Recent County transplants Ross and Jane Atkinson are threatening legal action against Dysart et al should council approve an application from a would-be entrepreneur wanting to set up a dog kennel on Carroll Road in Haliburton.

The file was discussed at a recent council meeting, with Monique Popp unveiling plans to establish a doggy daycare and overnight service on her home property. She’s seeking approval for up to 25 pets during the day and 12 at night.

Speaking to The Highlander this week, Popp believes her business proposal is a win for the Haliburton community.

“People are excited to hear we want to bring a kennel here. We don’t have enough of them in our area, unfortunately,” Popp said. “Since I moved here in 2020, I have had seven different dogs roam onto my property. The timing is usually early spring, or the end of fall and when I find the owners, they say they had the dog on a leash, or in the cottage and they got out or away while they were opening or closing for the season… I’ve always thought if there were kennels around, their dogs would be safe and it would eliminate the problem.”

Popp told council several neighbours are in favour of the idea. To proceed, she’s seeking a zoning exemption to allow her to retrofit an existing outbuilding into a kennel.

An application was deferred Jan. 28, with Dysart planner Kris Orsan saying the township is waiting for a site plan outlining the location of the building, which he said could be a maximum of 74.3 sq. metres. He said staff also need to confirm the intended use.

Popp, who has spent her entire career caring for dogs, including three years as a trainer with Ontario Service Dogs, said there will be options for short-term and long-term boarding, as well as daily daycare. Her proposed hours for daycare are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with two designated drop-off times. She’s aiming to open the business for the May 24 weekend.

Neighbour worried about barking

The Atkinsons, who purchased their property last year, say establishing a kennel on the “quiet residential road” would have a significant impact on them. Ross said his home is approximately 220 metres away from Popp’s.

“Our bedrooms are facing the proposed kennel area – we’d hear barking early every morning that would [likely] continue throughout the day… we wouldn’t be able to sit out on our deck at night without [hearing the barking],” Ross said.

“We are not trying to be bad neighbours, but this is going to impact the enjoyment of our property for sure. Unless the applicant comes up with great ways of eliminating the noise, perhaps covering the whole yard, I’m not sure [what could be done],” he added.

Atkinson said he recently completed sound testing at his property, with recordings ranging from 20 to 35 decibels. He claims a dog’s bark typically ranges between 80 and 122 decibels, believing dogs will be more stressed when housed at a kennel – away from their owners – and therefore louder.

Popp said she is planning to install a twometre-high fence surrounding the kennel kitted with noise cancelling buffers. The building will have high-quality insulation and acoustic baffles to mitigate noise. She also intends to fit speakers to play classical music to reduce dogs’ stress levels.

She added all dog waste will be handled on-site with a digester that breaks it down without it seeping into the soil, which she claims will also eliminate any smell.

While coun. Pat Casey suggested Dysart seek a professional opinion on how to proceed, Atkinson feels the township’s existing bylaws point to a simple path. He claims legislation outlining rules for the keeping and control of dogs prohibits any person who owns, or is in the care or custody of one, shall not allow the animals to excessively howl, bark, or otherwise become a nuisance.

“One thing about noise is it’s very easily measured and recorded. We’ll have a very good case when we complain… the second step would be civil action,” Atkinson said, noting there’s legal precedent for noise from dogs constituting nuisance under common law.

He said if they were to sell their property, he estimates losses of between $50,000 and $100,000. “So, we’ll spend the time to make the effort to stop this.”

A decision is expected in the spring.

Gena Robertson, executive director at SIRCH Community Services in Haliburton, said she’ll be using a recent $42,000 donation from Airbnb to expand on the non-profit’s popular ‘Last Chance’ initiative and launch an “exciting” new endeavour.

Representatives from the online rental accommodation agency were in Haliburton Feb. 3 to meet with staff and volunteers at the SIRCH Bistro.

Jacqueline Baptist, who lives in Algonquin Highlands and is a community leader volunteer with Airbnb, said the organization routinely invests in areas with a high number of rentals, with SIRCH seen as the perfect beneficiary given its mandate to support people in need in the County.

