The Haliburton and Tory Hill paramedic stations are in need of major repairs, service director Michael Slatter told County council May 13.

The paramedic chief said council received a report Oct. 31 last year on the conditions of the two bases. He said there are issues that need to be addressed in the immediate and short term.

With the Haliburton base, at 6 South St. by the fire hall, Slatter said long-term plans should include construction of a new facility – elsewhere due to storm-water drainage issues. He said some of the problems are the size of the building, the washrooms, and water supply.

In the interim, he said the main entrance would have to be modified to widen the door with correct hardware; the washrooms adjusted; and the need for proper ventilation.

“Based on our visual review of the property, we are of the opinion that total cumulative expenditures will be in the range of $497,000 in the immediate (2026) and short-term (2027 to 2031) for the building and site to maintain the property in a stateof-good repair,” Slatter said in a written report to last Wednesday’s meeting.

As for Tory Hill, Slatter said that for the long-term, they should also look at a new facility. He said it’s too small, only has one washroom, they can’t drink the water due to radon, it’s not accessible, and showers are sub-par.

He said, “based on our visual review of the property, we are of the opinion that total cumulative expenditures will be in the range of $148,000 in the immediate (2026) and short-term (2027 to 2031) for the building and site to maintain the property in a stateof-good repair.”

Annual report

In his annual report, also tabled at the meeting, Slatter told councillors the call volume had decreased four per cent in 2025, from 2024. He largely attributed this to the CT scanner at Haliburton hospital, requiring fewer out-of-town transfers. Without CT, he said the call volume would have increased 26 per cent.

For the majority of response times, he said the service met its targets for getting to patients in a timely manner.

Slatter added there had been many service changes, with a new chief (himself) and two deputy chiefs starting in 2025; along with front-line commanders in December of last year.

It was noted overall call volumes had increased by 20 per cent from 2020-25.

Last year, paramedics made approximately 4,100 patient contacts, ranging from weakness and, or dizziness, breathing problems, cardiac problems, to traumatic events. Slatter said the team was involved in two cardiac arrest saves, provided more than 20,000 interventions, including medication administration, stroke and STEMI assessments, assisting respirations, and delivering a baby.

“These events can take place anywhere from inside a residence, a public space, or in one of the many remote areas of Haliburton County.” He noted that in some cases, they walked several kilometres, rode snowmobiles, ATVs and boats. He also touted the importance of the community paramedicine program. May 17-23 is paramedic services week in Haliburton County.

Three years on from the launch of its award-winning ‘Stepping into Nature’ self-guided walking tour of the Minden riverwalk, the Haliburton County Master Gardeners (HCMG) is preparing to unveil a similar feature for the Minden boardwalk.

Featuring 10 stops unpacking vital information about the marsh and swamp located in Minden’s downtown, the boardwalk tour will launch May 22. Master gardener Carolyn Langdon said people can stop by the boardwalk in-person to check out installed panels or take the tour virtually, through the STQRY Guide app.

“There’s a bit of a lasting legacy to this. If we were to hold a workshop about the marsh, we might have 10 people attend. But this interpretive tour is a permanent form of education. It’s accessible and the signs are written in a way that everyone can understand, even young people,” Langdon said.

It was a collaborative effort. While the HCMG did all the heavy lifting researching the area and planning the panels, the project has been funded by a $4,500 grant from the Haliburton County Development Corporation. CanoeFM assisted with audio recordings, Minden Hills township installed the signposts, and the County is covering the annual subscription for the app, which people can use to learn more about each stop.

Langdon said, originally, HCMG wanted to release the boardwalk tour alongside the riverwalk offering in 2023.

“That was the plan, but the boardwalk was shut down around that time for needed repairs. So, this has always been in the back of our mind… the marsh plays such an important role in our community. We feel it has a story that needs to be told,” Langdon said.

While some of the boardwalk remained underwater earlier this week, leftover from April’s flooding, Langdon said the water should have subsided in time for Friday’s launch.

The panels, designed by Parker Pad and Printing, cover various topics. There’s information about the wetland’s makeup. Langdon said it’s considered an accession wetland, meaning it’s made up of different components, in this case a marsh and boggy swamp.

“We go into the differences between them and what kind of plant material each supports,” she said. “It provides facts about wetland types and food web interactions between the plants and animals that call this habitat home.”

There’s a profile on two populous plants – the red elderberry and virgin’s bower; a breakdown of the different bird populations that frequent the marsh, from the redtailed hawk and indigo bunting to the alder flycatcher and song sparrow; an Indigenous component, reflecting on the role and importance of water to Indigenous people; and a panel celebrating biodiversity in the wetland.

Langdon said there’s also a feature called ‘dead tree standing’ looking at the important role felled limbs play.

“We make reference to the fact that, even after a tree has died, it keeps giving life. Sometimes, a dead tree is so full of life that it supports more life than when it was alive,” Langdon said. “It’s really important to leave logs lying down in the forest, allow them to rot. They provide incredible stores of food, because they attract insects that break down the wood and they can attract birds and small mammals looking to form a new habitat.”

Another panel focuses on ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ and highlights the everchanging landscape of the site.

“We went in there early last summer and did an inventory of all the plants we found. Then we went back at the end of summer and a beaver had disrupted things dredging muck to dam a culvert,” Langdon said. “The marsh was going dry because of the drought we had last year. The beavers were so active they inadvertently uprooted a whole community of plants. They completely disappeared.

“So, we talk about them because they will come back over time,” she added.

Aside from sustaining native life, the marsh plays a pivotal role in sponging water in the spring, when much of Minden is on flood watch. Langdon said without it, there would likely be a major flood event every year.

