Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter believes high construction costs and overprotection of tenants is why there’s been so little uptake in adding secondary housing units to properties in Haliburton County over the past couple of years.

In May 2022, premier Doug Ford unveiled the More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23), legislation allowing more than one liveable space on properties serviced by municipal water and sewer.

Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, and Minden Hills went one step further, each making amendments to their zoning bylaws to allow accessory units, including tiny homes, on rural properties. There are some caveats, notably that applicants must prove they have the necessary septic capacity to accommodate additional residences.

The new rules do not apply to shoreline properties. While Highlands East didn’t incorporate any new measures, junior planner Kim Roberts said things like basement apartments, granny suites and tiny homes have been allowed in certain areas since 2018, with nine applications between then and 2022.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, there have been 11 applications for additional dwelling units (ADU) in the County – three each in Algonquin Highlands, Dysart, and Minden Hills, and two in Highlands East,

Homeowners fearful of renting

“Lots of people think the world is going to change as soon as new rules are brought in… but people are still apprehensive about renting out part of their home, because of issues they may have heard about and protections in the Landlord and Tenants Act,” Carter said. “Taking on this kind of development is quite expensive, there can be insurance issues… it’s a difficult thing to do.”

Amanda Dougherty, Minden Hills planner, said additional units have been allowed within properties on municipal services since 2006. New regulations expanding those permissions to rural properties came into effect in February 2024.

The township’s chief building official, Eric Guay, said one additional dwelling permit was issued in 2023 and two in 2024. “We haven’t seen a surge of applications,” Guay said.

Jeff Iles, director of planning in Dysart et al, expressed disappointment at the lack of uptake, with the township hoping new rules would create much-needed housing.

New regulations were finalized in Dysart in March 2024, allowing secondary units on most non-waterfront properties facing onto a publicly maintained road. Units can be constructed above a garage, as a basement apartment, or as a separate dwelling. The maximum floor area of the new unit can be 75 per cent of the main dwelling.

Iles said Dysart has also eliminated the minimum floor area requirement for new developments, paving the way for tiny homes on rural and rural-residential lots.

There was one tiny home and two ADU applications last year.

“A lot of effort has gone into the policy changes to building more housing, starting at the provincial level and trickling down to each local government. I think we all expected and hoped for more uptake,” Iles said.

Mayor Murray Fearrey also blamed the high cost of construction materials. He said he’d heard horror stories from some homeowners, feeling the province needs to adapt the Landlord and Tenants Act.

“It’s very hard to evict people if they decide they’re not going to leave. They can stop paying rent and just be horrible tenants, but hide behind certain rules in the act. There’s nothing the owners can do, other than try to take it to tribunal, which also costs money,” Fearrey said. “Until we get some of that stuff fixed, I don’t think this is going to take off the way it should.”

In 2023, The Highlander spoke to Haliburton resident Ian Macnab, who received special permission to construct a secondary house on his Mountain Street property for his elderly mother-in-law. He said the option was very cost-effective, with the unit costing $130,000 and utilities around $200 per month.

“It would have cost us thousands of dollars each month to find somewhere else for her to live… I think this kind of arrangement is a great way for families to look after their seniors with a minimal ongoing cost burden,” he said.

Algonquin Highlands mayor Liz Danielsen feels the townships need to do a better job of getting the word out.

“I don’t know if there’s anything we can really do to make it easier. People have a lot of options now,” she said.

“I think we’re still in the recovery phase [after the pandemic]. People are being careful with their money. Though, being able to put up a second unit on an existing property, rather than developing on a new one, makes adding housing more cost-effective than it used to be.”

Carter said there’s no way County townships can afford incentives to encourage more applications. “We have no money locally to support this… the province famously downloads all sorts of things to us. I think this is something that, if the province wanted, they could come up with some funding programs. But again, there will still be some challenges around it beyond just money,” Carter said.

Other avenues

Danielsen, deputy warden at the County level, said discussions are continuing at the upper-tier on communal servicing – potentially paving the way for clustered multi-unit tiny home developments.

Representatives from Frontenac County addressed County council last September, saying it hoped to bring 10 new subdivisions kitted with centralized water and sewer systems online in the Kingston-area by 2033. The subdivisions will create more than 200 units.