“We have about 400 hosts in our community, and we asked them who are the local charitable organizations that could use an infusion of cash – a large number said SIRCH,” Baptist said. “I’m a regular customer at the thrift warehouse and know all about the great things SIRCH does for people.

“The money is for SIRCH to use for their operations however they see fit,” Baptist added.

Robertson said some of the money will be used to build on the momentum of the ‘Last Chance’ project, which wrapped last fall. Between May and October, staff at the warehouse accepted wooden furniture that would normally be turned away, with local handyman Kevin Dunlop hired to breath some new life into the units.

The initiative diverted approximately 1,709 cubic feet of furniture from area landfills. Dunlop was able to create 110 pieces of new furniture, which were sold at the warehouse located at 128 Mallard Rd.

“We’re looking at a little project that will follow on from ‘Last Chance’ – same idea, where we give people an opportunity to think about how they can divert from the landfill. It’s going to be fun,” Robertson said.

She also wants to divert some funds towards transitioning storage containers on the warehouse property into mini storefronts, envisioning area artists setting up shop to sell their locally made arts and crafts and host workshops. Robertson said that’s not yet a done deal, noting she’s working with the township on a plan.

Baptist said SIRCH was a slam dunk for the money after learning what the money would be supporting.

“Environmental sustainability is one of Airbnb’s pillars that they built the community fund around. So SIRCH fulfilled a couple of different themes – the environmental aspect by diverting from the landfill and economic empowerment because of the training initiatives. They checked all the boxes,” she said.

Elizabeth Oakley, who helps manage a social media group for renters in the Highlands and Bancroft, joined Baptist last week – donating money and items to assist SIRCH in putting together 40 warming kits for people in the region.

Each unit is kitted with a sleeping bag, fleece blanket, an emergency mylar blanket, hat, socks, hand towel, and toiletries. She put the value at around $1,500.

Robertson noted the kits would be handed out to people most in need in the County and North Hastings, working with 12 distribution partners the organization routinely works with through programs like the Community Kitchen meal delivery initiative.

She said the kitchen in Haliburton prepares over 1,500 meals each month and has produced more than 95,000 since launching in 2020.

Demand peaked through the pandemic, but Robertson said SIRCH continues to support people through that, and the weekly ‘Lunch is On Us’ initiative, which provides a free meal to community members dining in at the bistro on Wednesdays. Since November, more than 600 diners have benefitted.

For more information on programs, visit sirch.on.ca.

Robert Pittet says he will no longer rent out his cottage following passage of short-term rental bylaws in Haliburton County.

Pittet thinks the new rules and regulations are “an unacceptable attack on property rights.

“The primary objective of the municipality (in his case Dysart et al) is to generate income, particularly with respect to the very costly requirements to purchase or pay licence of occupation fees for shore road allowances,” he said.

Dysart et al is requiring short-term rental owners to purchase their shore road allowances; but in the interim, charging for licences of occupation.

Pittet added, “I also strongly object to the STR bylaw targeting family-owned cottages being rented via licenced agencies that already follow responsible rental practices, and being treated the same way as ‘hotel’ cottages that are rented full-time as income investment properties.”

Bylaw finding septic problems

He said he also believes the bylaw will result in owners being subjected to “unreasonable, excessive fines.

“I have no interest in continuing to have my cottage property contribute to the summer tourism economy under these circumstances imposed by the municipality, despite the resulting loss of rental income, which has been very helpful to offset the annual expenses of my family cottage,” Pittet said.

J.T. Lowes, owner of All-Season Cottage Rentals, said Pittet is not alone in deciding to no longer rent out his cottage since the bylaws came into effect last fall.

“I’ve lost about 35 per cent of our cottages since the bylaw came into play, so it’s made a huge impact,” Lowes said.

He’s been crunching numbers; estimating fewer travellers coming to his cottages will result in $1.2 million in lost income to the County for his business alone; noting there are six cottage rental agencies in the Highlands. He thinks it will result in a “noticeable” decrease in tourists to the County.

He said All-Season Cottage Rentals has already had to downsize staff, eliminating 20 positions, such as cleaners, “so it’s hurting local employment.”