“The marsh absorbs a tremendous quantity of water. During weather events, the water spreads out and so this marsh slows down the water and filters it. It takes away pollutants and excess nutrients from the water, meaning downstream, in places like Gull Lake, the water flowing is a lot cleaner.”

Langdon credited fellow master gardener Ruth Treloar for compiling much of the information, which she said took hundreds of hours. She also thanked local bird enthusiast Cheryl Fraser for her contributions.

Friday’s launch will feature a unique ribbon cutting, using Virginia creeper, with speeches from Anishinaabe elder Mary Jane Macleod and Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter. Langdon said all attendees will receive a native plant that they can take home. It begins at 2 p.m.

For more information, visit www. haliburtonmastergardener.ca.

Dysart et al public works director, Rob Camelon, said he’s hopeful the installation of a new footbridge in Head Lake Park will be completed this summer.

The township has spent weeks scrambling for alternative options after council, in March, opted against spending around $600,000 on a like-for-like replacement for the existing arched structure. Instead, elected officials directed staff to investigate a modular design, using a Bailey bridge, to save money.

Initially, Camelon felt the lower-cost option wasn’t feasible, with DM Wills Associates, the engineer contracted to oversee the replacement, finding multiple problems. Chief among those was that a modular bridge would result in a lower soffit elevation, meaning less vertical clearance, over the Drag River, which feeds into Head Lake.

Given the changing elevation, Camelon said Transport Canada would need to sign off on the redesign. With the stream classified as an unscheduled waterway, and largely unnavigable, Camelon said the township could seek approval via a public resolution process, which takes 30 days, rather than go through a full permit application. That period began in early May.

Camelon said the township has the chance to resolve any concerns brought forward during consultation, though noted Transport Canada would get involved if there are any “sticking points” raised.

He said another $10,900 is needed to re-design the project, which was awarded to DM Wills April 28. Once those drawings are complete, and Transport Canada approval received, the bridge can go out to tender. Previous estimates have pegged the modular build at $100,000 to $250,000.

“Hopefully we can award all this work at our June meeting… fingers crossed, the bridge could get done this summer,” Camelon said.

Coun. Pat Casey didn’t want to spend the additional $11,000 on engineering, instead wanting to put the project, centred around the installation of a Bailey bridge, put out for tender. He feels there are companies who would take the build on without the extra spend.

Camelon said, given the project would need to be advertised for two weeks and still have engineering work done, that, going Casey’s route, construction likely wouldn’t be completed this year.

As part of the process, Camelon said DM Wills would be reaching out to vendors to get a firm idea on cost and timelines.

Coun. Barry Boice wondered why the firm didn’t investigate modular options first time around. Camelon said it’s because the township provided clear instructions on what they were looking for, which, at the time, was a like-for-like replacement.

“I feel like the engineers let us down. They should have come up with this solution the first time. They should be looking at ways to save us money, and I think they dropped the ball on that,” Boice said.

After council approved the spend on re-design, mayor Murray Fearrey felt it was a sound investment.

“I think we’re on the right track here. We’ve got to move on this and get something done quickly so that we don’t cut off the two sides of the park,” Fearrey said.

It’s a weekday evening or weekend when your dog decides to eat a chocolate bar you have inadvertently left on the counter. You are a bit panicked, wondering if you should rush your canine to the Kawartha Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Peterborough.

Not so fast, according to Minden Animal Hospital, which has added an after-hours emergency service through its local, 705286-2919, number.

Owner and veterinarian, Dr. Jenn Morrow, said they are using a third-party company, called VetWise, to answer their phone after hours.

She said when you call, a veterinary professional can answer your questions, and help triage the situation.

“Is this something that can wait until tomorrow when we’re open? They can book that appointment for you. Is it something potentially urgent? They can connect you with a telemedicine veterinarian. Is it an emergency? They’ll help you get to the emergency clinic and let them know that you are coming.”

Morrow said pet owners can experience a lot of anxiety deciding whether or not to take an animal to an out-of-town emergency clinic. “Do I need to go? Is this truly an emergency? How much is it going to cost? How long am I going to be waiting?”

She said VetWise will help to alleviate that anxiety.

The clinic owner said 70 per cent of situations don’t actually require a trip to an emergency clinic. For example, an ongoing ear infection. She said the animal can be triaged virtually from home. Perhaps an owner will be advised to monitor their pet overnight. Perhaps they will be given a script for an antibiotic they can fill at the local pharmacy to tie the pet over until Monday.

She said the service “is helping people understand which is which…because if it’s a true emergency, at least when you are going there, you understand.”

She added there is no fee for the initial call, although you will pay for a telemedicine appointment with a vet. “There’s no fee to ask questions. There’s no fee to book an appointment the next day.”

Morrow added emergency clinics are for true emergencies, and don’t need to be overrun with non-urgent visits. Things like bladder infections can be treated at home – not doing so can cause long waits at emergency clinics, Morrow said.

The Minden-based vet has also added a new team member, Dr. Alicja Larisch, and as a result, been able to extend hours from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., rather than closing at 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Morrow said she recognized that in difficult financial times, not everyone can take time off work to bring their pet to the vet. The new hours allow people to come from 5-7 p.m.

She added it is helpful for when people have a sick pet and come home from work to find their pet’s condition has changed. They can bring them in.

They now have three full-time and one part-time vet.

Morrow said for some it’s still a “sore point” Haliburton County vets are not open on weekends; however, she believes in a work-life balance for herself and her employees. However, she thinks the afterhours service and extended hours is a good offering.

“It might not be a fair comparison, but you also have to travel outside of the County to give birth. I learned that myself. There are pros and cons to living up here. We love living up here, but we don’t have all the same services as Orillia or Peterborough, whether it’s human care or animal care.”

The clinic has also added an app for clients and broadened financing options.