford’s main targets, Haliburton County could certainly be impacted by this bill. The main way our County could be impacted is by the gutting of the Species at Risk Act.

“Haliburton County with its forests and over 600 lakes is home to many species at risk, including all species of Ontario turtles.”

Hay added the new Species Conservation Act, 2025 (SCA) as part of Bill 5, is expected to be significantly weaker in its habitat protection measures

She said environmentalists, such as Shane Moffatt of Ontario Nature, say environmental protections are not red
tape, but instead are crucial safeguards for clean air, water and the ecosystems that all Ontarians depend on.

“We’re in the middle of a global biodiversity crisis, and the last thing that Ontario should be doing … is weakening
protections for endangered species,” Moffatt has said.

Ontario Environment Minister Todd McCarthy, speaking in support of the bill, said it will increase enforcement
powers for the province. However, Laura Bowman, a lawyer from Ecojustice Canada says stronger enforcement powers don’t help if there aren’t many rules to enforce in the first place.

Scott votes in favour

Scott said there are many components to Bill 5, however she said they had to make a lot of changes for different reasons while striking a balance. The MPP said that fine line is between the economic frustrations of the province, municipalities, builders, and the average person over things such as permits, and slowness. “We had to take a different approach to getting things built quicker. But they can’t dismiss environmental concerns.”

She said while streamlined, municipalities and environmental and other ministries will still be involved.

“You want housing; you want infrastructure but then you get tied up with things. We’re trying to balance it with more streamlining.”

She said Species at Risk becomes the new Species Conservation Act. She said there would be an online registry, versus files being on people’s desks for years. She said there would be more rules, investigations, and more and larger fines if people are breaking the rules that exist around species conservation. She added there is duty to
consult with First Nations.

“We’re trying to strike the right balance and it’s between protections and advancing projects. We have to compete.”

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) hopes to pilot an adult day program at its Highland Wood long
term care home in Haliburton – just one measure following a fact-finding trip to the Netherlands to learn about innovative elder care there.

“This would better integrate our community with our homes,” CEO and president Veronica Nelson told a ‘future of
health care’ forum in Minden June 5.

McMaster University sponsored Nelson, Jennifer Burns West (chief nursing executive), and Irene Odell (HHHS board chair) to participate in the research trip. The cost was $7,500 with the remaining $2,352 charged to HHHS. Costs included flights, trains, buses, mileage, food, accommodations, and taxis.

They were accompanied by Dr. Sharon Kaasalainen, a McMaster professor and HHHS board member, and Fay Wilkinson, who spoke at last week’s meeting. In all, 30 people went.

Green care farms offer an innovative approach to elder care, particularly for individuals with dementia. The farms
provide a unique environment for older adults, enabling them to engage in activities such as feeding animals, gardening, or preparing meals, which can stimulate cognitive function and social interaction.

Nelson said the team came back enthusiastic about making aging, and long-term care, better locally, “even if it’s
incrementally better, and even with all of the regulations” in Ontario, and across Canada.

She noted they already have a “robust” adult day program at HHHS’ Minden site. She said it provides a structured, therapeutic and individualized program for adults living at home. She added it offers respite and support for caregivers.

With a pilot project for Highland Wood, Nelson said “this would integrate our community with our home. It would mean taking long-term care residents from Highland Wood and bringing them to the day program, integrating them with older adults from the community attending the day program.

“We learned that people admitted to a green care farm were required to have attended the daycare program before. That early participation enabled that smoother transition. They were already settled their first night of overnight. Sometimes they had a week or a couple of days’ trial before they actually decided, ‘okay, I’m gong to stay now for good’.” Nelson said.

“Imagine if we could get to a place where we included those waiting to come into our long-term care homes in our adult program, so they could have that transition too?”

She said they would work with their partners at Ontario Health at Home on the initiative.

The other focus of green care farms is the outdoors. “I don’t think I saw any resident in side any building, ever. It was incredible,” Nelson said. While the Canadian climate is more challenging, she added, “we can do better. I find our residents are inside most of the time.”

She said one thing they could do is unlock dining rooms only opened for meals to allow residents to use them. She noted the natural light and views of gardens. She said there were ways to ensure safety.

Nelson added they want residents to get outside all year-long. “We can bundle them up. We can maintain the spaces outdoors. They can actually sense winter, not just look at it from the inside. They can feel the crispness of the air on their skin, the wind on their cheeks, feel the sun warming them, watch the snowflakes fall on their nose and melt on their mittens.”

She also spoke to the importance of animals, noting Walkabout Farms brings miniature ponies to LTC and Snowflake Meadows, puppies, and therapeutic dogs. “But we can do better. Can we have pets living with our residents? Can we foster pets?” She pondered cats, bunnies or baby chicks.

Nelson said in Canada, a choice has been made to keep residents safe as opposed to allowing them quality of life.

She said while six of 10 people with dementia are at risk of getting lost, at the Netherlands homes, no doors or gates are locked, and people have GPS devices so staff can track and retrieve them safely. She said the residents have less responsive behaviour because of this freedom.

“We tend to put people in a building, and put measures in place because they’re misbehaving or getting agitated. If we open the doors, then maybe they wouldn’t be as agitated, and then they would sleep.” She added they rarely medicated residents in the green care farms they visited. She noted it is not a free-for-all, with the ability, as
dementia progresses, to control which doors open, and when.

Other ideas include more intergenerational programming, including a summer day camp for children of staff.

“So, here we go. Green care farms meet HHHS. We’re on. We’re gong to do it.”

Despite negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) hitting another snag this week, Doug Ford, president of local 564 covering Haliburton County, doesn’t believe a strike is looming.