Lowes added they are losing more familyowned cottages, than investor renters.

“Because they have so many bookings, it’s not a big deal.” He said most of their customers own the family cottage and rent it out three to four weeks in the summer to help cover costs, such as property taxes, maintenance, and renovations. “They’re saying it’s just not worth it… the cost… the hassle.”

Lowes said the economic impact filters down to building companies, tradespeople and contractors, who won’t be getting as much work, for example, rebuilding decks and docks. “It’s going to have a ripple effect.”

Politicians address concerns

Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter said if rental agencies are claiming a loss of 35-40 per cent business, “I’m not sure that can be entirely blamed on the bylaw; it could have nothing to do with the bylaw.” He noted the impact of COVID, and the takeover of homes to become investor short-term rentals. “There’s always booms and I don’t want to say busts, we’re not in a bust, but the booms are generally followed by a trough.”

Carter feels good about the bylaws. “It’s not going to be perfect. Nothing that big is, but anybody that is complaining has to understand that, sorry, but we’re here to represent the interests of all the public. This was the best way we could do that.”

Algonquin Highlands mayor Liz Danielsen agrees. She said there are good reasons for the bylaws.

“We’ll end up with units that are safe. That’s what concerns me now. We’ve got people renting out units, kind of on the QT, things like old cottages that might not be fire safe, accessible.”

She doesn’t think the bylaws will harm the tourism industry, but rather, “I want our tourists to have a good experience, a safe experience.

“Of course, a cottage rental agency is going to say things aren’t great, but for us, so far, so good. We’re not hearing any major concerns. During the course of the bylaw being reviewed and approved, we heard a lot, yes, but since it’s been approved, things have gone quiet.”

Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey said he is hearing concerns about some things in the bylaws. He said there may be faults that need addressing. He’s aware that some owners with structures on shore road allowances are having to remove, or move them, to get licenced and the process is difficult in winter. “So, we need to look at those kinds of things and get those out of the way.”

As for rental agencies losing business, Fearrey said, “they may be partially right. I’m not saying they’re wrong.” He said rental agencies are legitimate businesses that follow the rules.

“But there are a lot of individuals I’ve had calls from, saying ‘why are you doing this?’ and I’m saying, ‘why don’t you want it?’ They don’t want to tell me, but the answer is because they were getting $2,000-a-week for so many weeks and pocketing all of that money, not paying HST. I don’t think that’s right.”

Bylaw finding issues

Dysart et al bylaw supervisor, Hailey Cole, said they’d approved 69 licences as of Jan. 27, with another 20 pending due to issues.

“The most common ones we’re seeing is an overuse of septic tanks for the number of bedrooms,” she said. For example, she explained people are providing septic maintenance reports with a three-bedroom requirement. “And then we go look at their Airbnb ad, and they’re advertising five bedrooms. We’re seeing a lot of these Airbnb ads where someone has a two-bedroom septic tank, advertising for 12 people.”

She said they are telling renters they either have to decommission bedrooms or fully replace their septic tank.

She said the shore road allowance issue is tying up some applications, too. They have expedited licences of occupation until people can purchase shore road allowances. Structures built before 1977 are exempt. If after 1977, it’s considered illegal.

Highlands East junior planner, Kim Roberts, said last week they’d received and processed 17 applications. Four are in review, 10 have received conditional licensing, and three have been turned down due to septic capacity issues. “Septic capacity and noncompliant shoreline structures have been our two largest issues with licence issuance.”

Eric Guay, chief building official of Minden Hills, said they’d had 23 applications as of Jan. 29. They have not begun inspections but are seeing similar septic and shore road allowance issues as Dysart et al.

Algonquin Highlands planner, Sean O’Callaghan, said they had 17 approved licences as of last week, and “we are experiencing the same issues that Hailey has noted.”

Appeal to council

Lowes said he and one of his renters are planning to make a delegation to Dysart et al council, likely in March. They may also go to Algonquin Highlands, Highlands East and Minden Hills.