Frontenac’s director of planning, Joe Gallivan, said at the time “if it fits well with us, I think it can fit well with you too.”

Carter, who also sits on County council, said there are issues around cost and liability. To offset those, the County is investigating creating a municipal services corporation to handle things like billing and maintenance.

“We are working on setting something up. It’s not going to happen overnight, but hopefully it will at least give us the administrative function so that if we do get a meaningful project come forward, we will be ready to go,” Carter said.

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott feels premier Doug Ford had no choice but to call a provincial election 15 months early, given U.S. president Donald Trump’s repeated threats to implement tariffs on Canadian imports.

Seeking a seventh term in office, Scott said it’s important Ontarians use their voice – and vote – to select who they want to lead the province through what she expects will be a tumultuous four years.

“The premier has been very strong in his fight to protect Ontario jobs. He’s certainly seen as the guy that will fight to protect Ontario’s economy, to engage with the president and his team,” Scott said. “Trump’s election really shifted everything. We’re looking for the public to give us a strong mandate for four years, which hits the same timelines Trump will be in office for.”

An election was legislated to take place by June 4, 2026. Ford officially declared on Jan. 29 that a new vote will take place Feb. 27.

Addressing media Jan. 24, the premier said due to instability in Ottawa following prime minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation (he will remain in office until the Liberals select a new leader March 9) that it was more important than ever for an Ontario government to stand strong.

“You need a loud voice at the table,” Ford said. “The choice that people are going to have for the next 30 days will affect every aspect of their lives, and the kids’ lives, and their grandchildrens’ lives for the next 20 to 30 years.”

Thus far, the only other approved candidate in the HKLB riding is Tom Regina, who will stand for the Green Party.

HKLB Liberal Association president Judi Forbes, who ran in the 2022 election, said there was no candidate as of press time. She said the party has committed to reopening the Minden ER if elected and will focus on attracting and retaining family physicians in small communities.

Forbes said the Liberals also want to re-establish a carbon program that focuses on polluters and protect the Greenbelt. She condemned Ford for calling an early election – saying it will “unnecessarily” cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

“Doug Ford already has a majority government, that means he already has a mandate until the fall,” Forbes said.

She also took Scott to task for her perceived absence during the closure of the Minden ER in 2023.

Scott reiterated her stance that the decision was made by the previous Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) leadership, not the province.

“It was not anything anyone wanted nor expected… I was just as frustrated that [HHHS] could have prepared and communicated things better and had a plan in place. It was a big blow,” Scott said. “That hospital was the closest one to me, too. So, I completely understand and wholeheartedly sympathize with people.”

Scott feels recent improvements to the Haliburton hospital – including a new CAT scan and a pending mammography unit, and soon-to-be installed ER x-ray, as well as the hiring of three new ER doctors and multiple nurses – shows the province is committed to improving health care in the County.

The equipment and their installation, which cost millions, were largely paid for via community donations, with the HHHS Foundation announcing late last year it had raised $6.225 million to cover the upgrades.

Regina, who scored 3,695 votes (7.55 per cent) in the 2022 election, refused to accept Trump’s recent inauguration as reason enough to send Ontarians back to the polls early – saying that is more of a federal concern.

“The Ontario premier’s support will be required, but the Americans will not consider him to be a spokesperson for Canada. Dealing with the U.S. is a federal government responsibility,” Regina said.

He slammed Ford for “wasteful” initiatives, noting the decision to liberalize alcohol sales will set the province back approximately $1.4 billion by 2030, per a Financial Accountability Office report released Jan. 27. Speeding up the timeline added $612 million to the bottom line, the report states.

Regina also criticized the decision to provide $200 tax rebates to all Ontarians, for an expected bill of $3.2 billion. Ford said the money is to help offset the cost of the federal carbon tax and high interest rates.

The NDP party has yet to announce a candidate, with neither the provincial party or local association responding to questions by press time. Barbara Doyle stood in 2022, finishing second with 15 per cent of the vote. Lindsay-based Zack Tisdale will represent the Libertarian Party, while Gene Balfour, who stood for the Libertarians in the previous two provincial elections, will run as an independent.

