Haliburton pet store running out of nine lives

By

-

July 18, 2019

For 24 years, Great Haliburton Feed Co. owner Maureen Adams has helped thousands of animals find homes.

The pet store has operated since 1995. It has weathered a tumultuous few years, with a fire destroying its facility in 2014, a near-closure in January 2018 and the passing of Adams’s husband and store co-owner Charles McAleaney on January 8, 2019.

But after all those years in business, the 60-year-old Adams is ready to call it quits. The store is now up for sale.

“It’s time,” she said. “It’s heavy work and I’m worn out.”

Adams said good customers and animals in need have kept her going in the business for so long. But she added things have been rough since the fire burned down their facility in 2014, causing an estimated $400,000 in damages. The business restarted but nearly closed permanently in 2018 over issues finding a new facility, before it found a home on Mallard Road.

The place has helped many kinds of animals find homes over the years, including cats, donkeys, rats and chickens.

It has helped people too, Adams said, who have helped the business in return.

“Because of my work with the animals, I attract people who have the same feelings and those are good people,” Adams said. “It’s been a great experience.”

Adams said it is important to have businesses like hers around.

“A community who looks after their animals and their children is a place you want to raise your family.”

The Great Haliburton Feed Co. is for sale for $34,900 plus HST. If no buyer is found, Adams said she plans to close the business sometime in the fall.

Don Kerr of Minden Cat Angels said such a closure would leave a big gap for stray cats in the area. Although Kerr and Paulmac’s Pets are helping strays around Minden, he said they are not in a position to take over Haliburton.
“We’re just not big enough,” Kerr said. “It’s going to become a major problem if Maureen shuts down out there because if the cats are not brought in, they could multiply.”

Adams said she is uncertain about whether she will be able to find a buyer.

“It’s tough these days for younger people. They have different interests, in technology. This is kind of old school.”

She added she is greatly appreciative of all the people who have helped the Great Haliburton Feed Co. over the years.

“Words can’t say enough to thank or express how I feel about the people who have helped me all along the way.”

Anyone interested in purchasing the business or one of the remaining stock of pets can contact Adams at 705-457-9775.

Minden Transmission Station getting powered up

By

Lisa Gervais

-

July 18, 2019

0

From the ashes of a destructive fire at the Minden Transmission Station, Hydro One began a massive rebuild July 17 with a $33 million investment to modernize the facility.

Hydro One is installing two new transformers to improve the station’s capacity and reliability. The upgrade was delayed after a storm-caused fire July 26, 2018, which dealt significant damage to a transformer. The fire resulted in an hours-long power outage to approximately 20,000 homes.

Dignitaries were on hand to break ground on the expansion. Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin reflected on the station fire and initial fears of a longer-term outage.

“Electricity and the power of Ontario is one of those things we take for granted,” Devolin said. “It’s wonderful to be here today to see a re-investment in the assets to provide energy for all of us in this part of Ontario.”

Devolin complimented Hydro One for the trust and co-operation between it and first responders in handling the fire nearly one year ago.

The development also include new grid modernization equipment, which is expected to reduce outage durations and decrease the number of customers impacted during an outage. New devices are also being added to enable more remote control and monitoring at the facility.

Project manager Josh Brown said the new transformers are a big upgrade on the older ones in Minden, built in the 1950s.

“They have a much higher capacity, more safety features in place than this one,” Brown said.

Acting chief operating officer Darlene Bradley said the station’s capacity will be significantly larger and be able to handle the area’s growth for the foreseeable future.

“Hydro One will be able to make the permanent upgrades the community is counting on to replace aging infrastructure and build a safe and reliable power supply for years to come,” she said.

“It’s a huge investment to our whole community,” Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott said. “I want to thank Hydro One immensely for the investment, for the dedication of all your workers and your team to our whole area.”

Hydro One expects to complete the project by March 2021, with elements coming online throughout the process.

Smoke on the water

By

Lisa Gervais

-

July 18, 2019

0

The Dysart et al fire department successfully put out a boat fire on Head Lake July 14.

Firefighters responded to the call using a fire department boat, chief Mike Iles said. They extinguished the blaze using fire extinguishers and a portable water pump. Firefighters then pulled the burnt boat to shore before it could sink.

Iles said the department had to adapt on the fly, but the call was handled very well overall.

“It was a unique call we don’t see,” Iles said. “We had to improvise and the fire department worked extremely well to implement a safe attack.”

Iles said it was not a situation firefighters had specifically trained for. He added he had only seen one or two boat fires in 25 years of service, but those were on docks.

“We’ve never had one where we’ve had to physically access and extinguish on open water.” There were no injuries in the incident. People were rescued from the boat, but the cause of the fire is unknown. “

Gentleman had been out boating for a while, but no idea what caused the fire,” Iles said. The situation required the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to be notified, he said. The ministry in turn notified the coast guard. OPP also responded to the scene.