He said in his opinion the bylaw is “overbearing. There are so many issues preventing people from renting anymore, saying it’s just not worth it… I don’t need that extra $8,000-a-year bad enough to go through all of this.”

He feels cottages managed by companies such as his should be treated differently.

But overall, he questions the need for bylaws at all.

“Every issue put in place could have already been addressed with existing bylaws, but they’re not being enforced. One bylaw officer working Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. [doesn’t make sense] when the majority of problems are on weekends. And the majority of the problems are regular cottagers and homeowners. STRs are a small percentage of the issue. So, the answer is let’s put in a new, really complicated, bylaw? And the bylaw may have started out as a good idea, and a way to deal with a problem but they have taken it way too far. It has impacted us. It has impacted the industry. And it’s going to impact the entire County.”

But the politicians, including Danielsen, all said lake health should be paramount when first grappling with the bylaws. Danielsen added, “all of these bylaws are passed with the full understanding they’re going to need regular review. We want to get it right.”

Carter added, “there’s been really outrageous things sent to us from people complaining. But every jurisdiction across North America pretty much has been dealing with this, or will have to deal with this soon. I think we came up with one of the better solutions out there.”

The public spit-balled what Minden Hills could look like in five years on Jan. 29 – as consultant Arising Collective provided a forum as part of the township’s strategic planning process.

Facilitator, Andy Mitchell, asked participants at the Minden Community Centre to not self-censor but “describe what you would like to see done in Minden over the next five years.”

Gull Lake resident, Jim Ecclestone, who purchased the Rockcliffe in the downtown, said, “first thing, tear down the Beaver Theatre. The town should take over ownership of that… it’s a real eyesore and I think it’s extremely important.”

Andy Campbell chimed in, “do something with the (old) fire hall. It’s been abandoned for a long time. There are a lot of ideas out there. Just get on with it.”

Fay Martin added she’d like something done with the whole area between the river and the township parking lot. “Something gorgeous that celebrates the river.”

Another person suggested extending the Riverwalk, all the way to Rotary Park. Lynda Litwin spoke of a need to break down silos, from township staff, to councillors, to volunteers. “There is very little crossover in my perception,” she said. Litwin added staff and some councillors do not even attend community events. Another audience member said a seniors living residence providing different levels of medical support is needed in Minden. “There’s so many seniors who move out of Minden because they need some kind of care,” he commented. The man added if they were to stay, their children and grandchildren would visit the town.

Sally Moore, a Rotarian who owns and operates Sunny Rock Bed and Breakfast, commented on the lack of a tourist information centre in Minden, noting there is just a small table in the County of Haliburton building that no one knows is there. She would like a tourism information sign, at least. She also commented on the lack of reliable broadband and cell service in some areas. She noted a positive has been the community becoming more accepting in equity and inclusion.

Martin said she would also like a more robust economic development focus, “that isn’t entirely on bringing people from away, but also on developing ‘good, year-round, well-paying jobs’.”

‘The dirty cousin to Haliburton’

People entering the community centre at the beginning of the evening were asked to write one word they associate with Minden on Post-its. Words such as “community, friendly, support each other, and community assets.” were placed on the wall.

Other talking points included: the impact of the loss of the Minden emergency room; the need for a swimming pool and/or splashpad, or other things to attract young families; a lack of public transportation and housing; the importance of service clubs and volunteerism; a perception staff is not responsive enough; and the need to bring back Music on the Gull to the downtown.

Business owner Shawn Smandych said Minden has never really had an identity, but an untrue perception it is “the dirty cousin to Haliburton.” He said Minden is the gateway to the Highlands, with four major highways coming into the township. He said they also need to celebrate the fact they have the Minden Whitewater Preserve, Minden Pride, an OJHL hockey team, and the new S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena and Community Centre. “They’re all positives but we never use positive language.” He said there is also a lack of township support which he feels is impacting businesses.

As part of its work, Arising Collective has done interviews, held roundtable discussions, talked to councillors and staff, and did a second, virtual, town hall Jan. 30. They also put out a survey that had attracted more than 400 respondents as of last week. They will compile their results in a future report to council on a five-year strategic plan.