Eighteen months on from the launch of Haliburton County’s community mobile outreach (CMO) program and coun. Jennifer Dailloux feels the initiative is making a huge difference in the lives of some of the area’s most vulnerable people.

Launched in June 2023, the program is designed to connect people with a wide range of issues with services and supports both within the County and beyond. Led by staffer Sue Tiffin, the County’s community safety and well-being plan coordinator, it has assisted hundreds of people to date.

Dailloux discussed the program’s merits at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto Jan. 19. She was part of a four-person panel looking at ways small communities can tackle issues surrounding mental health episodes and addictions.

“We were invited to speak because Haliburton County is one of the only regions with a dedicated person working on community safety and wellbeing,” Dailloux said. “The work goes much further than just addictions and mental health – Sue has created a network of people and organizations to assist those who are struggling with many aspects of their life.”

There are 12 services regularly partnering on the initiative, Tiffin said. Some of include: City of Kawartha Lakes outreach services and life stabilization supports; the County’s paramedicine program; the John Howard Society; Haliburton Highlands Health Services; Heat Bank Haliburton County; Peterborough AIDS Resource Network; and Dufferin Community Health Centre.

Over time, as word spread, more have come on board – the Canadian Mental Health Association, City of Kawartha Lakes Housing and Homelessness services, Community Legal Clinic of Simcoe, Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes; Minden Community Food Centre; Fleming Crew, Point in Time; the the Connections Committee of Haliburton County and YWCA.

Once a week, or more, CMO members meet in various locations throughout the County to provide easily accessible, low-barrier supports. Issues range from housing, mental health, addiction and harm reduction, food supports, education and employment, and community paramedicine.

“Crucially, this method increases the chances of successful cross-referrals. All service providers know each other. Instead of having to fill out a form and telling a vulnerable person they’ll have to wait weeks for a response, they’re introducing them directly, leading to much faster solutions and supports,” Dailloux said.

To reach more people, CMO members attend the Minden courthouse the one day a month it’s in session, offering help to anyone that asks.

“Sometimes it’s not enough to simply start a service or program. Sometimes you have to literally bring it to people, so it’s in their face,” Dailloux said. “We still haven’t reached everyone, and we haven’t provided all the services we want to provide, but the ability to network amongst ourselves, evolve, and be agile as a group is something really unique.

“We’ve learned being flexible is good. Taking the risk to try and develop a model that really responds to our local situation is proving to be a successful way forward for us,” Dailloux added. “It’s almost like going back to how society used to be, where it’s all person-to-person, really supporting people.”

Tiffin said the response, thus far, has been positive.

“People who regularly access community outreach services appreciate the team being there, and tell us they look forward to it,” she said.

Now that the ball is rolling, Dailloux said the momentum is building. More organizations are reaching out and wanting to jump on board.

“Places are starting to think it’s a good idea to send a field officer 150 kilometres north for the day to make important connections. This initiative just keeps going from strength to strength,” Dailloux said.

To learn more, contact Tiffin at stiffin@ haliburtoncounty.ca.

ROMA rundown

Algonquin Highlands mayor and County deputy warden Liz Danielsen said she enjoyed speaking to representatives from Renfrew County about the unique way its EMS department operates.

“They work directly with their hospital, they’ve got mental health programs they work with – it’s so far and above what a typical EMS operation is,” Danielsen said. “I’m excited about the fact we’re going to have a new EMS chief and hopefully we can look to see if there’s improvements we can make.”

It was announced earlier this month that Michael Slatter is replacing Tim Waite as head of the department.

Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter said he discussed housing and health care with several provincial ministers, while continuing to advocate for public transportation. He said other municipalities with active programs were struggling to fund buses once provincial grants dried up.

He said there’s been no advancement on efforts to establish a bus service between Haliburton and Minden due to higher-than expected costs.

Dysart deputy mayor Walt McKechnie said he attended seminars focused on housing. He came away believing governments of all levels have to do more to encourage development.

“We need to lighten up our legislation and get the ball moving, get shovels in the ground as quickly as possible,” McKechnie said. “There’s no reason projects should be tied up for years just to get approval.”