“All the necessary ministries have been involved and approved of our approach,” Iles said. Floating booms were used to contain any oil and gas spill from the incident, he added.

The boat fire caused Dysart et al to close Rotary Beach at Head Lake Park. The municipal recreation department made the announcement in a July 15 Facebook post.

“Spill kits have been put in place to absorb any oil or gas that may have entered the water,” the department said.

Township re-opened the beach July 18.

Looking for a few good volunteers

By

Lisa Gervais

-

July 18, 2019

0

I was saddened to hear about the cancellation of this weekend’s Minden Hills Bluegrass Festival.

I was equally disappointed to learn last week that the Festival of the August Moon would have to take a one-year hiatus.

In chatting with Dennis Casey from bluegrass, and Heather Ross and Jeanne Anthon of August Moon, there is an obvious worrying trend unfolding here.

In the case of bluegrass, Casey said the average age of attendees is 60 and they are starting to wait before booking campgrounds, making organizers fearful about having the attendance to support the event. Why do they wait? Well, being older, they’re concerned about health issues popping up in the interim between booking and attending.

In the case of August Moon, it was not a financial concern that led to cancellation of the mid-August event. Rather, it was a case of the organizing committee running out of steam when faced with a few prickly issues. A reflective Ross said they don’t have problems getting volunteers on the day. It’s getting them out to planning meetings that is the challenge. They’ve also lost committee volunteers to health issues and the rest are strapped for time. It’s committee member succession that is their nemesis, she said.

Anthon agreed that finding a younger demographic of volunteers is starting to become a challenge for not just Festival Moon but other Haliburton County events. Ross talks about the garlic festival. Now that it has successfully partnered with Abbey Gardens, with access to staff, it seems to be doing very well.

For many other festivals, they still rely on activist committees, replacing staff with volunteers. But Ross is starting to wonder if this model has run its course. She ponders, too, if board-run clubs are having similar problems with recruitment. From what we are hearing, yes, many clubs and organizations are struggling to find people to step up as volunteers in varying capacities.

It’s hardly surprising when you consider 2016 Census figures for the county. We have an average age in the 50s and more than a third of us are 65-year-old plus. Many of these people form the volunteer base of Haliburton County but health issues are creeping in and they’re getting tired.

So, why is it so hard to find younger volunteers? For some, work is an impediment. For others, it’s family commitments. For some, it’s both. However, some of our clubs and organizations also need to consider how volunteer-friendly they are. For example, when they gather during daytime hours for meetings, it precludes working people from attending. And as Ross stated, many of our clubs and organizations – while they do a great job – are not attracting millennials because that age bracket isn’t interested in attending lengthy planning meetings.

One option might be remote meetings employing technology. In today’s age, there’s no reason that organizers cannot get together in the evenings over Facebook messenger, WhatsApp or other forms of videoconferencing. Ross’ approach is refreshing. She says they’ve done a poor job of succession planning. And she is considering what might be the best way forward for August Moon. We think all of our local clubs and organizations need to do the same exercise or it won’t be just bluegrass and August Moon cancelled in future.

The Outsider: Dumb and #dumber

By

Will Jones

-

July 18, 2019

0

I was having trouble thinking about what I should whinge, sorry, write about, this week and so I opened my Facebook account (yes, I am that old and boring), hoping it would give me inspiration. And you know what? It did.

In among the swathes of tedious posts from desperate folks trying to justify their pitiful lives by collecting likes, there were two that caught my eye for very contrasting but ultimately similar reasons. The first, from Moe, said: “#you #don’t #need #a #hashtag #for #every #word #you #post. #Settle #down.”

I chuckled, and, unusually for me, hit ‘like’. I don’t often express my emotions via the utterly lazy single click but for this damning digital diatribe I thought it particularly apt, only bettered I guess by commenting #righton.

For the avid hash taggers out there, clicking on #righton is a waste of time, believe me. I did it in the name of research. Twitter #righton is filled with random semiliterate posts by pointless losers saying nothing about anything, all completely unconnected with each other, other than they are obviously not ‘right on’.

You might already have guessed that I hate hashtags, or rather their improper use. Yes, go ahead young folks (and some older ones too) and hashtag My Haliburton Highlands, if you are in the business of promoting the area as a tourist destination, but #daddyatthebeach #wickednewmanicure #baconsandwich … Nooo! I won’t click on your link and neither will anyone else. They’ll simply stop reading your post as soon as you #start #adding #that #little #symbol #because #it’s #@#$%&ing #annoying.

Or, if they are older and wiser, they’ll wonder why you’re using the number or pound sign randomly throughout your post and correctly assume that you’re an idiot, and then unfriend you.

Our insistence on adding hashtags to otherwise perfectly interesting little posts is crippling the English language and dumbing down our lives to the point of click and ‘hope I’m cool like the other kids.’