Talks over fresh terms for approximately 55,000 unionized workers have been underway again for several weeks, Ford noted, with both sides reportedly at an impasse as of June 9. Most employees have been without a contract since Dec. 31, 2023.

Last November, around 95 per cent of CUPW members Canada-wide supported a strike as they sought higher pay, increased job security, more hours for part-time staff, and equal pay for people working similar roles. They spent 32 days on the picket line, returning to work mid-December after the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB)
mandated a temporary six-month extension.

That deal, which included a retroactive five per cent wage increase, expired May

22. Most carriers currently make between $23 and $30 an hour.

Canada Post made what it called a “final offer” to the union May 28, which included a 13.59 per cent raise over four years, signing bonuses of up to $1,000, and removal of compulsory overtime. The crown corporation has also ditched proposals to change employees’ health and post-retirement benefits and pension plans.

Ford said the union is continuing to push back against Canada Post’s plans to hire a new part-time workforce to accommodate seven-day delivery.

“All that has to happen is for Canada Post to recognize they have a large workforce already that wants to keep their jobs, so they need to take the part-time stuff out of the contract and allow for people to make living wages,” Ford said. “They want to create a separate team… we already have a part-time workforce that can accommodate [the extra work].”

He said most part-time staff currently
work eight to 10 hours per week, but by
opening up weekends they could see hours
climb to 28 to 32 hours per week.

“That would create meaningful employment… it would be giving our current workers a chance to make a living
wage,” Ford said.

On June 4, federal jobs minister Patty Hajdu called for the two parties to work towards an agreement after a near two week deadlock in talks. On June 9, Canada Post rejected a framework put forward by the union asking for a binding arbitration process – where a neutral third-party offers a legally-binding solution.

The crown corporation has asked Hajdu to mandate CUPW workers vote on its latest offer.

Canada Post figureheads say the corporation’s poor financial standing limits what it can offer its employees. The
company posted pre-tax losses of $841 million in 2024 and has lost more than $3.8 billion since 2018.

Ford pinned the blame for those losses at the feet of Canada Post’s executives, not its workforce.

“Canada Post isn’t supposed to make money; it’s supposed to offer a service to Canadians. It’s losing too much money, but a lot of that is down to reckless spending,” he said, citing what he perceives to be bloated bonuses for management, and ill fated investments such as the commitment to transition its 14,000 fleet to electric vehicles by 2040.

While the union served formal notice of a strike to Canada Post May 23, Ford said that was “more of a technical thing.” He doesn’t believe the union wants to send people back to the picket line.

“There are things the union does behind the scenes in preparation for a real walkout. Those things haven’t occurred in 2025, so that tells me… they don’t want to walk out,” he said.

“The two sides are at a stalemate… this uncertainty needs to end. Right now, volumes are very low. People are afraid to put their product into our stream. If we end the uncertainty, strike a new deal, people will know they can count on Canada Post again,” Ford added.

On June 9, DHL Express Canada locked out 2,100 workers as discussions with Unifor over a new contract stalled, essentially shutting down one of the country’s largest private delivery companies.

County entrepreneur Phil Primavera said he was enjoying a rare day off with his family when one of his trucks was stolen from the Haliburton Feed & Seed property on Mallard Road June 1.

He was spending time with his kids at the family farm on Eagle Lake right around the time someone targeted a Ford F-350 Primavera was working on at his shop. The vehicle was later recovered burnt out on Hwy. 35 about five kilometres north of Norland, near Boyce Trail.

Primavera said it was the same vehicle he and his wife, Minna Schleifenbaum, bought prior to opening Haliburton Feed and Seed in 2019. At work, he used it for large orders and deliveries. At home, it was one of the family’s primary modes of transportation. Primavera said it was the truck they used carting their daughters and horses to shows across Ontario.

It had been off the road for some time, with Primavera partway through transitioning the vehicle into a farm plow.
He hoped that would save him the $3,000 it costs annually to have someone come in and tend to their land.

Primavera was also hit with a $750 towing bill. Given the vehicle wasn’t insured, he estimates his losses to be between $5,000 $10,000.

The incident is being investigated by Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton Highlands OPP. As of press time June 11, no charges had been laid.

Cst. Rob Adams with the Highlands detachment confirmed CKL officers found the vehicle shortly after 6 a.m. on June 2 after neighbours reported the fire. Primavera said he initially assumed someone had stolen his plates and put them on a different vehicle as he didn’t think his Ford would run.

“It had something like three injectors missing from the motor, so I’m amazed it made it to Norland,” he said.

Cameras on the Haliburton Feed & Seed Property captured the perpetrator, while Primavera said he heard from multiple people who witnessed the alleged thief leaving Haliburton village in the truck that afternoon. He claims to know the identity and has submitted evidence to police.

“Someone well-known to local authorities… for previous vehicle thefts, without a driver’s licence, and under
suspension,” Primavera alleged.

Primavera said other businesses in the industrial park, such as Petrini Construction and Hawk River Construction, have been hit in recent years, while claiming the Haliburton landfill routinely has unwelcome visitors after hours. On the other side of town, the Haliburton Golf Centre was broken into overnight June 3.

“We are disheartened to have to make this call out, however the pro shop was broken into… resulting in theft and damages to our ball machine and shop,” owner Andy MacMillan posted to social media.

Primavera said this is the sort of thing he came to Haliburton County to avoid.

“It’s the broken trust, really, that’s the worst thing. This sort of thing is happening more and more, and I think it’s something we need to have a wider conversation about. Is this what we want? We should expect better from people, as a community hold those who are actively spitting in our faces accountable.

“That doesn’t mean [becoming a vigilante] or anything crazy, but I think we are within our rights as productive members of society to shine a light on this, talk about it and come up with solutions. I don’t want Haliburton County to keep sliding on this slippery path it’s on,” Primavera said.