A former police chief for South Simcoe is the new chair of the fledgling Haliburton County Police Detachment Board.

Andrew Fletcher was elected at the inaugural meeting in November.

A community representative, along with Andy Chvedukas, he joins provincial appointee Andrew Hodgson, Algonquin Highlands mayor Liz Danielsen, Dysart et al deputy mayor Walt McKechnie, Highlands East mayor Dave Burton, and Minden Hills mayor Bob Carter on the board.

It was created as part of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, which came into effect April 1, 2024. The legislation has replaced the Police Services Act, to focus on addressing community safety; enhancing police oversight; modernizing policing, and establishing consistent mandated training requirements.

Fletcher said he started as a cadet in Halton Region and worked his way up to deputy chief during 31 years there. Looking for a top role, he joined South Simcoe for seven years before retiring two-and-a-half years ago.

The Bob Lake full-time resident saw an ad in the paper looking for board community representatives. His family has had a cottage on the lake for 15 years, coming weekends and summers. He got to know people in the community, and a handle on what was going on.

“I said I was going to be retired, was going to be quiet, and then a few people started calling me, saying, ‘have you considered this? This is right up your alley. What do you think’?”

He elaborates that when he first called quits to his working life, the best advice he received was to not do anything for the first year.

“Don’t commit… take your time. I did that. But I’m typically a person who likes to be busy and doing things. I started getting involved in the curling club and the food bank. When this came up, I debated; am I really a community representative? Do I know enough about the community? Have I been here long enough? I felt I had a pretty good grasp on some of the things going on, but I was really looking to bring that organizational experience.”

Fletcher was involved in subcommittees writing the new Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019. He said he cares deeply about crime prevention and the Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan.

“I am passionate about the fact that policing is more than just enforcement. I hate the words ‘law enforcers’ because our new generation of policing is about engaging with the community; looking at the well-being of the community; inspiring young people to get involved in policing; and giving youth guidance when they need that through youth diversion. It’s not all about putting people in jail.”

He brings valuable policing experience to the board.

“Not just as a chief of police but an understanding of CSWB, and what the role of the board is. For the last 17 years, I sat on the other side of the table (as chief and deputy chief) and listened to boards and how they engage with commanders and chiefs.”

He added it is also about better connecting the OPP to the community via the board.

“People are already talking to me. They see me at the curling club and say, ‘I see you’re the board chair, what about this, and what about that’?”

As for his views on the board’s role, Fletcher added, “we’re the people to ask the questions. When we are engaging with the commander and he brings reports, for example, that theft of gas is up 100 per cent, we can say ‘what about that? What are you doing about that?

“When we start seeing the mental health statistics, we can ask, ‘what more can we be doing’? The commander, many times, has already thought about it, but it’s about bringing whatever the priorities of the board are to their (OPP) attention.”

He said OPP billing is always topical but the board can request a breakdown of costs. “Not to hold their (OPP) feet to the fire, but just that accountability piece and saying ‘okay, let us ask those questions that the public might be asking’.”

He noted the board does evaluate commanders. “It gives us a chance to say to him or her, ‘this is what’s important to us’ – and many times we are aligned. They’ve already addressed it, but, if not… our job is to make sure there’s a broad spectrum of strategies.”

At the end of the day, he said he is just trying to make a difference.

“Let’s make sure the community is getting the best bang for their buck, and if not, let’s change that, introduce something different, or have a conversation to see if we can drive it in that direction.”

Minden Hills council, on Jan. 16, directed staff to put out an expression of interest for potential partners to help redevelop the Lochlin Community Centre site. They also committed $50,000 towards the project.

The future of the centre – which has been shuttered since COVID – was again up for debate as part of budget talks.

“In its mothballed state, the condition of the building has deteriorated and requires significant investment,” chief building official, Eric Guay, said in a written report.

An advisory committee has been meeting to help determine next steps with three options: a new $900,000 plus tax hall; renovating the existing building, at an estimated cost of $585,000 plus taxes; or relocating the existing building for $1,050,000 to $1.15 million plus tax.

CAO Cynthia Fletcher said there is another option.

“Maybe there’s an opportunity to seek a partner, or partners, to do something bigger on the site.” She added, “my strong recommendation would be anything that we do has to include a community gathering space” since the centre had been a hub prior to the pandemic.