That brings me on to the other Facebook post that caught my eye. An advert from the Royal Canadian Mint, no less. The royally-appointed authority that makes our money, has seen fit to, as it says on the ad, ‘capture Canadian pride on a coin.’ A glow in the dark coin. My son had a Batman glow in the dark T-shirt once. He also used to think glow sticks were cool. Note the words ‘used to’ in that last sentence. And the luminous Storm Trooper that his grandma bought him a couple of years ago? It sits on a shelf, unused. You see, he’s 10 now and he’s lost interest in ‘glow-in-the-dark.’

Has society regressed to the mental capacity of four-year-old children; to the point at which we are mesmerized by luminous trinkets? Is the minting of a new silver coin symbolizing Canadian pride not good enough, not collectible enough? Please people, let’s focus on the important issues of our days because there are many, large and small. Let’s not get caught up in any manufactured excitement surrounding a luminous-painted commemorative coin. Are you with me? #Canadianmintsucks #hashtagsaredumb #bringbackthepoundsign.

Turtle guardian wins major conservation award

By

Lisa Gervais

-

July 17, 2019

0

Conservationist Leora Berman’s days are busy as she gives children hands-on lessons about turtles and the value they bring to the ecosystem.

Berman is running summer camp to teach kids to be turtle guardians. Whether trying to save turtles, improve lake health, teach about shorelines or start a children’s museum, she keeps herself occupied.

“It’s just the way God built me. I can’t sit still,” Berman said. “I can’t look at a problem and not try to do something. I haven’t even reached the targets that I wanted. I’ve only just begun.”

The Haliburton native’s conservation work was recognized with the 2019 Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Roland Michener Conservation Award in June. She will also be featured in upcoming editions of the Canadian Wildlife and Biosphère magazine

“I’m over the moon,” she said about receiving the award. “It’s a different kind of humbling.”

Berman is currently the chief operating officer of The Land Between, a grassroots environmental organization which does work across eastern Ontario. She has also worked for Ducks Unlimited Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry over her 22-year career.

The eligibility for the award, named after Canada’s former Governor General, is “any individual who has demonstrated a commitment to conservation through effective and responsible activities that promote, enhance and further conservation of Canada’s natural resources.”
Berman’s friend Tracey McCann said she submitted the nomination and felt Berman was deserving.

“I don’t think she gets enough recognition for the work she does,” McCann said. “I figured she deserved a big thank you.”

Berman said all of her conservation jobs have motivated her. But she found The Land Between suited her especially well and gave her more freedom than government work. As the group’s co-founder, she said it started as a one-year project but ended up much larger than imagined.

“I don’t know if it is a problem but I always go big,” she said. “You’ve got to shoot high. Otherwise, you’re not going to make it.”

Winning the conservation award also helps put a new spotlight on the Haliburton Highlands, Berman added.

“It is encouraging to be able to represent the conservation sector in this way, but also to showcase the Highlands,” she said. “This area, also known as the Land Between bioregion, is so vibrant and also essential to our collective future and well-being in Ontario.”

She sees the area as something worth vital and worth fighting for.

“They’re certainly my heart and soul, the highlands,” she said.

Exhibition sparks environmental talk

By

Meagan Secord

-

July 15, 2019

0

Local, well-known artist Laurie O’Reilly takes a new and creative approach to the environmental discussion with her latest exhibition, Earthscapes.

She uses wax, found objects, sound, bones and more to create an exhibit that takes viewers on a journey into the earth and explores how pollution is changing it.

O’Reilly started her distinctive work after many years of travelling. She said she noticed garbage was becoming a huge problem and felt deeply saddened by it.

“It has to be important to everyone,” she said. “I used to dive and I noticed that boats were dumping their garbage into the ocean and I thought ‘no, you can’t do that’.”

The exhibition is split into four sections: earth gifts, transition, contact and outcomes. The different phases ultimately lead to the end of earth.

“If we don’t do something, it’s not going to be pleasant in the end,” she said.

She added that she wants people to see how special the planet is and how it needs to be respected.

Laurie Jones, curator for Rails End Gallery, said the new installment also depicts one of the gallery’s main focuses which is being more aware of their impact on the earth.

“No longer are we looking at it like an art show is one thing but what kind of light bulbs we use is another. No. We’re looking at it all from an environmentally-friendly perspective,” she said.

It seems the earth was a large focus for many people at the exhibitions opening night. Local art lover Christine Mino said the art puts pollution into perspective and makes people more aware.

“It’s a striking exhibition in terms of what it says about our planet,” she said.

The evening was filled with lots of discussions about not only the art, but the environment as well. Earthscapes is on display at Rails End Gallery until August 25.

Drag Lake cottagers donate to good causes

By

Meagan Secord

-

July 15, 2019

0

The Drag and Spruce Lakes Property Owners Association presented two charitable donations at this year’s annual general meeting.