Coun. Pam Sayne agreed they need to keep the community centre component and was intrigued by potential partnerships. “What if we put a couple of housing units there?” she asked. “I like the idea of doing something more there.”

Mayor Bob Carter suggested day care. “If there was some space… they could pay full market rent… I’m just using that as an example of a partnership. But it will take time.”

Coun. Ivan Ingram asked about moving the old fire hall in downtown Minden to Lochlin.

Deputy mayor Lisa Schell said the Lochlin hall issue has been going on for years. “I think this council has to make a decision and make something happen one way or another.”

Coun. Tammy McKelvey agreed, “it is time to make a decision, put some money in the budget for at least a commitment to do something. We have a building that is growing mould. The previous council talked about it. We’ve talked about it enough. Just put our money where our mouth is or say we’re not going to do it. I love the partnership idea by the way.”

Fletcher suggested putting out an expression of interest, including asking potential partners how quickly they could make something happen. Ingram suggested the $50,000 and council voted in favour.

In-house lawn care

Council also voted in favour of in-house lawn care at cemeteries, versus hiring a contractor.

Director of community services, Candace McGuigan, said it was possible with the hiring of two additional summer parks students. McGuigan pointed out they went outside the municipality due to staff shortages last year. Cemeteries are open May 1 to Nov. 30 with clean-up beginning in April.

McGuigan added they could also do Lutterworth yard, and the Minden water and wastewater treatment plants, rather than having OCWA do the plants. She said no additional equipment is required. The overall cost would be just over $27,000, compared to $56,000 for contracting out.

Council opted for in-house.

The chiefs of the County’s four fire departments are working on a proposal they hope to present to their respective councils this year advocating for improved collaboration between local stations.

Dan Chumbley, who heads up the Dysart department, told The Highlander he tries to assist on calls in Algonquin Highlands, Minden Hills, and Highlands East when needed, via a loose mutual aid agreement – but he feels there’s an opportunity for more enhanced partnerships.

The proposal is for an immediate two-department response for certain calls, such as structure fires, wildland fires, and specialized rescues. He said the idea is the two closest units to an incident would respond. A sixmonth pilot was carried out last year.

“The intent is to get more firefighters for larger-scale incidents responding sooner, by drawing from a bigger pool,” Chumbley said. “The increased number of call outs make it harder for the current firefighters to attend everything.”

The Dysart station responded to 444 emergency calls in 2024, up around five per cent from 2023 and 15 per cent from 2022.

The department is staffed almost exclusively by volunteers, who often rush from their day jobs, or from home, to respond when calls come in. Chumbley said he has a full quota of 28 members, having added three last year to replace retirees. All volunteers are paid an hourly rate.

“Some can reorganize their workload and respond after a short delay, but it is still a delay,” Chumbley said. “Call outs can happen at any time and for a large variety of reasons. We sometimes go days without hearing our pagers, and then we will have a short burst of activity all at once.”

That was the case the weekend of Jan. 18 and 19, with Dysart firefighters logging over 130 hours responding to seven calls. The situation is a little more desperate in Algonquin Highlands, according to its chief Mike French. Addressing council at a Jan. 16 meeting, he said the department was having issues responding effectively to calls through Station 80 in Stanhope due to a lack of volunteers.

“We seem to have an open door going through – we lose one, we gain one. Every time we seem like we’re making some progress, another person leaves,” French said. “I don’t know the reasoning behind it.

“Station 60 (Dorset) and Station 70 (Oxtongue Lake) get good responses to all calls. We are low for Station 80. We don’t have the numbers we anticipate we should have.”

French noted medical-related response times are good, with those requiring four-to-five volunteers. Fires are a different animal, though, usually requiring at least double that amount.

As such, any time a call comes through Station 80, French said Dorset-based volunteers will also respond. He noted there’s also an agreement with Minden Hills for added assistance. French said that’s reciprocated any time there’s an emergency in Minden.

There was a 4.7 per cent increase in call volume in Algonquin Highlands in 2024, up to 334 from 316 the previous year. Of those, 45 were fire-related responses.

Minden, HE ‘steady’

Don Kruger, chief of the Minden department, said it has been a steady couple of years – reporting the exact same number of callouts in 2023 and 2024, with 376 emergencies. He estimated about 50 per cent were medical.

There is one volunteer vacancy, with 24 of 25 roster spots filled. Being the closest department to the City of Kawartha Lakes, Kruger said he also has a mutual aid agreement there.

It’s been a busy start to the new year – Kruger said over the past five years the department has averaged 16 calls in January. As of Jan. 20, they were already at 23.

In Highlands East, chief Chris Baughman said there are around 300 calls annually. He estimates 55 to 60 per cent are medical related.

His department has an active roster of 45 volunteers but can carry up to 50. “We are always interested in adding a befitting new candidate,” Baughman said.

He believes there would be a benefit to instituting a permanent two-department response in the County.

“It’ll be up to councils to decide,” he said.

Adventurer Jim Baird said the Haliburton Highlands stands up against any of the breathtaking landscapes he’s seen traversing some of the country’s most renowned natural havens – including the Canadian Arctic.

Familiar to fans of the National Geographic series Home in the Wild and the History Channel’s reality series Alone, where he was the season four winner, Baird has forged a reputation as one of Canada’s top outdoorsmen over the past decade.

A northern Ontario native, residing on the Magnetawan River north of Parry Sound, Baird has been a frequent visitor to Haliburton Forest recently – taking in annual trips to the 100,000-acre nature reserve. He spent three nights sleeping under the stars on MacDonald Lake, one of the property’s northernmost water bodies, Jan. 13-15.

Baird said he was filming content for his YouTube channel ‘Jim Baird-Adventurer’, which boasts 193,000 subscribers.

“I do a lot of expeditionary-type trips in remote areas – I’ve done a lot of Arctic treks, distant parts of northern Ontario, and out in Alaska… but in terms of the myriads of beautiful lakes, opportunities for ice fishing and sledding, it’s kind of hard to beat the Haliburton Forest,” Baird told The Highlander last week.

He spent time traversing the property with Steve Lukacic, an ice fishing guide with Yours Outdoors who runs excursions at the Forest. Baird said the pair have been friends for years after connecting while both freelanced for Outdoor Canada, a monthly fishing and hunting magazine.

They visited numerous lakes, catching lake, brook and rainbow trout – the biggest about three-and-a-half-pounds, Baird said. The pair ate some of what they caught, frying the fish the old-fashioned way – skewered on some sticks over a hastily thrown together fire. “They looked pretty gnarly, some people would have been questioning it, but the smoky flavour was just phenomenal,” Baird said.

His first visit came in 2022. Wanting to get an up-close look at Canada’s largest privately-owned nature reserve, he brought his wife and two children along for a relaxing family vacation. The reality was anything but, he recalls.

An ice rainstorm hit the morning of their arrival, making their foot journey to the offgrid cabin they’d rented particularly dicey. “The road was so slick you could have ice skated on it. Fortunately, we had cleats,” Baird said.

They eventually made it to their destination and spent a few days exploring the property. “One of the best trips we’ve done… and we later learned we had almost the entire place to ourselves,” Baird said, with the Forest cancelling all other reservations due to the weather.

The secluded spot he set up on MacDonald Lake is a new feature, with the Forest expanding its camping options last week. Baird was the first to try it out.

There are lots of other trips planned this year – remote ice fishing in Algoma District, a solo canoe trip in the Northwest Territories, and moose hunting in Newfoundland. Baird is also taking his brother, Ted, to the Grand Canyon and Hudson Bay.

As is becoming tradition, he’ll return to Haliburton County next year.

“Most of the time when someone is looking to experience nature, to find top quality ice fishing they don’t drive south – Haliburton is about two hours down for me, so that should give you an idea of how good that spot really is,” Baird said.

From facing road rage, to white knuckle driving experiences, and a near-miss lightning strike in Glebe Park, Richard van Nood has seen it all in 35 years at the helm of Haliburton County’s only driving school.