A donation of $250 each was given to Abbey Retreat Centre (ARC) and Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) as a way to give back to the Haliburton community.

Doug Norris, executive director of ARC, said it is always nice when small associations donate to causes like theirs because it shows that the centre is making an impact in the county.

He said the centre is used as a retreat space for those undergoing cancer treatment and when there isn’t one planned, it is a rentable space for the community.

Monika Melichar, founder of WWS, explained to meeting attendees the importance of rehabilitation facilities for animals and went into detail about the work the sanctuary does.

“We’re 100 per cent volunteer based, which I think is pretty impressive,” she said. “We have over 100 animals in our care which keeps us hopping all day long so we’re very thankful for the donation that will help with the supplies we need.”

She noted that a portion of the land will soon be used specifically for injured turtles as the clinic in Peterborough is becoming over-populated.

Donations to local organizations is something the association does every year and will continue to do so as long as the money is available.

The annual meeting also featured presentations from Dysart deputy mayor Pat Kennedy, councillor Larry Clarke and fire Chief Mike Iles.

They spoke about things happening in the township that cottagers and property owners need to know, such as fire alarms, tax increases, composting and road repairs.

Committee “calms water” on fire halls

By

Lisa Gervais

-

July 12, 2019

0

The Highlands East Fire Committee addressed the concerns of its most vocally worried fire hall users in a series of questions relating to an ongoing service review.

The committee spent much of its July 8 meeting addressing a submitted list of questions from members of Station 2 in Highland Grove. The questions grilled the committee on its process for the review.

But committee chair Cam McKenzie and acting fire chief Chris Baughman made repeated assurances that no substantive decisions have been made. Station 2 captain Gary Burroughs attended as an audience member and called it a calming effort.

“I wanted to just hear if there’s clarity,” Burroughs said. “If I was to sum it up, I’d say they just calmed the water with everything.”

The committee has put forward a series of options to explore in its service review, including maintaining the status quo, shifting from five fire halls to three, searching for efficiencies in equipment and building a new central fire hall while either maintaining or closing other halls.

Station 2 made clear in their questions which option they preferred.

“We would like to see the status quo be the way forward,” one question said. “With the large coverage area, and the aging population that needs our services more than they ever have. Just because the number of fire-related calls are down does not mean we should cut fire equipment.”

“There’s been no recommendations to cut services or halls or equipment at this point,” Baughman retorted. “Anything presented to council will come to the public first in a public meeting.”

Baughman later reported to the committee about ongoing data collection for the halls. After reviewing three years worth of utilities, he said he could not find anything which stood out.

“No hall is much greater than the rest,” he said. “Saving the hydro bill on a hall isn’t going to make or break a hall.”

He added he is awaiting the completion of a municipal facilities review before submitting more data. That is not expected to be done until the fall.

Burroughs said although there are assurances no major decisions have been made yet, any big changes could get met with resistance.

“The proof will be in the pudding as soon as they come to an end,” he said. “If this gets shoved through without us knowing anything about it, there will be a big uprise for sure.”

HE following signs to economic development

By

Simon Payn

-

July 12, 2019

0

Highlands East is overhauling its municipal signage in an effort to better guide people around the township.

Council approved the implementation of a new sign policy July 9. The policy, billing itself as stage one, focuses on addressing signs, outlining regulations, amenities and wayfinding.

Economic development co-ordinator Joanne Vanier said those targets are to make the greatest amount of impact in a short amount of time.

“By replacing deteriorating signage and installing signage that has been lacking, we can effectively increase the visual identity of the municipality, identify assets, and enhance the visitor experience,” Vanier said.

The policy states they should include the municipal logo, which also highlights the motto “yours to explore” and the township website. Vanier’s report said because of poor marking, people are unaware of numerous municipal assets, such as more than 30 public boat launches.

“I was totally impressed by the amount of work that has been put into this,” Coun. Cam McKenzie said. “Well done team.”

New signs in this stage will also include internal information like landfill hours and park usage. Signs identifying amenities like parks and directing traffic will also be replaced.

Other categories, including municipal gateways, community buildings and community identification will be addressed later.

Deputy mayor Cec Ryall said the private sector also wants to be involved and have new markers directing people toward their businesses.

“It’s a great opportunity but it also has some great challenges associated with it,” Ryall said, noting sign pollution is a concern. “They’d be willing to absorb the cost for their particular entity. So, another opportunity for economic development.”

He also said although it would not be part of this first stage, private sector partnership could be explored at a future date. Ryall also raised county-wide signage at the county’s tourism committee meeting April 10.

Committee chair Carol Moffatt said although it has been identified as an issue, it will take more time to address at the county level. Highlands East has earmarked $40,000 for the initiative to be used by March 2020 .