After leaving the military as a radio operator, van Nood was perusing the classifieds in an Oakville newspaper when he came across a job looking for someone who loved driving. “I’ve always loved driving,” he says in a chat at Castle Antiques in downtown Haliburton. He applied and got the job with Young Drivers of Canada in Mississauga in 1983. He won instructor of the year twice at that office; became an in-class instructor in 1985 after logging 2,000 hours of car work; and taught other instructors.

He and wife, Shelley, moved to Haliburton in 1988. Shelley was born and raised in the Highlands.

At the time, the high school offered driver training that was subsidized by the Ontario government, so van Nood got into commercial printing for a spell. He then took on part-time work teaching in-class and in-car based out of Hal High in 1990. It was in 1996 that he opened The Driver’s Edge Driver Training after the NDP government cancelled funding of driver education in the province.

Since then, he said he has no idea how many people he has taught to drive. When it is suggested “thousands” he said that could be right. He is now teaching the children of his first students, and former students have come up to tell them how many years they have been driving accident-free.

At the time of the interview, he had 37 students on the go; and was about to launch a new course to add another 20.

While many are 16 and 17-year-olds, he said he has some older students, including people who have moved to the Highlands from the city and now have to drive as there is no public transit.

“I meet people from all walks of life, 16-year-olds to 80-year-olds, male, female, new Canadians.”

Despite the busyness of the full-time job, van Nood said he loves that he can pick his own hours, which was handy when he and Shelley’s children were growing up.

“For the most part, I have enjoyed all of the students I have taught. Some are more challenging, as they may have no concept of driving and are back-and-forth on the road.” He finds kids in Haliburton have better driving sense as they are exposed to motorized vehicles, such as four-wheelers, snowmachines, and even tractors, before getting behind the wheel of a car.

Memorable moments

His most “white knuckle” experience was when a student driver in his Mercury Mystique was driving on Bobcaygeon Road and hit the ditch in winter; “next thing you know, a hydro pole was going past.” After that, he added skid control to her lesson.

Another time, his student driver was turning in downtown Haliburton but was taking a bit long, forcing a driver behind to slow down. The other driver tailgated them to the high school, cutting in front and jamming on his brakes. After, van Nood followed the guy; to tell him it was not a great idea. Clearly it was a student driver and they could have panicked and hit the gas instead of the brake.

“He didn’t give me a chance; up one side and down the other side of me, shouting ‘you should be banned from teaching. I should report you to the police.’ Van Nood walked away, knowing, “I’m not going to make headway with this gent.”

There was a fateful day after a driving lesson on the gravel road in Glebe Park. The skies opened up as van Nood was about to pick up pylons. He got back in the car just as a lighting strike hit the ground by the nearest cone. “You could smell the burning from the lightning strike. I made the right choice.” Early in his career, he also got the chance to teach a deaf student. But first, he had to learn some sign language for words such as turn and brake. Because the student was born deaf, van Nood said he had excellent observation skills. He got his license.

Changes

He has seen a lot of changes in the industry over the years. Probationary driver is now graduated licencing. There must be 10 hours of car work, up from eight. Government bodies have changed and the Ontario government sold driver testing rights to DriveTest.

He would like to see tougher testing standards, noting tests are just 17 minutes long; improved quality control for driving schools; and more parent involvement. He said parents tell him they are too nervous to drive with their teens, but seem content to let them drive on their own after 10 hours in a car. He added parents have to be driving role models. He allowed his kids to get behind the wheel of his car on their property. Mind you, his car had dual brakes. However, they would do a serpentine course around the trees.

He’s asked if it’s easier to learn driving in rural and regional areas, such as Haliburton County but says the intersection of Hwy. 118 and Highland Street in downtown Haliburton is a challenge, particularly in summer and Christmas holidays.

He’s asked if kids are more distracted, and tells the story of seeing a driver in the GTA behind the wheel while reading a novel. “Distracted driving has always been there and is always going to be there.”

As for car features that make it easier for students, he notes they can’t use things like automatic reverse park when doing driving tests.

Looking back on his career, van Nood says, “It’s not going to make me rich, but I enjoy it. I enjoy the freedom of being my own businessman. I like the fact I meet so many different people. I like the scenery from my office. I think it would drive me crazy being in an office looking at the same four walls all day long. I get to drive around. I’m everywhere.”